HOMEMADE PALEO CUPCAKES WITH A FRESH CASHEW FROSTING

Ohhhhh yes ladies, I went there.

This shouldn't be surprising to anyone but, this whole cupcake thing happened thanks to a trip to Marshall's haha. DAMN that place get me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. 

I went to get a birthday gift for my friend and then I walked by these insanely cute cupcake decorations that were like $3.99 so obviously I had to get those AND THEN it all clicked. 

..."I will make her CUPCAKES for her birthday too! We'll say they're SUMMER THEMED..."

FETTTTCH. 

Haha so then I had to begin the dig into Pinterest to see if there was anything healthy because if ya girl is going to take cupcakes to someone's house, they're going to be the healthiest version possible.

With that said, I can't take credit for this recipe but I can thank #PALEORUNNINGMOMMA for creating it!

Honestly - when it comes to me finding recipes on Pinterest, I look for 2 things.

1. The picture has to be appealing. I'm a visual person so that's a MUST. 

2. I have to be certain that I have at least 80% of the ingredients already at my house. I HATE going to the grocery store and getting 5 million things just to make one thing so that's not happening. 

I ALLLMOST didn't go with this recipe because I needed to soak the cashews for four hours which was annoying because I wanted to start the cupcakes ASAP, but, I decided that while they were soaking that I would clean up the house and get other work done so, it worked out and I'm SO glad I made them. 

Before we jump into the recipe I would just like to proudly say that these cupcakes were actually a hit which I was nervous about because obviously it was my first time making them.

I feel like these are cute for any Summer Party but of course if you just change the decorations, you can use them for Fourth of July, or a birthday or whatever..

OKAY:

Ingredients for Paleo Cupcakes:

+ 1 TBSP Beet Powder

+ 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

+ 4 Large Eggs

+ 1 TSP Baking Powder

+ 1/3 Cup Cacao

+ 1 Batch Coconut Cashew Frosting (See below for ingredients)

+ 2/3 Cup Coconut Flour

+ 1 Cup Coconut Sugar

+ 1/8 TSP Salt

+1/3 Cup Tapioca Flour

+ 2 TSP Vanilla Extract

+ 1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar

+ 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil, Organic

+ 1/2 Cup Coconut

+ 2 TBSP water

How to Make the Paleo Cupcakes:

PREP TIME: 10 MINS

COOK TIME: 20 MINS

TOTAL TIME: 30 MINS

(Prep time does not include the time to make the frosting. Remember for that you'll want to leave 4 hours to soak the cashews).

1. Preheat your oven to 350 - line a 12 cup muffin pan with some cut ass liners. 
2. Beat together EGGS, COCONUT SUGAR, ALMOND MILK, COCONUT OIL, VANILA & APPLE CIDER until combined.
3. Combine dry ingredients in a completely separate bowl, then add to wet ingredients and mix until it's just combined. Don't over mix. 
4. Fill up the 12 cupcake liners evenly to just about the top, since they won't rise much.
5. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until centers are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
6. Allow to cool in the pan for 2 minutes then carefully transfer to a cool wire rack to cool completely before you add the CASHEW FROSTING!

Ingredients for the Cashew Frosting:

+ 1 1/2 Cups Raw Cashews SOAKED in filtered water for at least 4 hours, drained, rinsed, and gently dried.

+ 2/3 Coconut Cream Chilled

+ 2.5 TBSP fresh Lemon Juice

+ 2 TBSP Coconut Oil, SOLID

+ 2 TSP Pure Vanilla Extract

+ 4-6 TBSP Raw Honey or Pure Maple Syrup for a vegan option.

+ Large Pinch of Fine Grain Sea Salt

How to Make The Cashew Frosting:

1. Blend Cashews on high until a paste forms, then scrape the sides. 
2. Add remaining ingredients and continue to blend on high for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is creamy. 
3. Makes enough frosting for 12 cupcakes! You can store any extra frosting in the fridge, covered, for up to one week.

More Summer Must Haves:

BOTTLE OPENER

SUMMER CAKE PAN

CUPCAKE TOPPERS

DECORATING ICING KIT

Leave a comment below or let me know on Instagram if you make these! I would love to see how they turn out for you and if you love them!!

X Chelsey 

Other Sweet Treats You Might Love:

PURELY ELIZABETH'S HEALTHY BANANA BREAD

Literally the only reason this recipe came to life was because I had two bananas dying in my fruit basket

and the thought of throwing away more food made me want to kill myself so I looked through my Purely Elizabeth Cookbook, and sure enough, she had a lovely Banana Bread Recipe.

By the way - this book is like my bible. She has everything you could ever want in here and it's all organic and HEALTHY af.

Also super easy so if you've been looking for new meal ideas, I highly suggest getting this for yourself, or asking someone else to get it for you, whatever. 

