Blog Posts

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.

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Chewy Molasses Cookies

7/12/2018

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I've always LOVED ginger snaps! Except for the snapping part... So, I have always resorted to a chewier version of ginger snaps. These molasses cookies are soft, chewy, and full of flavor! I've found that getting the right texture in a cookie that is refined-sugar free can be incredibly difficult, and they often come out cakey and dry. The good news is that I've mastered the perfect cookie texture on these babies, and they are still refined sugar free!

For these cookies we used Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener: The vegan, non-GMO, zero calorie, zero after taste, and zero glycemic index sweetener! Lakanto comes from a fruit and fits all kinds of diets! Who says you have to stop satisfying your sweet tooth once you go refined sugar free!? 🤣😁😊👍

Chewy Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups salted butter (softened to room temperature)
1 cup Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetner
1/3 cup raw honey
1/2 cup molassses
2 eggs
4 cups whole wheat flour
4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. Redmond salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat together butter, Lakanto, and honey on medium speed until well combined and fluffy.
Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
Add the molasses and beat on medium speed until well combined. Scrape sides of bowl if need be.
Gradually add in the mixture of dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-60 mins or until completely chilled. (If you do not chill your dough, it will be very difficult to roll dough into balls to bake, and your cookies will be much flatter and crunchier after they are baked.)
Roll the dough into small one inch balls. Fill small bowl with sufficient Lakanto sweetner and roll each ball in the sweetener until it is completely coated. Place cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets one inch apart.
Bake for 9 minutes or until the cookies begin to slightly crack on top. (They will crack more when cooling.)
Remove from oven, let cool for a minute or two and then transfer cookies to wire wrack.

*Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies!

6/11/2018

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I have just been beside myself lately! I've spent years wanting chocolate chip cookies again, but there's always been the small dilemma: Refined-sugar free chocolate chips with zero harmful additives don't exist! So for this recipe I got creative and used the chocolate recipe that I've posted prior to this post. You simply remove the pre-made chocolates from the fridge, chop them into medium sized chunks, and throw them in the batter the same way you you would regular chocolate chips! Easy! And much healthier! 😉

So without further ado, we present to you organic, refined-sugar free chocolate chip cookies! For all the health nuts out there who still want to enjoy a taste of their childhood every now and again. 😉💕😊

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Ingredients:
2 cups whole *wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup golden Lakanto Monkfruit sweetner
1/3 cup raw honey
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups chopped homemade chocolates

*I used organic sprouted whole wheat flour, but any whole wheat flour will work the same
** Here at Chronically Beautiful we strive to keep all ingredients in our kitchen organic and free of any harmful additives in order for our food to be as clean and healthy as possible. I would highly encourage you as you shop for your ingredients to buy and use as many organic as you can!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325° F Line two stainless steal cookie sheets (try and avoid aluminum pans as much as possible to avoid heavy metal contamination) with parchment paper or silicon baking sheets.
Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sweeteners until well blended. Beat in vanilla egg, and egg yolk until creamy.
Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.
Remove pre-made chocolates from the fridge and quickly chop into small chunks. Throw chopped chocolate in fridge for 5-10 minutes to avoid melted chocolate in the batter.
Add chocolate chips and gently fold into batter.
Spoon large dollops of dough onto cookies sheets.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown on top.
Let cool and enjoy! 😁

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Claire's Famous Chocolates!

6/11/2018

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Funny Story about these babies: I once had a couple of friends of mine try these chocolates that I make fairly regularly, and they told me that they were so good that if I wanted to make a man fall in love with me, all I'd have to do is feed him one of these! .... I have to admit, I tried that tactic soon after that visit with those friends, and needless to say... it didn't work! Ha! 😂😁👍

So unfortunately I can't say that these chocolate will find you true love! 😂 But I can say that they are delicious, healthy, and something that my family almost always has in our fridge to snack on. Not only that, but they only take five ingredients and they're super quick and easy to make large batches all at once!

There is one thing that I LOVE that was incredibly difficult for me to give up when I went on a diet to manage my Lyme disease, and that one thing is chocolate! I wouldn't call myself a "chocoholic" anymore, but I am still a lover of chocolate and the good news is that these chocolates are paleo, vegan, and refined sugar-free friendly! They're packed with healthy fats and they always satisfy your sweet tooth! This particular recipe is also fun to play with. The ones in the pictures are just plain chocolate, but you can spice these babies up with whatever whole food you may be craving. I usually top mine with coconut and almonds, but you could also flavor these with peppermint oil, or raspberry filling made with coconut butter. Whatever you enjoy, I encourage you to be creative and as always, bake with love! ❤😊

Claire's Famous Chocolates!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup organic, high quality cocoa powder
1/2 cup smooth almond butter
1/2 cup raw honey or organic maple syrup (I usually prefer honey)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Line a 24 cup mini sized muffin tin with paper liners.
Add the coconut oil, honey, almond butter, and vanilla into a small saucepan. Heat on medium heat, stirring constantly, until it's smooth and well combined.
Sift cocoa powder into mixture and stir until well combine.
Stirring constantly, bring it to a boil and then remove from heat immediately.
Let sit for 5-10 minutes to give it a chance to cool a little.
Spoon mixture into mini muffin cups. (About 1 Tablespoon per cup)
Top with whatever you'd like and refrigerate until solid.

