Clever Cupcakes

I know, it's been a long time since I posted. I'm very sorry about that. But I came across something the other day that I HAD to share with the world...

Ever since Ella was diagnosed with her peanut allergy, I have been searching for a peanut-free bakery. Up until Sunday, my search had been in vain...but then I found Clever Cupcakes, and I was in heaven.

Located in Coquitlam (right across from Coquitlam Town Centre), Clever Cupcakes offers a huge selection of delicious cupcakes, made fresh every day. They contain NO additives, NO preservatives, NO artificial flavours and NO artificial colours. They are made with 50% less sugar than regular cupcakes. They contain good-for-you ingredients like natural cocoa, fresh fruit, and natural butter. And best of all, they are completely peanut and tree nut free!

Basically, they are the healthiest cupcakes you can buy. But, trust me, you would never guess that from eating one! They are SO GOOD. And there are so many yummy flavours to choose from, like mango vanilla cake with cream cheese icing, chocolate cake with strawberry icing, mint chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting, coconut cake with cream cheese icing...I could go on and on. We only tasted four of the flavours during our visit, and they were all delicious.

The store itself is really cute. They have the bakery in the back, and up front there are tables to sit at, and they also sell a selection of coffees and soft drinks. We sat and had cappuccinos with our cupcakes, while the kids made a huge mess with their cupcakes. Afterwards we spoke with the owner, Juan, for a while. He has a young son with an allergy to peanuts and tree nuts, and also a father who is diabetic. He really wanted to create a product that they can enjoy (he's still working on lowering the sugar content for his dad, though). They get a lot of orders from businesses and schools, as well as orders for birthday parties and other celebrations. And, of course, you can always walk in and see what flavours they have to offer if you're just craving a cupcake...or six.

We will definitely be returning to Clever Cupcakes, for birthday party orders, and just our everyday cupcake needs. (I know what you're thinking - no one should have everyday cupcake NEEDS. But I'm pregnant. Give me a break, here.)

Most of all I was just so happy that I could go in and get Ella a "store-bought" treat and not worry about it. It might not seem like a big deal to most people, but when you have a kid with a peanut allergy, those are the everyday little things that you wish you could give to your child. I think Ella said it best while we were sitting enjoying the cupcakes: "This is way yummier than staying home!"

A Store with a Cause...and Peanut-Free Ice Cream!

Last night I visited PricePro for the first time, and it was AWESOME.

It's kind of a mix between a grocery store, a Costco and a furniture store. They sell lots of great stuff, like furniture, warehouse-pack sized foods, bakery items, fruit & veggies, clothes, shoes, DVDs, regular groceries, frozen foods, etc, etc. Everything you need!

But the best part is that they are part of a non-profit program called Welcome Home, which is a long-term residential treatment program for men who struggle with substance abuse. The purpose of the PricePro store is "to provide Welcome Home participants with the opportunity to acquire proper life skills, social skills, and job skills. They learn how to become valuable employees or how to successfully manage their own business." Very cool!

OK, here's the second best part: they have the most amazing selection of Chapman's peanut/nut-free ice cream that I have ever seen. The ice cream comes in 2L and 4L sizes, and in at least 9 or 10 different flavours. On top of that, they also have peanut/nut-free ice cream novelties, like ice cream sandwiches, ice cream bars, popsicles, cones, etc. And they even have peanut/nut-free sugar-free treats (although I'm not sure why you would want sugar-free ice cream, but to each his own). I got the butterscotch ripple.

I will definitely go back to PricePro. I think you should, too! It's in Surrey at 6911 King George Hwy, open 9am to 9pm Monday to Saturday.

Safe Snacks at Starbucks!

I love Starbucks. I love their coffee beans (I have three different types machines at home just for making coffee), I love their espresso drinks (caramel latte is my favourite), I love the atmosphere in their stores, and up until recently I loved their baked goods.

Then came Ella's peanut allergy, and the days of going out on a mommy-daughter date to Starbucks and sharing a banana loaf or ginger molasses cookie went out the window.

Until now!

Starbucks has recently started selling Lucy's cookies. They are free of wheat, gluten, dairy milk, butter, eggs, casein, peanuts and tree nuts. Which, I admit, made me a little skeptical at first, but we tried them anyway. And they are AMAZING. So yummy! And it was less than $2 for a bag of 4 cookies, which is totally reasonable.

So, thank you , Starbucks! Because now I can once again go out for coffee with the kids in tow, and there's something for them to eat and keep them busy while I get 5 minutes of peace.

Dr. Oz Talks About Anaphylaxis

I must admit, I've never actually watched The Dr. Oz Show. But my mom mentioned the other day that he had done a segment on anaphylaxis, so I thought I should check it out. Here's the video:

Overall, I thought it was pretty good. I love that he's creating awareness and teaching people what an anaphylactic reaction looks like, and what to do about it.

However, I also had a couple of issues with it.

First, he made it look like the only symptoms of a reaction are the skin symptoms (hives, redness, swelling), the mouth symptoms (tingling), and the lung symptoms (wheezing, coughing, hoarseness). He didn't even mention the gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, pain) or the cardiovascular symptoms (weak pulse, paleness, lethargy, unconsciousness). And he said that the breathing problems were the most serious, but the rapid drop in blood pressure is also a major factor in whether it's going to kill you.

Also, I don't think he should have had her hold the EpiPen like a pen. I know you don't need to apply a whole lot of pressure to get the needle to deploy (you really don't need to stab the person), but holding it like a pen doesn't give you much control over the device. It's much better to hold it in your fist, like so:

Anyway, creating public awareness for anaphylaxis is awesome. Good job, Dr. Oz.

Nut-Free Chocolate!

As anyone with a peanut allergy would know, it is really hard to find candy and chocolate that is safe. Basically, I've found my options to be limited to snack-size Smarties, Aero, Coffee Crisp, and Kit Kat. And after a while, that gets really boring.

Needless to say, I was delighted to find a chocolate store that specializes in nut-free treats: Vermont Nut Free Chocolates. We ordered a box of assorted chocolates and some wrapped chocolates for Christmas. And they were DELICIOUS. Just as good as Purdy's, or any other similar chocolates, and priced about the same, too. And shipping wasn't too expensive, either.

I will definitely be ordering more. Not only do they make amazing boxed chocolates, but they also have candy, baking chocolates, fun shapes, and things for every different holiday.

Review: No Nuts For Me

Ella was just over 2 years old when she was diagnosed with her peanut allergy, so trying to teach her about it is a very slow and repetitive process. She has learned to recite that peanuts make her sick, and that her EpiPen is her "special medicine," and that if she ever eats a peanut she needs to use her EpiPen and then call 9-1-1. But I wasn't sure if she really understood it.

So I went looking for a book at the library that she could understand, and I found No Nuts for Me by Aaron Zevy. It's a story about a day in the life of a boy with a nut allergy. The boy in the story is a bit older than Ella (he's elementary-aged), but she loved the book. The boy talks about what he can eat, how he uses his EpiPen, his MedicAlert bracelet, and lots of other stuff. By the time our 3-week library loan period was up, she had almost memorized the whole book!

I loved that the boy in the book focused on what he could do, rather than what he couldn't do. It shows kids that having a peanut allergy isn't the end of the world.

I would recommend the book for kids age 3 to 8 (although Ella understood it at 2).