Balancing Bites

My Top 10 Baking Hacks

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 01:15:00 +0000

I am loving spring. The past week has been sunny and beautiful. The trees and flowers are blooming and the temperature has been perfect. I’m not used to living in a state with seasons. Las Vegas has a mild winter and an extremely hot summer. Texas goes from a mild winter to a week or two of spring, then straight into hot and humid summers.

Now that the long dreary winter has passed, all I want to do is sit in the sun. I now understand why my in-laws always wanted to sit in the sun when they came to visit us during late winters in Las Vegas and Texas.

With the longer days and the sun shining, I have been spending more time cooking and baking. Of course, I don’t like to spend all of my time in the kitchen, so I try to find ways to make cooking and baking less time-consuming. Here’s a list of a few tried and true baking/decorating hacks that will make you next project more convenient.

1. Quick pan release recipe. I use this recipe every time I bake a cake. I spread a light layer on the pan with a silicone pastry brush then fill the pan with batter. It’s the best and it works.

2. Replace water with strong coffee in a chocolate cake recipe. This results in a rich chocolate taste.

3. Don’t have any buttermilk? No worries, just mix 1 Tablespoon of vinegar in 1 cup of whole milk and you have instant buttermilk.

4. Use a measuring cup to measure the amount of batter you put in each cake pan to ensure an even cake height and bake time.

5. After you’ve filled the cake pan with batter, hold it few inches above the counter top and drop it a few times a few times to release the air bubbles.

6. Wrap a wet cloth strip around the cake pan to ensure even baking and flat tops. I’ve used strips of towels that I have cut and I have used Wilton Bake Even Strips.

7. My grandmother taught me how to test if baking powder and baking soda have expired. For baking powder, add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to a 1/3 cup of hot water. If there isn’t any bubbling then the baking powder has expired. To test baking soda, add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to a cup of 2 tablespoons of vinegar. If there isn’t any bubbling then the baking soda has expired.

8. Use cookie cutters as a stencil when decorating with sprinkles or candies.

9. Ran out of powder sugar? Not a problem. Blend granulated sugar in the blender or food processor until it reaches powder consistency.

10. Wanting to make your cake healthier? Replace the oil or butter with unsweetened applesauce in a 1:1 ratio.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

What Happened to Spring and a Birthday Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 19:28:00 +0000

Spring?

Today is the first day of spring, and yesterday I saw this little guy poking through my garden.

And today, this is happening. Where I come from this isn’t spring. Sigh.

A Friend’s Birthday Cake

Most of the cakes I made in Austin did not turn out great. I blame the humidity. They were always too dense and the frosting didn't hold up.

One of the few cakes that turned out okay, was a cake I made for my friend’s birthday. The cake reflected her love of dogs and tattoos.

I made a french vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream and covered it in Satin Ice fondant (my favorite store bought fondant).

The red hearts were made with gum paste and outlined using a black food marker. The ribbon was also made using gum paste.

The dog was made from half fondant/half gum paste, which dries quickly while allowing time to shape the pieces.

I wrapped the bottom of the cake with a thick black ribbon.

I wanted my friend to have this cake not only because it was her birthday, but also because she was separated from her husband and family due to relocating for work. I wanted her to have a nice birthday. She loved the cake.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful spring day.

2D Tip Border Tutorial Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 21:30:00 +0000

Can you believe it is March? It’s hard to believe when we’re still getting snow. I’m hoping the recent downpour of snow will be the last until next winter. The forecast is calling for temperatures in the 50’s next week. It’s going to feel like summer compared to negative and single digits temperature we’ve had recently.

For the second part of the 2D tip tutorial, I'll walk you through six buttercream borders.

The first border is a tight zigzag design. Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle facing 9:00 with the tip lightly touching the cake. Squeeze the piping bag with steady pressure while moving your hand in an up and down motion. To end the design or take a break, stop squeezing the bag then pull away. Continue to create a border.

The second border design is a twisted star. Hold the bag perpendicular to the cake with the tip lightly touching the surface. Squeeze the bag to make a star then twist your wrist in a counterclockwise direction. After twisting your wrist, stop squeezing the bag and pull the tip straight up and away. Continue to make a border.

The next design is a relaxed zigzag. Follow the same directions above, but stretch the zigzags by increasing the width. Continue to make a border.

The next border is similar to a rope design. Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle and lightly touching the surface. While squeezing the piping bag, make a sideways “S” then stop squeezing and pull the tip away. Next, place the tip on the bottom curve of the “S” and squeeze the bag to make another sideways “S.” The middle of the “S” should touch the tail end of the first “S.” Continue until your border is complete.

The last border looks like a continuous cursive lower case “e.” Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle and lightly touching the surface. Squeeze the bag with steady pressure while moving it up around and to the right as if writing a cursive lower case “e.” Continue until the border is complete.

