Pumpkin Spice Protein Muffins

October 21, 2019December 9, 2019Leave a comment

It’s October and if you’re like me, you’re stocked up on canned pumpkin just waiting to be turned into somethin’ pumpkin spice. These healthy muffins gone pumpkin spice are a huge hit with the whole fam and the recipe is super easy, just the way I like it.

If you’re wondering why my muffins look green, it’s because they are…I add spinach to my baked goods to get extra nutrients into my kids…and myself! You bet I’m taking full advantage of this stage while my kids still think that pancakes and muffins are green! On the flip side, I also add chocolate chips, because it’s all about balance. Here’s what’s up:

Ingredients: (use organic if/when possible, recipe yields approx. one dozen muffins, can be made gluten free and vegetarian)

3/4 can (or 1.5 cups) pumpkin puree
4 eggs (3 if large eggs)
1/2 cup coconut flour (or any healthy flour)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon applesauce
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
optional:
- 1 or 2 handfuls spinach
- dark chocolate chips
- walnuts or pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar for added sweetness

Pre-heat oven to 350. Blend all ingredients (except chocolate chips and/or nuts) above using a high-powered blender (Vitamix is my go-to for lazy mixing.) I recommend reusable silicone cupcake/muffin liners (Amazon) but if using pan, grease with coconut or olive oil spray. Pour batter into individual muffin cups (mix in chips/nut with spoon as desired.) Bake for 35-40 minutes until cooked through. Enjoy!

One Healthy Breakdown: serve with a PSL to really get your fix!

Thanksgiving Staples Done Right

November 21, 2016November 20, 2016Leave a comment

Thanksgiving food has a bad rap. Not only is the holiday a celebration of gratitude, giving, and grub, but Thanksgiving dinner can actually be pretty freaking healthy with a little bit of thought, control, and balance. So, ignore the hype, don’t fast for the feast, and go into the meal knowing that it’s not your last, so enjoy! Here’s the deal on those Thanksgiving staples:

thanksgiving

Turkey: the main event. Turkey is actually a healthy, low-fat lean protein with tons of vitamins, so let it take center stage on your plate. It’s when the turkey is covered in stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and devoured alongside alcohol, dinner rolls, and dessert. So, instead of using the turkey as a means to hold these other foods, actually enjoy the turkey itself!

Potatoes: potatoes are a healthy, starchy veg BUT they’re usually ‘buttered up’ (literally) with tons of butter, cream, and cheese, adding tons of fat. If you’re like us, you’d take sweet potatoes any day over regular white potatoes – they’re sooo much sweeter! Luckily, sweet potatoes are also sooo good for you, full of Vitamins A, B, and C, fiber, and beta-carotene. Just keep it simple with a little bit of oil (olive or coconut) or butter and some cinnamon, rosemary, or your favorite spices. If you agree to disagree and prefer the white mashers over orange, simply enjoy a small serving, not a potato volcano on your plate…unless you’re gearing up for a post-Thanksgiving marathon. In that case, you’ll actually need those carbs!

Brussels Sprouts: this cruciferous veggie is a fall staple in the OHH kitchen. Full of fiber, they’ll help you to digest your holiday meal while lowering cholesterol and risk of certain cancers when eaten regularly. Plus, they’re so damn good! No reason not to pass the sprouts, please!

Cranberry Sauce: sadly, we’re in America and that means that your traditional cranberry sauce is more like a gelatin of sugar (with very little to no cranberries) that plops out of a can. Not so appealing. Why not try to make your own, because real cranberries are actually a great source of antioxidants. Here’s a super simple recipe without the added sugar or chemicals!

Casseroles: yeah, not so healthy. The dish on casseroles: not to rag on this classic holiday dish, but a casserole is basically an excuse to make a normally healthy food (like green beans) into a cheesy, buttery, saucy, glutinous dish, with a bit of veggies hiding inside. Keep things simple and skip the ‘role, just stick to the good old veggies above!

