This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nature Nate’s 100% Pure, Raw & Unfiltered Honey. All opinions are 100% mine.
Ever since becoming a mother a little over four years ago, I’ve encountered and experienced so many moments that I want to lock in my memory bank. There have been big moments and small moments, but some of my favorites are the everyday moments. From the hugs and kisses to the funny things my kids do and say, motherhood has me laughing, smiling, crying, and trying to squeeze in endless amounts of love, patience, understanding.
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, my husband asked, “What do you want to do to celebrate Mother’s Day?” I want to spend Mother’s Day with the people who made me a mom. Of course, since I live with a bunch of sweet-lovers, I can’t help but think about what we should enjoy for dessert. I’m usually one to watch what I eat, but over the past four months, I’ve been extremely cautious of my food intake since I started a health and wellness journey.
I’m also really aware of what my children eat. I try to make sure they enjoy a balanced diet. But, yes, I am a mom who serves her children sweet treats. When I was pregnant with my son, I craved chocolate all the time (and this is coming from a previous non-chocolate lover). So, of course he still loves a sweet treat (as do I). One way that I’ve found to be a bit smarter when it comes to my family’s sugar intake is to swap out honey for processed sugar when baking. Honey can easily be substituted for processed sugar in many recipes, and Nature Nate’s 100% Pure, Raw & Unfiltered Honey is my go-to.
Another added benefit of baking your own treats is that you can control what goes into them. Some honeys contain high fructose corn syrup, fillers, and even pesticides. Nature Nate’s does not include any unnecessary ingredients—it’s just pure honey—and unlike processed sugar, it contains loads of vitamins and antioxidants.
When it comes to spending time with my son, one of our favorite activities to do together is bake. He grabs his stool and takes over the pouring and stirring. I think baking with children is incredibly important because it teaches them so many life skills. From math to patience, there are so many elements that go into baking and my son acts like a sponge in the kitchen while he soaks in all of the information. When we’re baking together, I explain what we need to do in order to accomplish the end result. I also take that time to educate him on food choices. And, yes, things to tend to get a bit messy but it’s all in good fun.
After giving it some thought, I decided on baking carrot cake cupcakes with him. There’s nothing like carrot cake during springtime. Plus, I had carrots on the mind since he recently received a yellow stuffed animal bunny covered in a carrot pattern. He and his bunny are the best of pals. Years ago, before becoming a mom, I never thought someday I would have to not only tuck in my son but also tuck in his bunny and give them both a kiss goodnight. Motherhood is full of so many surprises.
After having the stuffed animal bunny for a day, my husband and I asked our son, “So, what’s his name?” Our son took one long, hard look at his new best pal and said, “Carrots!” My husband and I looked at each other, shared a laugh with our son, and told our son that it was the perfect name. We loved it! The two have become inseparable and it’s just the cutest thing.
As we were preparing our treat, carrot cake cupcakes, I decided to grab honey as an alternative to add into the cream cheese frosting. I always have a bottle of Nature’s Nate’s honey in our pantry since it’s a convenient option to swap for processed sugar. Honey is actually sweeter than processed sugar, which means you can use less honey than you would sugar to get the same desired level of sweetness.
Thanks to the sweetness of honey, you can use it in so many ways. Add it to baked treats, beverages, salad dressings, jams, marinades, and sauces. You can swap out honey for other refined sugars in any recipe.
If you’re putting together your grocery shopping list, then be sure to find Nature Nate’s honey and make this simple carrot-filled recipe.
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons (preferably Nature Nate’s Honey)
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Fill muffin tin with muffin liners.
- Grab a medium bowl and whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Grab a large bowl and whisk together the sugars, eggs, and oil.
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture.
- Fold in the carrots, raisins, and walnuts.
- Use an ice cream scooper to scoop the batter into the muffin cups.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to allow the cupcakes to cool.
- Make the frosting by beating together the cream cheese and sour cream. Add the sugar and honey and beat until smooth. Chill until ready to use.
- Top the completely cooled cupcakes with the frosting.
What’s your favorite Mother’s Day treat?
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