*Store in refrigerator.

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Orange Cream Cake

4/30/2018

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This week was my mother's birthday, and so I needed a good birthday cake recipe! So, the orange cream cake was born!! :D

My mom has been a Lyme warrior practically her entire life, and we have fought the Lyme battle side by side for many years now. My mother is a beautiful and incredible woman, and so I wanted a cake that was just as beautiful and amazing as her!

This cake is easy to make, refined sugar free, and made with whole wheat flour! It just the perfect taste of orange and is absolutely beautiful and perfect for any special occasion!

Orange Cream Cake

Cake:
1/3 Cup butter
1/3 Cup palm shortening
2 tsp (or about one orange's worth) grated orange rind
3/4 Cup golden Monk Fruit sweetener
1/2 Cup raw honey
3 eggs
2 1/2 Cups whole wheat bread flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 Cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp organic orange flavoring (or 2-4 drops of orange essential oil)
Frosting:
1 Cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 Cup organic maple syrup (or more depending on desired sweetness)
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
2 tsp. organic orange flavoring
orange zest and orange slices (optional for decoration)
Directions

Cream together butter, palm shortening, and orange rind.
Gradually add sweeteners until well combined and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Continue beating for about three minutes or until light and fluffy.
Mix together dry ingredients and then add alternately with orange juice to creamed mixture.
Add orange flavoring or orange essential oil.
Beat until combined.
Line two 8 inch round pans with parchment paper and grease sides with grass-fed butter.
Pour batter evenly in pans and bake at 350° for 25-30 mins or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.
Cool for 20 mins and then remove from pans.
Let cool COMPLETELY before frosting!
For frosting whip all ingredients together until stiff peaks form.
Frost with orange cream frosting to your desired look and top with orange slices and orange zest if desired.
Store in refrigerator.

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Raw Mint Chocolate Pie

3/22/2018

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I know the word "raw" never really sounds that tasteful when you're talking about food, but I'm here to tell you that raw food is amazing mainly because it's chock-full of nutrients that don't get extracted from your food due to high levels of heat! This pie is made from all whole ingredients, and it doesn't include any harmful dyes, refined sugars, or additives. The green color comes from spirulina (which is a super food), and the chocolate pudding laying is made from scratch, doesn't come from a box, and doesn't have any ingredients with long names that are impossible to pronounce! On top of all of that, it taste's amazing!

Raw Mint Chocolate Pie

Crust:

1/2 Cup almonds
1 Cup walnuts
3 large dates
2 Tbs. butter, melted (organic, & grass-fed)
3 Tbs. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Add all ingredients to food processor and blend together until crumbly & completely blended together. Mixture should be kind of dry, but wet enough to stick together.
Press crust mixture into the bottom on a 9 inch pan, lined with parchment paper.
Refrigerate.

Mint Layer:

8 oz. package cream cheese (room temperature)
2 Tbs. raw honey
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup organic maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp. mint extract
1/2 tsp. spirulina powder

Directions:

Beat cream cheese and honey in a large bowl until smooth. Set aside.
In a medium bowl beat heavy whipping cream, maple syrup, and vanilla until light, fluffy, and stiff peaks form.
Beat heavy whipping cream mixture into cream cheese mixture until well incorporated, light, and fluffy.
Add mint extract and spirulina powder. Beat until well incorporated, or until mixture has turned completely green.
Spread mixture on crust.
Refrigerate.

Chocolate Layer:

1/4 Cup coconut oil (melted)
1/3 Cup raw honey
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 Cans full fat coconut cream

Directions:

Whip all ingredients except coconut cream together in a small bowl until smooth.
Open cans of refrigerated coconut milk. Scrape cream off the top (do not add the coconut water). Whip cream until smooth.
Add the first mixture into the coconut cream and beat until well incorporated.
Spread mixture over mint layer.
Refrigerate.

Whipped Cream Layer:

1 Cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 Cup maple syrup (organic)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. spirulina powder (optional: only if you want top layer to be green as well)

Directions:

Whip all ingredients together until mixture is light and fluffy, and forms stiff peaks.
Spread on the top of the pie.
Refrigerate pie for 1-2 hours or until it is fully set up.
Top with chopped chocolate, or nuts, or just leave it plain! (It's great either way!)
Cut, serve, and ENJOY! :D

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Meatless "Chicken" Nuggets

3/16/2018

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This recipe is great for all of you Lacto-Vegetarians out there! (For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, a lacto-vegetarian diet consists of regular vegetarian principles, but also includes dairy products, such as milk and cheese, as well.) The good news is that this recipe uses a very small amount of cheese in it, and it is completely gluten free! Meatless chicken nuggets are also a good source of protein due to the quinoa, and they offer lots of essential vitamins from the sweet potatoes!