The only border I forgot to add is a reverse shell border. Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle and lightly touching the surface. The first shell will look like a sideways question mark. Squeeze the bag with steady pressure allowing the buttercream to start fanning out and make a small curve like the top of a question mark. Continue to squeeze the bag and bring the tip back down. Gently relax the pressure and pull the tip away to finish the tail of the question mark.

The next shell will be reversed like a backward question mark. Follow the same directions as the first shell. Below is a picture of a cake with a reverse shell from a Cake Central upload. Doesn’t the chocolate cake look delicious?

I hope this tutorial helps. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

A Single Packet of Fondant

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 21:58:00 +0000

The other day I ran into Wal-mart to grab a few toiletries and stumbled upon this little gem.

A single packet of fondant! They also had it in red. If you can’t tell, I’m excited. Woot, Woot.

Now when I’m making a buttercream cake and want to add fondant accents, I won’t need to make/buy a pound of fondant. I can buy a small packet or two of fondant and not worry about wasting it or rushing to make another cake before it expires.

Wilton isn’t my favorite brand of fondant, but when I need a small amount it works.

Oh, happy days.

Have a great weekend.

2D Tip Border Tutorial Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 04:17:00 +0000

I had planned to publish this post last week, but had a minor crisis to deal with instead. Actually, it was a major crisis. I dyed my hair a brown auburn color, but it turned bright red! So I spent the next day, putting head and shoulders shampoo mixed with crushed vitamin c tablets on my hair in hopes to strip the color. And guess what… it worked.

After I stripped the bright red, my hair was a light orange/dark blonde color. Later that day, I put a cool light brown demi color on my hair and it turned into a medium auburn brown color. The exact color I was originally going for. Whew… crisis over.

2D Border Tip Tutorial

I love the look of a border on cakes. It gives them a finished look. I typically use a ribbon or a buttercream border, but there are so many other ways to create a border. You can use candy, sprinkles, nuts, fondant, etc. For this post, I used a 2D tip and created five buttercream borders.

First, place the tip in a piping bag, snip the end off of the bag with scissors, and fill the bag with medium consistency buttercream.

The first border I made was a shell with a short tail. Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle (like the above picture) slightly above the cake, squeeze the bag letting the frosting fan out. This will cause the tip to rise. Gradually relax the squeeze as you bring the tip to the cake. Stop squeezing the bag and pull the tip away without lifting it from the cake.

To make a shell border, start the next shell on the middle of the tail of the previous shell.

To make a long tail shell, follow the steps above. When pulling the tip away, continue adding a small amount of pressure to the bag until you get the desired length of the tail.

To make a star border, hold the bag perpendicular and lightly touching the cake. Squeeze the bag until you get the desired size you want. Stop adding pressure and lift the bag straight up and away from the cake. Repeat to form a border.

To make a rosette border, hold the bag perpendicular to the cake and lightly touching the surface. Squeeze the bag to make a star and continue squeezing while moving in a counterclockwise (or clockwise) direction above and around the star. Stop squeezing the bag once you make a full circle around the star then lift the bag away from the cake. Repeat the process to make a border.

To make a rope border, hold the bag at a 45-degree angle and lightly touching the cake. Squeeze the bag and make a sideways S shape then release the pressure and pull the bag away. Next, place the tip on the bottom curve of the S, squeeze the bag making another S shape, moving up and over the tail of the first S. Repeat the process to form a border.

If you’re experimenting with a new border technique, I recommend practicing on a plate or parchment paper until you have it down. You can always add the buttercream back into your piping bag.

Thanks for stopping by and check back soon for the second part of this post.

Have a great weekend.

A Buttercream Flower Birthday Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 16:12:00 +0000

While I was living in Austin, I made this flower cake for a friend’s birthday. She reminds me of a girly girl, so I wanted to make her an elegant cake, with flowers and pearls.

The cake was frosted in vanilla buttercream and decorated with purple and white buttercream flowers.

I textured the side of the cake in a wide ridge design using a small slanted spatula similar to this chocolate cake. I made the pearl border using a Wilton tip 3.

This was a simple and fast cake to make. One thing to keep in mind if you make buttercream flowers is that they need at least 24-48 hours to set and harden. Buttercream takes longer to harden than fondant, gum paste and royal icing, but in my opinion buttercream taste better.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

Candy Covered Heart Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 20:34:00 +0000

My kids love candy, and they especially love cakes covered with candy. Fortunately, I had extra batter and frosting from the Valentine’s Day Heart Cake to decorate a small 6 inch heart shape cake.

I applied a thin layer of peanut butter frosting on top of the heart cake then frosted the entire cake with the vanilla buttercream. I added Hershey’s chocolate candies on top and lined the side with candy corn.

This cake was the perfect size for the four of us to enjoy after dinner. Thanks for stopping by and have a great Valentine’s Day.

Valentine Semi-Homemade Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 20:27:00 +0000

Tomorrow my kids are celebrating Valentine’s Day at school, and I signed up to bring snacks for my son’s class. Normally I send string cheese, bananas, and water to class with him, but since it is a Valentine’s party I thought cookies were in order, well cookies and cheese. I have to attempt to balance the sugar with protein and fat in hope that the kids won’t have a sugar crash.

