Healthier Mini Pumpkin Pies KIDS Approved!

Mini Pumpkin Pies! A Healthy Alternative

Who says we can't eat the dessert for the holidays.. or ever? 

The holiday season is here and with it you are probably thinking, "I'll just starve myself all week so I can eat all the delicious food at the Christmas party."🙋🏼‍♀️. Ya that used to be me...OR, if there was 1.. ok maybe 2.. fine, half a pie left I would be down there eating it before anyone else got to it... #guilty? 

Here is the deal. When we make little tweaks and eat fairly good 80-85% of the time, there is no reason why we can't indulge just a little. Plus, these individual cups are PERFECT with their no-traditional wonton wrapper crusts that is much lighter than pie crusts.

These Mini Pumpkin Pies fit into the portion fix, for all you fixers out there as a yellow container. 

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Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg , lightly beaten
• ½ tsp . pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp . pure maple syrup (or raw honey)
• ¼ tsp . ground cinnamon
• 1 dash ground ginger
• 1 dash ground cloves
• ¼ tsp . fine sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
• ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk
• 12 wonton wrappers

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven 325° F.
2. Lightly coat a mini muffin pan with spray. Set aside.
3. Combine pumpkin, egg, extract, and maple syrup in a medium bowl; whisk to blend.
4. Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and almond milk; mix until just blended. Set aside.
5. Place a wrapper in each muffin cup. Press down so that wrapper fits snugly and forms a cup shape.
6. Pour approx. 2 Tbsp. pumpkin mixture into each cup (or fill each cup about ¾ full).
7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until knife inserted in the center of one cup comes out almost clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
8. Serve with some whipped cream or better yet, dairy-free coconut whipped cream! Made by whipping the cream not the liquidy milk with a little coconut sugar and pure vanilla! It is now my go to.

If you want to save this recipe be sure to click the picture to pin it or share it to your social media!

#BeKindToOneAnother

It was World Kindness Day Yesterday and how many of you knew that? We seem to know when National Donut Day, or World Bring Your Cat to Work Day is <--- I don't know if that is a real thing but you get the jist right? LOL.

I personally don’t know why we can't focus on Kindness EVERYDAY but I understand there are just some people out there who:
-> blame all their problems on everyone else, I was one of them 🙋🏼‍♀️
-> judge others because they are jealous and unhappy with themselves 🙋🏼‍♀️
-> are selfish and don’t want to be bothered with other people’s problems 🙋🏼‍♀️
-> assume they are better than others because of the materialistic things they possess 🙋🏼‍♀️

Those are the ones I know all to well because I was all those people. I used to be so unhappy with myself that I created this terrible mindset about myself and other people.

--> No matter what, YOU are responsible for how things work out in your life, from sleeping in to messing up on an exam question to losing out on something huge. You can always find something/someone to blame to make yourself feel better but when it comes down to it, taking ownership is actually freeing and allows you to learn from past mistakes PLUS taking ownership of your shit is just THE RIGHT THING TO DO and it will set you apart all the other wingnuts in this world who are constantly pooping on other people. #sorrynotsorry lol.

--> judgement is actually looking through a mirror and really, you are judging yourself. Why should an innocent someone be judged for anything if YOU aren’t happy with yourself that kind of goes along with take ownership part. 1.If you don't know the person's story what gives you the right to make assumptions about them. If you don't have anything nice to say or even if you are joking around and being sarcastic don't say anything at all, you never know how it will make that person feel.

--> God isn’t selfish, Jesus gave his own life so that we could wage war, discriminate, be unloving towards each other? No, actually so we could love one another as we would like to be loved and that isn’t just for people of the same race or social statues. Stop being so selfish and think about all the things you have and what you CAN get rid of to help those who are not as fortunate as you. Also everyone has the same 24hrs in a day and there are people out there who have no one to talk to, why not volunteer to be a friend in the old folks home, hospital, prison, soup kitchen, shelter. Everyone, no matter what they have done has the ability to change if there are people who care enough to show them how. Be that person.

--> most people strive to have all the newest technology, the latest fashion, and all the things but did you feel satisfied or fulfilled after you got all those things? So why think you are better than others because you have the latest iphone and Susan has a flip phone? We are in this silly new age of materialistic and technology and it is RUINING our lives. Stop being a weenie and get to know people before you make assumptions.

The moral of this story.... in the words of Ellen Degeneres: "Be Kind to One Another".

Your challenge for this holiday season

You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup

SELF CARE = SELF RESPECT

With the holidays fast approaching usually the focus turns to EVERYONE else and no matter how good we are at filling our cups, we tend to burn out quickly and start the new year off on rough footing. Self Care is SO important to be able to keep doing all the things you want to do over the holidays but it actually looks very different for everyone! 

Self care for some might mean making sure they are in bed early so that they can get up before everyone else for their morning silence and workout time. For others it might look like meal prepping so that they know they are staying on track with their nutrition goals and for others it might mean child care for their littles and taking one day a week to just be alone in the silence, enjoy a massage, hot bath, or popcorn and a movie of YOUR choice. 

"KEEPING YOUR BODY HEALTHY IS AN EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE."
                                                                                                                  —Thich Nhat Hanh.

A huge part of keeping ourselves healthy is SELF-CARE! It's often overlooked as part of our health and fitness journeys, but it's essential. What would happen if we all started to give ourselves the same care and attention that we give to others? Like this hit me HARD when I realized that I was giving every part of myself to others and leaving nothing left which resulted in a full blown mental breakdown and becoming diagnosed with high anxiety... You can't pour from an empty cup, so filling yours is super-important, especially during the rush of the holidays!

Self-care looks and feels different to everyone, it's about finding those things that help you manage your stress, enjoy the holiday's and take a little time for you!!

Here are a few things that might do it for you:

-->GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP A MASSAGE<--

-->A WALK IN THE PARK<--

-->READING A GOOD BOOK<--

-->GETTING ENOUGH WATER<--

-->STAYING COMMITTED TO YOUR NUTRITION<--

-->GETTING YOUR 30 MINUTES IN MEDITATION<--

-->POSITIVE SELF-TALK<--

-->DAILY SWEAT SESH<--

-->HIRING A SITTER FOR A FEW HOURS<--

What are somethings that you will incorporate to make your holidays less stressful and filled with love and cheer? Share below, I would love to hear what you are currently doing for self care as well! 

Until next time, 

xo-K