Dessert: Have your cake and eat it too. Pumpkin and pecan pie, yum yum. Ok, so not the healthiest things in the world, but again, pumpkin and pecans themselves are both full of nutrients, so if you’re in charge of the pie, aim to bulk up these ingredients and dial down the sugar. Either way, there’s no need to turn down Thanksgiving dessert, just have a few bites of your very favorite, enjoy the deliciousness, and be done with it. It’s when dessert becomes an all-you-can-eat buffet that’ll have you feeling YUCK with a side of guilt.

One Healthy Breakdown: Thanksgiving is one meal, one day, and the focus should be on gratitude over grub…but enjoy the grub too! Happy, healthy holiday!

Pumpkin Spice Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

September 22, 2016September 21, 2016Leave a comment

This breakfast recipe is not only easy and healthy, but also clearly the epitome of fall. Autumn is surely the season for all things pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon. Breakfast should fuel your day with long-lasting energy and deliciousness. Check and check. Let’s dig in, shall we?!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup almond milk or water (or milk of choice)
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 apple chopped or 1/3 cup applesauce
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of pumpkin pie spice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional)
1 tablespoon pepitas (pumpkin seeds) chopped walnuts, or pecans

Instructions:

Add oats to liquid in pot on stove on medium heat. Once oats begin to cook and thicken, turn heat to low and add all other ingredients. Stir and finish cooking (should take about 5-8 minutes.) Once the oatmeal is thick, remove from heat and let cool a minute before serving. Feel free to top oatmeal (just for visual appeal) with apple slices and cinnamon, more pumpkin, sprinkled nuts, or nothing at all. Enjoy this hearty fall-flavored meal!

One Healthy Breakdown: fueling with fall foods.

Sweet Potato Protein Muffins

September 13, 2016Leave a comment

These sweet potato muffins were an insta hit! Packed with protein, fiber, and sweet flavor, you can’t go wrong whipping up a batch of these babies for an easy breakfast or snack! Dont’ be afraid to substitute the sweet potatoes for pumpkin as well!

FullSizeRender(71)

Sweet Potato Protein Muffins:

Makes 6 regular sized muffins. Note that I used 1 can of organic sweet potato puree; however, you could use 1-2 baked sweet potatoes – equal to about 1.5 cups of sweet potato if you prefer.

Pre-heat oven 350 degrees

Ingredients:

1 can sweet potato puree or the equivalent of 1.5 cups of baked sweet potato (as long as you have a good blender, you can leave skin on – it’s the healthiest part!)
1/2 cup raw rolled oats
5 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon / or a few drops of vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons almond milk

Instructions:
blend or mix the above (I used Vitamix)
lightly coat muffin tin with coconut oil and pour mixture into pan, filling muffin just over halfway
bake muffins at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Once muffins golden on top, check with a fork or knife to make sure that muffin is cooked through. Let cool and remove from tins. Enjoy and refrigerate leftovers.

One Healthy Breakdown: September tastes oh so sweet!

Pumpkin Treats Two Ways

November 20, 2015

These are hands-down two of the best pumpkin treats everrrrr invented. Pumkins are not only a fall staple for their color and taste, they also deliver a rich dose of antioxidants to boot. You can feel good about making these treats over and over and over again.

Pumpkin Nut Fudge: (vegan, gluten-free, and can be made sugar free)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (I like Farmer’s Market organic pumpkin or you can make your own)
1/4 cup cacoa powder (or cocoa powder)
4 tablespoons coconut oil
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup or honey (optional, omit for sugar free recipe)
1/3 cup nut butter of choice (peanut, almond, and sunflower seed all work great)
pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