In keeping with my norm of quick and easy decorating, I decided to make semi-homemade Valentine cookies.

I used Golden Oreo cookies, white chocolate chips, large conversation hearts, and rainbow sprinkles.

I melted 3/4 of a bag of white chocolate chips in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 minute then stirred until the chips had melted. Next, I dipped one side of the cookies in the melted chocolate then set them on top of parchment paper. I dipped 6 cookies at a time before topping each one with a conversation heart and adding sprinkles.

The cookies took about 10 minutes to decorate. It’s that quick and easy.

They turned out great, and my son is excited to share them with his friends tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Valentine’s Day Heart Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 21:09:00 +0000

This year’s Valentine cake is all about hearts. To celebrate the upcoming holiday, I enlisted the help of my two sweethearts to decorate this year’s Valentine’s Day cake.

I made an 8 inch chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream filling and frosted it with a vanilla buttercream. The peanut butter filling wasn’t too sweet, which balanced well with the sweet vanilla buttercream.

After I filled the cake, I added a crumb coat and smoothed it with a Viva paper towel.

I used a 2D tip to create the texture on the top and side of the cake. I liked the results on the top, but not so much on the sides.

The texture on the side looked cluttered, so I smoothed the crusted buttercream using the hot spatula method. The hot spatula method is an effective way to get your buttercream or ganache cakes smooth.

To use this method dip a metal spatula into a glass of hot water, wipe the water off the spatula with a towel and glide the hot spatula over the buttercream. It might take some practice, but the end result looks great.

I had to use a Viva paper towel to smooth a few spots after I used the hot spatula method because my ridges were deep and I was trying not to ruin the shell border.

My 4 year old twins helped me make the white chocolate hearts. I melted white chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time. Once the chocolate had melted and was tinted, we piped the warm chocolate onto a a sheet of parchment paper then put the parchment paper in the freezer for a few minutes to harden the chocolate. I’m certain my kids ate more chocolate hearts than they piped.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week and a happy Valentine’s Day.

Cake Inspiration: Valentine’s Day Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 21:19:00 +0000

Can you believe Valentine’s Day is next week? Seriously, what happened to January? Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays to make cakes. I love the many ways to decorate using hearts, candies, and delicate flowers in all shades of pink and red.

Before I begin a cake project, I look for inspiration and sketch a few ideas in my notebook. Here I’ve added several fun and quick Valentine cakes I found on the internet as well as a few favorite cakes I’ve made to give you some inspiration.

This fun strawberries and cream cake from gimmie some oven is completely decorated using conversation hearts. How fun is that? It brings me back to elementary school when I would hand out Valentine cards and conversation hearts to my classmates… good times.

This beautiful rose cake is another gem from gimmie some oven. Ali uses edible rose petals to decorate the cake. I personally wouldn’t use edible rose petals because I wouldn’t eat them, but there is no denying the cake’s beauty.

This Sweetly Pink Star Cake by Wilton uses a 2D tip to cover the cake in tiny stars. Four shades of rose food coloring creates the ombre design.

This Dotty for Mom Cake is also made by Wilton. This cake would be simple and easy to decorate. The dots are actually piped icing and scream time consuming to me. An easier way to recreate the same design would be to use round pink and white candies, such as M&Ms.

The Conversation Cake by The Hudson Cakery is a sweet way to express how you feel when you can’t seem to say the words. I love this idea. Imagine the possibilities.

This was a fun petal effect cake I made a few years ago. The pink ombre and elegant flower makes this a sweet Valentine’s Day cake.

I love to decorate cakes with candy; they’re always a big hit with family and friends. This chocolate cake was one of my favorite cakes because it was quick and easy to decorate and I used my favorite chocolate buttercream.

Kit Kat chocolate bars are probably my favorite candy to use in decorating cakes, especially the white chocolate bars. This was a fun and super easy cake to put together and it turned out beautiful.

I hope you check out these amazing cakes, and gain some inspiration for your own Valentine's Day cake. Next week, I will post two fun Valentine cakes that my twins helped me decorate.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend.

A Black and White Hershey Bar Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 15:33:00 +0000

One of the several perks of living in Hershey, PA is having access to the many different candies and chocolates that The Hershey Company makes. A quick stop at Hershey’s Chocolate World provided the chocolate ingredients needed to make my latest cake.

Without straying too far from my norm (a quick and easy cake), I decorated the cake with a Hershey theme.

I used two 6 packs of regular size Hershey’s Cookies and Cream chocolate bars and 1 bag of kisses. The cake was a 9 inch two-layer buttermilk cake, frosted with vanilla buttercream.

Before coating the cake in buttercream, I snapped the chocolate bars apart so that there were 3 small pieces together and 2 small pieces together.

I frosted the cake with a medium amount of buttercream. Then, before the buttercream had a chance to crust, I pressed the chocolate bars to the side of the cake.

