Category: Sweet Treats - Chronically Beautiful!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Bread

7/16/2019

Sweetbread that is 100% organic and refined sugar-free!? I think yes! One of the questions I receive a lot about my health and my diet is about gluten. Gluten is a great controversy in the modern food war, and for me, I've found that it's not so much the gluten that does harm in people with certain autoimmune diseases, but it's the KIND of gluten. Wheat and flours that are highly saturated in pesticides and other chemicals can cause great havoc on a body that is already compromised, and after being gluten-free for a year, I've found organic whole wheats that don't make me sick and that I love feasting upon! With that said, I'm all for those who find that a diet without gluten makes them feel better. Health is all about listening to your body and doing what's best for YOU!

This bread is made with organic whole wheat flours, and sweetened with raw honey and Lakanto monk-fruit sweetener! It's the perfect treat to curve that sweet tooth without overdoing the sugar intake for the day, and tastes amazing with butter or jam!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Bread!

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup warm water
1 Tbs. organic butter (melted)
1/4 cup raw honey
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups whole wheat bread flour
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 cup classic Lakanto sweetener
1 Tbs. cinnamon

Directions:

Place egg, water, and honey in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and mix on low until well combined.
Sift flour, yeast, and salt together in a bowl and add to wet mixture. Replace whisk attachment with dough hook and mix on medium speed until dough forms in a ball. (You may need to add more flour or water depending on your mixture.) Dough should form a firm ball, and be slightly sticky but not so sticky that you can't form it into a ball.
Kneed dough by mixing with dough hook on low speed for 3-5 minutes. (You will know when your dough is ready to rise when you poke it with your finger and it bounces back at you.)
Put the dough in a clean bowl that has been greased with butter and cover with parchment paper Let rise in a warm environment for 60 minutes to 2 hours. Dough will be ready when it has doubled in size.
Once risen, remove the dough from the bowl and divide into two loaves.
On a lightly floured surface, stretch and roll out dough into a rectangle the same size as your bread pan.
Mix sweetener and cinnamon together and sprinkle on bread. (You can also spread melted butter on your dough before adding the cinnamon sugar mix if preferred. That's what I do, and it tastes amazing!)
Start at the end of the dough and roll your dough up like a jelly roll. Repeat with your second ball of dough.
Let breads raise in a warm environment for another 60 minutes to an hour.
Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.
Remove bread from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan and let cool on a cooling wrack the rest of the way before serving.

Sugar Free Thumbprint Cookies!

6/25/2019

Let's talk food for just a minute here...

How many of you often feel overwhelmed by the massive amount of information that is out there about food and nutrition? I honestly believe that if you listen to every single "expert" there is out there, you would probably be forced to result to eating nothing, as tips on diet and nutrition can often be contradicting and counter productive.

This is why it SO IMPORTANT that we learn to eat what is right for YOUR body! It's important to listen to your body and what it's trying to tell you because I guarantee you that if you eat something that isn't good for you, your body will be sending you that message the next day.

The war on food is raging in our day and I think everyone is forgetting that we're ALL IN THIS TOGETHER! I am not against people who eat gluten-free, as I know people who thrive on gluten-free diets, even if I don't. Same goes for any other diet (Keto, Paleo, etc). And to those who eat foods that are full of chemicals, overly processed, and full of sugar that is incredilby unhealthy for your body:

I will ALWAYS encourage you to eat healthy because I care. But I will NEVER look down on you or make you feel like you are less of a person if you choose to eat processed, sugar filled food. Again, we're all in this together and as we teach with love and compassion we can all help each other on our roads through life. I eat 100% organic and refined sugar-free because that is how I can function with Lyme disease and how I can still live a life despite my chronic illness. Not because I'm trying to outrun anyone else in this life.

So without further ado, I'd like to introduce the sugar-free Thumbprint Cookie! These cookies are completely sugar free, organic, and free of harmful additives and chemicals. They are made with whole wheat flour and they still melt in your mouth! They're also sweetened with Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener which is full of nutrients and approved for all kinds of healthy diets!

