Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

I have an addiction to pumpkin, without a doubt.  I love pumpkin everything! So you can imagine my excitement when it dawned upon me to create a "pumpkin" version of these little babies!  I know you've seen the age old recipe with the Vanilla Wafer Type cookies on the bottom, using a cheesecake type of batter in it.  These are on the same order, but all pumpkin! Ooooh baby I am in heaven! I don't have the points® for these but I haven't been doing "point® counting" per say lately anyways. I've reached the point where I'm just paying more attention to what I'm eating and portion control.  Which leads me to the next comment.... make sure you either freeze these immediately (in the downstairs freezer, tucked in the back LOL) or have something to take them to and share because you WILL want to eat them all!

If someone does by chance figure the points® out I'll gladly post them.  I just find that I don't need the points anymore as I've always done my own version of the Weight Watchers® program and am adept enough to figure out what my limits are, etc.  If I were to guess the points®, using the fat free or reduced fat (my preference) cream cheese, I would guess 2 to 3 points® each but again, I honestly have not figured out the value!  My limit is 2 cupcakes per serving/per day MAX! Yes, it's sometimes hard to do; but knowing I'm getting more tomorrow if I want always gets me through the day!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

Makes 36 cupcakes

2 lbs. reduced fat cream cheese (can substitute fat free but it gives it a slightly different texture)

1 2/3 C. sugar

¼ C. flour

1  15oz. pumpkin pie mix (I use an organic pumpkin pie mix)*

1 Tbls. pumpkin pie spice

4 eggs

36 ginger cookies

Preheat oven to 325F

*Note: make sure you use pumpkin pie MIX, not pumpkin!

Cream together sugar & cream cheese until fluffy, scraping bowl often.  Add eggs one at a time.  When eggs are fulling incorporated, add pumpkin & pumpkin pie spice. Slowly add flour, mixing well.

Place papers in standard cupcake pan & place one cookie in the bottom of each paper.  Fill with cheesecake mixture.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until fluffy but not quite fully set.

Wish me luck on my journey to "eating clean" and  healthy! 
And please feel free to comment and share ideas for trying to live and eat "clean" and losing weight by changing to a healthy lifestyle!
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEED TO GET FIT BUT DON'T WANT THE GYM MEMBERSHIP?

THINK ABOUT A TRAMPOLINE!

Check out The Trampolines King Website for tons of FREE information & guidance in purchasing this wonderful piece of equipment that is affordable and helps burn TONS of calories (not to mention tons 'o fun)!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

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Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me....

 Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



 

 BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



.



Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

Some Sweet Desserts

One of my biggest loves is ice cream and of course ice cream in the summer is even better. I will confess though, I do not need hot sweltering days to make me crave that smooth and creamy treat!

Today's find was a bit of a surprise for me and just a spoonful of heaven with my first bite. Haagen-Dazs Mango All Natural Fat Free Sorbet is really quite an amazing dessert! The ingredients remain simple (part of my attempt to 'eat clean' as often as possible) and the nutritional values are amazingly good too! There's 120 calories in 1/2 cup serving, with 0g fat and 0g fiber. It would be better if we could sneak fiber in somehow but oh well! Of course it IS Haagen-Dazs so what did I expect but great flavor? The downfall is that it IS Haagen-Dazs, so it tends to be a little pricier than a store brand or other brand but that is also why it's filled with great ingredients AND tastes so delish! Luckily, many stores locally have been putting Haagen-Dazs brand on sale a lot over the summer so I've managed to sneak a few extras in the basement freezer!

Here's a list of the ingredients: WATER, SUGAR, MANGO PUREE, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, PUMPKIN JUICE CONCENTRATE, CARROT JUICE CONCENTRATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, PECTIN.

Pretty simple and "real". Yes, purists will argue there are sugars and pectins, etc. but my issue is "chemical content" more than natural things like sugars and pectins. Sugars and pectins were used by my grandma and her mom so I'm pretty sure they're not one of the biggest issues of cancer and such that I'm battling. I personally feel good about these ingredients.

I think my favorite is the Mango flavor but they offer a few others. I loved the raspberry sorbet too! (note, the bowl they show on their site is definitely NOT 1/2 cup serving! LOL) I saw a strawberry and one other listed on their website, along with some great looking other fat free or lower fat options in frozen dessert products! Check out the Haagen-Dazs site to see all they offer. I have noticed the flavors locally change in each store and even sometimes aren't available numerous times so if you find one you love, grab it up now and put it in the freezer for later!

Of course the hardest part is portion control with this delicious treat, but that tends to be my issue with any "ice cream" type food!

Wish me luck on my journey to "eating clean" and  healthy! 
And please feel free to comment and share ideas for trying to live and eat "clean"!
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEED TO GET FIT BUT DON'T WANT THE GYM MEMBERSHIP?

THINK ABOUT A TRAMPOLINE!

Check out The Trampolines King Website for tons of FREE information & guidance in purchasing this wonderful piece of equipment that is affordable and helps burn TONS of calories (not to mention tons 'o fun)!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AssistU has been the whole reason I've had
the best results following the
Weight Watchers® program...
changing 1 lb or less losses to
an average of 3 lbs most weeks!
Check out this ALL NATURAL HERBAL SUPPLEMENT!
Mention Beverly's Blog "One Day At A Time"  when you order 
to get the best price available!

Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me along with AssistU....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3.

