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Category: Anti-Inflammatory Recipes

Healthy Gingerbread Cookie + Balancing Kapha Mind

I planted a healthy gingerbread cookie tree on this Silpat baking sheet. Recipe below ⤵️

Healthy gingerbread cookie trees are rare, and even this time of year when everyone is talking about lighting the Christmas trees.🌲

gingerbread oat cookies.
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Easy Chai Oat Gingerbread Cookie

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (with oats)
  • 1 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
  • 3⁄4 tsp teaspoon baking soda
  • 1⁄4  tsp teaspoon salt
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • 1 3⁄4  teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1⁄4  teaspoon ground cloves (or 1/2 tsp of allspice if that's what you have on hand)
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter (or substitute with 1 TBSP coconut oil)
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (reduce to 1/3 cup for less sugar and still have a delicious and nice cookie!)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1/4 cup oats

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, add dry and wet ingredients.
  • Melt coconut oil add to bowl.
  • Roll out cookie dough to about 1/8" to 1/4" cookies.
  • Bake on 350°F for about 10-12 minutes.

I share the traditional old-fashioned recipe (below) that I’ve been using FOR-ever and that I spiced up even more this year! XOXO

Every year is a ‘lil different, and as a creator, I like to challenge myself to make new creations and not stick with the same cookie cutter ones over and over again… haha. As a healthy recipe developer, that means evolving into even healthier bakes.

And this helps me so that I keep outta Kapha imbalances in the kitchen. Btw, the level of Kapha dosha is relative to each of our bodies, but eating healthy, balanced meals always helps to prevent trouble down the road…

Which is part of the natural order that this life is… it’s not a matter of if… it’s a matter of when. And you can stay on the healthy side starting with body-mind awareness.

One of the symptom intersections is your feelings that constantly shift. They help guide you, and other times steer you down a rabbit hole.

And if you want to stay feeling peaceful, joyful, and happy (and be productive) all the time (…like when I’m relaxed baking healthy gingerbread cookies), then keeping the Kapha mind balanced is important.

Some examples of what will make the difference are your steadfastness to boundaries. And your commitment to yourself and to others involved. And finally, plowing through and making it easy on yourself in everyday situations that come up.

And that all starts in the mind.

So… when negative thoughts enter, dismiss them by replacing them.

The problem for many people is they don’t even know when they’re getting pulled down by negative information and thoughts…well, because that’s their mind.

And we don’t naturally challenge our own thoughts. That’s not something we’re born knowing how to do.

What most of do learn is how to challenge other people’s thoughts and opinions. Sound familiar?

Especially this time of year when it’s easy for stress to settle in trying to get end-of-year goals accomplished and fit into holiday-hoopla 🎉 that can be overwhelming for the mind-body. And not always bring out the best in us.

Our mind-body is connected in such a way that if you have a Kapha mind where you’re stuck in negative strongholds, feeling lazy, or find yourself accumulating clutter, that can easily turn into a couch potato Kapha body imbalance.

One easier way to know if a Kapha imbalance is causing our negative moods is if we’re feeling depressed or withdrawing from certain activities we’re usually drawn to or have been in the past.

And as we know, the ego tries to fool us, so to outwit we have to be doubly smart, pausing before reacting and making wise choices that influence our day.

Those stubborn Kapha mind mood tendencies can linger. But if you know what to do, you can get out of excessive Kapha faster and into feeling good. And erase hovering dark clouds that can easily become your weekend. Or gradually settle in for a season if you’re not careful.

But we can change this pretty easily one choice at a time…

We can turn off the external negative messages and listen to more uplifting ones. And that includes shutting off the news after getting the accumulated hour-or-so daily scoop.

This subtle shift helps for subtle situations…

For example, you could be having a bad morning where everything seems to go wrong and deciding in your mind that it’s going to be a bad day since the start was rough.

But by allowing uplifting thoughts to enter in to influence the rest of your day or lean into gratitude for what you DO have, that will help brighten your perspective that becomes self-fulfilling.

I know that can sound pollyanna-ish, and is not always easy if you’re in a miserable situation like a job you hate, or a living situation or relationship that isn’t working out.

BUT, you can better program your mind to work for you. If we can walk and chew gum and think thoughts at the same time, then we can do this! We are capable.💪

One way we can help ourselves is having a consistent activity where we’re learning and improving. That takes the focus off of our thoughts. You may already do this.

In the activity that calls you, you don’t want to miss a moment in what you’re doing. This improves your skills and helps your head game. You then look forward to the activity in your day that helps your entire day.

And something else you can easily do…

Change your environment. Maybe you start doing your activity in a warm, sunny spot. That can be outside. These days, there are no limits to where you can work or catch a break as we’re a virtually remote society that can access anything anywhere.

