From the category archives:

Life

Low Fat Pumpkin Muffins

by Christi on August 29, 2010

By the end of August every year, I feel the same way.   I am insanely sick of the Arizona heat.   It is miserable, and the “it’s a dry heat’ thing doesn’t fly with me.  It’s hot – like my oven.   I also become super anxious for Fall to arrive.  I LOVE Fall.  Love love love.  It’s the end of the heat, we can be outside, my favorite holidays are on the way, I can decorate the house with pumpkins, and I can bake, bake and bake some more.   Fall rocks my world basically.  I go from being quite grumpy in August, to quite happy in October (September is really just more summer, so I’m probably still quite grumpy).

So in my anxiousness to get fall here, I whipped up a batch of pumpkin muffins today.   The house smells divine.  Nothing better then the smell of pumpkin bread, with lots of cinnamon, in the air.    I’ve tweaked a recipe over the past year to try and make it super healthy, and I have to say, it’s pretty darn yummy for having almost no fat and lots of fiber and protein.   I thought I would share in case anyone is looking for a healthy lowfat pumpkin bread / pumpkin muffin recipe.    I made them as muffin tops, as I’m on a Vitalicious Vitatop kick right now, and they don’t offer a pumpkin muffin top.  The muffin tops are really easy to wrap up, freeze and then pack in a lunch box or back pack.

Low Fat Light Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

2 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour (I like King Arthur’s or Trader Joe’s)

1 1/4 cups Oat Flour (I use Arrowhead Mills Oat Flour)

2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tbsp Cinnamon

2+ tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (we like our pumpkin spicy, so some may like less)

1/2 cup Flax Seed Meal (I like Bob’s Red Mill)

1/2 – 1 tsbp Salt

1 1/2 cups Sugar – white, brown or combo

2 cups Canned Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

Approx 1 cup Cinnamon Applesauce (I use 3 individual serving cups of applesauce)

2/3 cup water

5 large egg whites

Mix the dry ingredients / mix the wet ingredients, mix them all together and call it good.  :)

Today I’m baking mine as muffin tops – at 350 degrees, for about 11 minutes.  I prefer everything under baked versus over baked, so this baking time could probably go up a few minutes.   I got about 24 muffin tops.

I have tried this recipe with so many combos – and it’s very forgiving.  You can add nuts, dried cranberries, even chocolate chips.   It’s certainly not the full fat Starbuck’s pumpkin muffin that leaves a big grease stain on your napkin, but it’s mighty tasty, and nobody else in this house knows that they are a “light” version.  If you make

For 24 muffin/muffin tops, the nutritional info comes out as follows….

Calories – 133
Fat – 1.3 g
Cholesterol – 0
Total Carb – 27 g
Fiber – 3g
Sugars – 16g
Protein – 3.5g
Vitamin A – 63% Daily Value

For those on Weight Watchers, they come out to two points a piece.  :)

Enjoy!

{ 1 comment }

Arizona Baby Photographer Extraordinare

by Christi on August 9, 2010

I am soooo lucky to have one of Phoenix’s most talented newborn and family photographers, Meggan Jacks, as one of my closest friends. I am more than happy to let her play with my darling daughters and capture some amazing photos of them. She has a fabulous baby plan to capture your baby over their first precious year.   We recently did Gracie’s second photo shoot – and the images are gorgeous.  Of course!

{ 0 comments }

Sling Baby

by Christi on August 9, 2010

Right after Gracie was born, a friend of mine came over with a few of her slings, because she said I NEEDED one.  Not would I like one, could I use one, but you NEED one.   So I figured it was worth checking the sling thing out.  I never carried Bella in a sling, though I did use a Baby Bjorn sometimes.

She came over and showed me exactly how to wear the sling, how to put Grace in it, and how to take her out, and told me to trust her and try it.

Wow, wow and wow.   I never really thought of myself as the “baby wearing” type, but it has to be one of the best baby items I own.   With Bella being very active in dance, I spend a LOT of time in a dance studio, and the sling has made all that time so much more tolerable.  My hands are free (yay!), every random person with germs is not touching Grace (yay!) and Grace sleeps (double yay!).

It is also fabulous for an adoptive parent to use for bonding with their baby.   And speaking of adoptive parents, having been blessed with one child through adoption and one biologically, I have to say the sling gives a somewhat similar sensation of carrying around a pregnant tummy, which I think is great for an adoptive mom to be able to experience.   Truly love the sling.