Get it right here, right now, on amazon!

TBH, I didn't feel like going to the store, mainly because I didn't have a voice so I literally couldn't talk to anyone and didn't feel like trying SO I only used one type of flour that I had rather than the different ones that she suggests. It still came out good but it could have been a little more moist. I used ALL oat flour, but according to the pro - here is what you'll need.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• Cinnamon Sugar (2 tbsp of coconut sugar for every 1 tsp of cinnamon)
• 1 Cup Coconut Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Almond Flour
• 1/2 Cup Millet Flour
• 1/2 Cup Brown Rice Flour
• 1/2 TSP Cinnamon
• 1 TSP Baking Soda
• 3 Very Ripe Bananas 
• 1/3 Cup Coconut Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1 TSP Vanilla
• 1/3 Cup Walnuts
• 1/2 Cup Organic Chocolate Chips

WHAT TO DO:

1. Pre Heat oven to 350-degrees. Use an oil spray or coconut oil to grease loaf pan. 
2. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar to coat the bottom and sides and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flours, cinnamon and baking soda until well combined. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the bananas, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. 
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined.
6. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips. 
7. Pour into a loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. 

LITERALLY THE BEST COOKIES I'VE EVER MADE, AND SUPER CLEAN OBVI.

You guys. I literally had to put my invisalign back in to try and prevent myself from eating a FOURTH cookie in a matter of 1 hour.

I'm not even hungry. I just ate 2 bowls of pasta but literally...these cookies are unreal. 

I'm happy I live with my boyfriend because I know he can have at least half which will save me from devouring all of them within the next two days. (PS, while I write this, I'm catching up on Narcos - are any of you watching it?! SO insane..but anyways).

Back to the cookies.

So my friend brought these into to work the other day and as much as I wanted to try and avoid them, they were going QUICK so I snatched one and as soon as I had it, I made her give me the recipe. It was basically an immediate threat. 

2 days later, here we are. Just so you know, you're going to be obsessed too. 

Okay - here we go.

PREP TIME: 10 MINS

COOK TIME: 8 MINS

*** IF YOU MAKE THESE TAG #CHELSEYSEASYRECIPES ! I'D LOVE TO THIS RECREATED! ***

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• 1/2 Cup Organic canned pumpkin
• 2 TBSP Organic honey
• 2 TBSP Organic Coconut Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Oat Flour
• 1 Organic Egg
• 3/4 Cup Organic, dairy free, soy free, dark chocolate chips (I did 68% cacao)
• 1/2 TSP Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 TSP Cinnamon
• 1 TSP Baking Soda
• Pinch of Sea Salt

WHAT TO DO:

Whisk everything together and create 12-15 small balls and place on parchment paper. BAKE for 8 minutes at 350. 

* As soon as you remove these from the oven make sure that you remove the parchment paper with the cookies from the hot tray and place it on the counter top. This way the cookies don't keep cooking on the try and burn and piss you off (thumbs up). 

* PS - they won't look done - but they are! Let them cool for about 20 minutes then try to not eat all of them in one night - or do - whatever. 

RAW HOMEMADE CHEESECAKE RECIPE

Hi!

I'm currently suuuuper happy! Ha, anyone else?! I just got finished up with an event in Santa Monica for PopSugar Fitness X Adidas and now I'm at one of my favorite coffee shops over on the West Side enjoying my go-to almond milk latte and thinking about how excited I am for tomorrows beach day xxx

I wanted to share this UHMAZING recipe with you guys because it is such a new staple recipe for me if I want something sweet. 

I'm not a huge chocolate person or really even that big on sweets but the one dessert I feel like I'm always down for is cheesecake. But then like, not, because it's always packed with so much sugar that I don't even think that it's worth it. 

Luckily I got to take home Purely Elizabeth's cookbook from an event one time and it has been my go-to for new healthy lunches, sauces, and now...desserts, which is where this recipe is from. 

She also has a banana nut bread that I'm dying to make as well as a carrot cake so, things are going well haha. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

This recipe is SOOO easy PLUS I had a lot of the ingredients on me already which made me even more inclined to give it a shot. 

All you do is blend everything, make some layers, top it will raspberries, and let it sit in the fridge for an hour. 

I've been snacking on it like it's one big cookie haha I should probably just throw the rest away soon considering I'm the only one eating it......

OKAY, 

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Crust: 

• 1 cup pecans
• 1 cup dates, pitted
• 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Filling:

• 2 cups cashews
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 2 cups raspberries
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a food processor, blend crust ingredients until a crumbly paste is formed (so it can stick together with your hands).
2. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of a pie dish and spoon crust mixture on top of the parchment paper.
3. With your hand, press the mixture into the pie dish. In a high-speed blender, blend cashews, vanilla, lemon juice, coconut oil, and coconut sugar.
4. Pour half the filling on top of crust. With the remaining half, continue to blend with raspberries and maple syrup, leaving a few raspberries to the side for decoration.
5. Pour raspberry filling on top of cashew filling and place in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.
6. When ready to serve, remove the parchment paper and top with raspberries.

