Coconut carrot cake flavors make a super moist dessert with the healthy and gluten-free ingredients below.
It’s a spring and Easter celebration must to add to your food table.
This moist carrot cake is delicious and made with coconut oil, that’ll make it super moist. And you can keep the taste with coconut, theme by using coconut flour. Or use almond flour that’s also a gluten-free flour good for cakes and desserts.
And if coconut or almond tastes are your vibes, you can use the matching milk tastes. You can make your own coconut milk so easily.
And in one fell swoop, combine batter in a bowl that you hand mix to make this deliciously moist coconut carrot cake. Add currants, nuts, or coconut into batter as desired.
Also, instead of adding sweet to the batter of this cake, the sweetness can be added at the end in this recipe. That way it can be made to individual sweet tastes, and kept low-sugar.
For a food table, you could make a special milk glaze, or serve your individual carrot cakes or slices with maple syrup. Add to a cup or gravy boat, and let each person glaze their own cake.
That would make for a great brunch party experience. 🍽️
If you make more carrot cakes, they will take the same amount of time so you can make several individual carrot cakes or one large carrot cake at a time.🥕🥮
When in the oven, sometimes the beige cake exterior looks baked and the inside is still moist. But the fully baked carrot cake will come out clean, with a simple toothpick test.
Let it cool and then add a light glaze to give it a finished look. You could add mandarin oranges or shredded coconut to cake top if desired. That’s so spring and pretty for bunny season. 🐇
This recipe is for an individual carrot cake, but for a one pan/layer cake multiply by 3, and for a two layer cake, multiply by 6.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
2/3cupmilk (coconut or almond recommended)
1tspcoconut oil
1/3cupshredded carrots
1largeegg
1/3cupgluten-free coconut flour (or almond flour)
1/4tspbaking powder
1/4tspbaking soda
honey or syrup for sweet glaze
1/4tspalmond extract (optional)
Instructions
Mix dry and wet ingredients. The coconut flour will absorb the milk more than a gluten flour. You will end up with a batter that looks like creamy mashed potatoes (instead of a more liquid batter).
Bake at 350°F/180°C for at least 45 minutes depending on size of your baking vessel and amount of liquid. This recipe could be baked in a variety of baking pans: e.g. deep dish glass pan, oven-safe ceramic pan, or a bundt pan. When a toothpick comes out clean, then the cake is baked done.
Add a glaze. Zhugh with nuts and mandarin oranges (optional).
Healthy smile matters. And these are some tips you can use to preserve your choppers.
Homemade cold brew with plant-based milks for a healthy coffee smile 🦷
When you have a healthy smile, you gain confidence. I didn’t realize how much of an effect it has on a person until the first time I got my teeth whitened.
The next day others around me scratched their heads noticing something different about the way I looked, but couldn’t pinpoint what changed. That’s what healthy looking teeth can do, AND then you want to keep it up!
Looking back, one thing I’m grateful for is I have stayed relatively consistent looking over the years. For me, I KNOW how you look on the outside is not as important as the inside.
But what’s on the outside often reflects what’s going on inside… similar to the mind-body connection, in its bi-directional healthy signaling that radiates in and through our Beings.
And in my being and doing life’s journey, I’ve done a lot of blogging on blogs (like this one)… typing enough published words to cover the country if miles were measured in words 😉
One interesting place I blogged at was at a dentist’s office. It was meant to be. Personally, I would rather visit a dentist over the hospital any day, but that’s diff’rent for each person.
And in those health research days sitting in an office just a few feet away from dental chairs, I was constantly reminded that preventative dental care is how to keep your teeth healthy plus save a ton of money. And especially if going to the dentist does not bring up good memories or at least a neutral feeling.
Plus, when we pay the dental bills, we know that any reparative dental work can be off-the-charts, breaking any smart budget planning. Dipping into rainy-day funds can be harder than a consistent daily maintenance alternative.
…And an encouraging reminder like this can be a new wake-up call to healthy teeth habits again.
Especially if any have slid off the radar or you picked up a new food or beverage habit that you didn’t think twice about… where even a healthy addition like apple cider vinegar for food-as-medicine does daily damage to teeth enamel… esp. if teeth care is second fiddle in our healthy body thoughts.
