The holidays are a joyous and festive time of year, but you may feel anxious about how to handle the bombardment of sweets and acidifying foods. There’s no denying that typical holiday treats are low in nutritional value and high in bone-destroying sugar.
Today’s delicious recipes will help you stick to your bone-healthy food goals while still enjoying sweet, satisfying treats. And an added bonus is that all three are gluten-free and suitable for breakfast, dessert, or snacks.
They’re perfect for the holiday season, when you might have overnight guests, meals with family and friends, or just for you! Regardless, these delicious, decadent-tasting foods will help keep you off the “naughty” list!
Whirled Holiday Muffins
pH-Balanced
Makes 12 muffins
These muffins are chock-full of holiday spices and decadent dark chocolate chips. Plus you make them right in your blender!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup puréed pumpkin
- ⅓ cup raw honey
- 2 large eggs
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch of ground cloves
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners, or oil cups with coconut oil.
- Place rolled oats in a blender. Add the pumpkin, honey, eggs, almond milk, coconut oil, almond butter, and vanilla extract. Whirl until smooth.
- Pour pumpkin and oat mixture into a large bowl. Use a spoon to fold in the remaining ingredients.
- Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each cup about ¾ full. Bake at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown.
- Cool muffins on a wire rack at least 10 minutes before removing them from the pan.
Frosted Lemon Blackberry Cake
pH-Balanced
4 Servings
The pairing of lemon and blackberries makes a delightful, sweet-tart combination. It’s like sunshine for your mouth! What better way to warm up a chilly, dark winter morning?
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats
- ½ cup raw honey
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup plain yogurt, thinned with almond milk to make 1 cup
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, melted
- ¾ cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
“Cream Cheese” Frosting:
- 2 scoops (4 tablespoons, or ¼ cup) vanilla whey protein powder
- ½ cup yogurt “cream cheese” (click link for directions on how to make it) or Greek yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon stevia powder (adjust to taste)
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Unsweetened almond milk for consistency
Directions:
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a bread loaf pan or 8” x 8” baking dish with coconut oil.
- Place the rolled oats in the blender and whirl until a flour forms.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients; stir well.
- Place the almond butter in a double boiler and heat gently until it’s melted and somewhat runny.
- In a small bowl, place the blackberries and pour the lemon juice over them. Stir gently to combine and set aside.
- In another small bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the thinned yogurt and vanilla.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients; add the melted almond butter. Stir well to combine the ingredients thoroughly. Fold in the blackberries mixed with the lemon juice.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan or baking dish and bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake on a wire rack until cake reaches room temperature. Refrigerate for about an hour before frosting for the best results.
For the frosting:
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients except the almond milk. If consistency is too thick to spread, add almond milk a teaspoon at a time to reach spreadable consistency.
No-Bake Sunshine Breakfast Cakes With Creamy Almond Glaze
pH-Balanced
6 Servings
Enjoy these chewy, golden-yellow “brownies” with sliced strawberries, raspberries, or your favorite alkalizing fruit on the side.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- 2 scoops (¼ cup) vanilla whey protein powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup almond butter
- ½ cup raw honey
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk (optional for consistency)
- Stevia powder to taste (optional)
- Pinch of sea salt
For the glaze:
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup raw, whole almonds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 whole dates, pitted
Directions:
For the cakes:
- Line a 9” x 9” baking dish with parchment paper (bottom only).
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, whey protein, and stevia (if using).
- In a double boiler over low heat, melt the almond butter and honey; whisk in the vanilla.
- Pour almond butter mixture over dry ingredients and mix well. Add the tablespoon of almond milk if necessary to make batter cohesive. It should be fairly thick.
- Press batter into the baking dish and refrigerate for about 15 minutes, pour on glaze, and return to the refrigerator for about half an hour before cutting into squares and serving. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the unfrosted cake for 30 minutes or longer, and pour glaze over each cake after cutting.
For the glaze:
- Place almonds, dates, and vanilla in a blender along with ½ cup of the almond milk. Whirl until smooth and creamy, adding the rest of the almond milk as necessary to reach the desired consistency.
- Pour glaze over the whole pan and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before cutting, or pour glaze over each individual cake.
Celebrate The Holidays And Healthy Bones With Delicious Recipes
I’m quite sure you’ll enjoy these festive, nutritious alternatives to the season’s nutrient-starved, sugar-stuffed fare. And with these recipes and others, like the ones in Bone Appétit, you never have to feel deprived during the holidays (or any other time!).