Here at Chronically Beautiful, I do not promote any one particular dietary theory, but instead believe in the concept of bio-individuality. This means that one person's food, is another person's poison. It's really important to experiment with the foods that we consume, and find out what works best for our own individual body type. (With that said, I highly encourage a diet that contains high quality, whole, organic food. And I highly discourage anything that is heavily processed or comes in a box pre-made.) Although I am not a vegetarian, I generally only eat meat three times a week. Therefore, I love vegetarian recipes that are quick, easy, and taste delicious!

This recipe works great for using up any left over sweet potatoes in the fridge. It's quick and easy, and kids love it! It's also great because you can generally add spices and herbs to your liking. I will include the spices and herbs that I personally use in the recipe below, but I would highly encourage you to experiment with your own favorite flavors! I'm a strong believer of always expanding your palate, and it's hard to go wrong with certain recipes such as these! :)

Meatless "Chicken" Nuggets

2 Cups mashed sweet potato*
2 Cups cooked quinoa*
1 Cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 tsp. garlic powder
3 tsp. onion powder
4 Tbs. Basil
1 Tbs. Oregano
2 Tbs. Salt
sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F
Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper, or silicone baking mat.
Place mashed sweet potato and cooked quinoa into large bowl and stir to combine.
Add cheese and spices and stir to combine.
Use a tablespoon to place dollops of batter on baking sheets. Lightly press down to flatten to make small pattie shapes.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for 35 mins.
Allow to cook before serving.

*For mashed sweet potatoes, you can use leftover sweet potato, or you can make a fresh batch, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. I generally like to add butter and salt to my potatoes for extra flavor, but that's completely optional.
*To cook 2 cups worth of cooked quinoa, you will need to cook approximately 1 cup according to the instructions on the packet. Make sure quinoa is completely cooled and chilled before using for recipe. I like to add salt to my quinoa, but that is completely optional.

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Claire's Chocolate Eclairs!

3/14/2018

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I've spent a large portion of my life listening to all the puns that can be made with my name!

Claire-ify
Claire-ity
De-claire
Claire-inet
Claire De Lune
Claire-itin Clear
Claire-ly (Clearly)
(And last but not least!) E-claire!

Claire-ly I win the prize for the worlds most punny name! ;)

The good news is that these babies were created simply because if I'm going to love food as much as I do, I might as well have a food that shares a name with me! These eclairs were created with love from Claire's Kitchen and use only whole, organic ingredients! They're also refined sugar free, which means that even someone with Lyme disease can eat them! So you get the delicious taste without the after affects of feeling sick! It's a win win for everyone in the kitchen today! :D

Chocolate Eclairs

Dough:

1 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Butter (Organic & Grass-fed)
1 Cup Pastry Flour
4 Eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°
Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats.
Bring water and butter to a boil in sauce pan.
Add flour all at once, stirring until smooth ball forms. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until mixture is smooth and shiny.
Transfer mixture to a Ziploc bag or piping bag. Cut a one inch hole in one corner of the bag and pipe 16 3-1/2 inch logs onto baking sheets.
Bake at 450° for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 400° and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Transfer to wire rack and immediately cut tops off of rolls.
Transfer to serving platter and refrigerate. (Rolls should be completely cooled and cold before they are filled with filling.)

Filling:

1/2 Cup Butter, Melted (Organic & Grass-fed)
1/2 Cup Organic Maple Syrup
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Almond Extract
1 Pint Organic Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions:

Beat all ingredients except heavy whipping cream together until well combined.
Store in refrigerator for about 20 mins. (Mixture should be completely cool before added to whipped cream.)
Beat heavy whipping cream with electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
Add refrigerated mixture, gradually, to whipped cream while continuously beating it. (Only do this until it is completely combined. Do not over beat it.)
Transfer to Ziploc bag or piping bag. Cut 1 inch hole into bag and pipe filling into pastries.
Place tops back on pastries and use any excess filling to decorate the top of the pastries.

Chocolate:

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Organic Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Almond Butter
1/2 Cup Raw Honey
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Combine and melt all ingredients, except cocoa powder, into small saucepan until combined.
Sift cocoa powder into mixture and stir until combined.
Bring to a boil and then remove from heat IMMEDIATELY. (If it boils for too long, mixture will be too thick and dry.)
Let sit for 30 minutes or until cooled to room temperature.
Drizzle heavily over Eclairs.

*Keep refrigerated!
*Makes 16 small eclairs, or 8 larger eclairs.