Being mindful of a healthy smile makes you feel good. When I was at the dentist working and as an inquisitive patient, I learned that healthy choppers go hand-in-hand with healthy nutrition. It’s not just about avoiding cavities that I learned as a child.
Today we know there’s a teeth-gut connection. Foods impact us from the moment they enter our mouths. Like our bones, our porcelain teeth thrive off calcium and Vit-D.
It’s smart to keep a lot of healthy foods containing minerals and probiotics like teeth superfood, Greek yogurt.
Here are some other examples 😊
Eggs: Vitamin D and K2 for teeth and bone health, phosphorous remineralizes ✅
Not these eggs ❌ 🍬
Cafe au lait good ✔️… walk away from the sugar ⓧ
Wild salmon rich in Omega-3s, Vitamin D, and fiber-rich anti-inflammatory asparagus and anti-bacterial onion (alliums) are good for our health, gut, and teeth.
Anti-inflammatory foods are good for teeth and your healthy smile. They stave off bacteria that can bleed into gums.
And gum infections are body inflammations similar to other chronic inflammations that can lead to chronic diseases. That’s why flossing daily can add years to your life, and is probably more impactful than even adding weekly calcium/Vitamin-D-rich longevity beans and lentils. 🫘
And, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is good for our body and applies to our teeth because apples help clean teeth, especially when a toothbrush isn’t convenient. Apple pectin is an anti-bacterial fiber that helps flush out toxins starting in the mouth.
And so if it’s a “bad” food that’s not helping your body out, it’s probably hurting your teeth too. Sugar is a perfect example.
In my younger days, I was a bad example being a kid loving the candy shop. You get a grace period before your baby teeth fall out. But then good habits save you no matter what age. And this is for most of us.
…I mean, couldn’t Halloween just be a fun costume day without the candy?
Anyway…
We have a say in the matter and a chance to change those ways as we grow up.
Even as a Vata, I grew up knowing I had a natural sweet tooth. And I realized not all of us do. It’s definitely a choice though, and when you change your ways and your reasons WHY you change, you can get back to the healthy ways that nature intended.
As someone who bakes weekly today, cutting out all sweets could be robbing joy and celebration good for mind health. So the sweet spot for me and maybe others like me, is sweet moderation and mostly sweet natural sources.
…As with everything else healthy and happy in life, it always comes back to the balance. ⚖️
Consider a ball attached to an elastic string that you wrap around a finger that comes back every time enjoyably and effortlessly. That’s the optimal balance effect.
…Compare that to a yo-yo ball that takes practice to master… or else it just leaves a trail of string that takes work to wrap back into the yo-yo.
Finding your right ball and rhythm and letting healthy balance be easy and fun is a life game-changer. 🧶
So you can get it done by building easy habits and habit stacking.
Because once you get the hang of it, you’ll want to continue doing the better way… until something better comes along.
And in awareness, you have a chance to think twice about going back to old ways.
We especially want a healthy inside to reflect on the outside so we stay sensitive to changes in us and outside of us.
Our healthy bodies are good at signaling to us. But when something gets off-balance, it’s to our benefit and our healthy job to stay aware using good judgment. Even when our cues or how we feel is off.
Often our hormones can drive the bus in our behaviors, but we don’t have to accept that as the only way or the new normal. No way!
…Just like we don’t have to accept anything but a healthy smile, no matter what our genes provided. Taking care of your teeth is something to smile about. 😃
Work freedom is possible if that’s what you want. Keep in mind that you are in control of your ship and the experiences you are gaining today will be part of what you need in the future especially if it’s a creative one.
If you could have more work freedom in your life, what would that look like?
I describe freedoms below that I think would make all the difference in the world in work life balance, time flexibility, and to unleash creativity in your life if that’s what you want. 🌎
That’s what I wanted.
…And if that’s what you want, you deserve in this life, so your work future is worth fighting for!
Each of our personal desired versions of work freedom is different.
For me, like many of us, it’s not having a boss. And, being able to create my own schedule deciding when I’ll show up. In 2019, I started my humble self-employed journey after I left my last corporate job and office life.
2019 corporate life
As far as I’m concerned, I retired from my corporate career for good. Before that, I reported to many bosses with the exception of a few years in between when I dabbled on my own doing consulting work where I felt most empowered.