Sugar Free Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup salted butter (softened, to room temp)
1/2 cup powdered Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener*
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. Real Salt
1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour**
1 cup organic whole wheat bread flour**
1/2 cup of thick, sugar free fruit preserves***
extra powdered monkfruit for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F with the rack in the middle position. Like a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
In a bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter and sweetener on high speed until butter and sugar light and fluffy and white in color. (This will take about 2 minutes of beating.)
Add the vanilla and salt, scraping down the sides as needed.
Switch to low speed and slowly add the flours. (You may not need to use all of the flour if your dough seems to get to dry. So add flour gradually until dough forms in a nice ball. Dough will be slightly sticky.)
Form dough into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove from the fridge and form 1 inch balls of dough. Press you thumb lightly into each dough ball to form the indent for the fruit.
Scoop a generous amount of fruit preserves into the center of each dough ball.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light, puffy, and slightly browned. Let cool for five minutes and then remove cookies onto a cooling wrack. Let cookies cool completely. Dust with powdered monkfruit sweetener and enjoy!

*If you don't have a the powdered version of your Lakanto sweetener, you can take one cup of classic Lakanto sweetener and blend it in a blender on high until it is in powdered form.
**Make sure you use the right kind of flour, for if you only use bread flour your cookies will be dry and if you only use pastry flour your cookies will fall apart.
***You can use any kind of fruit preserves that you like. I used organic, sugar free, wild blueberry jam that I ordered from Thrive market.

Cookies N' Cream Fat Bombs!

4/5/2019

Still on my quest for healthy ways to gain weight, and these babies are AMAZING! They're like little ice cream bites, and they taste just like cookies and cream ice cream! The wonderful thing about them is that they use no Oreos, no additives, and no chemicals! Let's be real here, Oreos are practically a chemical cocktail, and our bodies do not need the extra toxins! These fat bombs are, gluten-free, sugar-free, organic, Paleo, Keto, and absolutely DELICIOUS! The cookie part is made with almond flour and cacao powder, and they're really easy to convert to dairy-free if you don't eat dairy!

Cookies N' Cream Fat Bombs!

Ingredients:

For the "Oreo Cookie" Crumbs:
2/3 cup almond flour
2 Tbs. cacao powder (heaping)
3 Tbs. Lakanto powdered sweetener
2 Tbs. butter (melted)
pinch of salt

For the Vanilla Cream:
2/3 cup full fat coconut milk
4 Tbs. Lakanto powdered sweetener
pinch of salt
2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream (or chilled coconut cream)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Lightly toast almond flour in a dry skillet until fully golden in color and fragrant. (This is a really important step taste wise so don't skip!)
Transfer toasted almond flour to a small bowl. Mix in cacao, sweetener, and salt.
Add in the butter and mix until combined.
Press about a third of the mixture into cupcake liners and leave the remaining 2/3 as "crumbs"
Place both in the freezer.
Whisk together coconut milk, sweetener, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sweetener has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. (It won't take long). Transfer to mixing bowl and allow to cool COMPLETELY.
One coconut cream is cooled, whip heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form and then slowly add in vanilla extract and coconut milk mixture. Mix until smooth.
Fold in 1/3 of the leftover crumbs. Pour mixture into prepared molds and sprinkle leftover cookie mixture on top. Freeze until solid.
Serve and enjoy!

*Use organic ingredients when feasible!

Strawberry Cheesecake Fat Bombs!

3/29/2019

I'm currently on a fat bomb kick, and these are my first try at fat bombs!

For me, Lyme disease makes it super difficult to gain weight, and so I'm currently on the lookout for any snack recipe that is full of healthy fats! This recipe is SUPER easy to make and only takes about 10 minutes of prep time! It's also organic, sugar-free, keto, paleo, and gluten-free! These babies are glorious little summer treats and taste like mini little cheesecake bites!

Delicious! Easy! And Beautiful! My favorite combination!

Keto Cheesecake Fat Bombs!

Ingredients:
6 oz. organic cream cheese
4-5 medium strawberries (fresh)
4 Tbs. salted butter
3 Tbs. powdered monkfruit sweetener
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Let the cream cheese, butter, and strawberries sit at room temperature for about an hour to soften. (It's vital that you let your cream cheese and butter soften to room temperature before mixing together, as your mixture will be lumpy if you don't.)
Puree your strawberries using a small blender.
Beat cream cheese and butter together with a hand mixer.
Add strawberries, sweetener, and vanilla. Beat on high speed until well blended. (Mixture should be thick and creamy, not watery.)
Divide the batter into your silicone mold, or pour mixture into a 9x9 inch pan lined with parchment paper.
Freeze for about 3 hrs, or until fat bomb are solid.
Store in freezer and enjoy to your pleasing!