MACA ROOT ENERGY BALLS

Sooo I've been thinking about wanting to make something like these for a WHILE. 

I have like a billion powders and superfoods in my cabinet so I've kind of figured that I have everything I need but it was just a matter of putting of everything together. 

Of course I was wasting life the other day on Pinterest and I came across this recipe (plus all the popsicle recipes that I'm going to start working on today haha)...

So the recipe is super easy. I was stoked because I already had everything so I didn't even need to go to the store which is always a plus. 

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut 
• 6 TBS organic coconut oil
• 2 TSP vanilla
• 3 TBS maca root powder
• 2 TBS Raw Cacao Powder
• 2 TBS Raw Honey
• 2 TBS Walnuts

There's so much goodness happening in this recipe it's insane. Okay, let's start with

Maca Root:

Maca root is my go to. I put it in my coffee, my smoothies and now in this recipe. It is a superfood from peru that balances hormones. 

I've had girls e-mail me and tell me that they had horrible acne breakouts after getting on birth control and after 2 weeks of using maca root their skin was totally clear! It also helps with periods, PLUS it's a natural energy booster which I LOVE! 

Check out my Coffee Free Morning Energizing Drink here which is packed with maca root. 

Then,

 Cacao powder:

Cacao powder is a natural mood elevator and anti-depressant. It also has 40 times the amount of anti-oxidants as blueberries, it is the highest plant based source of iron and it is packed with magnesium which is like a natural stress reliever. 

These are the two main ingredients in these little energizing snacks that I'm obsessed with but of course honey has it's own benefits and coconut oil is an excellent source of saturated fats (healthy fats) which increases healthy cholesterol. 

WHAT TO DO:

1. Blend everything together
2. Roll into about 12 small balls 
3. Place on parchment paper 
4. Freeze for at least 1 hour before eating
5. Store in the fridge in an air tight container!

I've been having one at a time as a little snack if I'm in a hurry or one at night when I get home from work if I have a sweet tooth. 

ENJOY! & PLEASSSSE let me know if you have any other recipes ideas like this!

3 INGREDIENT POPSICLE

In honor of Memorial Day, I wanted to share this recipe with you guys ASAP!

I found this on instagram from 'haley_ferretti' and realized it was only 3 ingredients so it was an easy thing to try without losing too much if they didn't taste good or work haha. 

I've never personally made popsicles but after realizing how easy it is and knowing that I have something sweet and healthy that's going to last in the freezer, I think I'm going to work on a bunch of different ones this summer!

Okay, 

Here's what you need :

• 1 can coconut cream (i got mine at trader joe's)
• 1/3 cup pineapple juice
• fresh raspberries

I quickly blended that coconut cream and pineapple juice together which left me with juice and then the thick cream part. 

I used the cream to fill some of the raspberries and I just used the juice for the popsicles. 

Then I dropped 1-2 raspberries in each popsicle and let them sit overnight!

Definitely recommend making these or your own version some time today so that they will be ready by tonight!

If you have a simple recipe please leave it in the comments below!!

MY BOMB ASS GRANOLA BARS

YAAAAAAAS.

I've been trying to perfect this effing recipe for what seems like FOREEVVVERRRR.

I honestly never use the oven, haha everything I make takes like 10 minutes in a pan before I throw it on some spinach and arugula then add avocado and lemon soooo my baking skills are basically non-existent. UNTIL NOW BOOOOOOM.

Alright let's just get to it because I know how annoying it is when you click on a blog to get a recipe and they give you their entire life update.

Here's What You'll Need: (Ingredients)

- 3 TBS Crunchy Almond Butter

- 1 Cup Honey

- Pinch Sea Salt

- Pinch Cinnamon

- 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Coconut

- 1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries

- 1/2 Cup Cocoa Chocolate Chips

- 1 Cup Mixed Nuts (I used cashews, almonds, and pistachios)

- 1 Cup Ground Flaxseeds

$$$ Saving Tip ::: Instead of buying a bag of cranberries, a bag of chocolate + a bag of every different kind of nut...I INSTEAD I just bought a bag of trail mix from Trader Joes that had mixed nuts, dried cranberries and chocolate. Then I quickly separated the nuts from the chocolates and cranberries :)

Here's What You'll Need: (Kitchen Ware)

- 1 9X13 Baking Pan

- Parchment Paper

Directions:

1. Pour the honey into a pan and cook it on low heat just to melt it.

2. Set your oven to 350-degrees.

3. Line your baking pan with one sheet of parchment paper

4. While the honey melts, spoon the almond butter into the bowl. Don't stir anything yet!! I'll let you know when!! :)

5. Add the Sea Salt & Cinnamon

6. Add the ground flaxseed

7. Chop up the 1 Cup of mixed nuts and add that into the bowl

8. Add in the dried cranberries and chocolate chips

9. Add in the coconut shreds

10. NOWWW drizzle the honey and stir :)!

Okay now just scoop the batter into the pan on top of the parchment paper and bake it for 20 minutes.