As a Vata, I like to mix up where I work. I use a desk, a closet, outdoors… it just depends on my mood. And that’s how I get things done productively: I change my scenery options.

And maybe that’s you… or you like the same zone you always are in as that’s your designated spot. And if that’s you, then maybe having a photo or a reminder of something to look forward to in the future like some R&R or an adventurous trip, will also help.

And if holiday overwhelm is taking over these days, let the reason for the season keep you grounded. Let Scripture verses provide comfort and wisdom, and help guide you.

And stay cozy warm uplifted and listen to cheery Christmas music 🎼and jingles… and better yet find your creative outlet. Get into your groove.

For me, this last weekend was partially about creating healthy gingerbread cookie dough.

And a Chai Oat healthy gingerbread cookie was on tall order to provide more holiday baking inspiration that’s both healthy and happy.

I wasn’t the only one as the Cookie Wars marathon was all over the media networks. And gingerbread was one of the themes like every year… it’s nice to be able to count on some things!

healthy gingerbread cookie

And I’ve been using the same base recipe that’s more happy than healthy.

This original recipe has been with me since 2004 when I printed it out. It was adapted from a Joy of Cooking recipe.

And I’ve been tweaking it up every year.

And backing up, decades ago, it was common to use shortening for cookies and Southern sweets, so finding a butter recipe with 3 grams of fat per cookie was a big deal because that’s what people cared about (the fat in calories). These days, we know there are healthier fats we can use to bake with…

So, I’ve evolved this once-a-year December recipe using coconut oil to give a nice consistency and dough to work with.

I added my notes in ( ) and below to my enhancements to this collaborative recipe. 😊

Easy Chai Gingerbread Cookies

3  cups all-purpose flour (add oats)

1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder

3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1  tablespoon ground ginger

1 3⁄4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup oats (optional)

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves (or 1/2 tsp of allspice if that’s what you have on hand)

6  tablespoons unsalted butter (substitute with 1 TBSP coconut oil)

3⁄4 cup dark brown sugar (reduce to 1/3 cup for less sugar and still have a delicious and nice cookie!)

1  large egg

1⁄2 cup molasses

You can mix this all in one bowl. I like to bake on 325°F because cookies bake quickly. This’ll be about 15 minutes but it’s good to watch the oven.

Here’s what I added: freshly grated ginger for a real ginger-y forward cookie! And ginger is good for the gut. And I added a chai tea bag that has similar holiday cookie spices to the ones already added for a punchy-aromatic aroma and spicy healthy cookie. Many people who add tea to their bakes, actually brew the tea and use liquid tea, but I’m all about strong Christmas-in-the-mouth flavors.

And also, add back some wholesomeness by adding old-fashioned oats and whole wheat flour that’s a mix of gluten and gluten-free “flours.”

This makes a heart-healthy gingerbread cookie man that can stand up to any cookie. It’s a complex mix like us healthy peeps.

…one that I’m over the moon with. 🤸‍♀️

Next time, I’ll share more gingerbread and light-hearted thoughts on how to keep the healthy going EVEN when we’re tired… and as we get close to year’s end (..stay tuned!) 🪩

Dyshidrotic Eczema + Turmeric Tofu Scramble

Dyshidrotic eczema is often tied to allergies whether outdoor or food-related is individual to each body.

Pair a turmeric tofu scramble (recipe below) for anti-inflammatory eating and moisturizing watermelon drink.

The outward showing and what makes it different from other types of eczema is that it often appears as clear blisters on hands and soles of feet (…an odd place). So it’s a little easier to spot.

A dyshidrotic eczema reaction is individual and it’s an overreaction in the body, as are other types of eczema.

Cod fish is rich in Vitamin D good for dyshidrotic eczema.
Adding cod fish to your diet with Vitamin-D helps dyshidrotic eczema.

Dyshidrotic eczema can spread but not because of your spreading it in a contagious way. It can feel that way. But, if it does spread on its own, it’s an internal body reaction. So you can cross that worry off your list.

Like most eczema types, it has dry and irritated skin as general symptoms.

Irritation in the mind and body and in the mind-body connection is a form of high Pitta.

Knowing this helps because then you can focus on doing anti-Pitta moves like an anti-Pitta diet.

I learned this in the summer of 2021 when I ended up in the hospital emergency room for a dyshidrotic eczema diagnosis.

I had a heat blister that quickly turned into a foot infection a week later where my foot swelled to greenish, purple colors. Not the Northern Lights aurora borealis effect you want on your body. 😕

During my visit, the doctor confirmed my dyshidrotic eczema symptoms… and what I already knew and had researched on my own in 2020 when I first experienced the condition.

