Collaborations are so much fun for me! I love using this platform to highlight people in my life who I believe are truly talented and beautiful inside and out. Madison is definitely one of them. She is an accomplished cook and baker who makes incredible food for parties and special occasions.  I knew that it was only a matter of time before she would end up on the blog. You can find Madison on Instagram @beautyandthefeast. Her pumpkin roll came out splendidly. So much better than I could ever hoped to have done on my own. There is just something special that talented bakers have…patience!!   Madison makes it look easy! This pumpkin roll is a classic Christmas baking recipe that your family will love. Even though it is made the traditional way, with white flour and sugar, it is so delicious and one for the list of favorites.  I hope you enjoy bringing one of Madison’s family traditions into your home this Holiday Season!     Ingredients: ⅔ C canned or cooked mashed pumpkin 1C sugar 3 eggs ¾ C all purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon Powdered sugar   For the filling: 1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened 3T butter softened 1C powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla   Directions:  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then combine the first three ingredients in a stand mixer, blending well, then add the next 3 ingredients.  2. Grease 15x10x1 jellyroll pan and line with waxed paper and grease again. Spread […]

  Springtime means outdoor entertaining, Mothers Day and graduations. For all these festivities it is so nice to have a new dessert recipe at your fingertips. How can you go wrong with a healthy version of a Coconut Cream Pie?? This recipe is grain-free and low in sugar, which I prefer when it comes to desserts! It has plenty of coconut cream for richness and flavor so try it out and ENJOY!!!      Ingredients: Crust ⅓ C chopped pecans ¾ C blanched almond flour 1 ½ T maple syrup 4 T melted coconut oil Chocolate Ganache 9 T dark chocolate chips 3 T heavy cream Coconut Custard 1 13.5 ounce can full-fat coconut milk 3 T heavy cream 4 T arrowroot powder 3 T maple syrup 2 eggs ½ C unsweetened shredded coconut 1 tsp. Vanilla extract ¼ tsp. Sea salt Whipped Cream Topping 1 C Heavy Whipping Cream 1 T maple syrup 1 tsp. Lime zest Toasted Coconut Topping ¼ C unsweetened shredded coconut     Directions:    Crust 1. Preheat oven to 350.   2. Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper 3. In a medium bowl, mix together pecans, almond flour, melted coconut oil and maple syrup. 4. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the 9×9 pan. 5. Bake in 350 the oven for about 10 minutes or until edges start to brown. 6. Set aside to cool.     Chocolate Ganache 1. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips over low heat. Then […]

This recipe is an Ambitious Kitchen recipe with a few tweaks that lower the sugar content.  The cake is grain free and absolutely delicious. I actually was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  Originally this recipe called for a cream cheese frosting but I found that the light whipped cream and strawberries were perfect at balancing out how much sugar was in the cake.  I hope you enjoy this as much as my family did. Ingredients: 1 C coconut oil, melted and cooled 2 C organic sugar (or coconut sugar) 6 eggs, at room temperature 1 ¼ cup unsweetened Almond Milk 1 T vanilla extract ½ tsp almond extract 3 C fine almond flour 1 C coconut flour 1 T baking powder ½ tsp salt   For the filling and topping: 1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced ¼ inch thick   For the frosting:  1-pint heavy whipping cream 3 T maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla extract     Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 -inch round pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. 2. In a large bowl, mix the coconut oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract together until well combined. Add the almond milk and beat again until well incorporated. 3. In a large separate bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. The mixture should be on the thicker side. 4. Divide batter evenly between pans and […]

  Ok, here we are, a few days before Christmas and I have come to the realization that I am not a good baker at all!  After the second attempt at some grain-free sugar cookies, that came out like sawdust, by the way… I threw them all in the trash and started on something much simpler.  Honestly, this Dark Chocolate Nut and Fruit Christmas Bark is more me anyway.  I don’t keep cookies around the house but this dark chocolate bar is on point for me! I used my favorite ingredients: goji berries, toasted almonds, coconut, and cacao nibs to add some nutritional density!  It turned out so much better than the cookies! Now I have a treat around the house that is lower in sugar and much healthier for me.  I hope your baking is turning out much better than mine.    Ingredients:  1 lb. dark chocolate bars (I use a large 1 pound Belgium chocolate bar from Trader Joes) ¼ C dried goji berries (you can use dried cherries or cranberries instead) ¼ C raw cacao nibs ⅓ C chopped toasted almonds 2 T shredded coconut Sprinkle of sea salt     Directions:  1. Preheat oven to 350. 2. On a parchment covered sheet pan, spread out almonds and roast for about 5-7 minutes or until slightly brown.     3. Remove almonds from the sheet pan onto a wooden cutting board and chop. 4. On the same parchment paper-lined sheet pan, line up chocolate bars spaced apart. […]

This recipe was shared with me by a dear friend many years ago when I had my twin boys. She made a meal for us and brought these delicious bars over for dessert and we just loved them! The original recipe has toffee, white flour brown sugar and butter. Not exactly healthy! But at the time when I was postpartum and breastfeeding twins, these bars really made me happy. There are lots of recipes like that I have a fondness for because of the memory associated with them and I didn’t feel guilty about eating and enjoying them at all. Now, for this time in my life, I’ve adapted some of these recipes to have lower sugar and use ingredients that don’t make me feel icky. I am so happy to have these comfort food recipes on hand that really hit the spot for special occasions. My heart is filled with gratitude and thankfulness for that time in my life that was tiring and beautiful but also made so sweet by friends who loved on me through yummy food. This recipe is still an indulgence, but I’ve lowered the sugar content considerably and used spelt flour instead of white bleached flour. I used coconut sugar which is also lower on the glycemic index and the extra dark chocolate chips don’t add much sugar either. Next time you want to make something sweet for a special occassion, give these a try! One small serving will not ruin your balanced eating plan. Ingredients: 1 cup of […]