*Use organic ingredients when feasible

Healthy Cinnamon Rolls!

3/7/2019

Did you know that cinnamon can actually be used as a medicinal herb? It can be used as an anti-bacterial, and it's also known to kill stealth bacteria in our bodies like micoplasma! Who knew?!

I have a lot of healthy recipes I've been trying lately that are going to go up on here soon, but I had to postpone all of those because this recent recipe I just made was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! This recipe taught me so much about clean eating and how you don't have to eat bad tasting food to eat clean. These cinnamon rolls look, taste, smell, and make you feel amazing!

I don't know why anybody would feel like they need processed sugars and other processed food in their lives when they can eat something this delicious and nourish their body with proper nutrients at the same time! These rolls are made with organic, whole wheat flour, and they're about 98% sugar free, and 100% refined-sugar free! The only refined sugar in these babies is a little bit of raw honey in the dough, and then the filling and frosting is sweetened with Lakanto sweetener which is not processed in your body the same way sugar is. Lakanto is an amazing sweetener that is made with Monk fruit which is a super food and filled with nutrients!

You can purchase Lakanto here and you can also find it on Amazon!

The BEST Healthy Cinnamon Rolls!

Ingredients:

Dough:
1 cup warm coconut milk (110° F)
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter (melted)
4 1/2 cups organic whole wheat bread flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup raw honey
2 1/2 tsp. yeast (do not use instant yeast! Instant yeast is highly processed)

Filling:
1/2 cup golden Lakanto sweetener
2 1/2 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter (melted)

Frosting:
1 (8 oz.) package organic cream cheese
1/4 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup powdered Lakanto sweetener
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt

Directions:

Dissolve the yeast in the warm coconut milk in a large glass measuring cup. Mix the honey, butter, salt, and eggs in a large stand mixer. Add your milk and yeast mixture and whisk together on low until well combined.
Add flour and mix well. Knead your dough using your dough hook attachment. Knead for about 4-5 minutes on medium speed. (When you poke your dough with your finger and it pops back at you, that's when you now it's ready to rise.)
Grease a large glass bowl with a light layer of butter, and with lightly floured hands place your dough in the bowl, cover with parchment paper, and let rise for about 2 hours (or until the dough has doubled in size) in a warm environment.
After the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover, and let rest for 10 mins.
In a small bowl, combine combine your golden sweetener and cinnamon.
Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Brush your dough with melted butter, then sprinkle your cinnamon mixture over the top. Roll up dough, starting along the long side.
Cut into 12-18 rolls. (Or you can use the simple trick of taking a clean piece of white thread, sliding it underneath your dough where you'd like to cut, and crossing the two ends of the thread over each other to cut the dough. This makes for a clean cut, and doesn't mutilate your rolls so much.)
Place rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled. (It took mine about 1 hour.)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bake rolls for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
To make the frosting, simply cream your butter and cream cheese together with a hand mixer, add your other ingredients, and then cream together until smooth. Spread evenly on each roll.

*These rolls stay super fresh for about five days if you store them in the fridge! Then when you're ready to eat them you can either warm them in your warming drawer on high for 10 mins. Or you can preheat your oven to 350°, turn it off once it's fully preheated, and place your rolls inside for about 10 mins. Then when you take them out it will be like having a freshly baked cinnamon roll!
*Use organic ingredients when feasible.

Lemon Cream Bars

1/28/2019

I'm seriously CRAVING citrus fruit lately! Lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges, you name it... I crave it. I'm not totally sure why, but I do know that citrus kills cancer cells in your body and is a great source for vitamin C! So... these lemon bars are organic, refined sugar-free, and they pretty much melt in your mouth! I once had someone tell me that they are like ambrosia for your tongue! So they must be good right?!

These bars are also super versatile so if you want to convert them to gluten-free or dairy-free it's super easy! I'll show you how in the recipe below!

