{clean} Carrot Cake

My husband's favorite cake is Carrot Cake. So when a friend of mine raved about a Carrot Cake recipe that she uses all the time, I had to take a look.  She wanted to see if I could {clean} it up. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too(without the guilt)?  Surely by now you know I love a good challenge.  I took that recipe and made it fit into my clean lifestyle.  It turned out delicious! 

As with any baking recipe I {clean} up, I don't try to go too far the first time around by removing all the fat, cholesterol, and sugar.  However, I managed to cut the sugar by more than half and the fat and cholesterol in this recipe had a major overhaul. Over the past year of {clean eating} I have learned that you can make things taste great and be great for you as well.  And not carry such guilt when you are asked "would you like a slice of cake?"!

 This cake turned out sweet, moist, and carrot-tastic! 

{clean} Carrot Cake

Reciped adapted from www.allrecipes.com


Ingredients:
CAKE:

• 2 {cage free/organic} eggs
• 4 {cage free/organic} egg whites or 1/3 cup egg white liquid
• 1 cup {organic} pure sugar cane (fine)
• 1 tsp {organic} stevia powder
• 2 tsp {pure} vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Barlean's coconut oil or 1/4 cup applesauce (I use chia seeds instead, see notes)
• 1 cup {all natural, no sugar added} applesauce
• 2 cup {organic} whole wheat pastry flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea or kosher salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots

FROSTING:

• 8 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese (room temp)
• 1 cup {organic} powdered sugar (I get mine at TJ)
• 1 tsp {pure} vanilla extract
• 1 cup pecans (optional)

1). Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spray Canola Oil cooking spray over the inside of 9 x 13 pan.

2). In a large bowl beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar, stevia, and vanilla until combined.

3). In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt,  and cinnamon.

4) Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet and blend with mixer until combined. Pour into pan.

5). Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing.

6) For frosting, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.

7) After cake has completely cooled you can add the icing.

NOTE: I prefer my carrot cake to chill in the fridge before serving so the cream cheese is nice and cool. I also sprinkled the cake with all naturally colored orange sugar (www.indiatree.com) and cinnamon. 

If you want to give Chia Seeds a try, you can add 1 Tbps to 1/4 cup of water, stir for a few minutes and let sit for 15 minutes until they become a gel and then add them to the wet. 

KID APPROVED??? YES!

Mini {cleaned up} Cheesecakes

I do love cheesecakes (they are one of my all time favorites!), but I rarely eat them because they are full of fat and leave my stomach in pain from the dairy. However, sometimes it's worth the pain.

We were having my husband's family over to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday and cheesecake is her favorite dessert. I thought this would be a great opportunity challenge to make a {cleaned} up version of cheesecake. Making them individually, like I did for this recipe, will helps keep portion controls in check.  


This recipe is not low fat but just ONE of these little cheesecakes was very rich and rewarding. It was so rich even that I will try to make it with less fat next time and post the results. This recipe is free of artificial colors, preservatives, and white table sugar. 

Mini {cleaned up} Cheesecakes

This recipe was adapted from www.joyofbaking.com
Ingredients:
CRUST:

• 1 cup {all natural} graham crackers crumbs (I used Mi-Del)
• 1 Tbps {all natural} cane sugar or coconut sugar
• 3 Tbps {organic} unsalted butter
• 2-3 Tbps {all natural} apple juice

FILLING:

• 1 package(8 oz) 1/3 less fat cream cheese (room temp)
• 1 package(8 oz) full fat cream cheese (room temp)
• 2/3 cup {all natural} cane sugar (I use super fine)
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 2 large {cage free/organic} eggs (room temp)
• 1 tsp {pure} vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup {low fat} sour cream (room temp)

1)  Preheat oven to 300 degrees and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

2)  In a small bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, cane sugar, melted butter, and apple juice. Press a heaping tablespoon of crumbs onto the bottoms of the 12 muffin cups. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

3)  In a bowl, beat the cream cheese on low speed with blender until creamy and smooth. Add the cane sugar and salt and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and sour cream and beat until incorporated. Remove the crusts from the refrigerator and evenly divide the filling among the 12 muffin cups. 

