Home baking: 4 healthy substitutes for better-baked goods

 Home baking: 4 healthy substitutes for better-baked goods

There is no one in the world who does not like a fresh-baked batch of chocolate chip cookies. The aroma fills the house and makes your mouth water. But if you are someone who likes to bake quite often, you should think about the nutritional value of the goodies that you make. Compromising on ingredients is better than compromising on your health. 

Baking requires ingredients such as sugar, heavy cream, butter, and more things that are on the heavier side and can affect your physical health in the long run. These things will keep your diet bad, even if you eat healthy all throughout the day. There are many substitutes available to lighten up your cupcakes and cookies without affecting the quality or the taste.

Avocados instead of butter

Both avocados and butter contain a lot of fat. Butter has highly saturated fat which can clog up your arteries and cause your cholesterol to spike, but avocados can help eliminate this. It might not be your first choice, but it is a great substitute for butter. Avocados are high in monounsaturated fats. It contains more potassium than bananas and is incredibly nutritious. It is also loaded with a lot of fiber. Moreover, avocados can help lower cholesterol instead of increasing it. This is perfect for use in chocolate cakes, brownies, or cookies.

Natural sweeteners instead of refined sugar

Sure, sugar can make almost anything taste good. But, having excessive amounts of sugar daily can really harm your health. According to many studies, refined sugar can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and much more. Scientists have also linked excessive sugar consumption to liver disease, dementia, depression, and even certain types of cancer. You should try an alternative confectioners sweetener that can be made from multiple ingredients such as sugarcane. These are completely natural and are a much better substitute than sugar. 

Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream

Heavy cream is quite tasty since it is high-fat dairy. It might taste perfect on your cupcakes, but it has been associated with an increased risk of issues such as dementia, along with death from prostate cancer. This also contains a lot of saturated fat within a small amount, so all servings of these are ridiculously high in calories. You can use greek yogurt instead for your baking needs. It is high in probiotics that are so desperately needed by our bodies and have the same texture as cream.

Almond flour instead of regular flour

Refined flour is quite unhealthy if used in regular amounts. This can raise your glycemic index quite a lot. It can also lead to a ton of issues such as fatty liver, bad cholesterol, and even high blood pressure. This can lead to an increased risk of obesity, mood swings, weight gain, and much more. Almond flour is loaded with healthy monosaturated fats, protein, and even vitamin E. It works best with pastries and similar items.

It is important to keep a check on your health even if you want to indulge in home-baked goods. Use this list to help you find healthy substitutes for your recipes.

Cork and Button Apple Tree Process Art

This cork and button apple tree process art is perfect for preschoolers or kindergartners this fall. It is an easy activity that requires very little prep. 

We love process art, and we love all things fall around here! Harper and I have been hoarding fall decor since we saw the first adorable decorative pumpkin in stores back in July. Rolf is not so quick to jump seasons, but on the first of September, he said "Finally! It is September. Now we can buy all the pumpkins we want without comment." HA! 

Related: Apple Tree Window Clings

Harper and I felt like painting and wanted to start on some fridge decorations for the season. We came up with these adorable cork and button apple trees. They are so worthy of displaying! Plus, they are easy to make!

 

Supplies Needed: 

Paint in Brown and Green

A Wine Cork

A Paper Plate

White Paper

Buttons

Glue

Directions:

Pour a quarter sized drop of both the brown and the green paint onto a paper plate.

Offer your child the cork.

Encourage your child to first stamp the trunk of the tree with the cork.

Then ask your child to give the tree leaves with the green paint.

Allow to dry for about an hour in a warm, sunny place.

When the paint has dried, offer your child the glue and some buttons. We used yellow for this project to make the kind of apples we like. Feel free to use red, green or even a mix if you like. As you can see below we also made one with red buttons, just because we had so much fun the first time.

Encourage your child to spread out the buttons, pressing them onto dots of glue.

Allow the glue time to dry. Then display! This is perfect for refrigerator art!

Are you looking for more awesome apple art projects for kids? 

Here are some favorites:

Easy Paper Apples

Apple Process Art

Basket of Fruit Process Art

Lemon and Limes find a second life after their prime with this easy and fun process art activity! It incorporates an introduction to weaving for small hands with a lot of painting fun. This activity is great for kids of all ages from Toddlers and Preschoolers, to older kids, like Rolf who is 11 now and still had fun with this!

Ok, first, let that sink in. Rolf is 11 now. When I started this blog, he was a baby. Literally, just a baby. And here we are 10 years later. Still sharing, growing and creating. Let's have a big group hug!

