Daniel Fast - Week One

I'm fasting. 

Not just any fast but a spiritual fast too. 

I'm participating in a Daniel Fast with my church for the next 21 days and it's been quite an experience. I'm on day 6 right now so I chose to use this blog to go over some of my struggles, Daniel Fast recipes and thoughts with where I'm at.

The Daniel Fast is pretty simple. We're allowed to eat all fruits, vegetables, whole grains (whole wheat pasta, quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat bread and tortillas) legumes and nuts. We can only drink water throughout the entire fast so that means absolutely no coffee. (Struggle #1) 

I'm also participating in a separate fast my Pastor suggested in addition to this. 

Week one- No Media (TV, news, radio, I'm still using the internet but I stay away from my google reader and the news)

Week two - Say three positive things to the people you know. No negative words. 

Week three - Do random acts of kindness.

First of all, it doesn't help that my past posts are about rich cupcakes and tasty cakes either. I have a major sweet tooth and I'd give up meat before giving up my beloved cookies and cakes. Plus baking relaxes me. (Struggle #2)

So here we go. 

Day one was definitely the hardest day for me, which I kind of expected. I'm used to waking up and turning on the news while I'm getting ready for work. The funny thing is I'm getting out the door earlier than I've ever been. I don't know if it's because I'm being less distracted but it feels good to be on time for once. 

I usually look forward coming in to work because I can sit down and drink my first cup of coffee. You see, coffee is my weakness. My last meal on this earth would probably be a good quality chocolate cake, fudge and a cup of french roast coffee. So not having to drink coffee was something I wasn't looking forward to. I sat at my desk with a banana and a cup of water feeling unsatisfied and irritated. On top of that, I got the biggest headache in the middle of day. One of my co-workers stopped by my desk and told me "I looked lost." The food wasn't too much of an issue but the lack of caffeine was kicking my butt. 

Day two arrived and I felt better. I noticed I was much more relaxed and my usual feeling of anxiousness disappeared. I began to question whether coffee was the culprit for my anxiety and restlessness issues all along but it was too early to tell. 

Day three. Yup, coffee was the problem. I'm full of energy (yet still fatigued) and I feel good. The last time I gave up coffee was when I was pregnant with my daughter. Pregnancy alone messed with my hormones so I didn't get to notice my burst of energy.

Before I go on, I know I'm spending a lot of time explaining my coffee (or lack of) experience but it's so much more than that. The Daniel Fast is a great way to feel closer to the Lord and I've been feeling a big difference in my faith. I've spent more time reading the word and devotionals on how to become a better parent and a wife. I already feel a difference on how I treat my daughter and my husband. Instead of walking through the door feeling irritated about a messy house, I set my purse down and spend time with my family. Cooking and cleaning can wait.  

When I feel stressed about a situation or when I'm having difficulty with the fast, I pray. I pray for strength and the extra push to get me through whatever I need to get through. 

The amazing part of it all is that I'm only on Day 6! Imagine what I'll be feeling in a couple of weeks. I'm not saying that it'll be an easy journey but I know I'll be stronger and wiser once I'm done. 

Just like my pastor said, "If you want to change something in your life, do something about it." 

And in case you were wondering, I haven't lost a pound either. Just the feeling of putting natural foods in my system makes me feel healthier. I remember thinking this fast would help me lose some of the weight gain from the holidays but so far it hasn't and I'm ok with that. 

Almond Bread and Cupcakes

The past couple of weeks have been jammed packed and eventful in our household. I mentioned earlier that I was in charge of baking cupcakes for my cousin's birthday on Thanksgiving and came up with flavors the day before. 

Yup, procrastinator at it's finest. 

But before I go into this any further, we spent Thanksgiving week at Disneyland with my husband's side of the family. For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to visit the magical kingdom during the holidays, you are totally missing out. 

I was seriously like a little kid in a candy store. 

And to top it off, it snowed on Main Street too! I cried and ate snow. The end. 

So here's a couple of pictures from our vacation. 

I think I lost five pounds from laughing and immediately gained it back eating cream cheese pretzels. Nothing beats Disneyland. 

