Strawberry Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 cup organic sugar
  • 1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored Jello, or search for a health store alternative
  • 1 cup organic butter, softened
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 3/4 cups freshly milled wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)
  • 1 1/4 cup whole organic milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup strawberry puree, made from blended organic strawberries (fresh or frozen)

For icing, mix the following until well blended:

  • 1 stick organic butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 block cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup powdered organic sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup to 1 cup blended strawberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Grease 9×11″ cake pan or two 9″ round cake pans
  3. Cream together butter, sugar, and powdered jello.
  4. Beat in eggs one at a time
  5. Combine flour and baking powder, stir into batter along with milk
  6. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree
  7. Pour into prepared pan or pans
  8. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a small knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake(s) to cool in their pans for 25 minutes, then add icing

Outrageous Brownies

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. Grease an 8×8 inch brownie pan
  3. Melt butter and chocolate chips in a pan on stove
  4. Stir sugar, vanilla, and salt into chocolate/butter mixture
  5. Beat in flour, mix until blended
  6. Pour into pan
  7. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over bake. Allow to cool completely.

*Can substitute flour for GF flour “Extra White Gold brand”

Healthy Popcorn – Really?

Friends, if you don’t make your own healthy popcorn, you have NO IDEA what you are missing!  No “off” flavors from packaged popcorn mixes.  No chemicals and no need for a microwave!  Healthy popcorn to live for!  (really!!!)

Go by feel, but the way we make healthy popcorn is with yummy coconut oil.

Ingredients

  • 1 5 quart soup or stock pot
  • 1 TBL of coconut oil
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup popping corn
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Nutritional Yeast (super delicious, B-12 boost, CHEESY flavor)

Instructions

  1. Just put enough in the pan (5 quart soup pan/stock pot works great) to make sure the bottom is covered with oil – 1/2 cup corn kernels and 1- 2 generous TBL of coconut oil.  Heat on the stove (with the lid on the pan).  When you begin to hear the kernels popping, gently shake the pan to keep any popped corn from burning.  When the kernel popping slows down, you know you have popped most of the corn.
  2. Dump the contents of your hot pan into a large bowl – add in sea salt and nutritional yeast (super yummy stuff)!  Nutritional yeast is the secret ingredient.  Try some and let us know what you think!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

We were told once that you can’t make healthy cookies or cakes with natural ingredients.  It was too late . . .we took recipes from our past and just exchanged the white flour for whole wheat, the salt for sea salt, the butter substitute with REAL butter and we reduced the sugar and subbed in a natural, mineral rich sugar.  We also use farm fresh eggs and dark cacao chips and the result is delicious and definitely a better for you option than anything we made before.

Yields 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup Organic sugar  (sucanat)
  • 2 organic pastured eggs
  • 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
  • 3 cups freshly milled whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • 1—9oz pkg organic Dark Chocolate Chips
  • 1 cup organic chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions

  1. preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. combine flour, baking soda, sea salt and set aside
  3. cream together sugars and butter until smooth
  4. beat in eggs
  5. add vanilla
  6. blend in flour mixture 
  7. fold in chocolate chips and nuts
  8. drop rounded spoonfuls of batter on prepared baking sheets
  9. bake 9-12 minute or until edges are nicely golden brown (err on the side of undercooking as they will cook a bit more after coming out of the oven)
  10. cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
  11. best with a glass of fresh cold milk (straight from a farm!)

Date Cake

Ingredients 

1 to 2 pounds organic Medjool dates (go organic here as dates are highly sprayed)

½ cup to 1 cup of chopped cashews

 1 cup of shredded organic coconut

Instructions 

  1. sliced open dates and remove seats. Mash by hand or use a food processor or blender. You will need to just add a little water and mash in small amounts if you use a machine. If you mash by hand just imagine working into a dough, much like Play-Dough. 
  2. Put the mash dates into a bowl or on a cutting board and add in the cashews mix in coconut if you wish. Finally, shape, sprinkle with shredded coconut, chill and enjoy! 
  3. Dark chocolate chips are good addition or carob chips.

Ginger Spice Cake

Love ginger?  This spicy cake is one more of our family favorites.  We’ve been eating this recipe for many years and it’s always a welcome addition in the fall months.  Top it with some fresh whipped cream and relish every bite!

Ginger Spice Cake

Ingredients

  • Preheat oven to 350
  • 3/4 cup milk (you could also use water)
  • 2 pastured eggs
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 6 Tbl.  organic salt free butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla (I use 2 tsp.)
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour (freshly milled)
  • 1 tsp. Baking soda
  • 3 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. Ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Cardamom(I omit this because I usually don’t have it on hand)
  • 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. Cloves
  • To make the glaze:
  • In a small sauce pan warm:
  • 2 Tbl. organic salt free butter
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • Pour the glaze in a 9×13 in. cake pan then add batter.
  • Cook for 30-45 minutes or until tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients in one large mixing bowl.
  2. I usually make a 2nd batch of the maple/butter glaze to put on top when the cake is finished.
  3. This cake is wonderful topped with homemade whipped cream!

New England Apple Cider Cake

Apple cider cake?  Who knew?  This little gem was my 3rd son’s request for his birthday!  Where he got the idea. . .I don’t know.   Several of my children like to see if they can dream up something unusual for me to try and this time .. .apple cider cake was the bomb!  We loved it and will definitely make it again soon.