Don’t worry about smoothing the frosting on the side of the cake or crumb coating. You won’t be able to see the frosting underneath the chocolate bars.

I smoothed the top of the cake using a viva paper towel, and placed the kisses in a spiral design. The black ribbon gave the cake an elegant touch.

I love the simplicity and elegance of this cake. My husband took the cake into work to celebrate a coworkers anniversary. There wasn't a single crumb left. That is the definition of a delicious cake.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week.

How To Make A Football Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 21:12:00 +0000

Super Bowl Sunday is quickly approaching, which means it’s time to plan our game day menu. If a cake is on your menu this Sunday, then I have a quick and easy football cake idea for you.

I was planning to make a football themed cake this year, but unfortunately I don’t have the ingredients and with the recent snow storm, I probably won’t make it to the store in time. Instead of a new cake, I’m reposting a favorite from last year’s football season.

This was a quick cake to put together. I used two 10” cakes and carved them into a football shape. Once I was happy with the shape of the cake, I rounded the top cake by carving the edges. I carved a little at a time so that I wouldn’t take too much off. I have a tendency to carve too much.

After I rounded the cake’s top layer, I set it aside and added the buttercream filling. I replaced the top layer on the cake and used the thin cake scraps, from carving, to form a small mound on the cake’s top layer. Don’t worry about getting it perfect. Once you place the fondant on the cake it will look right.

Next I added a crumb coat using buttercream. Once the buttercream had crusted some, I smoothed the creases with a Viva paper towel.

I covered the cake with brown fondant and added white fondant laces. I used a 1” ribbon cutter to cut the big pieces and eyeballed the small pieces. I rubbed a small amount of water on the bottom side of the white fondant and placed them on the cake. The water acts as a glue and keeps the white fondant in place.

If you really want to make a big impression, add green “grass” buttercream using a Wilton tip 233, or similar tip, around your football cake, or completely covering your cake board. You could also cover the cake board with green fondant.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week.

Another Move

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 21:30:00 +0000

The second part of 2014 was an eventful six months. In July, my husband began the long process of interviews that eventually resulted in him accepting a position in Pennsylvania and us moving for the second time in 15 months.

In the past 15 months, we moved from Las Vegas, NV (a place with extreme heat and no humidity), to Austin, TX (a place with high humidity and heat), and then to Hershey, PA (a place with extreme cold, at least to this southern girl).

A lot has happened these last few months. My husband started his new job. We bought a house. My kids turned four and started preschool. We now live near family, near as in across town near. And I’m learning what it is like to live in Pennsylvania, which is completely different from any other place I have lived.

Hershey, and the neighboring towns, is small and quaint and surrounded mostly by farms. Most of the roads are one lane and the speed limits are typically 35 mph. Hershey has Hershey Chocolate World and Hersheypark and the baked oatmeal is outstanding.

Hershey and the surrounding towns have the nicest people I have ever met, for example it is common for cars to come to a dead stop and allow others to make a left turn despite the buildup of traffic. With all its charm, the one thing I seem to not get the hang of is the snow, ice and the complete lack of sunshine.

Snow falling is beautiful and at times magical. It seems to slow time and quiets the noise. But like all things beautiful and magical, it must end and reality steps in. The once beautiful white snow turns into brown slush that gets dirtier as the day progresses. Then overnight the disgusting snow turns into ice.

I’m sure y’all are wondering why I’m hating on snow and ice, but don’t fall for the deceitful beauty. Ice is like a ninja, invisible and deadly. It appears to you as wet asphalt then all of a sudden; you’re sliding, falling, and smashing into things.

Then there is the absent sun. I don’t mind the cold as long as the sun is out, but here in Pennsylvania the sun doesn't shine too often during winter.

When the sun does shine, finally, on a cold Pennsylvania morning, and the land is cast in a golden hue – the dew twinkles on grass blades, shadows dance beneath tall naked trees, kids ride their bikes in the streets, the bright light blinds our eyes, and the sun places warm kisses on our cheeks – there is that uneasy feeling of “it’s too good to be true:” that the sun is teasing us before it retreats back behind the clouds and we’re left in the dreariness of winter.

I miss the sun.

And summer.

But I'm loving Hershey, PA.

The Food You Eat Tells a Tale

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 21:31:00 +0000

There are many sayings about diet and weight. For example:

“You are what you eat.”

“Abs are made in the kitchen.”

“You can’t out exercise a bad diet.”

I could go on, but I think you get my point. Honestly, they are all true. The way you eat, and the food you eat tells a tale. If you eat unhealthy, heavily processed, and sugary foods, your body is going to document the discomfort, excess body fat, and eventual disease that it is feeling.

It will start as a whisper, and continue until it is screaming for change. You might wonder “when did this happen,” but deep down you know it was happening all along.

The opposite happens when you eat healthy, unprocessed, and low sugar foods. Your body hums melodies of health, while your feet skip to the rhythm. You have energy and feel great.
If you don’t like the way you feel and look then change. Your story is not permanent. It’s not your identity. The only way to transform your health is to change your diet.

