ground ginger

Whole Wheat Gingerbread Pancakes

November 19, 2014 by Dana

I am telling you…these Gingerbread Pancakes totally exceeded my pancake expectations! So much so that I’ve made them for my kids 3 times in the last week. You know, because I just love hearing the words “We want pancakes” before I even step foot out of bed! #mommyproblems

I just read a meme that said “Honesty trumps sugar-coated bullshit.” YES! This is exactly how I feel today as I’m writing this because truth is, I am having major technical issues. ~~Scratch that~~. I’m having massive technical issues. The kind of issues that warrant taking my computer outside with a shotgun, or maybe a baseball bat. Either way, I have no idea what is wrong with my computer and it is driving me insane! Meltdown anyone?

These computer issues also warrant a big coffee, a good cry, and some chocolate. You know, because there’s nothing chocolate can’t fix, right? But seriously, if you don’t see any new posts this week just know that I’m undergoing massive reboots and techie stuff that I don’t really understand and I’ll be back soon. 🙂 Praying I can figure it out soon because my computer is virtually un-usable and SLLLOOWWW.

In (better) news, I took all 3 boys to the dentist today and nobody embarrassed me. That’s right… nobody ran away from me, I didn’t have to chase anyone down the hallway, or pull anyone off the decorations they just love to try to climb on. There were no looks from strangers, or older folks judging me. We came, we dentist’d, we conquered. Yes!!!! 🙂

Ok, now let’s get to the fun part, these Gingy-Men pancakes! I even busted out my naturally dyed sprinkles I’ve been saving just for Holiday baking to dress these pancakes up a bit, and how cute did they turn out? I’ve been known to hate on sprinkles in the past (among other things like bunnies) because they are nasty *ahem partially hydrogenated oils and artificial color-bombs.* However I can totally get down with a few naturally dyed sprinkles on some festive pancakes to put a smile on my boy’s faces! They thought it was something really special and I got to enjoy a pancake with my coffee. Win-win all around!

*Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma

White Chocolate Orange Gingerbread Cupcakes

November 4, 2014 by Dana

Hello November! So glad you are here! I officially have the next 2 months to bake up a storm. Love, love, love!

Speaking of love… these Gingerbread cupcakes totally converted me to a Gingerbread fan. I’ve been on the molasses train pretty much all year and I have been patiently waiting for the holiday season to bust out some Gingerbread recipes because molasses is kind of awesome. By kind of awesome, I mean it might just be one of my top 5 fav ingredients. Why? Because it gives such a boost of flavor to all baking! These cupcakes highlight the goodness of molasses, with a hint of orange, and a bit of spice. Can you think of a better holiday combination?

PLUS…. remember when we started #betterbaking by calling out all of the nasty ingredients being thrown into dessert recipes all over the inter-world? *Ahem….Cool Whip, Trans fat laden sprinkles* Well, you can add ANOTHER cupcake recipe to the #betterbaking books because this one is simple and to the point. No weird stuff, no convenience products loaded with random crap. Just the simple, real deal… and THAT’S IT! 🙂

Is it just me or do these guys look like they just jumped off the Candy Land board game?

Now, as if you didn’t know this was coming….We need to talk about white chocolate. Yes, the dreaded trans fat talk is coming. I know, it is such a Debbie Downer in all of this cute cupcake fun. But, but, but…. we need to talk about these companies that put dangerous fats in their products knowing full well that they are dangerous! Upon some investigation at the grocery store I came to the conclusion that ALL of the white chocolate morsels/chip contained partially hydrogenated oils (non-organic brands). Hershey’s even called their white chips “Premium” yet they were made with dangerous trans fats. Come on now Hershey’s! We know you can do better then that for us!