Dyshidrotic eczema that I’ve learned to partner with is still a sign of inflammation. And while acute, it’s not that cute ☺️. And the symptoms can be preventable.

Climate Changes As a Dyshidrotic Eczema Cause

With sensitive and thirsty summer skin that many of us have felt, the fiery and itchy summer effects of global warming are only intensifying.

Our bodies rely on this livable earth. But in perspective, 10 degrees hotter is still doable compared to the 800-degree temps on Mercury. 🌎

Mother Earth is the Queen. 👑

And besides heat, dyshidrotic eczema flare-ups can come from hypersensitivity to climate changes and climbing hotter weather.

This requires deeper skin care and moisturizing as preventative measures for dry skin. While heat and climate change can be one eczema cause, there are many eczema types and triggers.

Some other triggers can be food or other allergies.

Today in fall, it’s cooler and gratefully we did see an in-between this year with some colorful fiery leaves 🍁

Low-Sugar Planning Helps Eczema

Anything at any time like air, can make the dyshidrotic eczema situation worse no matter the cause. And being smart, not eating too much sugar is one area that is controllable for any of us.

It’s smart to start at breakfast so you haven’t spent all your sugar early in the day. Eating more plant-based and organic foods help offset undesired triggers and effects.

Offsetting sugar at every meal is a good strategy to avoid the skin crawling effect, if you’ve ever experienced that feeling. It’s going to make your life easier.

I know how hard that can be if you’re a sweet tooth because I thought that would be impossible for me to give up some sugar. But that’s how you lower sugar cravings.  And I know it is possible to do as I’m living proof! 🧡

Funny I love baking, right? 👩‍🍳 

But actually, you can better control how much sugar and sweetness is added when you do your own baking, cooking, and meal prep.

That’s why I can still enjoy low-sugar summer desserts. I bake with anti-inflammatory sensitivity and that’s why I started creating my own anti-inflammatory recipes.

And you can do your own creations in your home in a healthy way where you don’t give up the love of sugar. Moderation and substitution are your friends.

I found most recipes out there call for so much sugar (that once upon a time I wouldn’t have blinked an eye too 😜).  But when you make your own dishes and bakes, you’re more selective and cautious.

And what I learned was that I craved sugar less after eating less sugar. So that became my way.

And I focused on the positives. In my world, it’s about diverse eating from the rainbow 🌈 with food varieties that are doing the body good. The rainbow are rich polyphenols that help our guts.

That btw, is one good reason you would consider eating a variety of healthy foods.

And in that way, I ruled out that any one food was a likely cause for dyshidrotic eczema. Sugar I could see was an overall offender, but all sugars aren’t created equal.

Fruits are a good example. Fruits have sugar (fructose) but they have so much fiber and vitamin benefits that offset the negative. You wouldn’t want to cut fruit out, but have them in moderation.

You could also choose lower sugar ones like berries and even better, an avocado fruit. 🥑 Or a green banana that will lower glycemic so better for the anti-inflammatory effects.

Food Allergies, Ayurveda, and Eczema

I’m sensitive to other people’s food allergies having worked closely in catering foods and party planning management for a decade. Many of us have food sensitivities that’s on a spectrum of allergies, and different than Celiac Disease (that’s a disease).

Finding our happy gut is something that each of us get to explore and keep learning about as our bodies change.

Food balancing our preferences and food sensitivities is the best tip I can give to avoid tipping the scales for inflammation, dyshidrotic eczema, and other types of eczema… PLUS still enjoy foods.

Part of that is not giving up on any one healthy food unless they’re a known offender. Using moderation or balance as a guide is much more satisfying and doable.

When you operate with restoring balance year-round as a goal, then you notice when something is “off” even if it’s just ever-so-slightly so you can remedy before it’s too late or the scales have tipped to symptoms.

Something as simple as the scents and aromas you’re drawn to is an Ayurvedic clue as to what’s going on. Testing spice and food aromas are a couple of fun Ayurvedic ways we can all use to test our bodies this season.

You can learn more about restoring your body’s Ayurvedic imbalance.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods And Dyshidrotic Eczema

Coupled with an Ayurvedic balanced food approach, adding more sustainable anti-inflammatory foods and less gluten-foods help prevent dyshidrotic eczema.

And to help offset this, leaning more into a whole, plant-based diet that’s Ayurvedic and anti-inflammatory gives us all an edge, as we do good for our body AND for the planet.

Some anti-inflammatory foods are high in cobalt and nickel that’s found all over the earth and in some of the healthiest plant-based foods such as cocoa, nuts, and even leafy greens.

