Two-serving, brownie cookie-dough cake for Mom

Backyard kildeer parent protects her eggs

I think I'm going through parenthood, Chapter 2, but this time the kids have fur. Funny thing, this second chapter is pretty much like the first chapter. You get to spend sleepless nights tending to sick doggies, just like kids.You get to spend your money on the dogs or kids (e.g. doctor/vet visits, toys), rather than on yourself. And then there's the money you spend for your own medical care after one of the kids or dogs accidentally injures you. My son, as a baby, almost broke my nose, and my dogs have given me whiplash.

Ah, parenthood! Whether you're a parent of fur babies or human babies or bird babies, there are ups and downs associated with parenthood. Talk about downs. Our backyard kildeers, pictured above,  suffered through wind, rain and hail storms to raise their brood. But I celebrated, along with the parents, when the little guys hatched.

In honor of Mom's Day, I'm sharing a few of my joyful moments with my fur kids in the photos below.

Enjoying a spectacular view

Parenthood can have high points, like enjoying a spectacular view with the fur kids after hiking to the top of a bluff.

I just like soft sleeping bags!

Sometimes what they do is so cute, you just can't be mad at them for long.

A face to love

Or they look at you with their big brown eyes.

Nika and Misha lounge in tent

Sometimes, they're just quiet and calm, and you can appreciate how adorable they are.

Two-serving, brownie cookie-dough cake

Happy Mother's Day! If you want to celebrate with something really delicious, try this two-serving, brownie cookie-dough cake.

Ingredients for cake:

1. 2 T. melted coconut oil
2. 3 T. unsweetened almond milk or other dairy-free beverage
3. 4 T. cacao powder
4. 2 T. unsweetened applesauce
5. 1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
6. 1/2 tsp. vanilla
7. 2 T. ground sunflower seeds or other nuts or seeds
8. 2 1/2 T. gluten-free flour mix
9. stevia to taste
10. 1/4 tsp. each baking powder and soda
11. Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix ingredients #1-6 in a small bowl. Mix #7-11 in a separate bowl.
3. Then, whisk the wet and dry ingredients together.
4. Spray, with pan spray, two single-serve cake pans, and fill each two-thirds full.
5. Bake 12-15 minutes. The top and edges should be set while the middle will be slightly loose.
6. Cool  before removing the cakes from the pans.
7. For serving, slice the cakes in half and pipe on sunbutter frosting in the middle and on top. To make the frosting, cream together 2 T. each of coconut oil, palm shortening and sunbutter. Add stevia, vanilla and a pinch of salt.
8. For more deliciousness, sprinkle on 1 T. cookie dough (made from this recipe http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/vegan-chocolate-kiss-cookie-dough.html). Ignore the direction to make the dough into balls and simply use freeform.
9. Garnish with some strawberries/berries and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Contributed to: http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2012/05/10/wellness-weekend-may-10-14/