girl meets life.

Yesterday afternoon I got what I’m now going to refer to as the Sunday baking itch. I wanted to keep it simple, but the result looked and tasted anything but.

Usually I have this weird thing where I only like to eat pumpkin-y things during the Fall/holiday season (yeah, I’m weird like that), but believe me when I say that there is always room for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with cream cheese icing. And really believe me when I say that this is the easiest recipe ever!

cupcake ingredients:

• 1 box of spice cake mix
• 1 can of pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

icing ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

To make the cupcakes, combine the cake mix and pumpkin - and that’s it! I got this idea from one of Hungry Girl’s chocolate cupcake recipes and figured it’d be just as good (if not better) with spice cake mix. The pumpkin replaces the oil, eggs, etc. that the box directions calls for, which not only makes the cupcakes healthier, but in my opinion it makes them even more moist and flavorful.

Follow the baking directions on the box, which in my case was 18-23 minutes at 325 degrees. My batch was perfectly done at 18 minutes, so be sure not to overcook them.

To make the icing - start by combining the softened butter and cream cheese with a mixer. Then add the sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.

I thought about using some healthier replacements in the icing, but let’s be honest: you can’t mess with cream cheese icing. And I’m so glad I didn’t.

Ice the cupcakes after they’ve cooled for at least 30 minutes.

I also thought about adding raisins or dark chocolate chips to the cupcakes, but there’s just something so perfect about the simplicity of cake + icing, don’t you think?

If you’re looking for an easy, semi-healthy crowd pleaser…or if you’ve been gifted with an ever-present sweet tooth…these cupcakes are for you

• What’s your favorite type of cupcake?
• What healthy-baking substitutions do you use?
  

Lunch today was….well, I don’t think there are words to describe it.

Sweet Potato in a Jar. I kid you not when I say that this was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten!

I’ve been wanting a sweet potato mash for days, ever since seeing this recipe on Christie’s blog. But then when I noticed a nearly empty jar of macadamia butter…I knew it was destiny.

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this concoction before on other blogs…? So to whoever “invented” (was it you, miss Katie?) SPIAJ - I love you.

My mash included one medium sweet potato (peeled and microwaved for 5 minutes), 1/4 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp maple syrup, tons of cinnamon, and crushed cinnamon-brown-sugar almonds.

I’m begging you to try this. You won’t be sorry!

SO. Today I ventured into the world of creating my own recipe. It wasn’t a total disaster, but it could’ve gone better. As I write this I’m still on the fence as to whether or not I should even post the recipe…

While I was sitting in church today I got the baking itch for some reason. Tina’s recent batch of Coconut Carrot Cake Muffins came to mind, along with a ton of great ingredients I have in the house (including my new collection NuNaturals products), and then I thought….COOKIES. Totally normal to be thinking about in church, right? So as soon as I got home I whipped out all of the ingredients to make Coconut Macadamia Cookies. These turned out to be not only delicious, but also low carb and gluten-free.

So, what’s the problem, you ask? They’re quite crumbly. I mean, they’re definitely still eat-able, but I’m just such a perfectionist that this minor detail irks me. I remember Tina saying that her muffins turned out the same way - it must have something to do with the coconut flour.

I’m just going to go ahead and post this recipe, but please know that it’s under construction. In fact, if any of you bakers out there know how I can decrease the crumble-factor of these cookies, PLEASE let me know! Let’s make this a joint effort, shall we?

Coconut Macadamia Cookies (yields 15 cookies)

Dry Ingredients

• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup NuNaturals Stevia Baking Blend
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 45g (just under 3 tbsp) macadamia butter
• 1/2 cup coconut OR almond milk
• 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Mix-Ins

• 2 oz macadamia nuts
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine dry ingredients, breaking up the lumps as much as possible (this can be kind of tough if your almond flour was refrigerated).

3. Whisk together wet ingredients.

4. Chop the macadamia nuts by placing them in a zip-lock and pounding them (if you don’t have a pounder, a can or jar will do the job). Don’t chop them too finely - just until the nuts are about 1/4 in size.

5. Combine wet and dry ingredients. The batter will be pretty thick.

6. Add the macadamia nuts and coconut flakes and combine.

7. Make golf-ball-sized balls of dough and place on greased cookie sheets. Tip: I used a melon scooper to shape and release the dough easily.

8. Bake for 10-12 minutes - until cookies just begin to get golden brown on top.
9. GENTLY move to the cooling rack. The cookies are most delicate right out of the oven and seem to firm up after cooling for a bit (**refrigerating them after fully cooled helps them get even more firm).

10. DIG IN! The crumble factor makes them especially good to top yogurt or oatmeal with, just sayin’

Okay, so these might not be the most beautiful cookies, but I’ve learned to appreciate them for their individuality. Here we have a Micky-Mouse wannabe:

A cookie growing a tail:

Cookie-tentacles:

“Your eyes are stunning…”

….Yep, I have a bit too much time on my hands…

How do you think of new recipes? Do you have to experiment a lot before “perfecting” them?

There’s something about Sunday mornings that makes me want to hop right into the kitchen and start baking. Completely normal…right…?

On the menu for today: Apple Raisin Flax Muffins.

I found the original recipe on Spark Recipes, but tweaked it a bit. The ingredients are:

• 1 cup ground flaxseed
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup oat bran
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 apples, chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together dry ingredients, apple, and raisins. Separately mix milk, brown sugar, egg whites, and vanilla, then pour into dry mixture. Mix all together and fill cupcake papers (which I also sprayed with nonstick spray). Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes (mine were done at 22 mins). Makes 18-20 regular sized muffins.

This batch turned out absolutely bomb. Clearly it was breakfast material.

(smothered with butter)

Paired with a green smoothie.

I had another muffin a few hours later, this time topped with peanut butter (no surprise there). To die.

I’m hoping to start baking more. Any good recipes to share?

Last night I roasted a whole eggplant:

I planned on packing it as some sort of casserole to bring to work today, but I ended up working from home, which meant I could do I bit of experimenting. The result? Roasted Eggplant and White Bean Dip:

Ingredients:

• 1 whole eggplant, cubed and baked at 375 for 25 minutes
• 1/4 cup white beans
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 Laughing Cow cheese wedge
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

Begin by adding the eggplant, beans, salt and pepper into the food proccessor and blend for 20 seconds.

(before)

Then add the olive oil and dijon mustard, and blend for another 20-30 seconds. Finally add the Laughing Cow cheese wedge and blend until it’s combined.

(after)

I like my dip a tad on the chunky side, but you could always let it smooth out in the food processor some more.

This dip is to. die. I literally could have eaten it straight out of the bowl! I’d say it makes 3-4 servings….or *ahem* 1 serving in my case

I ate it with sliced red bell peppers and “homemade” tortilla chips:

To make the chips, cut one La Tortilla Factory wrap (or any wrap of your choice) into triangles. Sprinkle on some kosher salt and garlic powder, and toast in the toaster oven until crispy. These make the perfect accompaniment for the dip!

This meal was so incredibly delicious and filling. I must say that I’m pretty darn satisfied with my eats so far today. I don’t know why I don’t experiment with food/recipes more because 9 times out of 10 I’m happy with the results!