Going to the gym will improve your narrative, but it will not give you that ultimate ending you desire. Trying the current fast or fad might improve your story for a few chapters, but again, it will not give you what you want.

You must change the way you eat to transform your body, both in health and appearance. You might think eating healthy is hard and boring, but it’s not if you keep it simple and eat unprocessed foods. Meal planning and searching for new recipes will ensure a healthy diet does not become boring.

But let’s say you’re right, eating healthy is boring, what would you rather feel boredom or discomfort? Boredom or excess body fat? Boredom or disease?

For change to last, you need to realize and accept that you got yourself into this situation, and only you can get yourself out of it. You are the problem and the solution to your situation. You are the creator of your story, and only you have the power to change it.

Don’t let success or failure derail you from your health goals. Take it one meal at a time, and keep it simple. Use the grocery list I posted a few months ago to guide you in buying real foods. Plan your meals, so that you have new recipes to try and won’t get bored.

We all have the power to choose our story.

5 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Weight

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 20:01:00 +0000

Losing weight is frustrating, especially if you’re consistent with your workouts and diet. Exercising helps with weight loss, but it comes down to the food you eat.

Many people like the concept calorie in vs. calorie out, but our bodies are not that simple. Processed and low quality foods have chemicals, antibiotics, and heavy metals in them that overtime can damage our body’s cells and hormones without us realizing it.

Here are five reasons why you are not losing weight.

1. You’re eating too many calories.

Many people, myself included, avoid calorie counting. It’s tedious; however, sometimes it’s needed when weight loss stalls.

Determine the amount of calories you need to lose weight then use a food scale and track everything you eat.

2. If you’re eating within your calorie range and not losing weight then consider manipulating the macronutrients.

This might take some experimenting to see what works for your body. I do well eating low carbohydrate, moderate protein, and high fat. If I ate more carbohydrates and fewer fats, I would gain weight and always feel starved.

My husband is the opposite and does well on a higher carbohydrate diet. Manipulate the nutrients, and discover what works for you.

3. You have unrealistic expectations.

Maybe the goal you picked is not right for your body. It’s easy to pick a weight you weighed 20 years ago as a goal, but in reality your body might not be able to get there.

Pick a reasonable goal, then work to achieve it. Once you achieve the goal, decide if you are happy with the results. If you are, pat yourself on the back. If not, set a new goal.

4. You’re not patient enough.

Weight loss is a slow process. Have you given your body enough time to lose weight? It’s best to stick to a new weight loss plan for at least 4-6 weeks before evaluating its effectiveness.

5. You eat low quality foods.

Look at the quality of foods you are eating. Are you eating too many processed foods? Eat real foods and limit or cut out processed foods. Remove the low fats and reduced fats foods, and consider switching from grain fed meats to grass fed meats. Small improvement in food quality makes a big difference to your body.

Weight loss isn’t difficult if you keep it simple and eat real food. Put on your detective hat and experiment with different strategies to determine what works for you.

You might need to increase calories while decreasing carbohydrates. Perhaps you’re eating the wrong types of fats and not enough healthy fats. Keep experimenting until you get it right.

Remember, the best diet for you is the one you can stick to.

Spring Kit Kat Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 19:58:00 +0000

It is hard to believe it has been five months since I last decorated a cake. I used to make a cake every other week.

I miss decorating cakes, so I thought I would make a fun spring cake for my husband to share with his co-workers. And what is more fun than peeps, robin eggs, and Kit Kat bars.

After I filled and frosted a two layer 9 inch cake, I placed Kit Kat bars around the cake and secured them with two thin pink ribbons. This took about 11 packages of Kit Kat bars. This cake is similar to my Valentine’s Day Kit Kat cake.

Next, I piped green tinted buttercream using Wilton tip 233 to make the grass. This part took forever!

Then I decorated the cake with peeps, chocolate robin eggs, and flowers. I made the flowers (half fondant/half gum paste) with a flower cutter and attached a small fondant ball cut in half to the center. I used a small amount of water to attach the center to the flower.

That’s it, a fun spring cake. This cake would also work as an Easter cake.

How to Improve Your Gut Health

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 20:46:00 +0000

A gut with bad bacteria, or a small amount of bacteria, can create a list of problems. Studies show an unhealthy gut leads to conditions and diseases such as impaired immunity, obesity, diabetes, autism, cancer, depression, and several autoimmune diseases.

A healthy gut with good bacteria promotes health by increasing immunity, regulating metabolism, and improving digestive functions.

What causes gut flora to turn bad or disappear?

· Antibiotics, steroids, and NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs)
· Diet high in grains, sugar, trans fats, and processed foods
· Diet low in fermented foods such as plain yogurt
· Chronic infections and inflammation, which usually means more antibiotics

How can we kick the bad bacteria out of our gut and repopulate it with good bacteria?

· Limit the use of antibiotics.
· Take a daily probiotic.
· Eat fermented foods such as plain yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, and kefir.
· Reduce the amount of grains, sugar, and processed foods in the diet.
· Increase the amount of prebiotic foods (Jerusalem artichoke, garlic, onions, banana) in the diet.