Some workplaces and bosses were good enough for a little while, and others, well… let’s just say they aren’t for everyone. 😉
All of us who have worked know what that’s like for at least part of our careers where we may have stuck it out as a stepping stone to climb the ladder 🪜 or as a bridge to our next venture.
…Or to take a different turn. I’ve done all of the above to eventually move toward my better work freedom.
I know that not having the pieces fit together in the dozen or so roles from my first, second, or even third corporate career helped me realize that’s what I wanted!
Every pivot made me more intentional about what I wanted my work life to look like.
And not having a mentor but instead becoming one, helped me realize I didn’t want to work for anybody EVER again.
I started out in corporate hospitality and working with catering management, so foodie likes is up my alley. And then I went into other office management fields.
Dutch baby pancake recipe below. 👇
But I had to take that windy journey in the corporate work world to confidently know that, and what I’m capable of…
And to also know that you can be excelling at your job that looks good on paper, but not be fulfilled.
Looking back, I realize those experiences made me the person I am today who’s resilient and not gonna settle for less than what the whole life has to best offer in every season (God willing!). No experience goes wasted.
And in my last corporate job, I had this whisper that could’ve been a billboard sign because it was that loud to me as by then I was used to following whispers that others often miss or ignore.
In my mind I heard, I would not get this time back. And from that point on a cascade of work problems followed where I knew I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The only way UP was OUT. And then I got my time freedom back. Once again I felt cage-free to pursue new opportunities.
And I know I’m not alone in how I feel here because even the conservative peers I’ve talked to in their mid-careers who left jobs prematurely before they thought they would, said they felt a weight lifted off their shoulders when they gave their notice.
Feeling good was a sign that a right decision was made. And every time I gave my notice, that’s how I felt.
But that satisfying feeling fades into now what? that gradually replaces excitement.
This is where people differ. Some would run from misery to insecurity and others would stick it out and stand firm for security.
And you know where you stand on that.
In the years I started in the workforce, workers didn’t leave jobs as they do for mental health and happiness reasons that are recognized these days.
Our younger workers today value health over stability and moving away from discomfort and into promising ideas and possibilities.
The workforce generations today have amped up the employers’ game where bosses can’t get away with the same toxic behavior or red tape antics they used to without a backlash or being caught on camera.
And I think that’s great that our society is moving away from that type of dysfunctional workplace.
So #1 is creating work freedom away from the wrong kind of bossing.
And #2 is freedom from stress or anxiety.
As someone who valued work-life balance in her 20s, I also believe reducing stress is underrated and needs more stressing these days.
Having lived through stressful work situations, I know enduring stress can be the cause of so many health problems and arising mystery ailments.
I think stress reduction is even more important than sleep because if you’re tired, your body crashes. With stress, it could go on quietly for years without visible detection and a remedy.
Our bodies do their best to try to daily whisper to us in headaches, our skin, and even our bathroom life. 🚽
But if we ignore the signs for too long, the wear-and-tears become loud. And in those anxious-filled stressful seasons, we aren’t running optimally as our self-care and immunity defenses go down.
Not to mention our creativity isn’t reachable.
…And creativity I believe is where our happiness is. It’s the passion we can control, that gives us freedom.
When we can birth new ideas or re-create old ones for new life, our body cells are happier and that radiates through our daily life, outlook, and how we feel about ourselves.
Don’t you beam from to ear-to-ear when you’ve contributed and acknowledged (or have been recognized by someone) that those new ideas came from you?
That uplifting feeling creates space for opportunity and opens doors for hope, more achievement, and possibilities that we all aspire to in our lives.
But most workers never get to that sweet spot.
I know I didn’t because of all the work constraints and limitations…
And the answer isn’t to quit your job necessarily. The answer is to add more playtime in the quality free time, doing the creative things that light you up and you’re passionate about. And maybe those activities become your next season.
A few hours could be an enjoyable weekend afternoon. And then let those happy feelings and memories carry you through the tough week ahead if that’s what you face.
And then look forward to the next free future playtime afternoon.
And if you find that you’re skipping off from work to do more of that, then maybe that’s a sign.
Because having been on both sides, I now know that not doing daily work that inspires you gets old.
