Fresh crisp air, scary movies, hay rides, and the smell of pumpkin spice everywhere. Its fall! With this season comes a lot of seasonal treats which we should all enjoy. But sometimes I find myself craving sweets too often because of all the candy around. Therefore, I put together some healthy recipes to still cure that sweet tooth but keep those empty calories away.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
You either love pumpkin spice or hate it. This is for the people who love this drink but don’t love the calories. An average Grande pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks is 380 calories, 52 grams of carbohydrates, and up to 50 grams of sugar! The American Heart Association recommends 25 grams of sugar per a day for women. By drinking this one drink you are already consuming double the amount you are recommended to have for the whole day. Not good. I have figured out a little twist to the drink to still enjoy this latte but with fewer calories and sugar.
Order:
-Tall pumpkin spice latte
-Use almond or soy milk instead of milk
-No whip cream
-2 pumps of pumpkin spice instead of 4
This will lower the drink to around 200 calories, 31 grams of carbs, and 30g sugar. (still a lot but better)
Apple crisp
-5 to 6 apples
-1/3 cup butter or coconut oil
-1 Tbsp lemon juice
-1 cups old fashioned oats
-1/3 cup brown sugar
-2 tbsp organic flour
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
-1/8 to ¼ salt
-Greek yogurt to put on top to serve (optional)
Baking
-Preheat oven to 350°F
-Toss cut up apples and lemon juice in an 8×8 casserole dish
-In a bowl mix butter or oil then add oats, brown sugar, and all spices
-Pack mixture on top of apples in the dish
-Bake for 40-55 minutes
With less sugar and butter this will cut the calories almost in half. Typically, this recipe is around 500 calories while this one is around 180 per serving.
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
This isn’t an alternate to anything but it’s a great healthy snack that you can make while carving out those pumpkins for decoration.
Nutrition benefits: Protein, magnesium, zinc and vitamin E
-1 cup pumpkin seeds, rinsed and dried
-½ teaspoon garlic powder
-½ teaspoon of salt
-½ ounce olive oil
Baking time
1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl
3. Spread evenly on baking sheet for 15-20 minutes (flip them over half way)
4. THAT’S IT!
Enjoy!