I have chronic sinus infections, and my main symptom, sometimes only symptom, is a toothache. The intense pain covers the right side of my face and down my neck.

Unfortunately, I’m constantly at the doctor’s office for antibiotics. When I’m taking antibiotics, I eat two heaping tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt a day.

I take it like medicine. I do this to ensure my gut doesn’t go a day with a limited supply of healthy bacteria.

If you do not like fermented foods, I recommend eating plain yogurt similar to how you would take medicine.

A Short Marathon Recap and a Home Workout

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 21:11:00 +0000

Austin Marathon Recap

I ran the Austin Marathon on February 16. I want to say it sucked, bad, but the more time that passes, the more I realize it was what it was… a long tough run.

I had an amazing experience running the St. George Marathon that I expected a similar experience at the Austin Marathon. It wasn’t. It was the exact opposite.

The half marathon runners started the race with us, and that made it hard to settle into a pace. I spent my energy weaving in and out of runners for an hour and a half. Exhaustion slammed into me once the half marathon runners split from us, and exhaustion at mile 11 is not fun.

It also didn’t help that I was burping GU, and water was sloshing in my stomach. It was disgustingly humid, and hills were scattered throughout the course. The humidity caused an insatiable thirst, and my sodden clothes clung to my body.

After mile 17, I stopped choking down GU, and decided to forgo any additional fuel. I wonder if I could have run faster or pushed myself more, but honestly in the moment I couldn’t give anymore.

Even though I wrestle with the idea of registering for a redemption race, I think it is time I give up running marathons, at least for now.

Now I’m going to:

Enjoy running instead of dreading it.

Build back the muscle I lost during marathon training.

Engage in workouts that don’t take hours to complete.

Allow my knee to heal from an overuse injury.

Worry less about getting enough fuel and water to sustain my runs.

Home Workout

I began building back muscle with this home HIIT workout. Enjoy.

4 Steps To Finding The Diet That Is Right For You

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 21:46:00 +0000

Finding the right way to eat for your body is tricky. With so many diet books on the market, it can get confusing and frustrating. There is no one diet that works for everyone.

There is only one right way to eat for your body, and that comes down to what you can sustain for the long run and what fits your lifestyle.

It is up to you to figure out what works for you. These four steps will help you discover the best way to eat for your body.

1. What are your goals? What is it that you want to achieve? Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to gain muscle? Do you want to do both? It’s important to define your goals because it makes a difference in how you plan your diet.

If losing weight is the goal, a lower carbohydrate diet might work best. If putting on muscle is the goal, a nutrient timed higher carbohydrate diet might work. And if losing fat and building muscle is the goal, a carbohydrate cycled diet might be best.

Of course, the base of your diet should be real, unprocessed foods with a balance of healthy fats, carbohydrates, and protein (macronutrients), but how you manipulate those nutrients will make a difference in the outcome.

2. Experiment. Figure out what works for your body by experimenting with different nutrition plans. Every body is different. Our hormones react differently, the amount of muscle mass we have is different, and our environment is different.

Perhaps you don’t do well on a lower carbohydrate diet, but would benefit from carbohydrate cycling. The only way to know if a specific plan works for your body and lifestyle is to experiment with it.

3. Stick with the plan. Stick with the diet for at least 4-6 weeks. It will take that long for your body to start showing changes, and for you to determine if the plan is working. After that time, tweak the macronutrients if needed.

This could be in the form of eating more carbohydrates and less fat or eating fewer carbohydrates, more protein and fat. Then stick with it for another 4-6 weeks.

If the diet is hard or unsustainable, then you need to plan a diet that works with your lifestyle.

4. Measure your progress. Now that you have identified a goal and established a plan, experiment with the diet and record your progress. This will provide motivation and help you see the overall picture.

Finding the best way to eat for your body takes time. It’s easy to get frustrated with the process and want to quit, but stay with it, and don’t give up. It’s liberating to know what works for your body and what doesn’t work.

What do you find most difficult when it comes to planning a diet? Do these steps seem doable? Is there a step you would add to this list?

Valentine’s Day Heart Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 21:45:00 +0000

I love looking at elaborate and beautiful cake and cupcake designs. I consider it art. They’re even fun to make, at least until the stress hits you. Because honestly, it takes a lot of time and attention to detail to turn out those cakes.

Now that my kids are older, I realized I don’t have time to make intricate cakes and cupcakes. I prefer to go the quick and easy route, and try to complete my baking and decorating within an hour and a half. I like to save the detailed cakes for special occasions, such as my kids birthday.

Today’s cupcake tutorial is just that, quick and easy.

I used an offset spatula to frost the cooled cupcakes. If you don’t have one, use whatever you have like a butter knife. The frosting doesn’t need to be perfect.

I took a piece of paper, folded it in half, and cut a small heart along the fold. Then I placed the paper lightly on top of the cupcake with the heart in the center of the cupcake.