Next, isn't this such a cute process art project for kids? I love that the touchy, smelly parts make it super engaging for little hands. If you have been reading for a while now, you know how I feel about sensory play and  projects! (I love them!) Well, I also love to paint with Harper too!  We had a few lemons and limes in the fruit basket that were a little shriveled up and unappetizing so instead of tossing them out, we put them to work in an art project.

 Supplies: 

A lemon and a lime, sliced in half

A paper plate

Glue

Scissors

A brown bag of construction paper

Yellow and green paint

Directions:

Cut the brown paper into thin strips.

Offer your child one strip and encourage the child to glue it to the paper.

As you can see we used 3 vertical strips, then began the under/over process of weaving the horizontal strips.

Keep the weaving simple, you only need 3 vertical and 3 horizontal strips of paper. If your older child is creating this, feel free to encourage a more complicated weave!

Now comes the fun!

Pour a little paint (about a quarter size drop of each color) on a paper plate.

Offer the citrus fruit to the child, allow them to squeeze the juice out and pick at the seeds if they want to. They will want to because it is fun and it smells good! Just have a towel nearby to wipe their hands! When all of the seed picking and fruit squeezing is finished, encourage your child to press the fruit into the paint, and begin filling the woven basket with fruit!

Remind your artist to use all of the fruit and colors!

Allow to dry and display.

This is fun to make in the summer, when we are making loads of lemonade, so maybe save a few lemons after squeezing for an art project? Or pull this out in the winter, when the kids need a break. It is such a sunny little process art project that they are bound to love it!

Find more art and craft ideas for kids here

Creative Ways To Light Up Your Kid's Room With Neon Signs

There is nothing more exciting than decorating your kid’s room with the best decor items. There are ample ways to experiment and give their tiny space a complete face lift. Some ideas you might want to consider are quirky and cute neon signs. They look attractive and add that much-needed cuteness to the room. These modern lights are easy on the pocket and can be customized as per your child’s preference. If you are eager to buy one, then first have a look at a few creative ways to light up the room in the best possible ways.


Replicate fictional characters with neon lights
If your kid has a favorite fictional character, it is a great idea to light it up with a matching neon sign. It will look great, and your child will also have a favorite corner in the room. These quirky pieces are available in different shapes, and you can select them according to the preference of the child. This idea will also help your kids to be creative and enhance their imagination power.
Choose beautiful designs
Neon lights look amazing, but beautiful patterns in them look even better. Apart from selecting a phrase or one-liner, you can also pick different designs in signs. The designs include a star, sunbursts, and clouds. These signs imbibe classiness and also help you to depict a story to your child. Besides multiple designs, you can even select cute and perky colors. There are many websites out there nowadays to browse through the Neon Lights available, including what designs and colors they come in, in order to choose the perfect one for your child's space. 

Customize your neon signs
Every child has a unique personality, and picking up a sign as per their preference makes sense. If your little one likes sports, you can order custom neon sign with a related message, font, and colors online. If your child likes books, you can get a sign replicating a bookshelf design on a wall. Such neon signs will not only light up the ambiance but also give your child instant motivation.

Get creative with inspiring signs
Decorating the walls with inspirational phrases and verses is always a great idea when it comes to designing a kid's room. They not only motivate your children but also inspire them to do something great in life. You need not do a lot of hard work to find something creative. Check famous quotes by great people online and get them integrated into a custom sign for the room.
Neon signs are one of the most effective ways to decorate a space. They are not only durable but are also easy on your wallet. You can check for these amazing pieces online in the best available varieties. Research for them and pick the best lights with the colors and verses of your choice. 

Easy Labor Day Table Decor

 Can you believe that labor day is right around the corner? It seems like the summer really went by faster than ever. Now that school is in session, why not send summer out in style and welcome fall with open arms? These festive and oh so easy table decorations are perfect for a party, and they look nice long after the patriotic holiday season.

This is an easy project, and chances are, you have everything you need to make a few in your pantry!

This easy candle project is perfect to make with the kids. We used leftover dyed rice from a sensory bin and tossed a battery operated candle into the mix, and BOOM! There is a cute as can be way to decorate for the day. For FREE!

If you don't already have dyed rice laying around no worries, it is so easy to do! You can get the complete dyed rice tutorial here.

Start by putting a little red, a little blue and a little un dyed white rice into a mason jar. Shake it. Add more of each color, making sure to shake in between colors, until you fill about 3/4 of the jar.

Add a battery operated candle. Repeat as needed. Decorate tables, patios, walkways and more with these.

Find more wonderful rice ideas here.

Reader favorites include Homemade Rice Pudding.

Sushi Sensory Bin