Blog Posts - Chronically Beautiful!

Raspberry Cream Muffins

12/4/2018

I often find the kitchen as my refuge in times where my mental health feels like it's close to crumbling. I suffer from serious winter depression that I haven't figured out how to avoid yet, and so I found myself in the kitchen tonight in attempts to cope with the elephant weighing on my heart. Baking clears my head and brings me great joy! Especially when I'm focused on healthy conversion of unhealthy recipes. A delicious healthy recipe requires concentration, thus giving me something to think about other than my anxieties and heartaches. Yay for food being the answer to remedy mental health!

This recipe was a sudden inspiration! I found this recipe in an old collection of family recipes, and remembered it as one of my favorites as a child. The only problems is that it called for white flour and lots of sugar. And I'm sure we weren't exactly baking with organic ingredients back then! The good news is that I was able to convert this delicious recipe into a healthy alternative, organic, and refined-sugar free, as always!

Raspberry Cream Muffins!

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup classic Lakanto monkfruit sweetener
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups frozen raspberries
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup raw honey
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup healthy oil (I used grapeseed oil, but you can also use coconut oil or avocado oil)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Streusel Topping:
3 Tbs. whole wheat flour
3 Tbs. quick oats
2 Tbs. classic Lakanto monkfruit sweetener
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. butter (cold)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F Line muffin pan with muffin liners.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, monkfruit sweetener, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix with spoon until well combined.
Add raspberries and toss gently.
In a medium bowl combine eggs, sour cream, honey, oil, and vanilla. Whisk together by hand until smooth and creamy.
Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix by hand until just moistened.
Fill muffin liners 2/3 full.
For the streusel, add all ingredients together and mix with a fork until mixture is crumbly and well combined. Sprinkle mixture on top of muffins before they go in the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Cool for 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan.

*Use organic ingredients when feasible.
*Makes about 18 muffins.

Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce!

11/21/2018

Refined sugar-free cranberries!! Yum!! This recipe is probably one of the easiest things you'll make on Thanksgiving, and even though they are refined sugar-free they still contain the traditional sweet flavor of cranberry sauce! :)

Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce!

Ingredients:
4 cups frozen cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup maple syrup

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a medium sauce pan.
Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Refrigerate.

*Use organic ingredients when feasible.

Pumpkin Pie Squares!

11/19/2018

My favorite food on Thanksgiving has ALWAYS been the pumpkin pie! And when I discovered how much sugar and processed ingredients go into it, I was determined to find a recipe that is healthier and happier! These pumpkin pie squares are easy because they don't require the extra steps that come with regular pie crust. This healthy alternative replaces evaporated milk with canned coconut milk, and sugar with honey! A healthy and happy solution for the whole family! The pie filling can also be used with any of your favorite pie crust recipes as well, and you can top your pumpkin pie with anything you like!

Pumpkin Pie Squares!

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup butter (melted)

Filling:
2 cans *pumpkin puree (4 cups)
1 15 oz. can coconut milk
4 eggs
1 cup raw honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. clove

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°
Mix flour, oats, syrup, and butter in small bowl until well combined.
Press dough into bottom of 9x13 inch pan and bake for 15 mins.
Whisk all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined.
Remove crust from oven and pour filling over crust.
Bake for 1 hour or until filling is firm all the way through. Cool completely before serving!
Top with anything you'd like! (My favorite toppings include whipped cream, walnuts, or any other kind of nut).

*It's best to use pumpkin puree that came from your own organic pumpkin, but organic canned pumpkin is okay too.
*When using the coconut milk, use the entire can. Not just the cream on top.
*Use organic ingredients when feasible.

Blackberry Pie Bites!

11/14/2018

Our first thanksgiving recipe is now up on the blog! Tis' the season for sweet pastries and pie (even in bite size form)! My mom has always made THE BEST pie crust in history, and I think we have officially converted it to match our healthy Lyme lifestyle. This recipe is made with whole wheat pastry flour and palm shortening instead of white flour and Crisco to eliminate any harmful additives. It's also made with DELICIOUS organic berries that can be converted into any berry you like, and it's perfect for all of your holiday parties because they're so simple and bite-sized!

