Healthier Birthday Cake For My One Year Old

This month we celebrated my daughter Harley’s first birthday. Watching her turn one has been the highlight of my life. She loves to read books, listen to music, is almost walking, still breastfeeding 6 times a day (sometimes more and still in the middle of the night) and took her first sips of organic raw green juice just recently (she loves it, of course!) I am such a different mom than I ever imagined being… To say I am attached to her is an understatement! I take her wherever I go, including business trips and can’t imagine ever leaving her.

When it was time to plan her 1st birthday, I didn’t follow the “guidelines” they suggest in parenting books. They say not to invite a lot of people, or have too many decorations, and to keep it low key, etc. I did the opposite, oops! I invited all her friends, rented out one of our favorite organic restaurants (Pure Pizza) and decorated the whole place with her favorite barn yard animals she loves to play with and sound out. 

The whole birthday turned out beautiful, she loved seeing her family and friends and we had so much fun. Harley especially loved playing with the PIG balloons – her favorite part! (The balloons are still flying around our living room as I type and she wakes every morning excited to play with them).

For her cake, I decided to make Harley her own special one-of-a-kind cake with organic ingredients that I knew she liked to eat. We haven’t introduced wheat quite yet, so the base was made with organic oat flour. To make oat flour, you can simply grind any kind of oats in a spice grinder or buy it pre-packaged. 

I also thought long and hard about whether or not to use “REAL” sugar for the icing on her cake, and instead of being completely obsessive and coming up with icing that didn’t have any refined sugar, I decided to go old fashioned and use powered sugar creamed together with butter and vanilla to pipe some flower like decorations onto her cake. I wasn’t planning on her eating that much of the icing but then of course I couldn’t predict what happened at the birthday party either.

At the party, after we sang Happy Birthday and blew out her candle, Harley’s grandma (my Mom!) took the white icing off of her cake and put it directly into her mouth! And of course… Harley loved it. Haha. So my daughter had her first taste of refined sugar on her birthday – Something I bet you thought would never happen! At least it was organic homemade icing, right?! Which reminds me to say – the Food Babe lifestyle isn’t about deprivation or guilt – it’s about enjoying the foods you love the healthiest way you know how while living a normal fun-filled and stress-free life! 

Since, sharing this photo below earlier this week on Facebook and Instagram, a lot of you have asked me to share the recipe, so here it is! I hope your little ones love it too!

Harley's Happy Birthday Cake

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup oat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 ripe banana
• ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup coconut milk
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup or less
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• butter and oat flour for the pan

Frosting:

• 1 tsp vanilla
• 8 tbsp butter
• 1 cup organic powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter your pan and dust with oat flour. (I used a special tiered mini cake pan)
3. Whisk together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt) in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Blend banana, applesauce, coconut milk, egg, vanilla and maple syrup together in a separate bowl.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry and mix until just combined.
6. Pour batter into cake pan. Bake for 20 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
7. Let cake cool in pan for 30 mins before removing and cool completely before frosting.
8. To make the frosting, cream together all ingredients until smooth.

Notes

**Please choose all organic ingredients if possible.**

3.4.3177

I used this tiered cake pan for the mold of her cake. Harley loves feeding me… even on her birthday!

If you know a mom or dad looking for a healthier cake for their child, please share this recipe! This recipe is great for adults too! I personally loved eating this cake with Harley and plan to make it again for my birthday coming up soon. 

Xo,

Vani 

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The Role of Supplementation in Keto: What’s Uniquely Useful

Primal Action Point: Sit Better (When You Have To Sit)

“Sitting on a tucked-under pelvis places constant pressure on the sacrum (the triangular bone at the base of the spine) that can negatively impact the health of the pelvis, pelvic floor (the muscles that fill in the bottom of your pelvis and are, essentially the basement of your entire torso), and spine. Adjusting your pelvis instantly changes the mechanical environment of your sacroiliac (SI) joint, your pelvis, and your lumbar spine.”

For improved sitting posture:

• Use a flat-seated chair (like a kitchen chair), or fill in your car’s bucket seat or desk chair with a rolled towel.
• Sit close to the edge of a chair. This rolls your pelvis forward, lifting the bone away from the chair.

Source: Don’t Just Sit There by Katy Bowman

The post Primal Action Point: Sit Better (When You Have To Sit) appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

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Winter Produce Inspiration

Summer gets LOTS of produce attention, but some of my favorites shine all winter!

Kale, brussels sprouts, and squash get attention throughout the fall, but there are lots of other produce varieties out there that deserve some love! Mixing things up is part of a healthy and balanced diet. Not only does it keep your meals interesting and exciting, but it also makes sure you’re covering different nutrients, such as phytochemicals. So, today I bring you some ideas and recipes to keep you inspired with new flavors and ingredients you might not have thought to try.

Earthy Turnips

Turnips are related to broccoli and radishes and have a mild taste – making them a good addition to a variety of dishes. They mellow out when cooked, so try them roasted with olive oil + salt, or as a hearty and cheesy bake (like this one!) for a cold winter night. The turnip greens are edible as well! (You know one of my favorite country songs by Billy Currington sings “Thank God for good directions…and turnip greens!”

Crisp Endives

Endives are a light and versatile veggie, perfect for scooping appetizers! Generally mild and slightly bitter, they pair well with slightly sweeter things like fruits and citrus. Try a simple orange endive salad,  a sweet and savory maple bacon endive appetizer, or a simple spread dollop. (This one below is with chickpeas and olives!)

Parsnips

A sweeter vegetable with a higher sugar content means that parsnips pair well with other root vegetables and(unlike carrots!) they don’t need to be peeled. Try them baked as fries, roasted with a salad, or sliced thinly as chips. Or, puree and combine them with mashed potatoes for a classic flavor, or pear for a sweet new twist.

Parsnip fries!

Gnarly Rutabaga

This root veggie is in the same family as turnips, though rutabaga tends to be bigger, sweeter and more mellow. They may not be the prettiest veggie, but they have a rich, sweet and savory flavor and are full of vitamins – one cup of rutabaga contains 50 percent of the daily value of vitamin C. Treat them like potatoes: boil and mash with a little butter or roast them as fries! You can even spiralize them for a pasta dish or serve them mashed with nutmeg and chives for a hearty side.

Cabbage, Cooked or Crunchy

Cabbage is a versatile addition to meals, particularly for stir fries, salads, and slaws. Because it has a mild taste, it can work well with a variety of flavors. Try shredding it or thinly slicing it for a more manageable crunch if you’re using it raw in a salad. (This Thai one is a good example!) When cooked, it works well in a soup, or stuffed and rolled with meat and cheese.

Beer-braised cabbage

Sweet and Savory Fennel

Fennel has a strong flavor, but a nice crunch and sweetness to it that complements savory dishes well. The bulb, stalk and leaves are all edible so you can cook with it and then garnish your dish – no waste! Try it roasted with other root vegetables like carrots, or mixed into a savory dish like this fennel and red pepper fish.

Main Course Clementines

Clementine are not just for snacking! Try them in a savory dish (like the sardine salad below!) or as an aromatic in a sweet and savory dish (think a tajine with citrus and chicken). The brightness of the fruit will add a lot of flavor and natural sweetness while complementing the meat. Or, go ahead and dip them in white chocolate!!

Which veggies or fruits are you experimenting with this year?

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