4)  Bake for about 18 -22 minutes or until firm but the centers of the cheesecakes still wobble a little. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (a few hours or even overnight).


NOTE:  To serve, gently peel off the paper liners and place on your serving plate. Serve with {all natural} strawberry sauce, fresh berries, or drizzle with melted dark chocolate. These cheesecakes can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for several days. (I drizzled ours with dark chocolate and returned them to the fridge before serving)

Makes 12 individual cheesecakes. 

KID APPROVED??? YES!

{cleaned} up Birthday Party

I always tell people I try to live life 85% {clean}. I'm not sure where that percentage comes from, but it's a goal. I take that percentage into all aspects of life, even a birthday party.

For my daughters birthday party, it was a Spa theme and the kids started out with a fresh Berry Plate.

Then for lunch they got to select their own lunch items.  Multigrain bread, {all natural} peanut butter  and {all natural} strawberry jam made the PB&Js. Or they could choose Boar's Head Turkey and cheese. Their side choices were {all natural} applesauce, carrots, grapes, or banana. They had a great time selecting and feeling in charge of their lunch. (we served Berry Berry Good Lemonade by Honest and water) 

For dessert we had Zogurt's {all natural} Frozen Yogurt. It's delicious and nutritious. You can read more about it at their website: www.zogurts.com  or stop in and visit them! You won't be disappointed.

And cake pops, lots of cake pops!

Strawberry(box mix) with {all natural} white chocolate and {all natural} pink sprinkles

&

{all natural} Chocolate with Dark chocolate with pearls

{all natural} pumpkin with cream cheese

&

{all natural} vanilla with milk chocolate

 I did fine some {all natural} dinner mints that were quite tasty for the party. And one of her {unclean} favorites: Skittles was served during Foot spa time!

This is one happy 7 year old!

{clean} Chocolate Cake Pops

I apologize for not blogging much lately but my attention has been on preparing for my daughter's 7th birthday party. Party planning is one of my passions and I throw {almost} my whole self into each birthday party.  I made four different flavors of cake pops for the party and this was a crowd pleaser for sure.

{clean} Chocolate Cake Pops

Recipe adapted from Babycakes Manual

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup {organic} whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup {organic} cane sugar ( i use super fine)
• 3 Tbps cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea or kosher salt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk *
• 3 Tbps Organic Virgin Coconut oil (liquid measurement)
• 1 egg (i use cage free/organic)
• 1 tsp {pure} vanilla
• 1/4 cup freshly brewed coffee

Directions:

1).  Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.  Add buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla. Using a mixer, blend until smooth.

2).  Add coffee and continue mixing until coffee is evenly incorporated into mixture.

This is where the recipe will stop for now. I used the Babycakes machine and cooked twelve balls at a time for 4 minutes.  I suggest making mini or regular muffins and keeping an eye on them until a toothpick pulls out clean (probably baking at 350 degrees). I will repost once I have done this. 

Also, I plan to add more nutritional value to this recipe if it's going to making it's way to our table often. Stay tuned for that recipe!

NOTE: I dipped each pop in {organic} 73% dark chocolate. And no, the pearls are not {clean}! 

*Instead of buttermillk I poured 3/4 tsp lemon juice(or vinegar) into a glass measuring cup and then added enough milk to reach a 1/4 cup. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then use in place of buttermilk in the recipe.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

It's that time of year for all things pumpkin!  And I've been baking up a storm with pumpkin trying out new and interesting things.


Since I started this journey trying to lower my cholesterol, I plan to make many of my recipes without eggs or butter. This recipe is entirely cholesterol free and each muffin has 5-6 grams of protein.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1 Tbps fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup {all natural} Maple syrup
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1 tsp {all natural} vanilla extract (do not use imitation)
• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 tsp sea or kosher salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp all spice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Raw sugar cane (to garnish)
• Olive oil to coat pan

Yields: 12 large muffins

1) Preheat over to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin tins by coating them with a small amount of oil.

2) Place dates in food processor and mince.  Add remaining wet ingredients and combine.

3) Place dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix to combine.

4) Pour wet ingredients into dry. Mix well.

