Tag Archives: baking

Celebrate Spring with a Batch of Carrot Cake Muffins

Let’s be honest, muffins are just breakfast-approved cupcakes. But why does dessert get to have all of the fun? There’s really not an answer so we made one up in the form of a wholesome carrot cake muffin for breakfast. Trust us on this one.

I don’t even like carrot cake, and it was all I good do to eat just one of these. So, maybe I do, in fact, like carrot cake?

With spring’s arrival, it’s hard not to lunge head-first in to the freshest produce around. Carrots are an early arrival, ready for picking in April and throughout the summer months. Whether brunching, celebrating Easter, Mother’s Day, or just looking for a better weekday breakfast, these muffins are a bright addition to your menu!

This recipe has all the components of a good muffin recipe and a good cupcake recipe and you get to have it at breakfast without any awkward self-doubt. Wholesome carrots, sweet pineapple, and warm vanilla combine with whole wheat flour to make a pretty darn healthy muffin. (more…)

Posted on March 24, 2024 by Natalie K

Make S’more Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting to Survive Six S’more Weeks of Winter

Has this been the longest winter ever? It’s starting to feel like it. Currently it’s a -21 wind chill outside and I’m starting to convince myself the sun may never come back; summer will always be a distant fond memory.

Like S’mores. That little campfire treat is one time I put my guard all the way down and say screw it! Gooey marshmallows, melty chocolate (I always splurge and use dark chocolate), and that crispy little graham cracker turn any dull summer night in to an instant memory maker. And right now, as I watch another winter storm swirl around the backyard, I’m clinging to those sweet memories of last summer to keep me warm.

Another way to keep warm? Baking, duh! All that batter beating and pre-heating turns the kitchen in to a little den of coziness. A den of coziness with cupcakes!

And not just any cupcakes, but big, fat S’more cupcakes.

And not frosted with just any frosting, but big dollops of homemade chocolate cream cheese frosting.

Winter just became manageable, folks. (more…)

Posted on March 3, 2024 by Natalie K

5 Indulgent, Homemade Donut Recipes Under 200 Calories

As the days get longer and the nights get cold, autumn reminds us that it’s OK to fire up the oven again. Since you won’t be sweating anyone out of those house when you preheat to 425 degrees, take advantage of the temperate season and fill the house with the intoxicating aroma of homemade baked goods.

There’s nothing like a sweet treat in the fall, but the pies, lattes, and candies are usually calorie bombs that you could frankly do without. With Halloween, October might just be the sweetest month of the year. But our sweet treats spare you the sugar and calories normally associated with confections. And you better believe we never skimp on the novelty.

We’ve dreamed up five simple, healthy, and scrumptious donut recipes that will fill your home and belly with fall feel-goodness. Our donut recipe collection is the perfect complement to the cravings associated with fall: warm, sweet, ooey-gooey fun. Even more impressive, none of the donuts rely on the typical “pumpkin spice” crutch so often seen in October. Leave the pumpkin guts to the kids, you’ve got some baking to do!

Apple Cinnamon Streusel Donut

Unless you’re a teenager or child, you can’t enjoy a donut without some post sugar-high guilt. For the food conscious who have a sweet tooth, these hearty gems are the perfect fit. The donuts have real apples, whole wheat flour batter, and a decadent and textured streusel topping. With this perfect weekend-long snack, you can practically afford to eat two in a row at 155 calories each. (more…)

Posted on October 8, 2023 by Patrick

11 Must-Eat Must-Sip Pumpkin Recipes to Kickstart Your Fall

According to my coffee-themed wall calendar, fall is here! The oppressive heat of summer is hanging on in some parts of the nation but as each leaf turns color, lands in my my backyard and taunts me to rake it, the closer we come to hoodies, hayrack rides and of course, cooking with pumpkin. I’m declaring pumpkin to be the official food ambassador of fall. It’s so diverse, you can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert. In fact, if you wanted to, you could devote an entire day to pumpkin-eating but I wouldn’t, because that would be excessive.

In addition to being a fall recipe staple, the pumpkin is a super food. It’s low in calories, high in fiber, and packed with nutrients including potassium, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and vitamins C and E. It’s also packed with iron, zinc and beta carotene. Does that make pumpkin pie practically a vitamin? I think it does.

To kick off the season of our favorite gourd, we’ve rounded up 11 easy low-cal, healthy pumpkin recipes that you’ll want to start baking this weekend.

Turn on the football game and sit down with this steamy bowl of Pumpkin Chili while you cheer on your favorite team.

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Posted on September 29, 2023 by Dani Stone

The Cleaner Wiener: Our Quintessential Applegate Recipe Collection

While we respect and often adhere to both vegetarian and vegan pursuits alike, we’re not afraid to celebrate our inner carnivore, too. Just as veggos demand the most sustainable and healthy ingredients for plant-based meals, we share the same mentality when it comes to our meats. This summer, we showcased healthful, meatful recipes, and a few of those dishes were among our most popular of the season. Some were variations on classics, others came from left field in a “did they really do that with a donut?” kind of way. But the one thing our favorite carnivorous dishes had in common was Applegate’s meats.

Their bacon is slow cooked, their chicken sausage is savory and well seasoned, and their deli meats are lean and low in sodium. Most of their meat is organic and natural, and the overwhelming majority of the Applegate product line is antibiotic-, nitrate- and nitrite-free. Applegate sources humanely-raised animals and even feature some gluten-free products, because, of course they do. Below, we’ve trotted out our quintessential Applegate themed recipe collection, all in the hopes that you too will open the gate and enjoy their clean meat. It’s why their current campaign talks about cleaner wieners!