Blackberry Pie Bites

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 heaping cup palm shortening
1/3 cup butter (cold)
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. cold water

Filling:
4 cups frozen blackberries
1/3 cup raw honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
a pinch of clove (optional)
2 Tbs. Cornstarch (Non-GMO)
4 Tbs. cold water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°
Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl and mix with a spoon. Add shortening and cut butter into flour mixture. Combine using a fork. (Or just use your hands if preferred). Mixture should look like cornmeal when well combined.)
Add cold water and combine together with your hands until you've formed a large ball of dough. (Note: The less you work with pie crust the better it will turn out and the more light and flaky it will be. DO NOT KNEAD YOUR DOUGH!)
Roll out dough on a flour lined surface. Using a medium circle shaped cookie cutter, cut medium circles and then press each circle of dough into mini muffin tin. (I used a 24 cup mini muffin pan, but you can also use two twelve cup pans.)
Bake crust for about 30 minutes, or until crust is slightly browned on top.
While crust is baking, make your filling.
Add frozen berries to a medium sauce pan. Add honey, vanilla, and spices, and mix until thawed and well combined.
Bring mixture to a boil. (If you prefer less chunky filling at this point you can run a fork through your berry mixture.)
In a small glass add corn starch and water and mix until well combined.
Once berry mixture has been brought to a boil, add the cornstarch mixture and stir constantly until thickened.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Once the crust cups have cooked, wait for them to cool completely and then remove them from the pan to mini muffin cup liners.
Fill each crust cup with filling all the way to the top.

*You can top your pie cups with whipped cream or anything you like. I topped mine with lemon zest, and it added just the right flavor!
*Use organic ingredients when feasible.
*Store in refrigerator.

Australian Anzac Cookies

11/5/2018

This recipe is actually a special recipe from the mind and heart of my dad! My dad served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Australia when he was younger, and he recently wanted to recreate this cookie that he had on his mission a lot. Needless to say, they were a huge success and our family loves these delicious creations now!

These cookies are made with whole wheat flour, coconut, and oatmeal. They're soft and chewy on the inside, and are the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth! Not to mention they are organic, and refined sugar-free! Yum!

Australian Anzac Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup golden Lakanto
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup raw honey
3 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F Line cookie sheet with parchment paper of silicone baking mat.
Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl (flour, oats, Lakanto, and salt).
Warm butter honey and water in a small saucepan and bring to a low boil, then add baking soda. Cook and stir until it foams.
Add wet mixture to dry mixture. Mix until well combined.
Roll dough into one inch balls (or smaller if desired) and place on cookie sheets.
Cook for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

*Use organic ingredients when feasible*

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

Plum Fruit Leather

11/5/2018

Remember those bright red fruit roll-ups you used to eat as a child? Remember how they used to turn your tongue red and they mostly tasted like flavored sugar? When I was a kid, I ate these fruit-roll ups on the daily, and the exorbitant amounts of sugar and corn-syrup contained in these kinds of snacks made me incredibly sick and I'd always spend the day with a stomach-ache.

Well, we have now come up with a solution! These fruit roll-ups taste like candy, are refined sugar-free, and contain necessary nutrients from real fruit. The awesome thing about this recipe is that you can tweek this recipe to your liking. I'd highly recommend tasting your fruit puree before drying it, and if you feel like it needs more sweeter or cinnamon, you do you. You also don't have to use plums. Whatever fruit you like will make this recipe delicious and successful!

Plum Fruit Leather

Ingredients:
6 cups plums (cut in half and pitted, they do not have to be peeled)
1/2 cup raw honey
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. ground cinnamon (if desired)
1/4 tsp. cloves (if desired)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 170°F or use a dehydrator.
Puree ingredients together in a blender until smooth.
Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or line your dehydrator wracks with parchment paper.
Pour mixture evenly onto baking sheets or dehydrator wracks.
Place in oven and cook until firm and no longer sticky to the touch (3-4 hours in most ovens) or dehydrate at 135° for anywhere from 6-12 hours.
After fruit puree is completely dry, remove from oven or dehydrator. Cut into strips and roll them up if desired.