Dark chocolate is anti-inflammatory and can be good to go back to in moderation after eczema inflammation symptoms go away.

So what’s the best plan? Still eating a variety of planet healthy foods is still the best bet unless you have a known allergy.

It’s also good to stay thankful for our bodies for doing all that it does every day of the year under the hood.

Keep on keepin’ on! 🎉

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Turmeric Tofu Scramble

Course lunch
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

  • Tofu
  • water or olive oil
  • turmeric spice and black pepper

Instructions

  • Cut tofu into small pieces or dices. For soft tofu: cook in a pot with water on medium heat for about 15 minutes.
  • For crispier tofu: in a skillet, add a drizzle of olive oil to the skillet. Cook the same as soft tofu without water. Flip tofu about every 5 minutes.
  • Use a masher or fork to crumble cooked tofu.
  • Add turmeric spice and black pepper to enhance the curcumin effect.
  • Add your favorite vegetables such as cooked kale.

 

Fall Apple Bundt Cake with Healthy ACV

Fall apple bundt cake is a dessert you can enjoy year-round that’s made gut healthy with ACV that is what inspired this cake.

I hope you fall in love with this cake (like I did) and enjoy the recipe that you can share with others!… even if you don’t share the cake with those around you. 🥮

If there’s something we can count on in this world, it’s a good apple that hasn’t changed since I was young. They fall from the apple trees.

And “A” is for apple or autumn and is a great start to fall Anti-inflammatory healthy breakfasts.

Adding apples to your diet is one powerful way…the apple skin is full of prebiotic fiber that’s good to eat if you choose organic apples that are not chemical pesticide-sprayed. 🍎🍏

The apple insides are loaded with various healthy compounds like pectin, quercetin, anthocyanins, epicatechin, and flavanols so they’re an anti-inflammatory super food, and are included in this 200 anti-inflammatory food list.

Mixing up green and red apples give slightly different polyphenols that are anti-inflammatory good for the body.

Apples are also a good alternate cleaning “toothbrush” to have with you when you don’t have your tube and brush on you.

Growing up, Red Delicious apples were the ones I knew. And of those, some were softer or had soft bruised spots.

And it was my job at the grocery store to pick out and bag the firm ones. I felt special being the Apple Whisperer in my family. 😊

These days, Gala apples are pretty common too and Pink Ladys, which used to be less common.

You can’t go wrong. All apples have Vitamin C antioxidant goodness to help protect against free radicals in the cells. And we can never be too young or protective against cancer cells from growing.

An since this apple cake has added apple cider vinegar, it’s a very healthy cake.

That’s usually an oxymoron.

But this cake IS healthy and can be part of the way you start your day at breakfast… while being deliciously tasty too!

You can look forward to pairing apple cake with a fall pumpkin coffee if that’s your jam ☕️🎃

Pumpkin latte anyone? 🧋

You can also substitute apples with pears that has a similar crunch and sweetness to apples.

They are part of the same Pome fruit family that apples come from with a core and small seeds.

Fall apple bundt cake ring makes for a festive cake that all can enjoy.
Fall apple bundt made of apple flavors, coconut oil, and lemon juices. Recipe is below. ⬇️
Easy Fall Apple Bundt with Coconut Oil

These recipe steps will fill about half a bundt pan ring like the one shown here. National Bundt Cake Day is November 15 and that’s actually a good time to bring out this autumn dessert all will fall in love with! 😍

If you want a full bundt pan (and not just a ring), then double the batter size so it fills up closer to the top.

-3 cups all-purpose flour or a combination of your favorite flours (whole wheat, buttermilk, or gluten-free flour)

-Cinnamon

-Kosher Salt

-1 cup liquid (you may not need all the liquid and then you can make a beverage drink, like I did).

You can use apple juice, apple cider, or lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar for an acidic taste boost…

¾ cup applesauce

¾ cup coconut oil (you can melt in a bain marie, and you can use less for less fat in the cake).

Bain marie: put solid coconut oil into a smaller bowl  and place inside a larger bowl and then pour hot water into the larger bowl. This works well with mugs and ceramic bowls (that can handle heat like microwaveable bowls)..

3 large eggs, room temperature

Use coconut oil to prepare and coat the bundt pan and then coat with flour (or cocoa powder) and tap out the excess, so the bundt cake comes out more easily. Alternatively you can use other oils.

Add apple juice liquid (about half to start) to the wet ingredients (applesauce/eggs). Then blend in the wet to dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon and any spices, and salt).

Mix with a spoon. It will be a soft, moist (but not liquid-y) batter. That’s why I would use a spoon and not a whisk for easy cleaning without clinging batter.