I sprinkled sanding sugar on the exposed frosting, and then carefully removed the paper.

I repeated the steps for the remaining cupcakes. I love how simple it was to decorate these cupcakes. This is also a cute design for a cake.

The cupcakes and frosting I used are both gluten free and low carb. And the best part, they actually taste good. Of course, the sanding sugar is not low sugar. I didn’t mind that small amount of sugar.

It has taken me almost two months to come up with a recipe that didn’t result in a dry and bland cake. I will share the recipe and another cake design soon.

If you’re looking for other Valentine’s Day cake ideas, here are links to my Valentine’s Day Kit Kat Cake, my Chocolate Valentine’s Day Cake, and my Pink Ombre Petal Effect Cake. All three cakes are quick and easy to decorate.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Goals and a Home Workout

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 21:09:00 +0000

For the past 16 weeks, I have been training to run the Austin Marathon. The race is next Sunday, and now I’m wondering what should be my next goal.

I definitely want to start building back the muscle I lost during this training period. I thought about going hard on a 30 day HIIT challenge, or starting an 8-12 week weight training plan, similar to this one, with minimal cardio and more sprints. Hmmm, what to do?

My husband thinks I should start slow, but I don’t really do slow. I’m more of a jump in the deep end kind of gal. Whatever I decide, I’m happy for the change and a new challenge.

Home Workout

Today’s home workout was a struggle for me especially the wall sits. They killed my legs, but I loved how they worked my abs.

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes while maintaining proper form. Record your results in your workout notebook.

Burpee Walking Push Ups

Jump back into a plank, perform a push up, step you right hand and foot to the right, bring your left hand and foot toward the right, perform a push up, jump your feet toward your hands, then jump straight up. That is one burpee walking push up. Repeat the exercise, but step toward the left.

Enjoy.

4 Tips to Staying Motivated on a Weight Loss Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 21:21:00 +0000

Staying motivated on a weight loss plan is difficult especially when the numbers on the scale aren’t budging. Weight loss takes time, sometimes a long time, and most people want the weight off yesterday. I get it; trust me, most everything I want, I wanted yesterday.

Before you give up, and give in to unhealthy foods, look at these tips for staying motivated on your plan.

1. Focus on how you feel. Now that you are eating healthier and exercising, how do you feel? Do you have more energy? Do you sleep better? Health improvement is a great motivation to keep going forward even if the scaling is moving at glacial speed. Perhaps your weight isn’t melting as fast as you would like, but how are you blood markers and blood sugar?

2. Don’t solely rely on the scale. Use other methods to determine fat loss, such as a measuring tape. You can also measure your weight loss on how your clothes fit or by fitting into a smaller pair of jeans you’ve wanted to wear. Take a before photo and every few weeks take another photo to see your progress.

3. Understand weight loss is a slow process. Losing weight takes time, and it takes more effort than it did to put on the weight. Don’t give up if you haven’t seen a change in your weight or have gained a few pounds, understand that it is normal to see fluctuations in weight due to water retention. If you’re working out, it is possible that you’re gaining muscle mass, while losing body fat. This is why it is a good idea to use other tools, in addition to the scale, to measure weight loss.

4. Develop a system to track your weight loss. When I was losing my pregnancy weight, I would write my weekly weight and the date on an index card, so that over time I could see how much I had lost. I kept the card visible as a motivator to workout and stay on course. You could also plot your weight or inches loss on a line graph.

Celebrate the small victories and pat yourself on the back for any amount of weight loss. Weight loss is gradual, and oftentimes frustrating, but don’t lose sight of the big picture. Stay on course, make small tweaks when needed, and you’ll meet your goal.

How do you stay motivated on a weight loss plan? Besides the scale, how do you measure your progress?

Banana Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 22:57:00 +0000

Last Friday, I was standing at my refrigerator trying to decide what to make with chia seeds and flaxseeds.

After some consideration, and a handful of dark chocolate chips later, I decided to make chia seed pudding using my favorite protein shake.

The pudding turned out delicious. It has a light banana coconut flavor, and the texture is similar to tapioca pudding. My kids and husband were fans.

I’ve been making a large batch and eating it for dessert (add strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream) and as part of my breakfast.

Chia seeds have a huge nutritional profile for a small amount. They are high in omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, protein, and so much more.

Banana Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

Ingredients
1 banana
1 ¼ scoop vanilla protein powder
2 ½ cup Almond Breeze Almond/Coconut Milk (you can use any milk, but this gives it a light coconut flavor)
¼ cup of water
2 handfuls of ice
8 tablespoons chia seeds

Directions
Blend the banana, protein powder, milk, water, and ice until smooth. This makes about 4 cups.

Put 4 tablespoons of chia seeds in a storage bowl, and the other 4 tablespoons in another bowl. Pour 2 cups of the banana protein mixture into each bowl, and stir the seeds with a fork. Place the bowls into the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, stir the pudding to remove the seeds from settling at the bottom. Try to stir the clumps out. Place the bowls in the refrigerator for another 10 minutes then stir the pudding again. Cover the containers, and let the pudding sit in the refrigerator at least 8 hours to overnight for the best results. Serves 4.