*Store in a cool place.

Healthier Mac n' Cheese!

10/27/2018

Healthy macaroni and cheese?! Does that even exist?! Yes my friends, it does! And I have the perfect recipe for you! Even Lyme patients still enjoy their comfort food! ;) This mac n' cheese tastes better than the stuff that comes in a box, it lacks all of the chemicals and additives that can harm our bodies, and it's filled with nutrients that feeds our bodies, and our souls! ;) This recipe gave me a chance to travel back in time to my childhood when mac n' cheese was a staple at my house, and now it's something that my family enjoys regularly. Take your taste buds on a journey with this cheesy delight!

Ingredients:
1 lb macaroni or pasta of choice
6 Tbs. butter (preferably grass-fed)
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/3 heavy whipping cream (organic)
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup sharp shredded cheese

Directions:

Bring a stockpot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a teaspoon of salt to the water, then add the pasta. Cook until soft.
Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Stir in garlic and onion powder and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.
Stir in cream, milk, pumpkin, salt, and cheese. Stir until sauce is heated through and cheese is melted.
Drain water from pasta, and add cheese sauce to pasta.
Serve with salad and enjoy!

*If you desire a sauce that is less thick, you can add water a tablespoon at a time until you have your desired consistency.
*You can always add more salt to taste. I also like topping mine with basil and other herb mixes.

Refined Sugar-Free S'mores!

8/4/2018

This recipe is honestly one of the most amazing things I discovered this summer!!! 😍😋 Okay, I know what you're thinking... "Why would I want to take the time to MAKE S'more ingredients when I could just go to the store and buy them in half the time? Well, let's take a minute to evaluate the ingredients in S'more. Sure store bought marshmallows, Graham crackers, and Hershey's chocolate is a faster option for these summer treats, but that doesn't mean they're a better option for your health. Have you ever eaten a S'more before and felt kind of sick to your stomach afterwards? I have! And so naturally I stopped eating them once I became and adult.

Let's take a minute evaluate health facts on these products:
First Health Fact: All three of these foods are massively high in sugar, and corn syrup. With that in mind, a S'more is pretty much just a sugar cocktail! Sugar is highly addictive and toxic! Sugar feeds cancer and other bacteria and parasites in the body, and increases inflammation! Putting three high-sugar products together wages war on your body, and can very much lead to leaky gut and other auto-immune diseases.

Second Health Fact: All three of these products are highly processed and filled with chemical additives that are highly addictive and foreign to our bodies. When we ingest such substances, our body doesn't recognize it as food, and can make us sick simply because our body is on overdrive trying to protect us from "unknown substances."

Third Health Fact: These foods lack nutrients that whole foods, or food made ourselves, contain. When we eat large amounts of food that lacks nutrients it leaves our bodies feeling nutrient depleted, and can lead us to feeling weak or sick after we eat.

So... is it possible to find a S'more that has little sugar, proper nutrients, AND zero harmful additives? Yes it is! And not only are they healthy, but they also taste AMAZING and are perfect for every summer occasion! They're also really not that difficult to make, and can be made in large batches and stored in the freezer so they don't go bad quickly!

So what are we waiting for!? Let's get started! 😋😁

Refined Sugar-Free S'mores!

Homemade Graham Crackers!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (softened)
6 Tbs. golden Lakanto sweetener
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. raw honey
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. water

Directions:

In a stand mixer, mix butter, Lakanto, salt, cinnamon, and honey. Mix until well combined.
Add in baking soda and then gradually add in flour one cup at a time. Make sure flour is well combined after each cup before adding the next cup.
Remove from stand mixer and form dough into two balls. This is also when you can add the water if your mixture seems to dry. Mixture should hold together but not be sticky.
Roll dough onto silicone baking mat. Cut or score into individual cracker sizes. Use a skewer or toothpick to make holes in crackers.

Place in freezer on stainless steel baking sheet for 30 mins. to harden.
Remove from freezer and separate dough into individual crackers on the baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until crackers begin to brown.
Remove from oven and transfer to cooling wrack. Make sure crackers are totally cool before using them for S'mores!

