Very exciting news!

I was over at Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's website and checking out the Frequently Asked Questions page I see that she now approves of cocoa if you are able to eat the full GAPS diet and no longer have digestive issues!

Here is the question and Dr. Campbell-McBride's answer:

When can cocoa be introduced?

Cocoa is SCD illegal. However, I find that many people can start having it occasionally on the Full GAPS Diet, once the digestive symptoms are gone. Find pure organic cocoa powder [affiliate link]. Mixing the powder with some honey [affiliate link] and sour cream makes a delicious dessert, and you can add it to your homemade ice cream or cakes. After trying it for the first time, observe your patient for any reactions. Cocoa is very rich in magnesium and some essential amino acids and, unless your digestive system is not ready for it, there is no need to avoid it.

My husband and I were remarried in 2007 after being divorced for fifteen years. Quite by accident we planned our second wedding to commence on the date that our divorce was final, so we were quite literally divorced for exactly fifteen years.

For most of my life I did not care much for Valentine's Day, but now that we have remarried, I want to celebrate this day of love. I know, I know. It's a holiday contrived with commercialism and Hallmark charges an arm and a leg for cards, but I love the pink and red hearts of it all.

My husband has been working very hard lately and I asked him to try to be home by 6pm on Valentine's Day, he said he would do his best, and he did finally get home by 8:30pm. I happened to be running late so it turned out okay.

Here is what we had for our meal:

• Top Sirloin Steak, fried in a skillet with butter
• Sauteed Mushrooms, sliced and cooked in butter
• Beets, steamed, peeled, sliced and cut into heart shapes
• Beet greens
• Salad
• Chocolate and Peanut Butter Heart Cookies

As you can see, we had a candlelit dinner. About five minutes into the meal I asked my husband how do people eat with candlelight? I could hardly see my plate. Maybe they use more candles, and/or taller candles? I will have to experiment with that. We ended up turning on the kitchen light because it was simply too dim to see!

I downloaded some free romantic songs from Amazon, as well as this album: Candlelight – Romantic Dinner Party Music With Relaxing Instrumental Piano which was only $5.99 and contains 44 romantic songs. My husband doesn't really feel comfortable with too much “sissy” stuff like this, so I went through and picked out the songs that were not too sappy for his sake. 🙂

We had a very nice dinner together. The top sirloin was quite tasty, and the cookies were scrumptious!

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day?