Lemon Cream Bars!

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup powdered Lakanto sweetener
1/2 tsp. real salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Filling:
4 eggs
1 cup raw honey
1/4 cup classic Lakanto sweetener
1 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2 large lemons worth)
1 heaping Tbs. lemon zest

Topping:
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered Lakanto sweetener
1 Tbs. maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract
extra lemon zest to sprinkle on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x13 inch pan with organic, grass fed butter and set aside.
Thoroughly wash two large lemons and pat dry. Zest both lemon rinds, then slice in half and juice both lemons.
Combine all ingredients for the crust in a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly with a fork or if you're like me... I just used my hands. The dough will resemble coarse crumbs at first, so continue to kneed it together until it forms a ball that sticks together. Mixture should not be sticky.
Press dough evenly into your buttered pan, and bake for 15 minutes. (The crust will be slightly golden brown on top.)
While the crust is baking, whisk together all the ingredients for the filling. When it's thoroughly mixed it should kind of foam up. The mixture will be fairly runny and it will thicken when it bakes.
Pour mixture onto hot crust and return to the oven for 16-18 minutes or until the mixture is slightly browned around the edges. It should also be fairly set in the middle.
Make sure your bars cool COMPLETELY before you make the topping. I'd even recommend refrigerating it for an hour or two before you top it.
To make the topping, whip together all the ingredients with and electric mixer until mixture is smooth and well combined. Spread on top of bars using a rubber spatula. Zest a lemon over the bars to give it that beautiful glazed lemon look.

*Use organic ingredients when feasible.
*Store bars in fridge.

**What to make these bars gluten-free? Easy! Simply replace the pastry flour in the crust for almond flour.
**What to make these bars dairy-free? Also super easy! Just replace the cream cheese with a couple cans of coconut cream!

Claire's Chocolate Kisses!

1/22/2019

Okay, I know that it's still January and not quite Valentines season yet, BUT.... I LOVE Valentines day, and I needed something to cheer me up through these gray January days. So... Claire's Kisses were born!! These are a little different than my other chocolate recipes in that they are made with organic cacao wafers, and cacao is a super food that boosts mood, energy, and immune function!

It's a common myth that eating healthy means that you don't eat anything that tastes good, and I'm here to say that you DO NOT have to deprive yourself just because you choose to eat and live a healthful life! Confession.... I used to be OBSESSED with Hershey's chocolate kisses! I was that girl in high school that always had a bag of them in my locker, and I probably consumed a handful a day. I wouldn't recommend that for anyone whether you have a chronic illness or not! So... I'm SUPER EXCITED about these because they're organic, refined sugar-free, and full of nutrients that your body will love!

Stay tuned for different flavored chocolate recipes all through the month of February because this is for sure my new favorite recipe!!

Also, thanks to A Bite of Healthy for helping me out with this recipe! My sister is the creator of this food blog, and she is a food GENIUS! So go check out her blog here.

Claire's Chocolate Kisses!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cacao wafers
4 1/2 Tbs. maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbs. coconut butter
1 tsp. coconut oil

Directions:

Melt ingredients in a double boiler on medium heat until completely melted. (The melting process will be a slow process so be patient, and stir constantly.)
Remove from heat and spoon chocolate into large chocolate chip molds. (You can get them from Amazon)
After filling the mold, gently tap against a counter top to ensure to remove any air bubbles in your chocolate.
Poke a toothpick into each chocolate to ensure that chocolate reaches all the way to the tip of the mold.
Refrigerate for an hour or two, or until chocolate is solid!
Remove from the mold and enjoy!

*Use organic ingredients when feasible.

I would HIGHLY ENCOURAGE you to make your own coconut butter! It's a super simple process and it makes enough coconut butter to fill a small jar!

All you have to do is take two cups of shredded coconut and blend it in a small blender on high until coconut reaches a creamy texture! Store it in the fridge when you're done and enjoy it in lots of your healthy recipes!

Banana Bread!

1/7/2019

I've always found it quite the struggle to keep sweet breads and cake moist when you're cooking refined sugar-free. With that said, I finally found a banana bread recipe that is super moist, healthy, refined sugar-free, and absolutely delicious! I love banana bread, and this recipe will be a favorite for your kids and your family!

