This recipe is also available in German. / Dieses Rezept gibt es auch auf Deutsch.

It finally feels like summer, the farmer’s market is selling local strawberries and you can see people wearing shorts and sandals all over town. I love the feeling of the first summer days. The warm temperatures have me craving berries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and dessert. That’s why I came up with these healthy strawberry muffins that I know you’re going to love just as much as I do.

I find it strange that every café in my city is somehow offering blueberry muffins, but I never see strawberry muffins. I know that they are supposed to be too watery for baked goods, but I strongly disagree. Strawberries work just fine for making muffins. I made mine with the first local strawberries that I could get my hands on, and they tasted delicious without turning out too watery. You should definitely not try this recipe with frozen strawberries though as they will definitely make the muffins too runny.

For the batter, I used a mix of oat and brown rice flour, added some arrowroot powder as a binding ingredient and aluminum-free baking powder as a raising agent. I know that many healthy baking recipes do not have baking powder in them, but I think as long as you go for the aluminum-free powder, there’s nothing wrong with adding some rising ingredients to your muffins. It’s just something I prefer in baked goods – but of course, everybody’s taste is different.

For sweetener, I used coconut blossom sugar as they are also suitable for diabetics because they do not have such a strong impact on our blood sugar level as refined sugar has. This has the effect that the energy is released more slowly and sustainably, giving us the power we need to get through a long afternoon at work without craving something sweet an hour after eating the muffins.

Of course, you can also try mixing the strawberries with other berries such as raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries, but I’m all about the delicious strawberry taste at the moment.

I hope you’ll like this recipe – let me know what you think about it in the comments below.

Enjoy!

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Feel free to leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag your creations on social media using #heavenlynnhealthy.

I’d love for this blog to be a dialogue.

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The post Healthy Strawberry Muffins appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

Stollen is a German Christmas specialty that you will find on every Christmas market in the country. This is a healthy stollen version, which tastes even better than the original.

Does anyone of you have this really old family recipe that you don’t dare to change?

Well, I do have one of these recipes. It’s actually even written on typewriter.

Yup, it’s that old – and I dared to change it.

I am talking about my grandmother’s stollen recipe, which is a German specialty cake that you only eat around Christmas. Stollen is usually already made in November, because it needs time to develop its flavors so it can be enjoyed in December. Ever since my grandma from my Dad’s side passed away, my mom has been taken over her role as CSO – Chief Stollen Officer in our family. She even bakes my grandma’s stollen for my dad’s brothers. Pretty nice of my mom, right?

For this recipe, I teamed up with Delinero* again, an online delivery service and one of my most trusted online supermarkets. Honestly, if you are doing two, three recipe testings a day, you are more than happy when the bell rings and your favorite mail man delivers all your favorite ingredients so you do not have to run to the stores anymore.

I had no idea how much I would ever appreciate online grocery shopping, but it’s been a life saver for me lately. And Delinero carries all my “not so normal” grocery items such as coconut oil or coconut sugar, which is even better.

 What is “Stollen”?

So, if you are not German, then you probably have no idea what a stollen is. I don’t blame you, it’s not like you can get decent Stollen anywhere across our country borders. Stollen is basically a yeast-based fruit cake with lots of sugar, butter, raisins, rum aroma and powdered sugar. Traditionally there is also high fructose corn sirup involved, so not exactly what you would call a healthy treat (but pretty delicious tbh). It tastes very Christmassy and you can get it on many of the famous German Christmas markets, which are my favorite things in the entire world.

Instead of butter and white flour, I used coconut oil and whole wheat spelt flour, which is not only good for blood pressure, it is also full of fiber to keep you satisfied longer. The stollen gets its Christmas flavors from lemon and orange zest, raisins, cinnamon, cardamom and the amazing marzipan-poppyseed-filling.

Oh my, marzipan!

I LOVE marzipan, which is a mix of ground almonds, coconut sugar, and water. Well, the original recipe obviously knows nothing about coconut sugar, but I think it gives marzipan a whole new kick. Also, this home made version of marzipan is totally unrefined, unprocessed and full of healthy nutrients such as fiber, protein and vitamin E, the beauty vitamin that’s great for pretty skin, nails and hair.

If you want to experience a bit of the German Christmas market flair, then make yourself some home made beetroot and apple glögg and prep this healthy stollen – it’ll be just like a visit to a Christmas market.

Enjoy!

*This post is sponsored by Delinero, one of my most trusted online grocery shops. Thank you for supporting the brands that make hour long recipe testings in the Heavenlynn Healthy kitchen possible. 

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Feel free to leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag your creations on social media using #heavenlynnhealthy.

I’d love for this blog to be a dialogue.