The new could be: if today were your last day (not at work, but your LAST DAY), would you be happy?
…And if the answer is no, then coming up with a plan to do more of those passionate things or to discover more of what you want to do is going to help get you to your happiest place.
Explore creativity and develop your gifts, talents, and abilities. Remember, you won’t get this time back. And this season will end.
Not all plans come to fruition, but you’ll never know something better or your highest achieving potential self if you don’t try.
Take some risks and do projects that you want to do more of or explore to see what you like at both work and in your personal time.
With a more enriched life, you can dream new and better dreams and start heading in the new re-routed direction that becomes your NEW LIFE.
And eventually, if you keep pacing slowly, inching toward what you figure out you like, you’ll be doing more of what you want and not what was old in the past.
Like a butterfly that struggles to get out of the chrysalis, the creatures that we are, in determination successfully make it out.
Believe that in yourself.
That’s so liberating! 🦋
In the humble beginnings, like most, you pay the price of being inexperienced, and then the price is paid and life gets better with experiences.
And Life is unlimited. And you see it as abundant.
And once you get a taste of the potential and the genie is let out of the bottle, you know you’ll never go back to the old, lesser ways.
OK, and finally…
# 3. Mind freedom is another freedom worth gaining when you have work freedom. It’s another one that slips under the radar (and can cause stress).
But, with mind awareness, we know we can change our happiness from the inside out.
For whatever life and work freedom you’re yearning for most, mind freedom is something to create space for in yourself first to be successful.
It grows when you make mindset shifts from old ways, beliefs, and attitudes, and rewrite daily thoughts and doubts.
Because so easily, what is within our potential reach can easily fade if the mind isn’t daily reset, in-check, and our motivations (our why) isn’t prioritized.
So often our busy situations and demanding lives can get in the way and make us tired and lazy. And that’s how we get stuck while our clocks keep running.
So having your why and what defines your work freedom can keep you moving toward your north star. 🧭
And keep you from going back to the old thinking ways that are meant to stay in the past that got you to where you are today.
Keep pressing forward in your life and let that forward motion become your guide in life to greater freedom and happiness.
…That includes a passionate, purposeful life of creativity if you want that, where you get to express your human you-niqueness and contributions where work is joy.
Blend the ingredients (except the butter). You can use a Magic Bullet that makes smoothie drinks if you have one.
Let rest for at least 20 minutes.
Coat the pan with butter and pour in batter.
Bake in oven at 350°F/180°C until the pancakes are crispy.
For syrup: add maple syrup and a little blueberry juice to make a jammy blueberry syrup. Zhugh with blueberries.
Notes
I find frozen wild blueberries work very well for this recipes and other breakfast-y pancakes. They are uniform in size and give the right amount of juice.
Have you ever noticed how certain scents bring joy to your face? Or that warm blanket spritzed with lavender that reminds you of a yoga mat or relaxing moment that instantly makes your troubling life situations better?
Using those olfactory memories and the comforting things available to us, can help us to make it through our day… and sometimes is all we need to get inspired again. That’s all-so Ayurvedic!
One sweet spice way that we can capture daily is in our scents. I like to keep around a few perfumy bottles even though I rarely wear any. But I like to catch a citrusy sweet whiff every so often. Bergamot and citrus light scents don’t last as long as others so keeping them close by is a good idea.
And if you’re a Vata like me, cinnamon spice is one of your faves. Also, vanilla scents and sweet oranges like that from a California navel or Italian blood orange.
Celebrating the orange scents here on this table…
Can you guess what orange is here? It’s a Cara Cara orange.
So on those notes, these are a few of my go-to perfume aromatherapy scents for balance.
The heavy-knock-you-out-cold perfumes are a thing of the past. The kind your grandmother probably wore. And what my mom wore. Those memories are hard to erase.
But for everyday living, these two eau de parfums are more appropriate.
J.Lo Live – the version I bought is very citrusy. I stumbled on the perfume when I had extra minutes (hours) in an airport and decided to make use of that time by finding a good scent. Good idea, right? And this one was the one that got my attention. Yes, it’s Jennifer Lopez’s (J.Lo) Live. And it also comes in a pretty bottle.
