Easter & Strawberry Cake

Easter is a beautiful day rain or shine....
God our Father,
by raising Christ your Son
you conquered the power of death
and opened for us the way to eternal life.
Let our celebration today raise us up
and renew our lives by the Spirit that is within us.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL)

Our first holiday as a family!

Mom, Dad and the grandkids (Emmerson, Peyton, and Trey)

Trey (2 months) lookin' good

the Easter bunny came for the kids....

and the adults!

Enjoying an Easter honeyham from Honey Sweet Foods in Valley Junction

I was in charge of dessert so decided to put to use only the best in-season produce....strawberries!

Fresh Strawberry Cake

recipe from Ivy's Bake Shoppe Cookbook (bake shoppe in Burlington, Iowa)

Ingredients:
1 white cake mix

3 T flour

1 (3oz) box of strawberry gelatin

4 eggs

1/2 C water

1 C canola oil (or you could try half applesauce)

1 C sliced strawberries

Frosting:

1 1/3C powdered sugar

1 stick cold butter (Yes, this is definitely "Paula Deen" cooking as I like to call it :)

1/2 C sliced strawberries

Instructions:

Beat all of the cake ingredients, except strawberry slices, together in an electric mixer for 4 minutes. Stir in strawberries. Grease and paper (optional) two 9-inch round cake pans. Divide batter and pour into each pan. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes.

In the meantime, make frosting. Combine the sugar and butter together and beat for 3 minutes. Add strawberries on low speed, and beat until thoroughly mixed. Do not over beat. The frosting is more like a ganache. Frost middle and top of cake, but not sides. Drizzle with chocolate or garnish with fresh strawberries on top. makes 12 servings.

Enjoy this fresh taste of Spring!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

www.sarabconsulting.com

Sweet Potato Cake

After seeing a yummy looking sweet potato cake on the Today Show the other day, I knew I had to had the recipe to my fall treats.

Sweet Potato Cake
in black you will see the original recipe while in red are the changes I made to "healthify" it a bit
Ingredients
Cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar, 1 cup honey
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) margarine, 1 stick butter & 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cupped packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon Watkins vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts, plus additional for garnish, optional

Cream Cheese Icing:
16 ounces cream cheese, softened, 16 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners' sugar, 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust the position of the rack to the center of the oven. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) pans or 3 (8-inch) pans. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and granulated sugar. Set aside. In the bowl of a mixer, cream margarine and brown sugar on low speed, and then increase speed to medium and beat until well-combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each egg and scraping down the sides of the bowl after the addition of each egg. Add vanilla, sweet potatoes, pineapple, raisins, and walnuts and blend on low speed until thoroughly mixed.
Pour batter into pans and smooth the surface with a metal spatula. Bake for 30-45 minutes (be sure to check every 20 minutes or so), or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; when you touch the center of the cake, it should spring back. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, and then invert onto a rack and cool completely.

For icing: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated. Gradually add sugar and beat on low speed until smooth.

Icing the cake: Place 1 cake layer, top-side down, on a cake platter. Using a metal spatula, spread a layer of cream cheese frosting evenly over the top of the cake. Take the next layer and place it on top, rounded-side up. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. The cake should be refrigerated for about 1 hour to make sure the layers are set. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of cake, if desired.

I caught J out on the deck trying to steal a bite

I had to rescue the my prized cake

YUM! This recipe is now part of my favorite fall treats

love cream cheese frosting!

Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good
www.sarabconsulting.com

Crossfit Des Moines Party - Jello Cake

So this isn't exactly a "clean" cake recipe, but it is a very yummy, low-cal one.
This is my "go-to" cake in the summer as people find it very light and refreshing on a hot summer day.

Strawberry-Lime Jello Cake

Ingredients:

1 yellow or white cake mix and whatever it calls for on the back of the box...usually eggs, oil (use canola), and water
1 container of light whipped cream (you may need the extra big container if using two round cake pans)

2 jello packets (can be different flavors)

Instructions:

Prepare and bake cake as directed using two round pans or 1 - 9x13.