All organic and wholesome ingredients, truly easy and delicous.  The flour was from pastry wheat.  Pastry wheat is perfect for cakes and other pastries.  Try this cake and let me know how you like it.  I’d love to know if you modify it, too!

Ingredients

  • For the Cake
  • • 1 cup organic apple cider
  • • 2 cups organic Granny Smith or organic Fuji apples (3 large or 4 small apples)
  • • 1 whole organic lemon – juiced and added to a medium bowl of water – use this to put sliced apples in to prevent browning while you finish making the cake
  • • ¼ cup coconut oil or butter
  • • 1 cup sucanat sugar
  • • 2 farm fresh eggs
  • • 2 cups pastry wheat flour (freshly milled)
  • • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (aluminum free)
  • • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • • ½ cup heavy organic cream
  • • butter or use coconut oil to lightly coat a 9×13-inch baking pan
  • • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • • 3 tablespoons sucanat sugar
  • For the Glaze
  • • 1 cup apple cider
  • • 1 cup sucanat sugar
  • • 1-2 tablespoons heavy organic cream or milk

Instructions

  1. Place the first cup of apple cider on the stove and bring to a boil and boil until reduced to ¼ cup. Set aside to cool.
  2. Core and peel the apples and then cut each into 16 slices (fewer slices if using smaller apples). Have a bowl of water that has a whole lemon squeezed into it. Place apples into water and then onto a plate to dry and set aside. This will keep them from turning brown.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until well mixed.
  5. With the mixer running, add one egg at a time beating until smooth. Scrap sides and beat until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
  6. In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  7. Measure out cream and add cooled reduced cider to cream.
  8. With the mixer on low mix until well combined. Scrape sides and mix until smooth.
  9. Grease a 9X13 pan liberally with butter or coconut oil and pour in the batter.
  10. Arrange the apples, across the top of the batter in layers.
  11. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the top of the cake and place in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
  12. While the cake is baking, make the glaze.
  13. Place the second cup of apple cider on the stove as before only reduce down to ½ cup.
  14. Place the sugar in a small bowl and add the reduced cider along with one tablespoon cream and stir. Add the last tablespoon of milk or cream a little at a time until desired consistency. It should be thick so you can drizzle it across each cut piece of cake as you are serving.
  15. When the cake comes out of the oven, cool to room temperature and cut into squares.Serve with whole cream and natural sugar vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Whip Cream Fruit and Date Cake

We make this cake at least 1 time each year.  Organic whip cream icing paired with fresh bananas and mandarin oranges along with a date cake mixture.  Love to know if  you like this cake best the first day or second.

Two healthy sisters from a health oriented family made this delicious concoction.  They like to call it “Deep Dark Secret Cake” (From the Kitchen of Two Sisters:  A Satisfying, New Approach to Slimness, Vitality, and Health).

Organic Whip Cream Fruit and Date Cake

Ingredients

  • 3 cups chopped organic medjool dates, pitted (or chopped date pieces)
  • 1 cup honey (might sub maple syrup. . sometimes honey can be a little strong)
  • 1 cup pecans or walnuts – chopped
  • 4 pastured/free range eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole grain flour (golden wheat, pastry wheat or spelt flour) Freshly milled
  • 1 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsps vanilla
  • 3-4 ripe organic bananas, sliced
  • 1-2 (11 ounce) cans of mandarin orange segments, drained
  • 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
  • 1 pint organic whipping cream – whipped and sweetened with honey or maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Instructions

  1. Combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl; stir well.
  2. Spread this mixture into an oiled 9 * 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
  3. One hour before serving, break up half of the cake into bite-size pieces and put them on a cake platter. The cake will probably be a bit gooey.
  4. Cover with the sliced bananas and the mandarin oranges.
  5. Break up the other half of the cake and lay it on top of the fruit mound.
  6. Cover this mound with the undrained pineapple.
  7. Finally, “ice” with whipped cream, and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Chill, serve and enjoy!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Need a new cake idea with all natural, wholesome ingredients?  We never feel guilty eating this way.

This was my first all natural (not from a box) upside down pineapple cake and it was big success!

Very simple:  fresh flour, natural sugar, real butter and coconut oil, etc.  We loved it and intend to serve it again and again!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 TBL unsalted organic butter
  • 1/2 cup turbinado or other unrefined sugar
  • 20 oz can sliced pineapple, drained and juice reserved
  • 1 1/3 cup fresh flour (could sub in gluten free flour)
  • 2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup whole organic milk (could sub other kinds of milk)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
  • 1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil, liquified but not too hot
  • 1/2 cup turbinado or other unrefined sugar
  • 1 egg, whipped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a 10-inch stainless steel skillet melt butter over low to medium heat.
  3. Add in sugar and cook, stirring until the sugar melts. Remove from heat and arrange the pineapple slices in the skillet.
  4. In a separate bowl, begin cake mixture by whisking flour, baking powder and sea salt. Add in and mix well: milk, vanilla extract and reserved pineapple juice. Finally, mix in sugar, coconut oil and whisked egg. (coconut oil should be liquified – let it cool a bit before adding)
  5. Pour the well mixed batter over the pineapple slices in the skillet and spread evenly. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
  6. 25-30 minutes.
  7. Let cool for 15 minutes. Cover with a large plate and invert the cake and wa la! you have a delicious dessert.