Healthier Cupcake Home run!

Thumbs Up Vanilla Cupcakes

.....No refined flour or granulated sugar

Well this attempt at making a healthier cupcake was a hit with my "tasters"!  The kids said things like, "they taste like a Krispy Kreme Donut"! and "two thousand thumbs up mom!".  This was a modified recipe from another of Alicia Silverstone's Vegan recipes in her Kind Diet cookbook.  Mine aren't Vegan once the frosting hit the top, but that isn't my objective.  I really just want to limit chemicals, GMO ingredients, refined sugars and increase fiber and protein in my baking.  I spoke of "layers" to these things in my last post, and really this isn't the top tier of what can be done....but again, I am considering several recipes for specific audiences and compromises.  

Below are what they looked like out of the oven.....

Here is my modified version of the recipe:

Healthier Vanilla Cupcakes      350  15 min for the tiny cuppies,  adjust for larger ones

2/3 C organic almond milk

1 t organic apple cider vinegar

(these two ingredients are combined first off and allowed to set for a few minutes until the mixture bubbles a little......don't ask me why, that was in the initial recipe and I figured it was to create a kind of buttermilk affect...I like the idea of the apple cider vinegar in it anyway, so I kept it)

1/2 c organic agave nectar 

1/3 c grape seed oil (you certainly could substitute a safflower or other)

2 t pure vanilla extract

1- 1/3  cup organic, non bleached white-wheat flour 

1 t baking powder 

1/2 t baking SODA (non aluminum added)

pinch of fine sea salt

mix the milk and the vinegar in the bowl first, allow to set while you gather other ingredients.  Add all the wet to the mix, begin to mix..combine all your dry ingredients and add until mixed.  Pour into cupcakes liners and bake. 

My frosting was a mix of organic low fat cream cheese, some organic confectioner's sugar and 3 T of organic skim powdered milk to increase the protein/sugar ratio even higher.  The little pumpkins were make with my  rollable cream cheese frosting with a green sprinkle as the stem.  Which by the way I picked out of an assorted bottle of sprinkles! haha  My goal is to try and lose the confectioner's sugar in making frosting and I have a few ideas on the horizon.....those are coming soon. 

Here's how the kids got to take them to school in their lunches today!

Well,  I need to get prepared for a few new parties I have planned here on the horizon....I have had back surgery this month and am still on orders to "take it easy" so I am gonna have to do things on a much smaller scale than normal,  but still plan on pouring on some creativity, so visit again for whatever inspiration I can come up with next!  Thanks for viewing.  

First attempt!

Let's at least try! 

So I am trying to come up with ways to make healthier choices in my life and for my kids.  In this effort, I have become determined to try and explore some recipes avoiding bleached out refined flours and sugars as much as possible and to try and keep chemicals, preservatives and genetically modified foods out of the mix.  I even purchased some natural food color made from vegetables. 

I have poured over several healthy style cookbooks and made myself a list of cookie, cupcake and frosting recipes to work with,  make substitutions for and see what I can come up with.  Basically, what I realized is, there are gonna be "layers" to how much compromise I  may need to take for a specific look, event or even considering a specific audience.  There are some super great, totally healthy drop cookie recipes full of fiber and protein and  yummy whole grain spice cupcakes that are on the top of the charts packed with whole grains and organic natural sweeteners, but for the "decorated sugar cookie" thing I am famous for out here in these parts.....I am really still

 just working on it!  

These cutie little pumpkins are my first attempt at avoiding refined sugars and flours in the cookie recipe.  Of course any rollable frosting you can decorate with is where the compromise has to come in.  Store bought fondant is basically high fructose corn syrup---hands down.  But of course it gives us the prettiest and easiest results.  There are gonna be times I gotta cave and use it!  Here for this experimental batch though, I chose my rollable cream cheese frosting with  organic low fat cream cheese and organic confectioner's sugar.  (fyi the low fat didn't work as well as the regular)

The verdict on the cookie recipe.....ahh didn't get the highest of thumbs up from my "testers".   I had chosen to use some garbanzo bean flour to increase the protein in the cookie, and really it left an after taste...so that goes bye bye for the "sugar cookie" experiment.  But, I did use some other  organic whole grain flours and organic brown rice syrup, and I think there may be a way I can keep those in the next trial batch.  Instead of butter, I chose an organic coconut oil.  And even though coconut oil is a saturated fat, it isn't getting the bad results as animal saturated fats on how our body processes it.  These of course are just my findings in my readings and research.  I will post the recipe below that I tried out just for you to see what I did use.  It is a modified version of a vegan recipe I found in Alicia Silverstone's book

The Kind Diet. 

Rollable SHORTBREAD Cookies   350  10 min

(Alicia Silverstone’s  recipe modified)

1 c pastry flour, I used Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour with garbanzo bean flour

1 c  organic, non bromated, non bleached white wheat flour

1 c organic  brown rice flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 c "Olivio" extra virgin Coconut Spread

2/3 c organic brown rice syrup

2 t pure vanilla

1 t fine sea salt

put wet ingredients in mixer, combine and add in dry, make dough into ball, chill, roll, cut and bake. 

In the end, the garbanzo bean flour in the gluten free all purpose flour held an after taste so I wouldn't use that again in a "sugar cookie",  but would still consider it for some other things that have many more layers of spices and flavors.   I also would substitute something else for the coconut oil, since that too held a strong flavor presence.  I am going to try the Earth Balance organic spread next.

SO attempt number ONE!  They weren't "horrible" and I really enjoyed them BEFORE I added the frosting,  just because I personally didn't want  to eat the sugar in the frosting.  SO I bake on.......

Take It Outside!

Let's Go Outside!

During the height of my party planning business,  RSVP's,  I was commissioned to plan a birthday celebration at the host's house.  Since their yard was so spacious and scenic, I brought our indoor outdoor and  I set up a lovely atmosphere that had a sense of nature and the space around it, but still had enough intimacy that family and friends could mingle and enjoy the time together.  Our host insisted on the understated without a lot of fanfare so I chose some elements found in nature like rocks, greenery, water and lanterns placed about that really gave off a nice touch of glow as it darkened outside.  

These umbrellas were a Costco find and stood alone on beautiful natural (and very heavy!)  marble stands.  I placed them in between table areas to tie the space together and allow the full use of the top of the tables.

This simple gazebo was an inexpensive find at Big Lots for under $50.  It has proven itself for many a gathering time and time again.  You may have seen it's skeleton take shape at my indoor wine party draped with white sheers.  I have even used the poles draped with sheers and florals for a romantic bench seating area alongside the dance floor at an outdoor wedding.  I have also hung sheers as side panels to create an intimate outdoor lunch space with the tables underneath.  Some "twisty ties" and a little creativity can really get you far! 

Inside the tent I hung this very versatile candelabra with tiny glass lanterns and candles.  I set the ring with some natural greenery to play off of the outdoor theme.  I have put grapes in this at my  indoor wine party,  pumpkins in this......oh so many things.  It can set as a table centerpiece if the the chain is removed and then candles placed on the perimeter of the circle.  I love to reinvent and reuse the things I already have!

These glass vases are my most used most versatile element of event styling!  I purchased a case from the dollar store and then some varying sizes from Big Lots that matched the design well.  You will see them  reappear in almost all of my parties.  I have covered them in matching wrapping paper as a centerpiece, have filled with with food coloring and water to add punch of color to a table,  and used them as floral vases, wrapped ribbon around them and even submerged a stack of golf balls in them for the Father's Day tablescape!