Soooo….. I suggest taking a look at your white chocolate ingredients before purchasing a product. If it is organic, AWESOME! Then we know that eliminates most of the cray-cray ingredients we are trying to avoid. I used a Green & Black White Chocolate Bar and it worked great, tasted great, and didn’t contain any added crap. It cost me $2.99, which was only a few cents more then the Ghiradelli bars. If you can’t find an organic bar, look for a bar that doesn’t contain any partially hydrogenated oils, or artificial flavors. Companies like to throw in additional unknown flavorings but nobody likes that weird, fake taste that comes from those flavorings anyway!

And then there was that time when I thought I was getting red cupcake liners, but apparently they were pink. The grocery store must have been convinced they were red too, because they were sitting around all the baking stuff in the middle of the grocery store surrounded by huge Christmas Trees and the green liners. *face palm* But hey, they are super cute AND match my logo, so oh well! 🙂

Apple and Brie Quesadilla

October 28, 2014 by Dana

Dana Carvell (3BoysUnprocessed)
It is Halloween week everyone! That means my household will be flooded with a ton of packaged crap and somehow I have to convince my kids that they should eat real food. Enter Apple Pie and Brie quesadilla to steal the show and lure my kids back to real food! Because who can resist melted brie?

HELLO ooooeeyy-gooooey brie that is melted perfectly atop a bed of maple and cinnamon glazed apples! Yes, I just said maple because not only is this quesadilla delicious, it is naturally sweetened (duh!) and on a whole sprouted grain tortilla. A decadent dessert to feel good about? Say it ain’t so!

I mentioned the whole wheat tortilla and this is when I get all PSA up in here and talk about nasty ingredients food manufacturers poison people with. Please check the ingredients on your tortillas before you purchase them! If you see any of this crap, look for another brand. I had to search and search for a brand that wasn’t using any of this stuff, and unfortunately these ingredients are pretty standard in packaged tortillas:

partially hydrogenated oils (aka trans fats)
preservatives
artificial dyes
sneaky refined grains (even if it is labeled whole wheat)

I use Food for Life brand Ezekiel tortillas found in the frozen foods section. Freezing = no preservatives! Yes, these better products do exist and making one simple swap can make or break something being good for you. Check those ingredients so we aren’t giving our money to companies that just don’t get it yet! 🙂

Ok, now that my health food freak out is over let’s talk about how good these babies are, because the ice cream struggle is real and sometimes I just want something sweet! This quesadilla made me kind of forget how much I love ice cream, and that says a lot! I’ve been looking for a way to give my sweet tooth a little fix without going totally overboard with a huge ice cream cone or bowl as big as my head. This is exactly what I was looking for because 1) I LOVE CHEESE and 2) the creaminess of the brie eliminates the desire to go totally overboard with sweetening the apples. That’s right, the brie is such a good companion that I only used 1 Tbsp of syrup per quesadilla. Ok, let’s get real here this quesadilla is my new best friend for so many reasons and that’s all!

Don’t be scared to sprinkle a little cinnamon on the outside and share with friends!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Cupcakes

September 25, 2014 by Dana

This might just be the best thing I have EVER made. ~~Scratch that~~. This is totally the best thing that has ever come out of my oven, and my husband would agree. Of course he would agree with a big ol’ smear of icing in his beard, but hey we’ll take it! 😉

Speaking of the wonderful man I married, he inspired this cupcake creation. Looking for new inspiration I asked him “What kind of cupcakes should I make?” and being a man he said “Whatever kind you want.” *head scratch*

Well gee Mr. Construction Man thanks for helping me. BUT THEN…. in a moment of manly clarity he said “Why don’t you just think of all the ice cream flavors you like and pick one of those.” Then I began to think of the whoopie pie ice cream I had last week (NOT real food btw) and it came to me…. Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Cupcakes!

I started thinking about executing this fab idea, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Next month marks 6 years since I graduated from Pastry Arts school. 6 years! Am I old now or am I old now? Ugh I think I’m old! Ask me about it in 20 years and I’ll talk about how young I was back when I was a food blogger. 🙂

In all of my time as a Pastry chef working in bakeries and restaurants I had not come across a Whoopie Pie Cupcake so I knew I had to make this over the top fab because if I’m putting something on the map it better be amazing!