You’ll need two separate bowls to make the layers. For chocolate fudge, combine cacoa powder, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, and 1 teaspoon maple syrup/honey. Melt briefly (microwave for about 20-30 seconds or use stovetop) and stir fudge until consistent. Pour half of fudge on parchment paper in a square pan. Put in freezer or fridge for 5-10 minutes while making pumpkin layer. For pumpkin filling, combine pumpkin with the remaining coconut oil (2 tablespoons) and maple syrup/honey (1 tablespoon.) In a blender or mixer, add nut butter and sea salt and mix until consistent. Spread this layer on top of fudge once it’s solid and freeze or refrigerate another 5-10 minutes. Once pumpkin layer has solidified, add remaining fudge and refrigerate another 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

*option: for a sweeter treat, simply melt chocolate chips and coconut oil for fudge layer. For a less-rich and more “cookie-like” fudge, add almond meal to fudge layer. Recipe adopted from Detoxinista.

Pumpkin Oat Cookies:

Ingredients:

1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/3 cup oats
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons chocolate chips

Instructions:

Mix or blend all ingredients together, adding chocolate chips last. Scoop spoonfuls of cookie batter onto cookie pan over parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until outside becomes crispy.

One Healthy Breakdown: you’ll be extra thankful for pumpkin this season after tasting these treats!

Pumpkin Carrot Zucchini Bread

October 12, 2015March 21, 2017

What is paleo, pumpkin-spicey, loaded with veggies, and tastes amazing? Pumpkin carrot zucchini bread, of course! So loaded with flavor that no one will know that it’s made of nothing but veggies, protein, and healthy carbs for energy…that can be our little secret. One loaf of this bread doubles as a kid-friendly breakfast and pre or post-workout fuel. All bases covered here.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of pumpkin (or sweet potato) puree (I use Farmer’s Market organic)
1 zucchini
2 carrots
1/2 cup coconut flour (or sub another healthy flour)
4 eggs
2 heaping tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon coconut oil (melted)
1 tablespoon flaxmeal
1 tablespoon almond butter
3/4 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds (pepitas) to top
optional: 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup or honey for a sweeter treat

Preheat oven to 370. Grate the carrots and zucchini. If you have a Vitamix or high-powered food processor, feel free to use that instead (I did!) Add pumpkin, eggs, and flour and mix well. Add remaining ingredients (except pumpkin seeds) and blend until consistent. Pour batter into a greased (I used coconut oil spray) loaf pan, baking pan, or muffin pan. Top with pumpkin seeds. Bake at 370 for 45-50 minutes (for muffins, check after 30 minutes.) Ensure that bread is cooked through with a fork – bake for another 5-10 minutes if not. Remove and let cool before eating every last crumb. Feel free to also add nuts or chocolate chips for a sweet, crunchy treat!

One Healthy Breakdown: pumpkin spice and everything nice

Pumpkin Doughnuts

October 25, 2014October 24, 2014Leave a comment

Who’s sick of pumpkin recipes, raise your hand! No, me either. Glad we got that out of the way. Introducing the pumpkin doughnut. No, you wouldn’t normally find doughnuts on OHH, but today is different and these pumpkin doughnuts are actually healthy! Doughnuts or donuts – which is it? They both look good to me and we all know they taste good however you spell it, so let’s get baking…and eating!

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree (Farmer’s Markets’ canned organic pumpkin is my go-to)
1/2 cup of high quality vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup of almond flour (or flour of choice)
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
2 teaspoons maple syrup (separated)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (separated)
1 tablespoon coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or yogurt of choice)

For the doughnuts:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix pumpkin puree, protein powder, almond flour, eggs, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, almond milk, baking powder, cinnamon, pie spice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until consistent. Use an electric mixer if you have one. Dip paper towel in melted coconut oil and use to grease doughnut pan. (If you don’t have a doughnut pan, you can use a muffin or mini-muffin pan!) Pour batter to fill half-way. Bake for 12-15 minutes and let cool completely before frosting. For frosting, mix yogurt, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. You can eat doughnuts plain, sprinkled with shredded coconut, or frost with yogurt mixture and top with coconut. Enjoy!

One Healthy Breakdown: just when you thought pumpkin recipes were winding down, this may just be the best one yet!