Let cake cool. Pierce the cake with a fork. Make sure to cover all inches.

Prepare jello using 1 1/2 cups water. Pour jello over cake. You will think you have too much liquid but you don't!

my favorite flavors are lime and strawberry

If you use two round pans you can pick a flavor for each layer.

Top with whipped cream and dish up!

It'll be a hit!

Until next time...

look good, do good, feel good

www.sarabconsulting.com

Peyton's 2nd Birthday Party

Peyton's turns 2!

One of Mom's many cake creations!

Peyton helped her dad set up the bouncy pin....

she decided it was hard work and needed a break

Peyton shared her gifts with Neikco

she's ready to roll now with her very own 4 wheeler

Happy Birthday Peyton!

to come...strawberry banana smoothies and zucchini bread

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Nutrition Bites #5 - Managing snack time

Happy Easter!
I thought this Nutrition Bite seemed appropriate for the holiday.

Sara B Consulting principle #5 - Schedule snack time
Who doesn't love that warm baked cookie or chocolate-caramel filled egg?

In my consulting I try to teach people to have no “guilty” feelings about food. This feeling should have no relationhip what so ever to food. Guilty is what you feel for breaking a law, telling a lie, or being a bully........not for eating.

If we feel guilt then we are not managing our well being. I have no cheat foods….I enjoy my cheesecake, cookies, ICE CREAM, and cake…the kicker…I know how to manage it. I don’t keep them around, I enjoy sharing dessert with my husband at a fancy restaurant, I don’t do “diet junk food”…what’s the point, and I train my butt off which gives me a little more flexibility. As my #9 principle goes... it’s what you do 90% of the time that matters. So DON’T feel guilty about the 10% or you’ll go crazy!

Food is our fuel. “Eat to Live, not live to eat.” Benjamin Franklin

with that I will leave you with a link to one of my favorite desserts on my blog

Baked Apples
http://sarabconsulting.blogspot.com/2009/10/fall-perfect-mealchili-and-stuffed.html


Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good
http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Beans and Brownies....oh my!

No...this isn't breakfast....believe it or not it's a chocolate cake!

Another one of Mom's birthday cake creations.
Since we were having a breakfast brunch for the Jan/Feb birthdays (Bryan, Jeremy, Mike, Marie, and Dorcha)...she made a breakfast themed cake. LOVE IT!

You can't have cake without coffee... coffee cake that is.
She may need her own Cake Boss show on Food Network.

Peyton was so mad when the candle went out

Since we're already talking sweets....here are two ways to make delicious black bean brownies. One is the quick and convenient way and the other is the clean eating way.

Black Bean Brownies (quick and easy)
recipe from Jamie Marrow's kitchen (fellow CrossFitter)

Rinse and drain one can of black beans, puree beans in food processor or blender.

Mix bean into dry brownie mix, add the instructed amount of water on the back on the box. Omit eggs and oil. Spread onto greased baking pan. Bake as directed on box. huh.... YUM about sums it up. J and I topped our with a scoop of DQ soft served ice cream.

what a great way to get some beans in your life or your child's! never will I make packaged brownies without beans again!

Black Bean Fudge Cakes (clean)

from Clean Eating Magazine
Ingredients:

1 oz dark chocolate (705 cocoa or greater)
1 1/2 c soft-cooked blacked beans (or canned, drained and rinsed)
2 eggs
1 egg white
1 T olive oil
1/4 heaped cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Watkins vanilla
1/4 c unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c honey
1/4 to 1/2 c walnuts (optional)
Instructions:
preheat oven to 350F. Mist baking pan with cooking spray. Melt dark chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat with 1 t water mixed in. Combine chocolate, cooked beans, eggs, oil, cocoa, baking powder, vanilla, applesauce, honey in food processor. process till smooth. Stir in nuts. Pour into baking dish. Bake about 20-30 minutes. Serve with a dollop of vanilla or Greek yogurt on top.
Nutrients: about 230 calories, fat 12g carbs 28g, fiber 4 g, sugar 19g, protein 5g

Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good
http://www.sarabconsulting.com/