And believe me… this baby is over the top fab, delish, and cute. So cute I even went against all real food rules and sprinkled some powdered sugar on it (organic that is!). Oh the cupcake madness! Of course I also decided to use a dented cupcake for my epic powdered sugar dusting picture so please excuse that lil’ old snaffoo. Trying to dust and shoot proved to be a daunting task so the dent was overlooked.

But WAIT… there’s even more madness to these cupcakes because I’m totally not even close to being over my paper straw obsession. My husband was also wondering why there was a straw in the cupcake. Ummm HELLO! Because paper straws are awesome and they need to be put into various cupcake porn shots to make things even more beautiful. The nerve of him to question my paper straws! hehe He will never understand because he’s a man, and they don’t understand things like cute cupcakes and pretty food. They just want to eat, that’s all. Heck, this cupcake could be in a pile on the floor and he would probably still try to find a way to eat it.

Now before we finish let me tell you about how great the texture of these came out. I wasn’t sure how they would turn out because well.. I was adapting from a recipe that was not created to be a cupcake. But the texture is SPOT ON. Super duper moist and cakey, almost so that it reminded me of a cake pop. With the pumpkin, the extra egg, and the yogurt the texture is out of this world perfect. Like I said, these are probably the BEST thing to ever come out of my oven!

*Whoopie Pie recipe adapted from Martha Stewart’s Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling

Pumpkin Spice Granola Clusters

September 7, 2014 by Dana

Pumpkin. Spice. Granola. Clusters.

Yes… fall has arrived. It is now time to re-create every recipe I’ve ever made to fit somewhere into the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg craze I’m about to embark on. 😉

Two things today:

1. How creepy are people at the grocery store with backpacks? Is it just me or does a man wandering around the isles, but not actually picking anything up, scream

“I’m about to blow the roof off this place any second.”

I mean really, if you want to scare a large crowd of stay at home moms and old people then wander around with a backpack and no cart. Likely everyone will scatter and look for the nearest Exit sign, then you don’t have to fight the crowd. Being creepy might have some perks, but I wouldn’t know because I’m about a -10 on the creepiness scale.

Upon seeing the creepy backpack guy I really just wanted to say

“Man, I just have to know. What’s in the bag? A machine gun? A bomb? A butcher knife? Ohhh.. it’s just your work clothes. Right, exactly what I had in mind. Thanks for clearing that one up. Now if you could kindly grab a cart and not corner me near the checkout that would be fantastic.” And that was all she wrote. 😉

2. I found a really awesome yogurt. Maple Hill Creamery Vanilla Creamline Yogurt. It is beyond my wildest yogurt dreams and so, I kindly took a picture of it so you could love on it too. Usually I purchase plain yogurt, but this vanilla cup intrigued me because it said Creamline. Plus it was about 50 cents cheaper then the other organic yogurts so I gave it a go. Boy, was it good!

Why is it so good, you ask? Here is my humble old opinion on yogurt, so fasten your seatbelts folks! Most low fat yogurts take away the fat, but add a ton of refined sugars. What is the point of that exactly? You got me! I have no clue why Americans think full fat dairy is the devil, but I’m here to be the low fat yogurt voice of reason. Just eat the real thing, it is so much better, and doesn’t require 26 grams of sugar to make it taste good. In fact, this yogurt only has about 4 grams of added sugar and it is creamy, tangy, and delicious without being overly sweet. Top it with the Pumpkin Spice Granola Clusters and you have yourself one of the most enjoyable breakfasts in the world!

*This is NOT a sponsored post. I just love this stuff! In fact, here it is in all of it’s cute tree on the cup glory!

I’m about to get all “health foodie mom” on everyone so please, if you are over that phase in your life or just don’t care skip to the recipe!

