The Perfect Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Summer is coming and that means LOTS of reasons to celebrate! Pool parties, Birthday parties, Picnics at the park... and I don't know about you, but when I celebrate I like to do it with CUPCAKES!! :)  My all time favorite cake is carrot cake, but most of the recipes that taste the best have tons of refined sugar in them...until now! I have perfected the carrot cake cupcake! Complete with vegan cream cheese frosting (thanks to ourfourfork's amazing vegan cream cheese frosting recipe...I'm obsessed!).

Recipe:
(makes 12 large cupcakes)

2.25 cups flour (i used a mix of unbleached organic white and whole wheat)

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup applesauce

1 cup almond milk

 2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup dates

 3/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup canola oil

 2 cups grated carrots

remove pit from dates and soak in warm water for 1 hour. preheat oven to 350* and line cupcake tins with paper (or grease). In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In food processor, add the applesauce, soaked dates and maple syrup and process until dates are broken down and it's a syrup consistency. Empty syrup into separate bowl and mix in almond milk, vanilla and oil. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix. fold in carrots and stir until just combined. Bake for 30 minutes. 

Click HERE for Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. Seriously, even if you don't make the cupcakes, whip up some of this frosting just to have on hand for those moments when you need a spoonful of frosting! It's made with cashews, coconut water (or milk) and maple syrup!

Light and Crispy Oatmeal Waffles

 

Light and crispy waffles that will nourish your body without weighing you down. These waffles come together in no time at all and with ingredients you always have on hand.

Recipe:

1.25 cup oats

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch cinnamon

1 mashed banana

1 cup almond milk

1 flax egg

Turn on waffle iron to medium-low so it can heat up. Place about 1.25 cups oats in food processor and buzz them into coarse powder. This should yield about 1 cup buzzed oats. Mix together ground oats, cinnamon and baking powder. Add mashed banana, flax egg and milk and stir to combine. Start making waffles! Make sure to spray the waffle iron before pouring batter so they don't stick. Also make sure the iron is on medium-high setting so they crisp up. Enjoy! We usually eat waffles with black strap molasses for an extra boost of iron, but these are sweet and delicious on their own or an absolute dream with maple syrup!

Nutrition:

Oats are a wonderful way to start the day. They nourish your central nervous system and provide your body with more essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients than most other processed grains. Eating oatmeal also supplies you with energy, protein and healthy fat

Cooking with a toddler

If you read my last post, you know how important I think it is to include your kiddos in meal preparation. It's a huge opportunity for them to explore tastes and smells and different foods and to start building their healthy recipe repertoire.

If you read my last post, you may also be thinking, "what?!? cooking with a toddler?! that would be the opposite of helpful!!"
...I know, right?! But it's easier than you'd think to keep them safe, helpful and most importantly entertained in the kitchen.

Most toddlers want to help. I let Owen chop and peel and be my little taste tester! I ask him questions like, "here, taste! Do you think there's enough spinach in this curry or could we use another handful...?" and then I let him put the handful in! It doesn't matter if they are at a stage where they are saying 2 words or over 500 words...they'll get what you're saying and LOVE the time with you.

Here are some tips that have been helpful in my kitchen: 

When I'm chopping vegetables, I give Owen a knife of his own and a section of the item I'm chopping.

His plastic knife from IKEA. Safe and effective! ;)

 When I'm doing something at the stove that needs my full attention like pouring hot liquid, I'll give him a task that will keep his attention and keep him out of harms way. For example: I'll set his stool on the far end of the counter for him to stand on or have him sit on the floor and either peel garlic or peel an onion. both of these tasks take a while... Don't worry if you don't need the garlic or onion for the meal you're working on. I have a bowl on my kitchen window sill of garlic cloves that are ready when I need them! ;)

Takes a while to get those cloves out of the head of garlic! ;)

If you have more tips to share I'd LOVE to hear them! Tell me what has worked for you in the comments below!

A meal that they helped with is a meal they will be proud to eat!