Let Them Eat Cake!

I married into a pretty fabulous family. It's a fact. My husbands maternal grandma was a woman of many talents whom I grew to love quickly as we would sit and talk. She lived at my in-laws for a couple of years before she passed, and during that time she was grieving the loss of her husband, the love of her life. She would talk for hours about the past, recounting details of her time she spent living with her Nanny, her job at the telephone office, and the ins and outs of raising TEN children. Yes, that says ten. I learnt many valuable lessons from Grandma through her stories, and one of them came rushing back to me as I prepared to send my sweet first born off to school this week.
Grandma and Grandpa were not wealthy, and to make financial matters even more tight they added ten children to the mix. So while they may have been raising their brood during the dawning of 'convenience' food, Grandma made every meal from scratch. Between caring for the children still at home, cleaning the home, tending the garden, and making supper, Grandma took the time every weekday to prepare an after school snack. Her snack of choice for ten children [plus friends] was usually cake. Grandma had many reasons for the after school cake tradition, from the fact that she knew everyone enjoyed cake, to ensuring that all her children would be making a bee-line for her kitchen after school - and not someone else's. 
And so it was a given that today, being Darius' first full day of kindergarten, that I needed cake waiting on the counter for him when he returned home. The sweet aroma of vanilla and butter cream drifted through our home after school as Darius came bursting in the door. His excitement was evident as he recounted his first day of school, and his eyes sparkled as he enjoyed the cupcake in front of him. He sat only long enough to devour his cupcake, then he was off to the backyard, running, laughing and playing with his little brother. And it was in that moment that Grandma's wisdom sunk in. It is that moment of laughing, sharing, and filling me in on his wonderful day while he enjoyed something I had lovingly made him, that makes the cake magical. So while I won't always have cupcakes waiting for him [sorry Grandma, but cake is a special occasion treat in our house], Darius will always find something delicious to linger over and spend time with him Mama after school. 

Aunt Terri's Underpants

Growing up in Vancouver, the schools were big on 'stranger danger' education. Every student had i.d. booklets, which included our finger prints, blood type, a recent photo and our stats [height, weight, etc]. As families we were encouraged to create a password, a code that could be used to ensure that the right person was picking us up from school, so that even those whom we were familiar with could not abduct us [sounds funny writing it down, but it's the sort of thing I'll most likely do with my boys when they go to school.] My families password was, "Aunt Terri's Underpants." It was ridiculous enough that we would never forget it, plus it involved the name of one our Mom's sisters, an aunt whom we loved - and still love! - to go and visit. Today is my Aunt Terri's birthday, and so Darius and I headed into the kitchen to whip up a treat in her honor. Aunt Terri loves sweets, and so it was only fitting to bake some cupcakes! Per her request we made then without sugar [well, we didn't use the refined stuff anyway; instead used natural sweetness in the form of honey and 100% fruit puree and juice] and they can be made without fat [her other request] however I put a bit of fat in ours since healthy fats are great for every body [in moderation of course.]

 Happy Birthday Aunt Terri! I hope you enjoy these as much as we enjoyed creating them [and eating them!] in your honor!

Mouthwatering Mango Cupcakes

an original recipe created by me!



1 cup fresh ground whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 c. naturally creamed honey

1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 c. unsweetened apple sauce

3 tbsp coconut oil, softened*

1/2 c. 100% unsweetened mango juice and puree

Preheat your oven to 350*F. Mix the dry ingredients together, then set aside. In your stand mixer, mix all the wet ingredients together until thoroughly combined. With the mixer on, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stop the mixer on occasion to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Pour the batter into medium sized cupcake liners [which are in a muffin tin of course ;)] and place in preheated oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven to wire rack, and let cool for a few minutes before placing cupcakes directly on wire rack. Cool completely and then enjoy! Yield 16 cupcakes

* to make these fat free, simply add more apple sauce instead of the coconut oil

For Spenser

I have a sweet little cousin, who has just entered kindergarten this year. Spenser is a superhero at heart, plays make believe with abandon, reads up a storm, and builds[and tests!] jumps for his bike. At five years old he has a bigger personality [and more confidence] than most adults I know! Spenser and his parents [my very young aunt and uncle] came and visited this summer on their way through to a family reunion. While at my home, Spenser enjoyed my Lemon PoppaSeed 'cupcakes' and loved them so much that I thought I'd re-post the recipe for him. I've tweaked it a bit to make it healthier more delicious, and think it will be a wonderful addition to my sweet cousins school snacks. Enjoy Spenser!