We don’t buy boxed cereals at the grocery store, and if we do we buy the organic/better ones that are pretty much just a treat for the kids. I know, I know, some of you may be thinking what the what!?!?! But it is true. The fact is most cereals are just candy coated, GMO junk food. Most boxed cereals even contain BHT, which is banned in most of the world (Hello FDA where are you?) They are no way to start your day… like ever! Yes, they might be fortified but if you are eating right in the first place you don’t need fortified junk food. With the organic/better cereals that aren’t fortified I’ve noticed they contain a whole lot of nothing so that is why I give them to my kids as a treat, not necessarily a breakfast. If you are trying to cut the crap out of your life, then here are my breakfast suggestions:

Homemade granola (because a lot of the grocery store granolas have a ton of unnecessary, added ingredients.
Eggs
Oatmeal (1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, cinnamon, 1 tsp pure maple syrup, blueberries=the best oatmeal ever!!)
Ezekiel muffins/bread with butter
Fruit/Yogurt
Whole wheat pancakes, waffles
Pumpkin Spice Granola Clusters and yogurt 😉

So there you go. A whole bunch of reasons not to eat a bowl-o-crap and a few suggestions of what to eat instead. Phew, I’m glad I got that off my chest! Ok, I promise I’m done and here is the recipe. Just an FYI, this recipe contains 2 egg whites. That means it will be crunchy, plus pack a bit of protein. Perfection I tell ya!

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup

August 30, 2014 by Dana

I saw an orange leaf on a tree. I did, I swear! It was there. I promise. Not that I think I’m jumping the gun on this one or anything, because let’s face it September = Fall. I even got a fall pamphlet from Bath and Body Works in the mail which reminded me of all the wonderful fall smells, like freshly baked apple pie and pumpkin cream cheese quick bread. I can’t wait to begin baking fall goodies but before anything exceptional happens I need my coffee. And just in case you didn’t know, I take my coffee very seriously!

Fall just isn’t fall without Pumpkin Spice coffee and lattes aka happiness in a Cup-O-Joe! I love me some cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg but hate me some nasty ingredients used by many popular companies who produce Pumpkin Spice things…. like Coffee Mate, and that other really popular company that I’m never calling out because I kind of like them. You know who I’m talking about, right? Right. I knew you would!

That company, you know, the one I’m not calling out… they use high fructose corn syrup and caramel coloring in their Pumpkin Spice drinks and I’m not too fond of that. As much as it pains me, I won’t be partaking in their festive drinks because I have will power (ok sort of) so I’m making my own coffee syrup to enjoy in my delicious coffees (cold brewed preferred!) and guess what? There is no nastiness in my version, and it is made with just a few pantry staples. I feel like I just won the Pumpkin Spice lottery or something! I kind of did though, let’s be honest!

As for Coffee Mate and the like, I CAN’T EVEN. Those non-dairy creamer companies deserve to go out of business today for using the horrible ingredients they use, mainly partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil. Can someone say the WORST product on earth? I mean seriously, the only reason to make a product like that is just to kill people, but I’m no conspiracy theorist so I’ll leave it at that. Just please, do your health a favor and stay away from that crap!

When I realized just how easy it was to make my own Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup I kind of cried on the inside about all of the money I have spent at that place that I kind of like. At $3.87 a pop, you could almost go broke buying a few drinks, not to mention all the receipts you might have to hide from your spouse! There are also 52 grams of sugar in their grande Pumpkin Spice latte and that my friends is what I would call a boat load. I understand the desire to indulge once in a while but 52 grams of sugar in something you could easily down in less than 5 minutes is kind of silly. I’d rather just drink a plain coffee and then go have an ice cream cone. Obviously that would only happen on a day I ate a salad for dinner though! 😉

What is important to remember about Pumpkin Spice stuff is that it isn’t about the pumpkin, its about the spice. So no, there is NOT pumpkin in this recipe. Forgive me if I’m wrong but pumpkin puree in coffee just doesn’t sound appealing. The spice though… that is where it is at!