Let cool on the counter for one hour then let it cool in the fridge for one hour before cutting it.

It will still seem a little soft when you take it out but I promise it will harden as it cools! :)

ENJOY! Let me know what you think :)

DAIRY FREE YOGURT POPSICLES - Pretty Wee Things (Guest Post)

Frozen yogurt popsicles are a perfectly refreshing and healthy treat for anyone to enjoy. 

Whether you are dairy intolerant or choose a dairy-free lifestyle, these are the perfect alternative to ensure you don’t feel like you are missing out.  They are also free from added sugar, something that is added to almost ALL commercial/store-bought frozen yogurt treats.

If you don’t have access to pomegranates you can swap for fresh or frozen berries, cranberries or pureed fruit.

Serves: 6

Prep time: 5-7 minutes

Freeze time: 4 hours minimum (4-8 hours best)

Ingredients 

- 170ml natural coconut yogurt 

- 130ml unsweetened almond milk/milk alternative (e.g. rice milk, coconut milk, etc) 

- 2 tbsp blueberries (frozen or fresh)

- 1 banana (frozen or fresh) 

- The seeds from 1 pomegranate

Instructions 

1 - Add 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds to each popsicle mould; 

2 - Add to a blender the coconut yogurt, almond milk/milk alternative, blueberries and banana and blend on high until smooth and creamy (you can absolutely taste-test at this point) 

3 - Pour the mixture over the pomegranate seeds into each mould and place a popsicle stick into the middle of each mould 

4 - Place in the freezer and allow to set for at least 4 hours.

Follow More Of "Pretty Wee Things" Recipe's Here:

You Might Also Like:

GOOEY CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN SPICE OAT BARS - Kaitlyn Miller

Hello, loves! I’m Kaitlyn, a self-taught cook who strives to give recipes a nutritious makeover. I absolutely love teaching others how to live a health-filled life, while still being able to enjoy the things we love…like desserts!

It’s all about the ingredients that go in to creating our food, and I strive to find the best ingredients to use, without all the processed sugar, artificial flavors, and preservatives.

My desire is to leave you feeling encouraged and hopeful during your personal journey to health, and I do my best to convey that message on my blog, Kaitgmiller.com. 

Today I am sharing one of my all time favorite recipes, the Gooey Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Oat bars. These areaccidentally vegan, and absolutely amazing.  They remind me of the perfect mixture between a brownie and pumpkin oatmeal. I mean, how could you go wrong with that?? 

I make these gooey bars in bulk, so when I’m aimlessly wandering around the kitchen for something to munch on, I can grab a bar out of the freezer and reheat 30 seconds. They are seriously perfect reheated and paired with yogurt, almond milk, or ice cream, definitely ice cream. 

 XOXO - ♡Kait

Makes: About 16 Square Bars

Ingredients

- 2 1⁄2 cups oat flour **See notes

- 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

- 1/4 cup cocoa or cacao powder

- 2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder

- 1/2 tsp. baking soda

- 1 cup pumpkin puree

- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

- 1  tbsp grass-fed butter or coconut oil, slightly melted

- 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar (or about 1/4 cup of pure maple)

- 1/3 cup chocolate chips, like Enjoy Life

Optional: sprinkle of sea salt for topping

Notes:

*Make your own oat flour using a scant 3 cups of old fashioned oats and blending them up until they are a flour consistency.  I love using Arrowhead Mills oat flour for this recipe. 

**Use refined or expeller pressed coconut oil for a neural flavor. It has the same nutritional profile as unrefined coconut oil. 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Prepare a 9x9 baking pan with oil or non-stick cooking spray. You can use an 8x8 but it will take about 5-10 minutes longer to cook. 

3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients: oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. 

4. In a larger bowl, combine the wet ingredients: pumpkin, applesauce, vanilla, coconut oil or butter, and coconut palm 

sugar. 

5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. The batter will be very thick.

6. Fold in almost all of the chocolate chips 

7. Pour into the baking dish and top with a few more chocolate chips and a sprinkle of sea salt. 

8. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a fork comes out almost clean. Let cool. These don't really over cook and they are extra gooey. Cut and serve. 

Store in the fridge or the freezer. Reheat for about 20 seconds. 

I encourage the use of all organic ingredients if possible :)