The post Healthy Stollen (German Christmas Bread) appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

Since it was my boyfriend’s birthday last week, there was a lot of baking going on in our kitchen for obvious reasons. However, since I had my last exam on Thursday, it was actually my boyfriend who was in charge of baking for once. He got so many messages from people saying that they knew he was well taken care of food-wise on his birthday, but since I was also fighting a cold, he took over the kitchen this week. It’s tradition in his soccer team that the birthday boy brings cake for the whole team, and he had been telling everyone that he was going to bring healthy, plant based and refined sugar-free cake. So we had to come up with a whole baking tray of healthy cake, because there’s no recipe like that on my blog yet.    

I wanted to make a German “Streuselkuchen”, but I was afraid that this might not turn out so well. Then I suggested to make a crumble for everyone, but realized that that was not going to work either, because they do not have forks or plates at soccer practice. Luckily, I was asked to beta test Angela Liddon’s new app coming in April this week, so I remembered seeing chia jam oat squares at her blog that I have always wanted to try, so we tried them and they turned out amazing. We twisted the recipe a bit, but the idea is the same. One crumble layer on the bottom, chia jam in the middle topped with a delicious mixture of oats, coconut oil, cinnamon and honey.

On a little side note, I wanted to share some minor news: I’m finally on snapchat! (heavenlynn_blog). Whooo! Well, I’ve been on snapchat for over two years, but I’ve never actively used it, until my snapchat-obsessed sister got me to use it for Heavenlynn Healthy – and I’ve discovered that it’s so much fun. I don’t have time to upload pretty pictures all the time, so snapchat allows me to share some of my daily HLH routines with all of you. Here’s a little snap story from when we baked these bars:

* please excuse my little typo (teams) – I was just so excited to finally try these bars! 

I haven’t done this in a while, but let’s examine all the ingredients present in these chia jam oat bars and what benefits they have for our body:

Almonds: Almonds are an amazing source of Vitamin E, the beauty vitamin that strengthens our nails, hair and lets our skin glow.
Chia Seeds: There are about a million amazing health benefits from chia seeds. They are packed with healthy fatty acids called omega-3, which lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Coconut oil: This highly controversial fat is one of the healthiest fats out there. It may be saturated fat, but it’s not the saturated fat found in cheeses or fried food, but the kind that our body can actually absorb and digest well, called medium chain tryclicerides (MCT). Instead of storing it in our fat depots, our body uses coconut oil to produce energy, which has been scientifically proven to lead to weight loss.
Bananas: My favorite fruit is one of the best sources of potassium, which helps us maintain a healthy heart function, and regulates our blood pressure.
Honey: Since I am not strictly vegan, I use honey for its amazing health benefits. It is highly anti-bacterial and raw honey comes with a long list of vitamins and nutrients such as iron, copper or magnesium which are all important for a healthy and functioning body.
Oats: Oats are extremely high in fiber, which aids digestion and stabilizes your blood sugar level. They are also known to lower the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
Raspberries: As all berries, raspberries are true antioxidant superfoods. They also contain lots of vitamin C, which is important to boost our immune system. They’re also a good source of manganese, a mineral that helps strengthen our bones.

As with all my baked goods, I once again need to get something of my chest. Even though this recipe includes only ingredients that have protein, fiber, vitamins or minerals, this is still a sweet cake with lots of  (healthy) fats and carbohydrates. It is definitely a healthier option than a traditional German “Streusel”, but please do not think that this cake contains no calories, just because is made with healthy ingredients. Please treat it like you would treat a normal Streusel – one or two pieces should be enough per day – but keep in mind that when eaten in moderation, these oat bars will benefit your body more than a piece of cake from a regular German bakery.

Enjoy!

The post Chia Jam Oat Bars with Streusel Crumb Topping appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

These cookies are simply heavenly. My kitchen has been smelling like fall and even a little bit like Christmas when I made these, and I absolutely loved the outcome. Usually it takes a few attempts to perfect my recipes, but this one needed no more alteration – the cookies tasted amazing. When my boyfriend tried these the first time, he stopped chewing and looked at me with the most adorable puppy eyes and said: “Love really does go through the stomach”. Just a little side note to tell you how much he loved them. We caught each other walking back to the kitchen that day several times, and in less than 24 hours we had finished the first batch.
So even if it is not quite fall yet, and summer show off with a little come-back, I could not withhold this recipe from you. Consider it as my fall-welcoming recipe.
The recipe is also so simple that everyone can do it. No fancy or expensive superfoods needed. Just oats, carrots, bananas, apple purée, honey and some nuts if you like. And that’s it. Really. No flour, eggs or sugar needed.
What I love about this recipe is that it only uses real, whole foods that you can get at any supermarket, and that it only takes a few minutes to prep. There are so many nutrients in these cookies that they also make for a healthy quick on-the-go breakfast. Now if that isn’t a good enough reason to make these, I don’t know what is.