Homemade Marshmallows!

Ingredients:

1 cup water
3 Tbs. powdered gelatin
1 cup raw honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Arrowroot starch to coat the outside of marshmallows

Directions:

Grease and line and 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper on both sides.
Dust parchment paper with arrowroot starch so marshmallows are not sticky at the bottom when they are removed.
In your mixer, add gelatin with 1/2 cup water.
While the gelatin in softening, pour the other 1/2 cup water in a sauce pan with honey, vanilla, and salt.
Turn the burner to a medium high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Place a candy thermometer in the sauce pan and continue to boil mixture until it reaches 240 degrees (soft ball stage). This will take approximately 7 to 8 mins.
Immediately remove from the sauce pan from the heat.
Turn your stand mixer to low/med. Slowly pour the honey mixture into the bowl combining it with the softened gelatin. Turn the mixer to high and continue beating the mixtures until it becomes thick like marshmallow cream. (About 10 mins.)
Pour marshmallow cream into the parchment lined pan.
Using a rubber spatula, smooth the top and add another dusting of arrowroot starch on top.
Cut a piece of parchment paper the size of your pan and top your marshmallow pan with it. Using your hands, gently press down top to unsure an even top.
Allow your marshmallows to set for 4-6 hours. (You'll know it's ready by pushing down and the texture is bouncy.
Once your marshmallows have set, cut into squares.

*This recipe originally appeared on laurafuentes.com

Homemade Chocolate Bars!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 cup creamy almond butter
1/2 cup sifted cocoa powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except cocoa powder in a small saucepan on medium heat. Heat and stir until well combined and almost boiling.
Sift cocoa powder into mixture. Stir and heat until completely combined and slightly thickened.
Pour into a 9x9 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper on both sides.
Refrigerate until firm (about 30-40 mins.)
Cut into squares with a pizza cutter and freeze until hard.
Once frozen, break into squares and store in the freezer.

And Now for the S'mores!

You know the drill! Roast the marshmallow until golden brown and sandwich between two Graham crackers and chocolate! 😋😍😁

Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake

7/26/2018

This sheet cake is brought to you by my incredible sister, Megan Dalton, who has been cooking, eating, and feeding her family clean, whole food for years! Megan is a wife and mother of two children, and loves creating delicious masterpieces in her kitchen! She cooks organic, refined sugar-free in all of her recipes and she lives and believes the core concept that eating healthy is an essential part of having a healthy and happy family! Megan is also proof that it is possible to raise a family and be able to afford, cook, and feed your family whole, clean, and organic foods. Megan is an inspiration to many of the mom's out there who feel like eating healthy is unreachable in the busy life of motherhood. Well folks, it's possible, and this delicious sheet cake, comes straight from Megan's kitchen!

This recipe combines the health benefits of zucchini, and the sweet taste of chocolate into one fantastic sheet cake that is perfect for parties, or large gatherings! This cake is the perfect amount of sweetness! It's super moist and melts in your mouth! It's made with all organic ingredients and is refined-sugar free! Chocolate cake that feeds your body with proper nutrients?! Does that even exist!? Yes it does! Let this sheet cake take your taste buds to chocolate heaven!

Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1/2 cup buttermilk or coconut milk w/lemon
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup classic Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener
1/4 cup cocoa powder (heaping)
2-3 bananas
1 3/4 cups flour (preferably whole wheat)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups grated zucchini

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered Lakanto
4 Tbs. cocoa powder (heaping)
6 Tbs. coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
dash of salt
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°
Sift sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, and soda together in medium bowl and stir until combined. Set aside.
Grate 2 cups zucchini. Set aside.
Mix eggs, milk, and vanilla in large bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredient and stir until well combined.
Add mashed bananas to butter and then add to the mixture. Stir until well combined.
Add zucchini and mix by hand. DO NOT over-mix!
Bake 20-22 minutes in a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Make icing while waiting: Combine icing ingredients and whip together in stand mixer.
Remove cake from the oven and pour chocolate frosting over cake immediately.
Top with nuts and let cool.

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.