Strawberry Cupcakes The Healthy Way

Healthy Strawberry Cupcakes

with Healthy "Buttercream" Frosting

Wonderful test trial results yesterday for a delicious healthy, high protein, low carb, no refined flour or sugar strawberry cupcake.  I worked on it all day with a few tweaks to my healthy no sugar buttercream frosting to go with it.  See the recipes below!

Being a cake decorator, I still hold the constant pull to make these healthy cupcakes with design and color while still staying true to the low sugar aspect.  So I have decided to practice decorating them with colorful liners and tiny PUSH MOLDS made especially for the smaller cuppies that fit so well in the Babycakes cupcake machine.  I am going to come out with my own line of decorative petite push molds soon that will fit perfectly with these tiny bites of delight! This will allow everyone to simply put a tiny bit of fondant or my healthy cream cheese recipe in a shallow mold and release for an easy breezy cupcake topper.   BUT first, I have to get the new cookbook up and running....just waiting for some last minute copy editing and it will be available soon. Get ready to nourish your body with intention and color!!  

Strawberry Cupcakes

adapted from Elana Amsterdam's "The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook"

2 large organic eggs

1/4 C grapeseed oil

1/2 C (minus 1 T) raw organic agave nectar

2 T Polaner All Fruit Spread, strawberry flavor

1 T pure vanilla extract or the inside of one vanilla bean

1T freshly squeezed lemon juice

10 drops of strawberry LorAnn candy flavoring

4 chopped fresh strawberries

2 1/2 C blanched almond flour

1/2 t baking soda

Combine all wet ingredients, except fresh strawberries, in a mixing bowl, mix gently with a hand mixer.  Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl, mix into wet ingredients slowly to combine.  Fold in strawberry pieces.  Batter will be thick and easy to spoon into cupcake liners.  

For the tiny cuppie liners, perfect for the Babycakes Cupcake Machine, 1 T batter works perfectly.  I bake them in the machine for exactly 6 minutes.  For the oven, bake at 350 for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until slightly brown on top and test stick comes out dry.  For larger cupcake liners, 2 T batter and bake at 350 for approximately 18-20 minutes. 

Healthy "Buttercream" Frosting

1/2 C (1 stick) Spectrum  or Earth Balance all vegetable vegan shortening

1/2 C (1 stick) organic butter 

3/4 C of  organic raw agave nectar

1/4 - 1/2 C organic dry skim milk

2 packs dry Stevia

1/2 t meringue or egg white powder

1 T vanilla extract (or other)

Beat with hand mixer and chill for about  2 hrs to stiffen, add more dry milk if it needs a touch more stiffener.  

Spread or pipe through a piping bag.

I put in 10 drops of LorAnn strawberry oil flavoring and a t of lemon extract for this recipe. 

Life Changing Matcha Tea

Matcha Tea

Matcha Tea, photo by Diff Sky

I had been hearing a lot about this "Matcha Tea" through the health circuit grapevine and really didn't think it was more than some other green tea.  Well I finally researched it, and was amazed at the power house of antioxidants and amazing health benefits it DID have!  It boasts over 1,000 times more anti cancer and anti aging benefits as even blueberries.  So I decided to check it out and pick some up.  I changed out my morning coffee for this amazing tea powder.  I purchased some flax milk (starting my day out with over 1,200 mg of omega fatty acids for good mood, lowering cholesterol, and increasing metabolism) then adding a cinnamon stick to the milk for reducing insulin resistance and a piece of fresh ginger to control the body's inflammation.  After it heated up to about 170 degrees, I added and stirred in a teaspoon of the Matcha tea powder.  WOW, within a day I could feel the affects of it's energy boost without the crash, it's emotional calming affect and the best of all, I was able to sleep through the night!  I hadn't done that in sixteen years!  I continued on this superfood morning routine for a week and honestly never felt better!  This wonderful website, Health Benefits of Matcha Green Tea Powder explains some advantages:

Amongst its many benefits, matcha...

• Is packed with antioxidantsincluding the powerful EGCg
• Boosts metabolism and burns calories
• Detoxifies effectively and naturally
• Calms and relaxes
• Enhances mood and aids in concentration
• Provides vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium
• Fights against viruses and bacteria
• Is rich in fiber
• Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar
• Does not raise insulin levels

Photo and recipe from Leaf Joy Blog

Here is a wonderful photo from Leaf Joy Blog showing how beautiful the color is when you bake with it.  I made orange ginger no flour no sugar cupcakes with a vegan butter green tea frosting this weekend and it was truly amazing.  The entire two dozen were gone before I could even get a picture of their glorious color and enticing design.  

Oh give it a try, add it to your  healthy smoothie, try the tea with some dark honey or a delicious almond or flax milk.   The evolution of our diet switching to powerhouse foods, herbs and teas can only add to our quality of life.  I'm hooked!  

Lo Carb Gluten Free Bread for Breakfast

Perfect Lo Carb Gluten Free Breakfast Bread

....eat it and ADD to it.....

This amazing lo carb bread made from Omega rich ground almond meal and organic protein rich eggs and almond butter makes for a perfect breakfast bread, especially if you are trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.  I had mine this week with smoked salmon and a pile of baby broccoli sprouts.  My new health mantra is "if you are gonna eat it, ADD to it!"  Make the most of everything you put in your mouth by adding super foods and mega  antioxidant rich items to it.  Before baking this, I threw in some chia seeds to help with metabolism, lower cholesterol and help control blood sugars.  I made the bread with extra organic healthy spices and dehydrated veggies for more fiber....it really was a MEGA FOOD by the time I was done with it all.  

See the recipe I adapted from "Elana's Pantry"  HERE.

Health Tip: if you need to LOSE weight, do a morning workout before you eat, this way all the glucose stored in your blood, muscles and liver will be used up and you will go directly into "fat burning mode" of keto acidosis and you will actually kick start a much faster metabolism for the day.  Plus this gives you the most amazing endorphin rush and powerful high. This allows you to be less depressed and make better decisions on your eating for the day.  Foods rich in Omegas will also add to healthier moods and greater metabolism, not to mention a healthy heart!  IF you want to boost your metabolism even higher, do NOT eat many carbs for breakfast, but one rich in protein and veggie fibers.