5) Scoop mixture into muffin tins. Sprinkle with cane sugar.

6) Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

7) Let cool before removing from tin.

NOTE:  I have made this recipe using raisins as well(instead of dates). This was the first time I had purchases and used dates. They were great! These muffins freeze well in an airtight container.

Since this recipe called for many flours I didn't have on hand I decided to adapt it to my everyday pantry. It was adapted from the book: Clean Start. Feel free to give the original a try and let me know what you think.

KID APPROVED??? YES!!!

Chocolate Chunk Protein Bars

We love granola bars at our house and I'm finding myself buying box after box of them at the grocery store.  This is frustrating because, if you don't know already, {all natural} granola bars aren't easy on the good ole pocketbook.  Plus, they aren't loaded with protein and in my opinion, why bother!?

Making granola/protein bars at home has been on my to-do list for some time now.  I am happy to report it's finally checked off the list! YAY ME! These Chocolate Chunk Protein Bars are a great snack and have around 5-6 grams of protein in each bar. They are also a great source of Omega-3's. Read about the benefits here: Benefits of Omega-3's. I'm pretty confident in assuming that there isn't a person reading this that doesn't have some place in there health that needs improving.

 These are great to put in kids lunchboxes because of the protein they will stay fuller longer and reap the benefits of the Omega-3s as well. Plus, they have CHOCOLATE! Win-Win in my book! 

Chocolate Chunk Protein Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup almond flour 
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 1/3 cup {organic} cane sugar (I used super fine)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks (chopped)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup Barlean's Coconut Oil(slightly heated to liquid form)
• 1 tsp {all natural} vanilla extract
• Parchment paper

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2) Mix oats, flour, flaxseed, cane sugar, salt, and chocolate into a bowl.

3) In a separate bowl mix the honey, oil and vanilla extract together.

4) Add liquid mixture to dry and blend until fully incorporated. 

5) Line a small oven safe dish with parchment paper. I use a 8 inch square dish.

6) Add mixture to dish and push with spatula until it's evenly distributed. 

7) Bake for 30 minutes. 

8) Allow it to cool completely before cutting or place in refrigerator to speed the process. 

Makes 8 large bars

NOTE: I plan to try out many varieties of granola bars. You can add nuts, dried fruit, etc. I would make this recipe first and see what you think.  Then double it and make a larger batch. You can individually wrap these bars and store in the freezer. They go fast in my house so there is no need to freeze. 

KID APPROVED??? YES!!!

Peanut Butter {Chocolate} Balls

I am not obsessed with sweet treats but I do enjoy a good quality chocolate treat from time to time.  The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is pure genius and has been around for a long time. It's simply hard to resist!

These treats are the cleaner version of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Are they one of your faves? If so, this recipe is for you! And, in my opinion, much better than the Reese's cups. Plus, you get to lick the spoon (are spoons in our case, since we all had to have one) in the process!

This recipe comes from the book Clean Start, by Terry Walters.  

Peanut Butter {Chocolate} Balls

1 cup {natural} peanut butter

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup rice cereal, plus more if needed

2 cups gluten and dairy free chocolate chips or 12 ounces dark chocolate

Place peanut butter and maple syrup in food processor and pulse to combine. Fold in crispy rice cereal. If your peanut butter is particularly runny, add more cereal until mixture holds together in balls. Form penny-size balls and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets.


Melt chocolate chips or chocolate in a double boiler or in small pot over very low heat. Drop 3-4 balls into the chocolate and roll them around until covered completely. With a teaspoon, scoop out each ball individually, holding it against the side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place each chocolate-covered ball back on lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all balls are coated and refrigerate until firm (at least 1 hour). Serve cold or room temperature.


Makes: 30 balls

NOTE: I made mine a little larger than suggested because I used the small scoop from Pampered Chef. I think I came out to 24 of them. 


Also, please be careful when selecting your items for this recipe, one wrong move and you've went to the {dirty} side. For example, Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cereal has added chemical preservatives. I actually used Koala Crisp by EnviroKidz Organics which was already flavored chocolate so I probably went overboard on sugar on this one! I found it at my Kroger in the All Natural Foods Section.