Mocha Pumpkin “Pudding” (vegan, high protein, fiber)

Hey all,

Yay, I’ve actually been sticking to my new healthy eating plan, everyone! I’m so excited! I’ve been trying to avoid processed foods and fake sugar, and I’ve creeped into losing about 6-7 pounds now, wooooo! And this is without significant exercise. I’m not going to lie, I am still eating some of the same processed stuff (like yesterday, when I bought a small coffee and used one packet of raw sugar and one packet of Splenda), but I’m trying to limit the amounts of the processed/fake foods and eat lots of healthy, homemade meals that contains lots of vegetables and produce. One morning I even made what I’d call “virgin” fruit cake oatmeal: oats, almond milk, carrots, dates, dried cranberries, nuts, and spices. It was so good, and I felt great about eating it! I’m trying to make small, healthy changes that I enjoy eating, so I can make this new lifestyle stick.

Speaking of yummy dishes, I had some sweet fun in the kitchen this morning! First, I found another fun healthy blog to tell everyone about: Oh She Glows. Angela (the author of Oh She Glows) is dedicated to making healthy and fun vegan eats. Even though I’m not vegan, I love some of her healthy recipes! She takes some familiar comfort foods and makes them vegan friendly and healthy! One recipe I spotted that seemed easy-to-make was a Chocolate Carob Pudding. Angela uses pumpkin as a base to make a healthy “pudding” flavored with protein powder and other things. I’ve been loving having something sweet in the morning to temper my sweet tooth. A bowl of fibrous pumpkin, high anti-oxidant dark cocoa powder, and protein powder with only a little honey seems like a filling, healthy breakfast idea, right?

I didn’t have all of her required ingredients, though (like chocolate protein powder and carob powder). I did have cocoa powder and vanilla protein powder, along with instant coffee. How about making this a Mocha Pumpkin “Pudding” that could be eaten for breakfast, as a snack, or even to squash a chocolate craving?

I bet you would never guess the base of this is pumpkin!

Ok, granted, this healthy of an item will never taste like a creamy, high fat, heavy cream-based pudding. But for a healthy alternative, I sure loved this recipe! I felt like I was having a rich, filling breakfast item (so much fiber!) and the pudding itself is real chocolatey with only a hint of the pumpkin–I won’t crave sweets today, that’s for sure! My recipe is a mixture of pumpkin, vanilla protein powder, cocoa powder, almond milk, instant coffee, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.  Protein powder and instant coffee may sound like unnecessary ingredients to carry in your household all the time, but I’ve found that I use them both quite often! Protein keeps me feeling fuller for longer, and I love the taste of coffee with chocolate and tend to add it to all of my sweet recipes. Happy eats, everyone! Here is my recipe with new ingredients (adapted from Angela’s original).

Mocha Pumpkin Pudding (high protein and fiber)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup vanilla protein powder

3 tbsp dark cocoa powder

2 tbsp honey

1/4 cup stevia

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp instant coffee

3/4 cup almond milk (with your instant coffee already mixed and dissolved into the milk!)

a tiny sprinkle of salt!

cinnamon, to taste

Optional: dried coconut, cherries, fruit, chocolate chips

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (protein powder, salt, cinnamon, stevia, cocoa powder). Now, dissolve your instant coffee into your almond milk, and add your “coffee” almond milk to the bowl. Stir together, making sure you eliminate all the lumps, and then set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the pumpkin, vanilla extract, and honey, and mix together. Now, incorporate your small (coffee milk and dry ingredient) bowl into the medium bowl full of pumpkin, and give it a good stir.

Now, build a yummy parfait or dessert with the mixture. I made a breakfast “dessert” pudding by adding dried coconut and cherries on top. I’m off to hang pictures in our new apartment. Enjoy! Hope you all have a sweet Saturday!

Protein Pumpkin Bars by Jamie Eason

I think we have all gathered by now that I am not a fitness guru or a health nut. I try to live a healthy-ish life, but I do have my vices (sweets being one of them). As of recently though, I’ve started trying to go to the gym. I gained alot of weight and experienced alot of stress during some big exams I took during my PhD program, and now I’d like to get a little more healthy and de-stress. (I’d also like to think of some of this as happy weight gain though, considering I’ve been now dating my current boyfriend for over a year, and we are two peas in a pod (two foodies in the kitchen?) who love good food. Which means we make alot of it. And then I eat alot of it. Groan. (Laughing.))

Anyway, my best friend (who I will talk about in detail at some point.. she is a kick-butt state lawyer) called me to tell me about this “amazing” pumpkin bar recipe I had to try. She was raving about it. She hates “health” food, but she recently lost 35 pounds for health and wellness reasons and is always looking for healthier options. She found a Pumpkin protein recipe by a body builder (Jamie Eason) she wanted me to try. I ignored her accolades about these pumpkin bars for awhile, but then one day I decided to give the bars a try. Why not? I think the best bakers and cooks are actually those that can make yummy food from healthy ingredients (because it’s pretty easy to make something taste great with butter and chocolate, right?). And I want a snack for after the gym that tastes like pumpkin pie! Yum! (My friend also eats this as a dessert and for breakfast! She added chocolate chips to her last batch to make them more dessert like.)

