Apple Upside-Down Cake Recipe (Egg Free)

Can you believe the fall season is already here? Where has the summer gone? Time flies so fast around here it's crazy!

We've got so many wonderful things to look forward to this fall I can barely wait for it all. Jumping in gigantic piles of fallen leaves with the kids, decorating pumpkins, layering clothes and of course, visits at the local orchard.

For the past couple of years, at around this time, one of our emerging family traditions is to have a day at the farm, pick apples, eat some freshly picked corn on the cob, and then return home for some canning and baking. It's a lovely day filled with tractor rides, muddy feet and barn animals. Sometimes, the kids even get a pony ride.

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We always come home with a ton of apples and we'll spend the afternoon preparing lots of apple goodies together; apple pies, apple crumbles, apple sauce, and just enjoying apples raw.

I've already shared my go-to apple pie recipe with you and today, I'm going to share our apple upside-down cake recipe, and this one is egg free for those of you with an egg allergy. All you need is my egg free white cake recipe, some apples and spices, and you're ready to go!

What kind of fall activities are you looking forward to this year?

Ingredients

6 apples
1 tbsp of cinnamon
1 tbsp of brown sugar
Vanilla cake recipe (no eggs)

Steps

1. Line a pot with a baking sheet so that your apples don't stick to the bottom of the container.
2. Peal & cut your apples in slices, and put them at the bottom of your pot.
3. Sprinkle the apples with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
4. Prepare the eggless white cake batter and pour over the apples.
5. Bake at 350 degrees Celsius for about 50 minutes.
6. Flip the cake over a plate, remove baking sheet and enjoy! 

Why I Chose a Natural, Unmedicated Childbirth

When I learned I was pregnant with my first child, I was overcome by a rush of mixed emotions; I was overjoyed and excited, but I was also scared and worried. I was anxious to meet my very first child, but I was also worried about all the implications and responsibilities. Would the pregnancy go well? Would my child be healthy? Would I be a good mom? And of course, the unavoidable "oh my god, I'm actually going to have to give birth!" - That in itself is a scary thought.

I've always been petrified of giving birth. Like, nightmare city. Why wouldn't I be? We keep hearing horror stories about it our whole life and most people are convinced that the epidural is the only way to go. You know what though, there's a lot of stories we don't hear, and nature is made a certain way for a reason. That being said, I realize that sometimes, things go wrong, and I'm glad we have modern medicine to help us; I'm not one to refuse help when I need it. Which brings me to the question a lot of you asked. Why did I chose a natural, unmedicated childbirth?

Before I continue, I want to say that I respect the choice of every woman. Childbirth and your body are two very personal things; no one has the right to tell you you're weak if you take the epidural and no one has the right to tell me I'm stupid for choosing to endure so much pain. We all do our research and make our own decision based on what we know and are comfortable with.

To be honest, I'd always been so afraid about childbirth that I always assumed I wanted a medicated birth. Somehow, deep inside, something just didn't feel right every time I thought about an epidural. I think I always knew that for me, a natural childbirth was the only way to go, and that's why I was so afraid. So, why did I choose a natural, unmedicated childbirth?

“What kind of birth experience did you choose and why?”

Living a Full Experience

I don't do things at 50%. I never have. It's always been everything or nothing. So for me, my main reason came naturally; it's either no baby, or the whole experience at 100%. I don't think I could have lived with the fact that I had the chance to have a baby (when many women don't), and I didn't live the whole experience.

Curiosity

I'm a very curious person. I always have a bazillion questions (which tends to drive other people nuts), so a natural birth experience for me, was a way to satisfy my curiosity. What does it feel like? What really happens? Is the pain really that bad?

The Less Medicine the Better

Lastly, I'm undecided about medication. The less I manage to consume, the better I feel about my choices. I realize sometimes it's unavoidable, but I'm not one to take it "just in case" or just because I don't want to "deal with it". All pharmaceuticals have side effects, known or not, and I make a conscious choice to minimize my exposure. The possible side effects of an epidural on the mother are scary: longer labor, need of forceps, higher risk of tearing, increased need for Pitocin and/or a c-section, decreased breastfeeding efficiency, possible paralysis. Even more so for your baby (respiratory depression, decreased fetal heart rate, struggle latching-on to breastfeed). Like I said above, I don't rule out medical interventions completely. I'm not stupid; if I can't bear the pain or my baby's life is at risk (or mine), of course I'm going to take medicine and accept medical procedures! So far though, I'm almost always able to deal with things intervention free.

“What kind of birth experience did you choose and why?”

If you've read my first and second birth stories, you know that I'm very happy with my experiences and that were I to do it again, I would choose the same path. They were intense experiences that involved quite a bit of pain, but it taught me a lot about myself; I'm dedicated to my plans, curious about life, fierce in personality, passionate about the well being of my children, strong willed and, in control of myself yet able to let go. Basically, the experience truly empowered me and reinforced who I am deep within.

DIY: Faux Starfish Garland

Not so long ago, I shared how to make faux starfish. I originally made them to decorate my son's birthday party, little accents to put on the table and on the shelves, but I ended up liking them so much that I started making other things with them. Like this new faux starfish garland!

Last year, I decided to change my living decor with each season. I've been working on different color combos and experimenting in the past year, and it will definitely evolve over time (what doesn't right?) but for this summer, as you noticed from my brushstroke wall art, I decided to go with a beach/ocean theme with peach/orange and mint/green as my accent colors. 

I really enjoy decorating and creating new pieces for my home. The process is slow because of everything else I need to do in the little time I have, but every time I sit in my living room, ideas just keep coming.

What color combo have you chosen for your living room decor? Do you go for bright colors or more neutral ones? Do you like changing things up once in a while? 

Materials

Faux starfish
Rope
Tule ribbon
Thread

When you're making the starfish for this project, make sure that you poke a hole through one of the legs of the star so you can hang them. You can do this with a toothpick.

Steps

Put the rope and the tule side by side and attach the starfish (through the hole!) at set intervals. You can measure about where you'd like the stars to be using a ruler. Then you hang it! I have little nails on my fireplace where I usually hang our Christmas stockings so I use those to attach the garland at every star, if you don't have those, you can simple add little push pins that you can remove later, or just hang it from each end (it'll give a slightly different look, but still fun!).

There you have it. I seriously love the end result.