And then gently mix in leavening agents (1-1/2 tsp baking powder plus ½ tsp baking soda).

Spread in a bundt pan. I use an offset spatula to even out. You can also use a knife and/or tap down the bundt pan on a table for leveling the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

fall apple bundt cake cooling.
Voila! Baked.

You’re looking at the bottom of the cake in the bundt pan. And you’ll know it’s finished when you can pull out a clean toothpick tester.

After the bundt pan cools for about 10-15 minutes, then remove it from the pan.

You don’t want to remove it while it’s piping hot warm, or else the apple cake can easily break.

After the cake is out of the bundt pan and is fully cooled (you can refrigerate covering it with the bundt pan so it doesn’t dry out).

Then cooled, you can glaze. You can lean into the coconut flavors and melt chocolate coconut oil in a bain marie until you get the right consistency. For a thicker glaze, use more chocolate to coconut oil ratio. It’s your creative bundt!

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Fall apple bundt cake made with apple cider vinegar.

 

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Easy Fall Apple Bundt Cake

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour or a combination of your favorite flours (whole wheat, buttermilk, or gluten-free flour)
  • cinnamon to taste and pinch of salt
  • 1 cup apple juice or apple cider (and combo with apple cider vinegar with total 1 cup liquid)
  • 3/4 cup applesauce
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt (kosher salt suggested)
  • cardamom spice (optional)

Instructions

  • Combine wet and dry ingredients. Tip: mix with a spoon. It will be a soft, moist (but not liquid-y) batter. Also, mix coconut oil with apple sauce for easy moist mixing.
  • Tip: Prepare bundt pan with coconut oil and lightly dust with flour to prevent sticking. Tip: use a tea infuser for even, light dusting.
  • Pour cake batter into cake pan.
  • Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes (or until a long toothpick comes out clean).
  • Tip: Take out cake after cooled (so it doesn't collapse or break on you).

Notes

 
 

13 Healthy Baker Tips and Laughter from British Bake Off

Healthy baker recipes can be inspired by shows like The Great British Bake Off. And I share a healthy phyllo dough recipe for baklava below. Yes, you can make your own and have fun! 🤩

healthy baker lessons from The Great British Bake Off.

It’s no secret that 1) I’m a healthy baker, so I wanted to share some of my tips this week below. And 2) I’m a huge fan of The Great British Bake Off (or Baking Show). I’m loving this season’s debut and I especially love the baker’s use of unusual flavors and creative designs shown off under the big white tent so far.

It’s always fun to laugh along at Noel’s unicorn jokes and rainbow outfits. And to hear the judges pronouncing oregano like origami (I’ll never look at my spices the same again 😁)… or calling tacos like calling a taxi (…wait a New York minute, how did corn flour tortillas get in this past week’s technical challenge?)

Both are a sign that popular international foods and ingredients are making their rounds besides in tortillas. Plus, fruit shortages and inflation have us creatively sourcing foods and collaborating, which are helping to save our planet.

And being able to make your own anything anywhere is helpful, so you don’t feel helpless and rely on the world to produce. Thinking like a creative baker (or cook) is a helpful skill these days.

…And blends well with an anti-inflammatory diet full of healthy food ingredient variety, where you can lean into seasonal plant-based foods spanning the globe.

I look for international food sources that are everywhere and cropping up in leaps and bounds. Daily, the Earth is revolving AND evolving its own sustainable foods that we can appreciate especially in local gardening or farmer markets. So, be expectant for food births of new kinds 🍓

And actually… I picked up my own local international flavor combinations with fresh blackberries, and chokeberry-prune purees, as I work my way into fall (… both my feet aren’t into the pumpkin season just yet 🎃).

I did get some blackberries squirted in my eye… but luckily no black eyes, as that would make it a challenge to make this week’s cinnaroll full of Ceylon and cassia cinnamon for anti-inflammatory sweetness 😊

Fall fruit plate (kiwi, blackberries, and apples) with Ceylon cinnamon rolls

…When I was growing up, kiwifruit was considered an exotic fruit that today is as common as year-round pineapple juices.

And when I come across 2 sticks of butter or a cup of sugar in a cookie or pastry recipe, it reminds me of my younger years. These days, I tend to steer away (…as growing up will do that to you!) and find healthy substitutes for both mind and body.

I’m a sugar lover by nature (most of us Vatas are) and I remember when I was a child and I would reach into the sugar jar  (for baking of course!) and help myself to a few daily teaspoons of refined sugar. That set me on the path to an adult sweet tooth where I needed daily sweets to keep me going…

Despite sugar making more than just news feeds… the fact is that it’s also feeding the bad bugs in the gut.😏

And individually we all get body warnings from our skin and health symptoms. Everyone is different. So, for me, I can enjoy a couple of Twizzlers and be better off than a few squares of chocolate. God put the Twizzler makers on the earth for a reason 😉

And for you, it could be something else. And certain fruits or ingredients can throw others off. It’s good to be discerning and a little picky this way.