You see, Bone Appétit is based on the Osteoporosis Reversal Program’s clinical nutrition plan, which offers a wide array of bone-healthy choices. It’s not an issue of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods, but rather, it’s about balance, both in nutrition and in life… and part of that balance is enjoying and sharing bone-healthy foods with friends and loved ones.
So relax, enjoy the holidays, and cook up some delicious, bone-building dishes, including more than 20 scrumptious pH-balanced dessert recipes, with Bone Appétit!
Eat Your Way to Stronger Bones!
Discover over 200 mouth-watering bone healthy recipes for breakfast, smoothies, appetizers, soups, salads, vegetarian dishes, fish, and plenty of main courses and even desserts!
Till next time,
You May Also Like These Related Articles:
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Just Published Review Confirms That A Ph-Balanced Diet Benefits More Than Just Your BonesComments on this article are closed.
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hi vivian i just want to wish you a very merry CHRISTMAS and ahappy new year and to thank you for all your help in saving my bones thank you bea
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Merry Christmas to you, too, Bea! And you are very welcome.
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Thank you so much Vivian – I also like to experiment with all types of recipes – I change them to make them healthier!
How about a healthy cheese cake recipe – love it, but dont make it anymore, because of all the cheese that goes into it – however, you could use greek yogurt for the cheese, & maybe sour cream instead of cream – it is worth a try sometime!
A good holiday Vivian, to you & family from South Africa!-
I love your creativity, Joy! Experimenting with foods and changing recipes to make them bone-healthy is such an important (and fun!) aspect of building bone through nutrition. Keep it up, and thanks for sharing your ideas!
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I am just wondering: how bad is gluten for our bones? I get hungry just reading your recipes… Thank you Vivian. Happy & Healthy New Year to you & yours!!! Nicole
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Hi Nicole,
We like to offer wheat-free recipes because wheat is acidifying, and alternatives to wheat flour are helpful not only for those with gluten sensitivity, but also for Savers looking for alkalizing recipes for baked goods. 🙂
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Hello Vivian, I really love your cook book. I ordered it almost immediately after I got today’s email… couldn’t resist these delicious options that are good for bones. Thanks and God bless you!
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I know what you mean, Laurle – some of the recipes are really irresistible! I am so glad they work for you, and I hope you’ll find some true favorites for all year round.
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Great recipes, Vivian! I can’t wait to bake the muffins. I will use raisins instead of chocolate chips because my husband is allergic to chocolate.
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Good idea, Claudia! Raisins will pair nicely with the spices in the muffins.
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Would the lemon cake be good with raspberries instead of blackberries? I bought some yesterday and would like to bake the cake this week for my daughter whose visiting for Christmas from Ohio. Let me know please.
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I think raspberries would be delicious, Carole. Lemon goes well with most berries, and raspberries have a nice texture for a cake.
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I think its amazing that Vivian constantly shares her information and recipes free of charge. So many emails
are pushing their so called products and entice us to watch endless videos promising a great “breakthrough” if we watch to the end..and then conned into purchasing
their pricey products..I appreciate Vivians low key approach which educates and is always full of useful and healthy information. She invites us to buy her programs if we a) need it and b) can afford. Thank you Vivian!-
Thank you, Shella. Enjoy the e-mails, and feel free to share them!
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Vivian, thanks so much for these super-yummy recipes! I didn’t know what to do with leftover frozen pumpkin puree (still from Thanksgiving!). Today I made the muffins, and theyre absolutely delicious. I’ll make them again for Christmas because they’re going fast, with my grandkids visiting. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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How timely, Emma! And you’re welcome. 🙂
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All these “healthy” recipes may Ben good…they unfortunately do not take into account that some of us can’t stand certain things…or may have food allergies. I for one HATE vanilla and am allergic to nuts. So what’s in this? Vanilla almond milk…it would be wonderful if perhaps substitutions were available.
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So you omit the nuts and the vanilla extract. Very simple.
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Hi Jackie,
There are lots of substitutions for vanilla and almond milk; you can use whatever flavoring you like or simply leave the vanilla out. And coconut milk might be an option for you, as most people with nut allergies can tolerate coconut (coconuts are not, botanically, a nut).
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I wanted to wish you a wonderful holiday time with your love ones and thank you for all these ideas about how to eat healthy during Christmas and New year parties and to save my bones with this program.
Merry Christmas with love from Las Vegas.