Here are five recipes we created featuring Applegate’s more sustainable meat products.

Bayou Kabobs with Applegate Andouille Sausage

Channel Bayou vibes with these succulent Applegate Andouille sausage kabobs. Known for their “cleaner weiner” chicken sausages, Applegate is committed to sourcing organic, hormone-free, and humanely-raised animals. This means their meat is lean, low-fat, and nitrate- and nitrite-free. The Andouille sausage has the perfect amount of spicy bite, and the kabob only contains three other ingredients: plump shrimp, crisp bell peppers, and sweet yellow onions. Fire up the grill one last time and get your Cajun on.

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Posted on September 25, 2023 by Patrick

Make Mint Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Your Favorite New Dessert

Who doesn’t have too much zucchini right now? It’s one of those good problems to have as summer turns to fall. A high yield garden means tons of fresh veggies for you, but honestly, how many zucchs can you eat in a day, a week? At some point you’ve got to start giving them away.

Or baking them. In to bread. The most delicious bread.

There’s zucchini bread, which sure, everyone loves. But now, there’s Mint Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread. It’s a real thing. We made it.

It’s a very real thing baked full of freshly grated, garden-picked zucchinis, fresh mint leaves that could have very well come from your garden, too, and sweet little morsels of chocolate. (more…)

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Natalie K

The Ultimate Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Stuffed Doughnut for Awesome Mornings

Doughnuts have been stuffed with chocolate, jelly, and cream for as long as doughnuts have been baked. They’ve even been used as buns to hold burgers with bacon and fried eggs. None of those are really great for you. In fact, we named that 1500-calorie Krispy Kreme doughnut burger by Paula Deen one of the worst things she ever did to food.

But we liked her innovative culinary spirit. We liked where her head was, and we also just like doughnuts like everyone else. We kept the eggs, bacon, and ditched the glaze and beef. What we whipped up, and can’t wait for you to try, is the ultimate in breakfast sandwiches – bacon, eggs, and cheese all stuffed inside our lighter cake doughnut.

It’s the Ultimate Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Stuffed Doughnut.

It’s awesome.

It’s savory. It’s salty. It’s a little sweet.

It’s also LESS than 200 calories. One whole doughnut weighs in at 194 calories.

It’s. Amazing.

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Posted on August 19, 2023 by Natalie K

Sriracha Oven Fries: The Way to a Hot Sauce Fan’s Spicy Heart

Sriracha lovers are a special breed. The hot pepper sauce is the equivalent of Asian ketchup – die-hard fans, like my friend Kenton, will put it on almost anything. And the more the better. So when Lay’s announced the finalists for its Do Us a Flavor contest this spring, and Sriracha was one of the three flavors Americans wanted most, I knew many of my friends wouldn’t be able to resist.

But then, Sriracha didn’t win. The Garlic Cheesy Bread did. So what were my friends like Kenton to do when they crave that crunchy, spicy, impossible-to-pronounce condiment? Well, turn to us, of course!

Snack or side, these Sriracha Oven Fries are super simple, exceptionally crisp, and as spicy as your tender taste buds can handle. (more…)

Posted on May 20, 2023 by Natalie K

Classic Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches Are a Healthy Treat Worth Indulging In

Remember those oatmeal cookie sandwiches with the creamy, sweet filling that you used to swipe from vending machines and beg your parents for in the grocery store? Well, these are those, only a million times healthier. A cause for healthful indulgence? We think, yes.

These oatmeal cookie sandwiches are almost 100% vegan and made with healthful ingredients like rolled oats, grated carrots, whole wheat flour and banana. Though the inspiration for the recipe was pre-packaged oatmeal cream pies, these little guys take the treat to a whole new level and are even better than the original (we think). (more…)

Posted on May 13, 2023 by Dana

Food Blogger Spotlight: Kate Webster of The Little Loaf

Kate Webster has grown quite the following with her healthy approach to baking at her blog, The Little Loaf. Based in West London, Kate enjoys finding healthier alternatives to otherwise heavy treats like cakes, muffins and breads, and shares a thoughtful story with each recipe she creates. It’s clear there’s equal parts sugar, equal parts love that go into The Little Loaf.

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kate about her blog and her healthful approach to food and life. Here’s what she had to say.

Why did you start your food blog?

Nicknamed at the age of two by a great aunt who noticed my appetite for bread was bigger than I was, I’ve always loved baking. Commercial bread can be so disappointing (not to mention unhealthy) so in 2024 I decided to start baking all my own from scratch. My boyfriend (now fiancé) convinced me to start a blog to document my progress, and the little loaf blog evolved from there. (more…)

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Dana

A Strawberry Lemonade Cake For Your Sweetest Spring Celebrations

My daughter is turning three this week. As any mother can attest, I just can’t understand where the time has gone. She’s smart, sassy, full of song, and has been waiting for her birthday for months. With no prompting she has provided constant reminders of her wish for birthday hats, balloons (one of each color), and a cake (with fire on top) for months. I was happy to finally oblige with all three this weekend.

The cake, of course, is the centerpiece of any birthday party. But I’m also that mom and sugar is a rare treat in our house – birthdays being a reasonable exception. Still, I didn’t want to overload her, myself, or our guests with a sugar bomb topped with more fat and sugar in the frosting. So, I shared my vision for a fresh, homemade, but easier-on-the-sugar cake with our assistant editor and resident baker extradordinaire, Dana.

This Strawberry Lemonade Cake was a hit! It was rich and dense like a restaurant or bakery cake, but felt clean, light, and perfectly sweet. That’s because we didn’t use any butter and went light on the sugar, but made up for it with honey and fresh strawberries. (more…)

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Natalie K

Tag Archives: baking

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