*recipe inspired by FlapJacked

Pumpkin Pie Parfait

September 30, 2014November 15, 2016Leave a comment

Who else has fallen deep into a love affair with pumpkin season and all it encompasses? I love it all, from the lattes to the scented candles. Pumpkin is an energy-packed vegetable low in fat, sugar, and calories, but high in flavor, nutrients, and warmth. If you’ve already mastered the pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, and, of course, pumpkin pie, I happily bring you the prettiest in pumpkin creations: the Pumpkin Pie Parfait.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (I love Farmer’s Markets’ organic canned pumpkin puree)
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (or yogurt of choice)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey or pure maple syrup
dash of sea salt
1 tablespoon granola
1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon pecans & walnuts (or nuts of choice)

Instructions:

In two separate bowls, mix the following:

pumpkin, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and honey or maple syrup
yogurt and vanilla

In a bowl, cup, or glass of choice, layer the following:

a large spoonful pumpkin mixture
a large spoonful yogurt mixture
sprinkle granola or healthy cereal
1/2 of the shredded coconut
a large spoonful pumpkin mixture
a large spoonful yogurt mixture
remaining shredded coconut
a large spoonful pumpkin mixture
top with nuts

Stick a spoon in it and enjoy!

One Healthy Breakdown: pumpkin spice and everything nice…what’s not to love?!

Healthy Pumpkin Pie

November 19, 2013November 19, 20132 Comments

This healthy pumpkin pie recipe is delicious, vegan, and gluten-free!

Crust:

1 cup oats
2 cups raw pecans
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp flax
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
¼ cup brown rice syrup
1 tbsp Earth Balance (or preferred butter/margarine/oil, melted)

Preheat oven to 350F
Grease a 9 inch pie pan
Process oats into a fine powder using a food processor or blender (or you can just buy oat flour!) and set aside
Put the pecans in the food processor and process until it starts to clump and oils are released (around 45 seconds), when finished you should be able to make a ball with the pecans
Melt Earth Balance and brown rice syrup in the microwave for 30sec.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl (it’s easiest to do this part by hand)
Put the pecan dough in the pie dish and spread out evenly, bringing it up the sides to make a crust. Press down firmly
Poke the crust with a fork a few times
Pre-bake the crust for 10-12 minutes, watching to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Let cool for 10 minutes.

Filling:

2 ¼ cups canned pumpkin
½ cup sugar
¼ cup coconut cream
1 tbsp Earth Balance (or preferred butter/margarine/oil)
¼ cup maple syrup
3 tbsp brown rice flour (or tapioca flour or cornstarch or arrowroot powder)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or more to taste)

Whisk together the maple syrup and brown rice flour.
Add all ingredients and whisk together
Scoop the filling into the crust
Cover the pie with aluminum foil
Bake for 50-55 minutes at 350F
Let cool for 1 hour on the counter
Place in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours (I’ve found its best the longer you wait, even a few days later, so you can prepare this early for Thanksgiving to relieve some of the cooking stress!)
Slice and serve!! For some added deliciousness, serve with some homemade coconut whipped cream!
Serve and enjoy with family!

One Healthy Breakdown: Better than your average pie and much healthier too!

(Recipe slightly adapted from Oh She Glows)

*About Josie: I’m originally from Sag Harbor and I’m currently a student at Boston University working towards becoming a registered dietician and getting my Masters in Nutrition. I’ve been gluten-free for almost 2 years and vegan for a little over a year. My family is having a completely vegan, gluten-free Thanksgiving this year! I’ve been testing out new recipes to serve and this one was a real hit with my roommates (so hopefully it will be a hit with my family too!)

Holiday Flavored Smoothies

November 14, 2013November 18, 2019Leave a comment

With the holidays just around the corner, incorporating some sweet seasonal deliciousness into your green smoothie is a great way to stay on track and taste the holidays in the healthiest way. Try these pumpkin pie, chocolate peppermint, and gingerbread smoothie recipes this season!

SONY DSC