A good perfume is like a good dress. When you try it on, you know if it’s The One as you can’t stop grinning from ear to ear.
Viktor&Rolf – Flower Bomb is da bomb when it comes to scents, me thinks 😊 in me-time (that was how I thought in my youthful fun self) 🌼
Btw… do you ever wonder why you can’t smell certain scents that’s more about you liking a perfume scent one day and not-so-much the next day or next season?
There are a few reasons:
For one, as mentioned, the citrusy ones don’t last in the air too long. While they calm your parasympathetic nerves (and help to lower cortisol stress levels), they only last a few hours depending also on what other scents they are balanced with. So it’s fading daily along with bottle age.
And the other reason is… you!
You don’t smell them because you have a heavier imbalance in another dosha. But don’t worry, that can easily be restored back in a day or two. And the right scents can help put your day right back on track.
It always comes back to your Vata, Pitta, and Kaphas. 👧🏻 😡😴
Let me explain… so since I’m a Vata, sometimes I can’t smell the citrus scents strongly. And so I gravitate towards maybe a woodsy or florally scent or a stronger sandalwood burning trees scent. 👃And that would indicate to me that I have a Pitta imbalance. Rarely these days, but back in my corporate work days that was the status quo. …Until I found a better new normal balance.
So primarily these days I like the Vata scents because that’s my natural body.
And if you’re interested in learning more about the intuitive body and how it can help you in your daily life and balance, then take the 2-minute Body Balance Quiz.
There is one scent in particular that I use to instantly know if I’m feeling balanced.
Wanna know what that is?…
I use another Viktor&Rolf’s scent called Bon Bon. It’s in a cute, hot pink cylindrical bottle. Hot pink was my favorite color growing up …and now everybody’s fave. 💕
…I Love how our society is becoming so close-knit and we see eye-to-eye on the important things 😉
So, here’s what I know.
When this candy scent is too cloying or sickenly sweet to me, then I know that my Vata is off. It has a burnt caramel scent to it that isn’t always likable. I figured this out while wearing it one day when I couldn’t wait to wash it off. That’s what happens.
AND… maybe I’ve inspired you to pull out your scents to test.
And if you ever wonder why you like a certain person… it could be the way they smell. Years before our society adopted Ayurvedic balance, a co-worker of mine wore Clinique’s Happy. And every time I was near her, I was happy! 🤸♀️
My day was brightened and I distinctly felt calmer. And now I know that’s because of the concentrated citrus orange notes. Once a Vata always a Vata!
So, if you want to be around more people like you, wear the scents you like. And if you wanna balance yourself out and attract your opposite, wears the scents they would like. …Just a scented meeting people advice note I thought I’d leave you on.
On this Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French), I’m remembering my past visit to New Orleans around Mardi Gras celebrations. And these days I’m celebrating how I live life so differently. And in one big way, is how I view happiness. You too?
And one smaller way is how I eat and bake healthy… as proof, here are some healthy whole wheat beignets with a light dusting of powdered sugar compared to those heavy-handed sugar days.
But since those trying earlier years, I’ve come to know that happiness comes from a different deeper lens in the thoughts today. And happiness is in your ability to control, changing arising and spinning dysfunctional ego mind thoughts from the past.
In the daily moments, happiness is searching for and magnifying past happy experiences. For me, that’s recalling birthday parties and cakes. And I have even more photos as evidence (but I’ll spare you those this time). 😉
And the happy, good memories are not usually what the mind actually serve up in the messy thoughts that a busy day can bring. That’s anything but happiness. So for happiness, it’s good to be mindful of these specific thoughts:
Past thoughts. Consciously be aware of re-framing the bad memories and negative repeated tapes that interruptingly come up in the day. And these thoughts crowd out the happy ones. So it’s often necessary to rewrite your present thoughts of the past so you can keep them in the past…
Because your today’s happiness depends on that…
And your happiness depends on what version of thoughts you want to magnify today.
The mind often likes to serve up what we didn’t get that others got. And in those past dysfunctional areas dwelling in the present, keeps us playing small in our lives. Even decades later.
Like, I remember a few daily childhood situations where I wasn’t put first by others. Because that’s what the brain does in the present moment. The brain doesn’t pull up memories like all the years of having celebrational cake for birthdays and throwing fun birthday parties.
