For the love of pumpkin. The weather is chilled. The leaves are falling. Snow is coming. Ahhh crisp, cold air, hot coffee and pumpkin. Except with pumpkin lattes, breads, pies, and treats, also comes a sneaky little devil- sugar. As though we don’t have enough temptation at our door. As the weather gets colder the calorie count gets higher. It doesn’t have to be this way. I want my cake (donuts) and I am going to eat them too. I’ll let you in on one of my go to secrets- pancake mix. Now, I am sure you can use any pancake mix compilation of your choice to make the following sweet treats, but the recipe below, works, is low in sugar, and is pumkintastic!
Ingredients:
2 cups of organic all-purpose or whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons of raw sugar (in the whole batch!!!!)
1 tablespoon of aluminum free baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of liquid pumpkin spice extract or (1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin spice)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 cup of dark chocolate chips (I use 70% or higher grade)
Instructions:
One. In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients
Two. In a small bowl, mix liquid ingredients
Three. Combine the liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients.
Four. Add 1 cup of dark chocolate chips.
Directions:
For pancakes: Place silver dollar size dollops on a medium-hot pan and flip, using a spatula of your choice, once the little bubbles start rising up (1-2 minutes) and the bottom side of the pancake is the perfect gold. Freeze extras.
For donut holes: Place mix in cake pop maker for 4-6 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Voila! Makes about 45
For donuts: Use a donut pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Makes about 18
Topping options: drizzle with chocolate sauce, honey, maple syrup or simply enjoy the treat plain.
These donuts are the perfect size for little toddler hands and an extra bonus: They are so fluffy that they are not very messy and perfect for a breakfast on the go.
Side tip: Use the remaining pumpkin to add to your favorite shake, as baby food, or make your own pumpkin latte creamer (mix the pumpkin with your favorite milk, cream or milk substitute & combine with a sweetener of your choice.)
Berry Crisp
For the love of pie. I love pie. Really, I love the taste of the vanilla ice cream melting into the warm fruit and sweet crust. I love it so much that I found this recipe a few years ago to save me from myself. It is so healthy in fact that you can eat it for breakfast, but so incredibly delicious that you can serve at a holiday dinner. Enjoy.
Ingredients:
1-2 bags of frozen organic berries or peaches
1-2 bananas
1 tablespoon of flour
1 tablespoon of sugar or sugar substitute (optional)
2.5 cups of your favorite granola, or muesli
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Place frozen berries into a casserole dish. Sprinkle flour and sugar on top of the berries. Mix with a spoon. Slice the bananas on top of the berry mixture and top it all off with granola or muesli. If you are feeling adventurous sprinkle cinnamon, chia seed, hemp seed, flax seed or chopped nuts on top of the granola and bake for about 35-45 minutes. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and serve warm. I like to top mine with greek yogurt, coconut ice cream, banana ice cream (simply blend frozen bananas- voila!), a thick vanilla protein shake or when I am in a really exhilarating mood with Hagen Daaz Vanilla Bean ice cream (label for label it is healthier for you than Yoplait yogurt) .