Pumpkin Protein bar with greek yogurt

I made a few changes to the recipe, which are in the recipe below—I used real milk instead of almond milk, I used stevia as my sugar substitute, I added a bit of honey, a touch more cinnamon, and sprinkled the top with pumpkin pie spice, and I used a different type of protein powder that I had on hand (it’s a vanilla protein powder that’s actually unsweetened and not whey).

The results…great! This tastes like a more bready (but still moist) version of the inside of a pumpkin pie! These bars are definitely worth it: low in sugar, high in fiber, high in protein, and vegetarian friendly. These are, overall, a really great healthy snack, breakfast, or even dessert that clocks in at less than 100 calories (around 70 calories).  I might tinker this recipe some more, but this is a definite winner!  I’m eating a bar right now with low fat milk. Mmmmm!

Good Morning, Beautiful!: Spiced Pumpkin-Almond Spread

Good morning, Beautiful!

I woke up excited to tell everyone about my experience with Green Tea as a toner! I wanted to make my Morning Glory Toner last night, but I couldn’t conveniently find fresh mint while out on my errands yesterday (a busy girl can’t make multiple stops!).  I am a determined woman, though, and was just too excited to wait. I decided to use the mint green tea, honey vanilla chamomile tea, and lemon wedge I had on hand to whip up a toner. It was quick and easy, and after my hot shower last night, I dried off, and then immediately gave my face a spritz.  I actually really liked the mint green tea–it smelled earthy and minty, and was refreshing! I let the spritz dry on my face, and then put on my daily night cream.

I woke up–and maybe I’m experiencing the placebo effect—but my face looked a bit more bright and clear this morning! I think the combination of green tea, mint, and lemon really gave my fair skin a refreshing boost. I’m sold—I’m definitely going to incorporate this into my beauty routine.  I might even infuse some cool cucumber in the toner one day. (Maybe an update later…)

For breakfast, I was going to make a version of Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal (because I still have a can of pumpkin sitting in my fridge!). Somewhere along the way, though, I ended up making a Spiced Pumpkin-Almond Spread/dip that I ate with apples (bye bye, oatmeal.) I actually really like this recipe! It’s quick, healthy and, like always, hearty because I am a hungry girl.  This spread is actually made with mainly almond butter, which is a great source of protein and fat, and sweetened with applesauce. You can spread this on wheat toast, eat it in a tortilla with banana and greek yogurt (pumpkin burrito), and even use it to make a pumpkin banana sandwich (wheat toast, pumpkin spread, banana, and honey!). I am a big believer in good base recipes, and this spread can be used in a zillion ways. You could also add greek yogurt to this if you wanted a more creamy taste!

Spiced Pumpkin-Almond Spread

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 tbsp almond butter

1 spoonful of applesauce (a healthy sweetener)

a smidge of honey (to taste)

2 shakes of pumpkin pie spice

1 shake of cinnamon

1/8 tsp of vanilla

Optional: If you wanted this to be a more Pumpkin-chocolatey spread, add cocoa and use either Stevia or Splenda to sweeten. You could also add chocolate chips! (Everyone knows pumpkin and chocolate together are delicious.)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, and then start spreading this on everything! Yum.

Day one of Burlesque Baking: Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal!

For all of you who don’t know me, I love pumpkin. (We’re talking “torrid love affair”. ) To start off this blogging adventure, then, why not post about one of my favorite ingredients? Pumpkin is naturally fibrous, hearty, and a fun pop-of-color to bake with in the morning!

I am currently trying to better my eating patterns (“Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have eaten an entire  jar of Nutella in three days”) and overall having a healthier, happier lifestyle. I am not searching to have a very thin body or huge muscles, because that’s simply not my frame or interest. However, I am planning on developing a healthy relationship with food and feeling sexy and beautiful during the process! I have a naturally curvy figure, and in our generation of sometimes painfully thin cover models, I sometimes need to find my own inspiration for sexuality and beauty (and baking endeavors)! Speaking of inspiration…

With that being said, I am sick with a cold and need something soft and nourishing this morning. How about Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal? I just discovered The Hungry Housewife blog, which I love. I think this recipe proves versatile: think of the pumpkin and oats as your base. Add whatever you fancy after that: dried fruit, nut butter, coconut, soy/almond/hemp/rice milks, apple, banana, etc. I added almond butter, dried cherries, applesauce, lots of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, and milk. For some more fun recipes on Pumpkin, check out Fit Sugar’s Pumpkin recipe collection. Lots of fun ideas!