So to better get out of that fast (think fast!), we can either think of better past memories. Or we can focus on the present… And in this moment…well, I’m writing but you’re doing what you’re doing. So having a good standby conscious thought ready to replace the bad thoughts is what you want.
And that’s why as a reminder, gratitude is so important. Because you can always be thankful and replace negative thoughts with appreciation, and that can be the maze out of the fuzzy mind on any given day.
Or putting love on yourself: “I am loved.” That’s a post-it note worth keeping around! 💌
Remember to focus on what helps you out completely, not what soothes the same hurts time and time again like a band-aid.
Heal the hurt and then rewrite what is served up. Healing is found in the re-write thoughts and not the re-living of the same past storyline that happened many decades ago. You already suffered once from the situation, which was more than enough.
And today, it’s not physically hurting you unless you allow your thoughts to keep going there in the same way.
Present thoughts. In this moment and today, you canapply wisdom knowing what’s up vs. what’s down (right or wrong as best you know). And every day there’s an opportunity for wrong to creep in.
So it’s good to be objective. See the what-is truth behind your thoughts and operate from that perspective… Not what it could be or what you think it could be. And you’re NOT the bad person for saying “no!” Think the opposite. You’re the foolish person saying “yes” to something you don’t agree with out of guilt or feeling selfish. The ego brain loves that beating up yourself-stuff.
And always saying yes or letting guilty feelings take over are costing happiness, unproductive time, and emotional energy.
If you think you’re being selfish, that’s all twisted information anyway because when you’re *really* acting selfish, you don’t give another thought to it!
And there are other areas that go under the radar where we did act selfish without us having a conscience. So then we know our brains aren’t always helping us!
…So don’t buy into every thought you have.
…Stop the madness! Go with your gut-feeling thoughts and check in with your heart that guides in whispers. Is what you’re thinking and feeling, loving? … and to you?
And that again takes knowing what your right and wrongs are, so you do have to noodle them out some.
Sometimes noodling takes up mind space or sleep, but they’re worth the short time because you don’t want to be caught deer in the headlights without knowing your thoughts and how to respond in certain life situations. So you save time in the long-run.
You do want your boundaries honored, especially with others.
Others will try to cross over your boundaries. And don’t let that bother you. We’re all imperfect (and some of us try more than others). All you can count on is yourself.
For others who cause ripples, love the person but hate the action that they’re responsible for. And give tougher love more often when needed. If someone in your daily life today is not carrying their weight or responsibility, then let their actions catch up with their words.
And more importantly, don’t be part of their actions and antics. That would just be okay-ing their dysfunctions and now yours. 🤨
And for the future thoughts… Uncertainty is certain for everyone, so be happy today.
Worry is optional. Use worry to prepare and write out potential answers and solutions. Noodle out. And then forget about it.
Other than that, worry produces nothing.
And anxiety is the same. …I get it. I’m a Vata. The anxious symptoms are not something you can control the onset of. And you try to manage best each time in life’s sticky situations and triggers. But use those opportunities to rewrite how you handle your anxious symptoms.
We first developed anxiety and panic in our childhood pasts where we first felt anxieties about out of our control situations (like 90% of the time). And if not careful they become wound thoughts.
And if you’re primarily a Pitta, you’re not off the hook either 😊…maybe you deal with anger issues still; and Kaphas, hang onto clinging issues.
And since we have earth, wind, and fire in us (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha), we can express any of those counterproductive ways at any time.
So don’t let your ego think you have it better or worse than anyone else. Rewrite those “better than others” thoughts as practice. That’s another sour ego mind trick.
Our happiness is in our wisdom (and maybe knowledge applied from above). It’s in what we do today in our thoughts and redesign how we want to think and be.
And if you want to operate in more daily wisdom, I can’t think of a better source than seeking Biblical wisdom (like that in Psalms/Proverbs and in the New Testament). If you weren’t taught along the way like so many of us, you have this resource that is reliable and relevant.
And even better, develop the fruits of the spirit that include kindness, goodness, patience, self-control, peace, joy, and love. And love yourself first. That could be your guiding mantra this week 💚💛💜
Did you know you could listen to these snack blog posts in usually under 10 minutes?