Anyway, back to my beloved cupcakes. So I decided to embrace my Filipina roots and made Ube Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. (Ube is a purple yam that is widely popular in Filipino desserts) 

I found the recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Burnt Lumpia, and was more than pleased with the outcome. *FYI, his Chicken Adobo recipe is to die for too. 

As for my second cupcake, I decided to make Black Bottom Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. If you love the taste of dark and sinful chocolate, this is definitely your cupcake. 

After eating bad and unhealthy food during my trip, I was craving something "healthier" to bake this past weekend. My manager recommended an Almond bread that she got to try from her  Cooking Light magazine. I'm a chocoholic so I was a bit hesitant at first but ended up trying it anyway. Needless to say, the bread was made at 9 p.m. Friday night and gone by 7:30 the next morning. My four year old  loved it and called it a cake for breakfast. 

So here's the recipe. The reason why I call this bread "healthier" is because it only calls for two tablespoons of butter. It has the consistency of a pound cake and we all know how much butter is in those things. 

I'll be freezing about 10 loaves just in case there's a bread emergency at my house. (Yes, there is such a thing Ü)

UbeCupcakes

Adaptedfrom Burnt Lumpia

Makes about 2 dozen

1 cup grated ube yam (can be found frozen in Asian markets)

2/3 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 Tablespoons butter (1.5 sticks), softened

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

4 Tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain and thaw the ube yam. On some foil, place ube in a steamerbasket and steam for 15-20 mins until it’s soft.

Place the ube into a small bowl and mash.  Let it get to room temp. Add the milk andvanilla to ube. Mix it well and set aside.

With a paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butterand sugar together on medium speed until combined.

Add eggs one at a time and blend after each addition.

Add oil and mix.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in aseparate bowl.

Little by little, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture andmix on low speed until combined.

Add a small amount of the ube mixture to the egg mixture andcontinue to alternate between the flour and ube until combined.

Place paper baking cups into muffin pans and spoon batter intocups until 2/3 full.

Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.

Frost cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. *Recipe below*

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Adapted from annies-eats

For the filling:

8 oz. creamcheese, at room temperature

1/3 c.granulated sugar

1 large egg,at room temperature

2  oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the cupcake:

1 ½ cupsall-purpose flour

1 c. firmlypacked light brown sugar

5 tbsp.unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp.baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 c. water

1/3 c.vegetable oil

1 tbsp.cider vinegar

1 tsp. vanillaextract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Linethe cupcake pan with liners.

Filling - In a stand mixer, beat creamcheese, sugar and egg until combined. 

Mix in the coarsely chopped chocolatepieces. Set aside.

Cupcakes – Sift flour, cocoa powder, brownsugar, salt and baking soda.

In another bowl, mix the water, oil,vinegar and vanilla extract.

Form a well in the center of the flourmixture and stir in the wet ingredients until smooth. Do not over-mix.

Divide the batter among the muffincups. Fill the center of each cupcake with filling evenly.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the topsare light golden brown.

I personally like this type of cupcakerefrigerated and unfrosted but I chose to put a cream 

cheese frosting on top toeven out the bitterness of the chocolate. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from allrecipes

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups siftedconfectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanillaextract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter untilcreamy.

Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners'sugar.

Store in the refrigerator after use.

Almond Bread

Adapted from Cooking Light

• 6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 (7-ounce) package almond paste
• 2 large eggs 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon 2% reduced-fat milk, divided
• Baking spray with flour (such as Baker's Joy)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• Dash of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spoon the flour into  measuring cups and make sure to level with a knife. 
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until well combined.
4. Place granulated sugar and the next 3 ingredients (stopping right before almond paste) in a large bowl.
5. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for three minutes until well combined. 
6. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. 
7. Mixing at low speed, add the flour mixture and 1/2 cup milk alternately to butter mixture. Beat just until mixed.
8. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with baking spray and sprinkle with sliced almonds. 
9. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes. Use a toothpick to check if it's done. 
10. For ten minutes, cool in pan on a wire rack. Remove the bread from pan; cool on wire rack.
11. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk with a dash of salt.
12. Whisk until smooth then drizzle the glaze on top of the bread. Let stand until set.

Happy Baking!

♥,

Anna