Ingredients:

Makes about 12 cookies:
– 3 bananas (mine weighed about 400g)
– 1 1/2 cup (150g) shredded carrots (about 2 carrots)
– 2 cups (200g) old-fashioned oats (use gluten-free if allergic)
– 1/2 cup (100g) apple purée
– 1/2 cup (50g) pecans
– 2 tsp honey
– 2 tsp cinnamon
– 1 tsp ginger
– 1/4 tsp nutmeg
– a pinch of salt

Notes:

• I have tried making these with maple syrup but I do not recommend it because the maple leaks out of the cookies, making them sticky in a bad way. If you’re strictly vegan then maybe try coconut sugar or agave
• The bananas and apple purée act as a natural binder, so unfortunately there is no substitute for these.
• You can play around with the spices. Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg are my favorite but you can also use carrot cake spice if available in your country
• If you’re allergic to nuts, then simply leave these out. It won’t hurt the taste.

METHOD:

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
Start by peeling the bananas. Mash them with a fork, leaving some chunks for texture.
Next, grate the carrots and add them to the bananas.
Add all other ingredients and mix everything well with a spoon.
Using your hands, form the dough into round balls and put the on a baking tray that you covered with baking paper. Using your palms, push them down gently so they get into the right cookie shape. I use about one tablespoon for each cookie.
Cook them at 180°C for about 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown but not burned.
Once they are done, remove the tray from the oven and let them cool at least 20 minutes before enjoying them.

Stored in an air tight container in the fridge, they will last about 5 days.

Enjoy!

The post Spiced Carrot Cake Cookies appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

This bread was the first thing I made when I turned completely dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free two years ago. As I started researching for a blood pressure friendly diet, I came across different superfood breads from my four favorite health bloggers such as from my heroine Oh She Glows, the Swedish Health Gurus The Green Kitchen Stories, My New Roots, or the amazing Deliciously Ella.  They all have their own superfood bread, and you will find that they are all pretty similar, and almost all of them use something called “psyllium husk seeds or powder” in their recipes. Psyllium husk is a fiber that is commonly associated with helping increase digestion movement in your bowel. However, this recipe uses only a small amount, and in combination with the amount of flour and other ingredients, it barely has the known bathroom effect. In fact, psyllium husk is shown to have a positive effect on heart health and cholesterol levels.

Contrary to many superfood breads, this one is completely nut-free, because I have had several readers message me that they cannot cook many of my recipes, because they all contain nuts. So, my nut-allergic readers: this one’s for you.
The best thing about this bread is that every single ingredient comes with at least one amazing health benefit. There are no empty carbs or blood pressure increasing ingredients in this superfood bread. I promise:

Health benefits in this buckwheat superfood bread:

Chia Seeds: There are about a million amazing health benefits from chia seeds. They are packed with healthy fatty acids called omega-3, which lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Buckwheat: Gluten-free grain, that is full of protein and lowers the risk of heart disease.
Oats: Oats are extremely high in fiber, which aids digestion and stabilizes your blood sugar level. They are also known to lower the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
Pumpkin Seeds: High in antioxidants which fight cell-harming free radicals in your body. This way, pumpkin seeds help to prevent chronic diseases caused by cell damage.
Sunflower Seeds: Vitamin E is the most abundant vitamin in sunflower seeds, which is amazing because vitamin E is very important for healthy skin, nails and hair.
Psyllium Husk: The fiber has a positive effect on heart health and lowers cholesterol.
Sparkling Water: Water is the most important resource in the world and it is vital for humans to be healthy and alive. In this bread, however, the baking evaporates the water, but I just wanted to point out once more how important fluids are.
Honey: Since I am not strictly vegan, I use honey for its amazing health benefits. It is highly anti-bacterial and raw honey comes with a long list of vitamins and nutrients such as iron, copper or magnesium which are all important for a healthy and functioning body.
Apple Cider Vinegar: The plant-based cider is shown to lower blood sugar levels, which is great for type 2 diabetics.

Besides from being amazing for your health and well-being, the bread also tastes so good. I almost could not believe that it actually tasted like “real whole-wheat bread” when I tried it for the first time. It made switching to a plant-based diet so much easier. I actually did not even want to eat boring American wheat bread anymore, because this buckwheat superfood bread gave me so much energy. It also filled me up quickly, and a slice or two was enough to get me going for hours. I love the bread with some mashed avocado, tomatoes and a pinch of Sal d’Ibiza (or any sea salt) and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. It also tastes delicious with almond or any kind of nut butter and bananas. That’s my favorite breakfast besides overnight oats. I hope you’ll love this bread just as much as I do.

Enjoy!

The post Chia Superfood Bread appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.