Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

I love me a good cupcake! What I don't love is cupcake remorse. You know, that "Crud.... how many minutes of cardio do I have to do to work that off?" kind of remorse.

What's a cupcake loving, cardio loathing girl to do?  Work smarter, not harder.

Ok, so I'll be the first to admit, this recipe is not calorie free, fat free, sugar free or taste free. Or anything free for that matter. You will probably still need to do cardio to burn it off.

BUT, it's a healthier, more "real food" alternative if you're looking for a sweet treat. And man alive, does it deliver!

The recipe below is for just the cupcake part. You can frost it with your personal fave. I am in love with German Buttercream (shown here), so if you'd like to give that a try, pop over to my recipage to get the scoop on my Cinnamon Brown Sugar German Buttercream.

I also decided to go all fancy-schmancy and garnish these puppies with some cinnamon sugared pecans. Pretty easy. I tweaked this recipe here for those. (Just did the topping, swapped coconut oil for butter.) Impressive taste and presentation for practically no work. Gotta love that.

Don't you just want to dive in?

Cupcake remorse optional.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

by Raye

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 22-25 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert pumpkin cupcake fall winter

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Ingredients (15 cupcakes)

• 3/4 c. cake flour (or all purpose flour)
• 3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• 1-1/2 c. pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 1 c. organic whole cane sugar, sucanat or free flowing brown sugar
• 3/4 c. coconut oil

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin cups with paper liners or grease well.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
• In a large bowl, cream together coconut oil (in solid state) and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients alternately with the pumpkin, beginning and ending with the pumpkin.
• Divide batter equally between muffin cups, filling each cup approximately 3/4 full.
• Bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the pan immediately and cool on a wire rack.
• Cool completely before icing. Store unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Healthier Holiday Cookies

Who says the holiday season means you have to throw your diet/healthy lifestyle out the window?

Yes, I will admit, celebrations tend to equal sweets and treats, and my household is no exception.  The key here, people, is moderation... and modification...

We've all heard the moderation thing before.  That's right... leave that 14th cookie on the platter and have a glass of water... your straining waistband will thank you.  At least I know mine will.

Apple Cider Baked Doughnuts

Apple Cider Doughnuts are a fall staple at every apple orchard I've ever visited.  I MISS FALL!!!  Born and raised in New England, fall to me means the scent of wood smoke hanging in the crisp fall air, apples and pumpkins, colorful leaves on the trees and crunching underfoot.

Sigh.

Coconut Lime Power Balls

Shortly before our trip to Canada, I happened upon a recipe for a reverse engineered Larabar (similar to Cliff bars or Luna bars - basically pre-chewed nuts and dried fruit.  Sounds gross, but actually isn't bad.  As long as you don't think about it too much).

Inspired, I took to the kitchen to try out a few varieties... which I loved!  I brought 3 varieties with me on vacation and they held up really well on the plane and in the car as we traveled.  They were great for a quick energy pick-me-up while we were on the go.

When we got back home, I decided to branch out and try some other varieties, then got REALLY adventurous and created my own version with ingredients I had on hand - mostly inspired by a bunch of limes from the discount produce rack. Gotta love 12 or so limes for about $1.50.  I didn't care that they didn't look pretty; they tasted amazing!

I have to admit, these power balls are best fresh.  But, in a pinch, you can freeze them and they still taste fine a month or so down the road.  Disclaimer:  they only lasted 6 weeks in my freezer...because  I ate the last of them just recently on our day trip to the Caverns.  So, I'm not sure exactly how long they will last... 

Coconut Lime Power Balls

by Raye

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: none

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Ingredients (8-10 balls)

• 1/3 cup cashews
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/3 cup unsweetened, unsulphured golden raisins
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 Tbsp)
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions

In a food processor (or blender), process nuts for about 30 seconds until they reach a mealy consistency.

Add raisins and coconut; process another 20 to 30 seconds, until raisins are chopped finely. Add zest, lime juice, and nutmeg. Pulse until combined. Mixture should stick together when pressed between your fingers. If mixture is too dry, add water 1/2 tsp at a time until mixture comes together.

Roll into equal balls, approximately .75 oz each (1/2 inch diameter). Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week (or in the freezer for up to 6 weeks).

Note: balls can be somewhat sticky, feel free to roll them in more unsweetened, shredded coconut so they don't stick together when packed.

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These are also a great variety to make if you have a hard time finding dates in your area - golden raisins tend to be a little easier to come by.   Note - I made these in a food processor (recommended), but you could also make these in a blender.

Let me know what you think!

Chocolate Cherry Biscotti

Some things are better together.  Chocolate and cherries.  Biscotti and coffee. Or better, all four at the same time.  Chocolate cherry biscotti with a steaming cup of coffee.  What better way to wile away a rainy afternoon?  Or wind down after a stressful day at work?

Other than chocolate cherry biscotti, coffee, comfy socks and a really absorbing book...

Cookout Survival Strategy

Source

The Hubby's co-workers are having a cookout today.  The cookout location is on shorefront property, so there is a good possibility of kayaking happening in my near future. Of course, eating healthy at a potluck cookout can be hard to do, since you don't know what's in most of the food.

Travel Tips: Eating Well on the Road

On the road in Puerto Rico (last summer's wicked awesome vacation)

It's almost time for vacation! Hurray!  Those of you who know me understand my obsession with seeing new places.  I have a REALLY long bucket list that includes seeing hundreds of places.  It's the traveling TO the destination I'm not so crazy about.

Right now I'm getting ready to hit the road... well, flying first, then driving (more about that later).  This year, I am determined to eat well while traveling and not spend a boatload of money on airport food. I'm reminded of a Jerry Seinfeld bit I heard once about stores in airports not knowing what the rest of the world charges... but he tells it better (as I'm SURE you can imagine). :-)