PoppaSeed* 'Cupcakes' created by me!

1 tbsp vanilla soy milk
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup grape seed oil
2/3 cup apple sauce mixed with 1tsp-1tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup honey

1 3/4 cup flour
2 tbsp poppyseed
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp lemon extract
2 1/2tsp baking powder
2 1/2tsp baking soda
1/2 salt
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 24 mini muffin tin,
2. beat milk, oil, lemony apple sauce, and honey together. Stir in flour, poppyseeds, lemon zest, lemon extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined. Spoon into muffin tins, filling roughly 3/4 of the way.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together fresh lemon juice and confectioners sugar. This is your glaze.
3. Bake at 375F for 8 minutes, or until just golden. Drizzle with glaze immediately and let cool on rack.

These are soooo good! Very lemony, so if you like your poppyseed with only a hint of lemon adjust accordingly. I call them 'cupcake' because really they're muffins, but the glaze makes them taste like dessert. Darius and I prefer these without the glaze, so don't be afraid to skip the extra sweetness. The amazing thing is, with honey instead of white sugar, and no dairy or eggs, these muffins are great if you're on a cholesterol lowering or vegan diet, and you won't feel deprived!

*if you're wondering about the alternate spelling for poppyseed, it comes from my sweet Darius, who had a Poppa that LOVES poppyseed muffins.

PoppaSeed 'Cupcakes'

How was your Father's Day? Mine was great, spent with wonderful men, including my awesome hubby, and my very own dad aka PapaAquaman. Darius made both of them a little something special (which I forgot to get photos of! Oh the shame!) that you may remember from Mother's Day. The directions can be found here, and here's a little looky look at the final project:

cute huh? Darius customized the tags, with the one for his Daddy reading: "You're Cray!" and for PapaAquaman it read,"I'm funny about you", both followed up by the sweetest little "Happy Father's Day" any Dad could ask for.

I made the supper, keeping Dad's high cholesterol in mind, and created a delicious chicken coconut curry. Adding in a variety of vegetables, cooking the chicken in coconut oil, and serving it over brown rice, made this traditional dish much more health conscious, without sacrificing taste! Not a bad creation. However, that is not the recipe I'm sharing with you today. [Yes, I know it's been a while since I've given you a new workout to try, but seeing as I have a wicked cold, I am just working on breathing, and being able to make it through the night without a coughing fit right now. Sorry. Back to workouts when I can breath freely - I promise.] Do you want to see the recipe?

             PoppaSeed* 'Cupcakes'
                         created by me!

1 tbsp 1% milk
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup grape seed oil
2/3 cup Greek yogurt mixed with 1tsp-1tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
1/4 cup honey

1 3/4 cup flour
2 tbsp poppyseed
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp lemon extract
2 1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2 salt
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 24 mini muffin tin,
2. beat milk, oil, lemony yogurt, egg, and honey together. Stir in flour, poppyseeds, lemon zest, lemon extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined. Spoon into muffin tins, filling roughly 3/4 of the way.
3. In  a separate bowl, mix together fresh lemon juice and confectioners sugar. This is your glaze.
3. Bake at 375F for 8 minutes, or until just golden. Drizzle with glaze immediately and let cool on rack.

These are soooo good! Very lemony, so if you like your poppyseed with only a hint of lemon adjust accordingly. I call them 'cupcake' because really they're muffins, but the glaze makes them taste like dessert. Definitely a plus! The amazing thing is, with honey instead of white sugar, and no butter, these muffins are great if you're on a cholesterol lowering diet, and you won't feel deprived!

*if you're wondering about the alternate spelling for poppyseed, it comes from my sweet Darius, who had a Poppa that LOVES poppyseed muffins.

Have you been cooking it up lately? Are there any health concerns you want to address in the kitchen?