I’m not sure how we’ll transition now that she’s getting bigger.  I’m using the New Native pouch style sling.   It’s so simple, uncomplicated, I toss it in my purse and go.  Nothing fancy, but it does exactly what it needs, with nothing that it doesn’t need.    It’s also cool, which is important when you live in Phoenix and are toting around a 98 degree space heater.  I love it.   Love love love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.  It’s my mainstay, must have baby sling.

I have a few other carriers that I’m getting ready to try soon.    I have a Beco Butterfly Baby Carrier (in the GRACE pattern – purely a coincidence!) and I do still have my trust Bjorn.   Though seven years ago the Bjorn was navy.  That was it.  So I did “update” mine so to speak with this over the top Baby Bella Maya girly zebra stripe and hot pink cover.   Adorable!!!

I think slings and pouches are probably a very individual thing, and you have find what works for you, but I think they are certainly worth checking out.  :)

{ 0 comments }

Weight Watchers

by Christi on July 25, 2010

I’m such a stress eater.  You know you are in trouble when you are an adoptive mother, and at each doctor’s appointment you take your very pregnant birth mom to, YOU have gained more weight than she has.  Awesome.    The stress of the adoption packed a good ten pounds on me (making me a good 15 more than where I prefer to be).  So now that Gracie is sleeping well at night and I can’t use the constant fatigue as an excuse, it’s time to get that baby weight off.   After we first had Grace, people would tell me how great I looked, and than I’d mention we adopted.  About a month later I said screw it, and started accepting the compliments.  Gotta take what you can get!

So good old Weight Watchers.  Time to count the points.  I do the online program, and really have no excuse not to stay on top of it, with my handy dandy WW iPhone app and all.

I started a few weeks ago, and was picking up steam, and than the stress of Bella’s surgery.   I mentioned being a stress eater, didn’t I?   But now that she’s stuck on a terribly restrictive diet, the least I can do is stick to me measly 20 point a day WW diet.

I remember doing WW in my late 20′s – I’d have my points, eat all my flex points, and go a few over, and still lose, every week.  Yay me!   Yeah, well mid (late) 30′s is a whole different ball game.  Might as well throw those flex points in the trash.   Go over those 20 little points (about 1000 calories) and there’s no losing.   Good times!

I’ve found my few low point staples, the ones that keep me from running to my nearest Dairy Queen for a caramel chocolate chip Blizzard (well, at least on a good day they do).    My fabulous one point breakfast is a Deep Chocoalte Vitalicious Vitatop.


They are so good.  No, not exactly one of those giant 4826 calorie chocolate muffins from Costco, but first thing in the morning, they do just fine, and are 100 calories, full of fiber and ONE WW POINT!    Beats my 8 point bowl of cereal that I’d probably have otherwise.

And speaking of Costco, that’s where I’ve been getting them.   They aren’t exactly cheap, but the Costco price is completely fine with me.  I will cry when and if Costco stops carrying them.   I actually really want to try some other flavors – Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip, Triple Chocolate Chunk and Double Chocolate Dream are at the top of my list (do you get the chocolate theme?).  I’m just waiting for it to cool down, as I haven’t heard the greatest things about their summer shipping (and let’s be honest, it’s 115 here, nothing should ship here).

Second item that I must have in my freezer at all times – Hostess 100 Calorie Pack Chocolate Cupcakes.

Another chocolate fix, that thanks to the high fiver, comes in at 1 WW point.   I only like them in the freezer, not sure why.   And there’s something about getting to eat THREE chocolate things that makes me happier than eating one, larger chocolate thing.    The other packs look good as well, but I think the chocolate ones are the only ones with enough fiber to make them a 1 point snack.

Western Bagel’s Alternative Bagel is another staple.   A one point bagel, that is actually chewy and bagel-ish, compared to some of the other lighter bagels.

I don’t tend to eat them alone, but instead use them for a sandwich.   I love them with some egg-beaters and lowfat cheese for a breakfast bagel, or with turkey and lowfat cheese for lunch.    I usually get them at Super Walmart, but need to check some other places because I’d love to try the country white, and thus far have only been eating the sweet wheat (though cinnamon spice is quite yummy, just not the best partner for turkey, or cheese).

I also love Hungry Girl – her emails, website and books are great resources.

I’ll certainly be looking for more great finds.  Unfortunately I don’t eat terribly healthy on WW – I’m just not good at weighing and measuring every ingredient in something I make from scratch to calculate the points, but hey, I’m not standing in line at DQ.   Baby steps.

Related Posts with Thumbnails

{ 1 comment }