If you want to know what your body is trying to tell you through its daily symptoms, take the minute-and-a-half Body Balance Quiz and then take it again next season and compare the result.

So now that we got the body squared away, here are my healthy good-mood baking tips this week from me, the healthy baker…

First of all, some of us are messy bakers that can be part of the fun, and others of us are neat bench bakers. Whatever you think you are, it’s all good! 👍

I tend to be a planner and a neat healthy baker cleaning up as I go, so my tips come from that POV and can help you if you want to lean more into that.

Either way, you can still bake up a storm and change your bakes at the last minute. Why?  For creativity, and for the purpose of using baking to relax. …That can be a new reason to bake!

Oh, aannd if you’re a baking show addict, I’ve added some highlighted inspo from the Great British Bake Off… and hope I don’t come across too cheeky! 😉

So here we go!

Baking Prep Inspo Tips:

1.      Read your recipe and know the ingredients you need before the baking day so you know what you need to get from the store at least a day ahead.

2.      Prepare what you will bake in the morning and then bake later in the day. Healthy baker or not, often doughs need time to rest or rise (…sounds a lot like us peeps).

And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten to take the eggs out early  enough so they warm up. And if eggs are your way of giving a shine to your bakes, that’s critical because egg whites and yolks mix together better at room temperature.

3.      And if you pull out your tools that you’ll need, early in the day, you can rinse off and allow enough time to dry out, so you don’t have to do drying, prepping, and baking together which can feel like a real chore and take the fun out of baking.

And especially if you need to concentrate on counting your layers for lamination and making sure there’s not a drop of moisture that can affect your temperamental meringues.

4.      Bring out a convenient bowl or plate for all your used baking tools and baking trash so you don’t have to think so much. Ah, baking can be relaxing (when it’s not in the tent)!

5.      Keep a damp towel or a few moist paper towels nearby so you can use them whenever you need to wipe your hands or any fun spills… or when you need to reach for your phone or swipe to your recipe.

6.      Read your recipe a second time and then mark the dry ingredients and wet ingredients and write any notes you have. Then pull out the ingredients for baking.

…OR, If you’re not using a recipe, jot down what you need for your bake vision, and bring out the visual ingredients. Visual is also good for illusion bakes that the GBBO contestants often have to whip out! 🪄

When you’re using healthy baker ingredients, you especially want to use the most useful tool you have… your pair of eyes 👀 as a double check. Is the dough or batter too thick, thin or moist, or what do you need to add? If you use gluten-free flours they tend to collapse easily.

7.      For many sweet or bread bakes, I like to add the flour first to see how much water, other liquid, or moist ingredients are needed.

After the dry and wet, I add leavening agents last to optimize rise if it’s a cake or bread. Plus then you are less likely to forget, as now that’s Step 3 (e.g. dry, wet, and then leavening agent). That’s just the way this healthy baker found works best for “experimental” bakes.

Baking doesn’t always go as planned in the oven and depending on the weather. Chemistry in the kitchen can be tricky.

8.      While a whisk looks fancy and is one of my favorites (good chemistry there), it’s only good to use sometimes, as most of the time it’s not a good tool to use and is more of a hassle than its worth.

When to use a whisk: fluffing or whisking eggs, dry ingredients OR wet ingredients, but not both (like more flour than wet) that can make a sticky mess on your whisk. You can replace with a silverware spoon instead… or you’ll be spending time cleaning your whisk and risk a claggy bake (that Prue would point out and you wouldn’t want to inadvertently glue Paul’s mouth). 😁

9.   For multi-layer cakes, weigh your flour in grams (instead of measuring cups if you can) and then you can help prevent uneven lopsided cakes. The Brits have it right and as GBBO Prue and Paul like to say at judgment time, “it’s a bit wonky.” 😉 …or “it’s on the lean” like a Leaning Tower of Pisa cake.

Oh and if it’s a Printzregententorte Cake that most of us can’t pronounce (and barely fits written on one line), you don’t want to leave each layer to chance.

If you’re not a GBBO watcher, that was one of Judge Prue’s technical challenges last season when Judge Paul counted all the missing layers. 🍰 Now you’re up to speed on the show. 📺

10.   For recipes that have you separate dry and wet ingredients before mixing, it’s best to keep the salt away from the leavening agent (e.g. bicarbonate/baking soda, baking powder, or yeast). This can be easier to do if you follow tip# 7. Think of the flour as the soil and you want to add your other ingredients to different parts of the soil.