Healthy Banana Bread!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup grapeseed oil
1 cup raw honey
4 eggs
2 cups mashed banana (about 4-5 large bananas)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F and grease with butter 2 9x5 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together by hand with a whisk.
Add the eggs and beat well.
Whisk in the bananas and milk until well combined.
Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon and whisk to until well blended.
Lastly, switch to a large rubber spatula and fold in flour just until combined. It's okay if there are some lumps.
Pour batter evenly into each greased loaf pan. Bake for 55 mins. or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the bread cool for 10 mins. before removing it from pan.
Remove from loaf pan onto a wire wrack and let cool the rest of the way.
Slice and enjoy!

*Yields two loafs.
*Use organic ingredients when feasible.

Raspberry Smoothie Bowl!

1/7/2019

I have always wanted to try making a smoothie bowl, and I finally got the chance! I was looking for a really simple smoothie bowl recipe, and I realized that there isn't much to choose from when it comes to simple smoothies, so I created one myself and here it is! This is a raspberry banana smoothie, and you can basically top it with whatever you'd like! I also used whey powder in the smoothie which is known for detoxing heavy metals out of the gut! Detox and deliciousness! Yay! I topped these with fresh banana, chia-seeds, shredded coconut, and granola. All the ingredients in this recipe are organic and refined-sugar free!!

(Keep in mind that this recipe serves three people. So three small bowls worth!)

Raspberry Banana Smoothie Bowl!

Ingredients:
2 large bananas
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1/8 cup maple syrup
3 cups frozen raspberries
1 Tbs. whey protein powder
organic sugar free granola (you can use your own homemade or find the kind I used here)
extra banana
chia-seeds
shredded coconut

Directions:

Add bananas, milk, vanilla, syrup, berries, and powder into a blender and blend thoroughly on high for about 60 seconds. (It blends the best if you add the ingredients to the blender in that order.) Smoothie should be thick and free of any chunks.
Pour smoothie into three small bowls and top with banana slices, chia, coconut, and granola in any design you like! (You can also top with any other topping you'd like. Dried fruit, nuts, berries, etc.)
Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

11/5/2018

Hello! This is your friendly sugar free chocoholic, and I'm here to tell you that IT IS POSSIBLE to eat chocolate and be healthy! This is one of my FAVORITE recipes, and I have to consciously decide to only eat one a day because they taste so similar to store-bought candy! These are so yummy, creamy, and filled with peanut butter! What a great combination! ;) These are also organic, and refined sugar-free like always, and makes a great treat for the holidays!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup raw honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder (at least 80% cacao, sifted)
1/2 cup organic peanut butter
1/4 cup powdered Lakanto
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Line a 24 cup mini muffin pan with mini muffin liners.
Melt coconut oil, almond butter, honey, vanilla, and cocoa powder in a small sauce pan on medium heat until well combined and close to boiling.
Remove from heat and place 1 tsp of chocolate into each mini muffin cup.
Place pan in the freezer for 5-10 mins.
Make peanut butter filling by mixing peanut butter, lakanto, and vanilla in a small bowl until well combined.
Remove pan from freezer and spoon filling into each mini muffin cup.
With the rest of the chocolate miture place 1 Tbs. of chocolate in each cup.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chocolate has solidified.

*Makes 24 chocolates
*Store in refrigerator

Welcome to My Kitchen!

Food is one of the greatest forms of science, art, medicine, and sustenance all at the same time! It's what feeds our lives and pumps through our blood. It's what connects us and what gives us energy to fulfill our purpose. It is for that reason that I have a deep passion for discovering, cooking, and eating only the most nutrient dense foods. In my kitchen, we only use organic, whole ingredients that feed the body, as well as the mind and soul. My hope is to inspire healing through healthy AND delicious food that feeds not only our stomachs, but also our hunger for connection and quality of life.

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Disclaimer: For Educational and Informational Purposes Only. The information provided by Chronically Beautiful is for educational and informational purposes only, and is made available to you as self-help tools for your own use. All and any information given on my website is for the purpose of sharing information to help you help yourself, and not for me to take on any other role as any health professional.