Pumpkin Spice Bread

If you haven't noticed yet, I love pumpkin. I could eat pumpkin flavored anything. I also really loved baked goods. Pumpkin Spice Bread is one of my favorite Fall treats. This recipe is great because its lower in calories than a traditional spice loaf but the taste is still amazing. 

I was really craving Pumpkin Spice Bread yesterday afternoon so I started searching for a recipe that would satisfy my craving and not ruin my day with fat and calories. Thanks to Ruth at Living Well Spending Less I used her recipe. I made a few simple tweaks and I will be enjoying pumpkin bread for the rest of the week. 

Ingredients:

6 cups unbleached flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

5 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

5 eggs, beaten

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups banana, mashed

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1 1/3 cups Unsweetened Silk Almond Milk 

2 cans pumpkin puree

1. Take all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice) and mix them in a very large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl mix the rest of the ingredients (eggs, sugar, mashed banana, vanilla, melted coconut oil, almond milk, and pumpkin). 

3. Once liquid ingredients are mixed pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until fully incorporated. 

4. Pour mixture into loaf pans. I used a pan that makes 4 mini loaves. I also sprinkled a little pinch of pumpkin pie spice over the tops of them before popping them in a 350 degree preheated oven. 

5. Baked for 45-60 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in the middle of a loaf comes out clean.

Enjoy a slice toasted with butter or just by itself. I like to mine with a little honey drizzled on it. 

What kind of breads do you make in the fall? I also like cranberry bread. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 slice  **Recipe makes 64 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 88 Calories from Fat 15

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 1.7g 3%

Saturated Fat 1.1g 6%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 13mg 4%

Sodium 143mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 16.6g 6%

Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2%

Sugars 6.9g

Protein 1.8g

Vitamin A 9% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 3% • Iron 4%

Nutrition Grade C

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Leprechaun (Spinach) Cupcakes

Okay, these are awesome! I found this recipe on Weelicious, for spinach muffins. (I love Weelicious. I love the kid's themed recipes. I refuse to grow up.) I figured that muffins are the breakfast cousin of cupcakes so I decided to just tweak it a tad and throw some Hungry Girl Frosting on it. Do not worry they do not taste like spinach or anything healthy. They really taste like a cupcake, a really dense, yummy cupcake. Best of all, they are only 138 calories with frosting!

Cupcake Ingredients:

1/2 cup applesauce (1 applesauce cup)

1 large egg

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 heaping cup fresh spinach - packed

1/4 cup Blue Agave 

2 tablespoons coconut oil - softened

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or wheat flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting Ingredients:

1/4 cup fat-free cream cheese 

2 tbsp Splenda No Calorie Sweetener  

1/2 cup Cool Whip Free 

I just noticed that the Baking Soda is missing from the group photo. Sorry.

Throw the applesauce, egg, vanilla extract, spinach, agave, and coconut oil into the blender or food processor. 

Pulse until they are all combined and liquefied. 

Pour the liquid spinach mixture into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir all the ingredients together until it is all fully incorporated.

Pour the mix into a cupcake tin lined with baking sheets and bake at 350*F for 12 minutes. 

Take out and cool. 

While the cupcakes are cooling, place the cream cheese and Splenda in a bowl and stir until combined. Then, add the Cool Whip, continuing to stir until you have a creamy frosting. Take out the spoon/whisk and lick it clean. Soooo gooood. 

Frost each cupcake with 2 tsp of the frosting. 

Enjoy.

They're actually pretty easy to make. I really thought it would be more complicated. They are really yummy and really low in calories which is great. I think they would be awesome around Christmas time as Grinch cupcakes too. 

Please let me know what you think of them.

                                                                                          

                                                                                          What are your plans for St. Patrick's Day? 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cupcake with 2 tsp frosting

Amount Per Serving

Calories 138 Calories from Fat 48

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5.3g 8%

Saturated Fat 3.9g 19%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 21mg 7%

Sodium 173mg 7%

Total Carbohydrates 19.7g 7%

Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2%

Sugars 7.3g

Protein 2.6g

Vitamin A 7% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 3% • Iron 5%

Nutrition Grade D+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Bisquick Cinnamon Rolls

Is there anything better than breakfast on Christmas morning? I love Christmas breakfast. Actually, to be perfectly honest I love breakfast in general. It's really the only meal that you can have something that is pretty much a dessert and call it substantial. 

One of my favorite breakfast foods that are more like dessert are cinnamon rolls. And this recipe is quick and simple. The cinnamon roll texture kind of reminds me of a Bo' Berry Biscuit if it were cinnamon instead of blueberry. If you haven't ever had a Bo' Berry I recommend you find the closest Bojangles and pick one up ASAP. While you're there send me some. I miss those chicken biscuits like nobody's business!

The Amazing Bojangles Bo' Berry Biscuit

Okay enough food-porn lets get started on the cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Bisquick

2/3 Cup Milk

2 Tbs Butter

1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar + A little extra

1 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon + A little extra

This recipe is super simple. Really all you have to do is...

Heat oven to 425 degrees and grease a pie pan. 

Mix the 2 cups of Bisquick with 2/3 cup milk until it is thoroughly mixed and forms a sticky dough.

Throw the ball of sticky dough on a lightly floured surface. 

Roll the dough out using a roll pin dusted in flour or your hands into a rectangle.

Slather the 2 tbs of butter onto one half of the rectangle. Then sprinkle the light brown sugar and cinnamon over the buttered side.

Starting from the side that is covered in sugar and butter roll the dough into a log. So basically, I started rolling my dough from Right to Left.

Then, cut the dough into 1 inch slices.

Place the slices in the greased pie pan and sprinkle with a little extra brown sugar and cinnamon.

Pop it in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes until the sugar is melted and the tops are slightly golden. 

Frosting or Glaze ingredients:

1 Cup Sugar or Powdered Sugar

1/2 Tbs Butter

1 Tbs Cream Cheese

1/2 Tsp Vanilla 

Splash of Milk

In a blender throw in the cup of sugar and pulse until it becomes a fine powder. (Or you could just use powdered sugar. I just don't really care for the taste of powered sugar. I can't be the only one who thinks it taste funny.  )

Now that the sugar is a powder add the 12 Tbs butter, 1 Tbs cream cheese, 1/2 Tsp vanilla, and the splash of milk. Pulse until it is smooth and creamy.

 Drizzle the frosting on top of the cinnamon rolls. You can choose to either eat them as is or pop them back in the oven and let the glaze melt a little bit. I typically pop them back in for a minute or two so that they are extra gooey.