11.   Clean your bowls and tools as you wait for your desserts to rest or bake. That way when you’re done, you reward yourself with your dessert like you’re a guest and not the dishwasher.

.12.   Use your your oven light and timers to visually see and not forget. Depending on how much time you have (or how patient you are), low and slow can prevent soggy bottoms (that I don’t need to mention are a big no-no in the tent).

13.   I like to use long toothpicks to test baked doneness, but like Prue pointed out in one past episode, you could run into a piece of fruit and be deceived. My alternate way to test is to add a sample-size bake appetizer on a (or the) baking tray. And if the sampler isn’t done, then you know the prized bake is not likely to be either.

So… that’s a wrap or the end of the cling film for this healthy baker this week (…sorry, I couldn’t resist!)

I’ll stick to my job of cheering the contestants on! 🎉

And if you want to learn to make your own phyllo dough that was laughed in one GBBO episode, it’s more fun than a hassle.

homemade phyllo dough recipe.
The baklava phyllo dough is opaque like pantyhose but free of holes.
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Easy Phyllo Dough For Baklava

Make phyllo dough from scratch! It's not as difficult as it sounds... and dare I say fun!
Course Dessert
Cuisine lebanese
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup water
  • pinch of salt
  • honey
  • chopped nuts
  • dates, orange, and cinnamon (optional)

Instructions

  • Making phyllo is a lot like making homemade pasta, but much thinner.
  • Make a mound and a hole in the middlle where you can add the olive oil and slowly add water. Knead for about 5 minutes and then form a dough disc. Let rest.
  • Roll out as thin as possible and then you can slip into the pasta maker if you have one, adjusting until you get to the thinnest setting (e.g. 1). It will look opaque but the hope is that there will be no holes.
  • Cut into strips that you will use as layers for the baklava.
  • For the baklava, you can brush honey and top with chopped dates and nuts (walnuts or pistachios work well) on every other layer if you make 7 layers ending with the top layer with honey and nuts. Sprinkle each layer with cinnamon and orange zest if you like (good for Ayurvedic Vata balancing!).

Mental Health Matters For Your Happiness

Mental health matters. We are learning this slowly when it has been there all along.

Gluten-free energy oatmeal raisin cookie bites are a sweet one-bowl bake: oats, raisins, applesauce, baking soda, and egg. Printable recipe below 🍪

We can see proof in our culture. A wake up call and mental health revolution is needed.

Because those who need serious help, hide their depression and sadness. And especially at work where we wear a mask.

They’re not likely to call a support helpline even if it’s just 3 numbers because their mind is not telling them to do so.

It starts in the mind. And that’s why animals never have that issue, because they don’t have that mind feature.

Prayer is needed for these people, situations, and any disorders. 🙏

The less we make mental health a stigma opens up the conversations. We can be compassionate, allow vulnerability, and acknowledge depression within a safe space.

And it’s critical to get and keep our own sanity in check because we are not robot machinery. We have a built-in subconscious ego feature that is on 24×7 and influences our thoughts daily.

The feature can go awry if we don’t stay aware as a first step.

In #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek, this is a good time to do a mental health check to recognize regrets or sadness held onto from the past and into the present.

You don’t have to live in trauma. So many of us have undetected PTSD.

And you can bring that out by being less busy, finding more quiet time, journaling, shadow work, and praying.

Below, I share some of my lessons learned and how I applied them to life.

But first, let me set the big picture stage of what will make the biggest happiness shift and difference in your life…

It’s your fighting for your most healthy mental self because it drives the bus to everything you do and think to be the best version of you.

It’s your empowered happiness that I’m passionate about and why I even wrote a published book on the topic with that exact title Empowered Happiness.

The first chapter is Love Yourself First.

That’s why mental health matters most. Because if you don’t love yourself, then you’re hurting yourself.

Regularly checking in on your daily mental health habits and looking at reasons why you’re spending time doing something specific and taking proactive action matters toward your life matters.

Because often objects are closer than they appear. You can’t see the invisible air in front of you.

We don’t always see ourselves close up even when looking at a mirror. We can be myopic and then become blindsided looking in the rearview mirror.

It’s much easier to make changes before they become our way, mindset, and habits.

We want to find daily inspiration, enjoyment, and activities that light us up. That helps us keep our mental health in-check.

So often we operate from insecurities and fears, instead of flipping the script to love and abundance.

It’s no one’s fault. We set off innocent as babies and then the world shows up that we need to protect ourselves from hurt, pain, and threats.

