Lemon & Lime Event Design

Fall is here and everyone is now pumpkin obsessed. If I had a nickel for every status message I saw on Facebook over the last two weeks about pumpkin spice lattes, well I’d have enough cash to go on a nice shopping spree.

The sad thing is that most pumpkin treats are horrible for you, especially in drink form. One grande pumpkin spice latte has 380 calories, 49 sugars and 51 carbohydrates! Just for a drink! A snickers bar is actually better for you with 271 calories, 28 sugars and 34 carbs. Now, every now and then we need to splurge and if a pumpkin spice latte makes your horrible days bright again, then go for it….but just know it’s like you’re eating a candy bar so enjoy them sparingly, perhaps once every two weeks.

Here is a swap for you! Try out Torani Sugar Free Pumpkin Spice syrup which can be added into any cup of coffee either hot or cold. Mixed with some skim milk and even use some fat-free reddi-wip whip on top, you’ve got a low-calorie pumpkin coffee. The Torani syrups have pretty much zero everything, so you can’t go wrong. (they also have tons of flavors, so check them out!)

Pumpkin muffins from Panera are one of my favorite things in the world. But at 510 calories, 12 grams of fan and 48 sugars, it looks like i’ll be enjoying this on my birthday and perhaps if lemon and lime event design gets chosen to plan a celeb’s wedding. Try this swap from Hungry Girl instead for under 150 calories!!

Hungry Girl Iced Pumpkin Muffins:

Ingredients:
Muffins
1 cup Fiber One Original bran cereal
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup raisins, chopped

Icing
1/4 cup Cool Whip Free, thawed
3 tbsp. fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
1 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups and/or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside. Using a blender or food processor, grind cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer crumbs to a large bowl.
 Add flour, Splenda, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix well and set aside. In another bowl, combine pumpkin, soda, egg substitute, syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly. Add mixture to the large bowl and stir until blended to form the batter.
Slowly sprinkle and stir chopped raisins into the batter. Evenly distribute batter among the 10 prepared cups of your muffin pan. (Batter may be piled high… This is OK!) Bake in the oven until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out mostly clean, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, combine all icing ingredients in a small microwave-safe bowl. Mix until smooth and blended. (Refrigerate icing if you don’t plan to serve muffins right away.) Remove cooled muffins from the pan. Just before serving, warm icing in the microwave for a few seconds and drizzle it onto the muffins (or simply spread it on evenly). Enjoy!
MAKES 10 SERVINGS
Serving Size: 1 iced muffin

Calories: 137
Fat: 0.75g
Sodium: 260mg
Carbs: 32g
Fiber: 6.75g
Sugars: 9g
Protein: 5.5g

PointsPlus® value 4*

Here’s to enjoying pumpkin goodness without all of the guilt!