4 Steps To Healthy Meal Planning

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 05:36:00 +0000

I love the quote by Benjamin Franklin, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” To be successful with healthy eating, you must take the time to plan.

Planning your meals will make it easier to stay consistent with your diet especially when life gets tough.

And consistency is the key to success.

Follow these steps once and you won’t need to put too much effort into planning your meals:

1. Write a master list of 14-21 healthy and balanced meals (including healthy fats, carbohydrates, and proteins) that you can rotate weekly. Include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in your master meal list.

Look online for ideas and recipes. A few places I search for recipes are: Pinterest; Skinnytaste; Peace, Love, and Low Carb; and All Day I Dream About Food.

Write or print the recipes and organize them in a binder or in Evernote. I’m sure there are other programs you can use, I use Evernote, and it works great for me.

Once a week, search for new recipes to add to your master meal list. This will add variety to your meals, and introduce you to new ingredients.

2. Plan your meals for the week. Look at the healthy meals list you created, and choose the meals you plan to make. If you don’t have time to cook meals during the week, then schedule one day a week to prep your snacks and meals.

For example, if you have an afternoon free on Sunday, wash and chop the produce you are planning to eat and cook in the upcoming week. Cook the meats and meals, and store them in the refrigerator or freezer.

Make a batch of protein pancakes and a frittata, and alternate eating those for breakfast throughout the week. This will make meals easier to grab and go, and give you extra time in the mornings and evenings.

I buy frozen chopped onions and green peppers for its convenience. It is more expensive than fresh, but it saves time when I make my meals. I also buy frozen cauliflower when I want to make “rice” or “pizza crust.”

3. Write a master grocery list of foods that are healthy and that you enjoy eating. Every time you write your grocery list use the master grocery list and your planned meal list as a guide. You can take it a step further and write a list of foods you want to try and add one new item to your grocery list when you shop.

4. Write a plan for when you need to eat out whether it is unexpectedly, such as forgetting your lunch or a last minute business meeting, or for social situations. Include a list of different cuisines or restaurants and the foods you can eat from those establishments.

For example, if you go to an Italian restaurant, what are some meals you can eat? Also, plan for happy hour, what drinks fit into your healthy eating lifestyle?

The planning might seem excessive, but once it’s done it’s easy to maintain and refer to when life gets crazy. And let’s face it, we all have those days when it would be easier to stop by a fast food drive-thru on our way home from work.

If we have our meals planned for the week, and better yet already prepped, then it should take little time to prepare a healthy meal.

Do you have a similar strategy for planning your meals? Is there anything you would add to my list to make meal planning better?

Home Workout: A Beginner Bodyweight Workout

noreply@blogger.com (Shauna) — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 22:59:00 +0000

I’m a huge fan of HIIT workouts. They’re quick, efficient, and burn calories while building muscle. HIIT is also more effective at burning calories than steady state cardio for the amount of time it takes.

These workouts can be completed anywhere, such as a gym, at home, the park, a restaurant’s bathroom, wherever. Equipment is not necessary to perform the exercises, but if you want to use some you don’t need much. My fitness gear, not including my running gear, consist of an interval timer, sandbag, kettlebell, ab wheel, dip machine, and a Bosu ball.

I started HIIT workouts after the birth of my children as a way to lose weight. I went in full force with rock solid determination.

My husband took a smarter approach. He started out slow and focused on improving his form. He picked one workout he could do a few times a week for ten minutes that worked each major muscle group.
Each week, he would add two minutes until he was able to complete the workout for 20 minutes. By that time, he was in great shape and was confident he could handle more challenging workouts.

Beginner Bodyweight Workout

This workout is a basic HIIT bodyweight workout. It has three levels (B1, B2, and B3) that increase in reps and time. Start with workout B1, and complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes with minimal rest.

Once that is no longer a challenge, increase the time to 15 minutes. When that becomes easy, increase the time to 20 minutes. Do the same for workouts B2 and B3.

Before beginning the workout, spend a few minutes warming up and elevating your heart rate. You can do jumping jacks, run in place, jump up and down, arm circles, etc. Warming your muscles reduces the risk of injury and allows you to perform the exercises better.

For the push ups, start on your knees if needed. Once that is no longer a challenge, do them with your legs extended and on your feet. Complete as many on your feet as you can, and the rest on your knees if needed.

For the squats, keep your back straight, feet shoulder width apart, and squat as if you were going to sit back into a chair, then stand straight up. Hold onto a counter or table if you need to support your balance.

After the workout, remember to log the results in your workout notebook and stretch your muscles.

Exercise will only get you so far, and not far at all if you are not eating right. Remember to eat real foods, and balance your meals with healthy fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

What do you think of the workout? Was it too easy or too hard?

If this workout didn’t do it for you, check out my other workouts.