So then our subconscious mind spins what we need to do to survive in the environment reality.

We aren’t chased by tigers but a triggering message is the modern equivalent to our brains. And to keep us “safe,” our brains replay the message over and over again until the mind threat disappears from brain view or is replaced.

Managing our minds is critical for our healthy lives and regularly replacing thoughts that don’t serve us.

Think of a factory line where the items come down the line (and those are your thoughts) and your job is to evaluate and eliminate the faulty items (non-serving or negative thoughts), leaving the good items (healthy serving and loving thoughts) to pass through the line.

And those thoughts pass better results for your productivity, relationships, and daily health.

Those are just a few areas why mental health matters most. It starts with our thoughts.

Some changing thought benefits:

For one, you can stop yourself from making a knee-jerk reaction to something your ego feels is right to do at the moment, but isn’t the wisest move.

*Lean on lessons learned from your past is the best way for your present.

💡Did you get the results you wanted in situations that you wished turned out differently? If not, what part did you play in the outcome. 

Learn from those and try not to repeat them. Life is forgiving. It will keep serving you situations and each time you have a chance to change your outcome.

The misalignment is often  ego-led choices. We see this in disconnects in our world and in our own lives.

If we turn to loving sources and thoughts, we move closer to our abundant potential (and not further away).

Unhealthy ego pride (that goes hand in hand) can be a source that blinds any of us.

Humility is the love call fix every time in those cases. It’s much easier when you have a simple protocol to follow and can re-direct the complex mind.

💡You can ask yourself: am I being humble in this situation? 

We all call out what’s happening as observers of our thoughts. Because under the radar, our ego loves to remind us about remnants of the past that were take away from us.

It likes to hide and block out healthy information. When its unhealthy, it stronghold binds and show us unhealthy information that we can choose to walk away from and ignore.

By catching your ego self from taking action, you have the ability and the opportunity right then and there to practice changing the thought channel to a healthy one, and re-writing an unhealthy automatic thought pattern…

Mental health matters and check-ins help daily peace and joy.

An example is I had memories pop up about choices I made in the past that affect me today. And that’s pretty natural for most of us.

But instead of letting those thoughts go on and on like I used to, I chose to rewrite the ending to a good factual truth. And I voiced it aloud so it was louder than my ego.

Eventually it got the hint and left. That’s what’s needed.

Applying lessons learned wisdom from your past is a great start.

[This wiser than ego ability is in your wheelhouse. You were built with higher intellect. You go from ego to eagle 🦅 that soars higher than any other bird out there 😉].

You can also find a healthy motivation. Mine was I didn’t want the negative energy to spill over into the next week. And that’s a good one!

I know it sounds easier said than done especially when you have every right to be hurt, upset, or irritated.

But if you keep practicing finding ways to be aware of your thoughts and actions, and your why is to not create more strife in your life, it will also be palatable and simpler to do.

You won’t be debating with yourself so much with what to do. Your wise decisions become more clear and you are more aligned with yourself and your mind.

This creates better outcomes than protecting ego… that remember, likes to scream thoughts in your head.

Mental health matters as depicted in this scream painting by Edward Munch.

Using mantras help.

Finding catchy clichés that we can use as a positive trigger like ”two wrongs don’t make a right” or a loving Bible verse may be all that’s needed to find a better way… at least for the moment.

And each time you’re teaching yourself to do better.

And when you tune into the higher love channel, you can see past another’s offense and get their perspectives when they communicate… that translated is their lack or hurts that never got healed (and still show up today).

And if you don’t know why you can’t do the above steps or rise above a situation, then often it’s something in the past keeping you. So start there.

Otherwise, you can unknowingly stay in a victim mentality and not be a victor in your life. That was one of my lessons learned in discovering abundance.

The game changer is getting to the other side. The air is lighter and more clear. It’s not rainbows and sunshine, but you have a new perspective that gives you better outcomes. 

You have new ways to handle and process situations that arise. Life is meant to be an adventure to gain experience, grow, and enjoy. And when you can embrace what you have gained (vs. losses), then you no longer are a victim to yourself.

That’s what healthy thoughts can do and why optimizing mental health matters.

Take it easy and have a happy week! 😊 Enjoy a healthy bite and I’ll see you next week! 🧡

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Easy One-Bowl Oatmeal Raisin Energy Cookie Bites

Course Breakfast
Cuisine American

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cup oats, dry
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2 oz applesauce
  • 1 tsp total baking soda and baking powder
  • 1 egg

Instructions

  • Mix ingredients and scoop or roll into balls.
  • Bake on 350°F/180°C for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown edges.

Notes

oats, raisins, applesauce, baking soda, and egg