One Megacoolmama…

With all of that holiday baking happening, I thought now would be a great time to give some tips on how to make those cookies, cakes and other treats as healthy and delicious as they can be!  Personally, I LOVE to bake, and my family and friends love to eat up all of the yummy treats I make!  I definitely prefer to make my recipes from scratch and forgo most of the store-bought mixes that include ingredients like hydrogenated oils and artificial colorings and preservatives.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I allow my own children to partake in treat-eating at other’s homes during the holidays without being too strict on what they are ingesting.  However, if I am making the treats, I can control what I put in them.  I choose to put in the best ingredients I can!  Take a look below to get some ideas on how to start “healthifying” your sweet creations- I promise nobody will know the difference!  ;)

MEGACOOLMAMA’S TIPS FOR HEALTHIER BAKING

• Use whole wheat flour for at least half of the flour called for in your recipe.  You will be getting more fiber and nutrition from the whole grains.
• Use only half (or none!) of the butter and replace it with all natural applesauce.  If you are going to go with half of the butter, try using an organic unsalted butter or something like Smart Balance or Earth Balance butters.  Both or made with vegetable and flax oils and work to lower cholesterol.  The applesauce keeps your recipe moist and also adds a nice flavor to cookies and cakes.
• Hide some flax in the recipe.  I always have ground flaxmeal seed on hand to throw in to any recipe that calls for breading, or into any cookie or cake recipe.  I have found that about 1/4 cup of ground flaxmeal seed is good for one batch of cookies or one cake.  I would just take out 1/4 cup of the flour being called for in the recipe and replace it with the flax.  Flax is awesome for fiber, good fats, and its anti-inflammatory properties.  It also provides lignans, which are considered antioxidants (cancer fighters)!  Read here for more about lignans and the benefits of flax seed.
• Throw some puree in it!  I also always have on hand my butternut squash puree.  Any cake or cookie recipe that is cakey in texture is good for using this technique.  Usually, I just put in about 1/4-1/2 cup of squash puree for every batch of cookies or one cake that I am baking.  I have found it is best to throw in and mix whenever you mix in the butter. By using this puree, you are adding lots of nutrients from the butternut squash, and the flavor is not even noticeable in the your finished baked product!
• Use all natural vanilla extract.  Many of the vanilla extracts available today are not pure vanilla.  Make sure that you read the label closely to ensure that you are getting pure vanilla extract.  What’s so special about pure vanilla extract?  Well, read here to find out more! (Plus, when a label says you are getting vanilla, isn’t that what you would expect?  Not artificial vanilla, right?)
• Make your own frosting. Here are some great recipes for homemade frosting.  Most of the frosting and icing I find in the store is either loaded with high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils, both of which are frightening in their negative effects on one’s health.  You are better off making your own and adding your own natural food coloring.  (more on the natural food coloring below)
• Use natural food coloring.  Do this by adding the following to your frosting: orange or lemon zest, berry juices, carrot juice…you get the picture. Did you know that the food coloring we are used to is made from a petroleum-based substance?  Yup, and those substances are found in LOTS of other foods that we eat, too.  Read here to find out more about the adverse effects of those ingredients on our bodies….this is an AWESOME blog that I just found about this subject, with lots of healthy recipes…love it!
• Use all natural dark chocolate chips.  I found some at Trader Joes that I love, but you could probably also find something similar at your local grocer.  There are many benefits to dark chocolate, and I think that putting dark chocolate in a sweet cookie recipe gives just the right balance to the sweetness.

CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN SURPRISE COOKIES

So, I tried this recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin cookies today from my Shape magazine (so, obviously, they were pretty healthy to start out with!).  I did substitute a couple of the ingredients for my “mega healthy” stand-bys…for example, I used applesauce instead of oil in the dough and used unbleached whole grain flour instead of the white whole grain flour suggested in the recipe.  Also, I opted to use Sunflower seed butter for the “nut butter” listed in the ingredients for the filling.  Though they were not super quick to make, they did turn out yummy!  I love that when you bite into the nice chocolatey cookie, a nice little pumpkin/creamy surprise is waiting for you!  Also, these cookies only clock in to about 70 calories a piece, so it is a nice indulgence that you don’t have to feel guilty about (if you only eat one or two!).  Try them out and let me know what you think!

Oh, forgot to add that they are vegan-friendly!  And, no butter or eggs!

Here are the ingredients:

• 3/4 c. white whole-wheat flour
• 6 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. cocoa powder
• Scant 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup or agave (I used real maple syrup, not the fake stuff!)
• 2 tbsp. nondairy milk
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. oil (I substituted applesauce)
• 3 tbsp. pureed pumpkin
• 3 tbsp. nut butter of choice (I used Sunflower seed butter)
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 packet stevia (or 1/2 tbsp. sugar)
• 1/8 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 330 degrees. Combine the first 5 ingredients and mix very well. Add ingredients 6-9 and mix again to form dough. In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients to make the filling. Using about a heaping tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball and then flatten. Place a little scoop of the filling in the center and fold up the sides of the dough. Form into a ball. Bake for about 10 minutes. Cookies should be a little undercooked when you take them out. Let stand 10 minutes.

Makes 18-20 big cookies

Original recipe provided by Chocolate-Covered Katie, taken from Shape magazine online

VERY VEGGIE SALAD RECIPE

Here is a recipe that I like to make ahead for myself for a nice, light summer lunch.  It has a good protein and fiber content because of the chickpeas and also lots of good stuff from the walnuts and all the vegetables.  I call it “Very Veggie Salad”!  The following is a list of vegetables that I use, but you can really use whatever you have handy!

For the salad:

1. chopped Romaine lettuce (about five leaves)
2. 1/3 c. rinsed, prepared chickpeas (from the can is fine, but I like to rinse mine to lower the sodium content)
3. 6 chopped baby carrots
4. 1 stalk of celery, chopped
5. 2 tbsp. chopped red onion
6. 1/4 of a green pepper, chopped
7. 1/4 of a large cucumber, peeled and chopped
8. 7 or 8 grape tomatoes, halved
9. 1-2 tbsp. dried cranberries
10. 1-2 tbsp. unsalted walnuts
11. 1-2 tbsp. crumbled feta cheese

For the dressing:

1. juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 lime
2. 1 tbsp. olive oil
3. dash of vinegar
4. 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
5. 1/2 tsp. dried basil

Just throw everything together for the salad in your salad bowl, mix ingredients together for the dressing in a separate small bowl, and drizzle over the top of the salad.  Enjoy!

HEALTHY BANANA OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I found this recipe on Shape magazine’s Facebook wall, and have adapted it a bit to fit my philosophy.  It was actually pretty healthy to begin with, but I added a few tweaks AND links to coupons where available.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 c. oats
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1-2 tbsp. ground flaxseed meal (I always buy in bulk from Costco)
• 1/4 c. agave nectar
• 1/4 c. soy milk (or almond milk)
• 1 tbsp. canola oil OR 1 tbsp. all-natural applesauce
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 c. walnuts
• pinch of salt