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

Weight Watcher White Chocolate Peppermint Smoothies

Sometimes there are just some products out there that help you maintain the Weight Watcher® program that are simply created by Weight Watcher's® and only available through them but so worth the trip to the meeting places in order to pick them up. I personally think that Weight Watcher's® Smoothie Mixes are one of these items. Of course, everyone has their favorites or their ones they absolutely cannot stand. There are very few I honestly dislike, but definitely some that I absolutely LOVE.

One of my absolute faves is the plain ol' chocolate smoothie mix. I mix mine with water for a 1 point treat and probably a good 75% of the time I'll add some "goodies" to the smoothie to create an almost "Blizzard® Like" dessert!
Some different items I love to add to a chocolate WW smoothie:

• Peanut Butter for a chocolate peanut butter drink (you can use PB2 in place of actual lower fat peanut butter for less points® )
• 100 calorie packs (generally you can add 1/2 pack adding only 1 extra point®) - some of my faves of these include the Oreo® packs & the Chips Ahoy® packs but the choices are almost endless!
• 1 pt or 2 pt bars - in particular I love to add the Weight Watchers® chocolate chip brownies, all chopped up and just dropped into the mixture....makes for an amazing chocolately treat!
• 1/2 Skinny Cow® ice cream sandwich - actually I will often use the Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches to "dip" my smoothie
  

One of the newer flavors of the Weight Watchers® Smoothies I've found is the White Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie. This is often a wonderful, creamy treat that I whip up with a Skinny Cow® to dip into it. I use the "water" method, preferring the texture of using water and ice (use ice & water to equal 1 cup in the blender) as opposed to using skim milk but many prefer a thicker milk version. I personally think using the milk tends to make it come out almost "slimey" but it's all a matter of preference.

So if you get a chance, I highly recommend picking up some Weight Watcher® Smoothie mixes. Starting with 1 point® per serving, you can get a great big glass of delicious treat... add some of your own favorite "toppings" to make a decadent dessert!

AssistU has been the whole reason I've had
the best results following the
Weight Watchers® program...
changing 1 lb or less losses to
an average of 3 lbs most weeks!
Check out this ALL NATURAL HERBAL SUPPLEMENT!
Use DISCOUNT CODE 112BP to get the best price available!
Ask for a free sample!

Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!


Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me along with AssistU....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3.

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie (1)

The thought of fall instantly brings me to visions of mums, corn stalks & pumpkins. My tummy always screams "PUMPKIN PIE" too, but eating pumpkin pie while trying to lose weight?! YIKES! Can it be done?

It sure can, when you make this AMAZING "crustless" version.

I can not take credit for this recipe BUT unfortunately I can't give full credit either. This is a recipe my mom had stashed away. We had remembered it and "googled" the words "Crustless Pumpkin Pie" and did come up with some very similar & some very different versions from this one but THIS is the one that I love and use often!

The beauty of it all is that the ENTIRE pie is only worth 8 points®! The ingredients are simple & the recipe so easy there's NO excuse not to celebrate fall with a slice (or two) of Crustless Pumpkin Pie!

Crustless Pumpkin Pie (1)
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1 can (12 oz.) fat free evaporated milk
3/4 C egg substitute or 3 egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
3 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 C Splenda®

*note- have a tub of fat free whipped topping or can of fat free whipped topping handy to finish the dish also!

Preheat Oven to 400F

Combine all ingredients in large bowl, beat until smooth, pour in sprayed 9"pie plate

Bake 400F for 15 min

then reduce to 325 F for 45 min until center poke comes clean

(Cut into 8 slices & serve w/a tablespoon of Fat Free Whipped Topping - no extra pts)

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By Body & Soul

Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME!


Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!

Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness



3.

4. BWJEN



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc.

Lemonade Pie (3)

While the summer may be winding down, it's never too late to whip up a cool & refreshing lemon pie! I make this at Thanksgiving for my "lemon pie", keeps me from misbehaving too much! But in the summer, it's a wonderful delight and always a hit at picnics!

Lemonade Pie (3)

Original Recipe, not sure of where I got it but I've seen versions all over. I re-invented it to lower the points (as always), actually it could have been from an original recipe by Cool Whip® or Crystal Light® but either way... I changed it up! I actually believe I took a little of the recipe from either Cool Whip/Crystal Light and added the crust from Hungry Girl with my own additions & deletions.


Crust:

1 1/4c Fiber One® Original Cereal
6 sheets Low Fat graham crackers
4 Tbsp light butter (50 cal Tbsp)
1 oz water
4Tbsp Splenda®


In blender/food processor place Fiber One® cereal. Crush up. Pour into bowl, crush graham crackers into mix, then add remaining ingredients. Blend together with hands or spoon/spatula.

Push into sprayed pie tin.

Crust Nutritional info for 1/8th = 88.75/3.75/4.75

Filling:

1 lrg box sugar free fat free instant vanilla pudding
2 c skim milk
1 tub Crystal Light® lemonade *note if you use the pink lemonade you get a pink pie!
½ of 8 oz Cool Whip® Free (reserve other half for topping)

Mix together pudding mix and crystal light. Add milk and whisk until it begins to thicken. Fold in cool whip. Spread into prepared crust. Refrigerate until set. Top with remaining cool whip.
I freeze it and take it out as needed, keeping it firmer & heartier to slice!
.

Filling Nutritional Info: 1/8th = 88 cal/ 0g fat/ 0g fiber

One slice of Pie 1/8th = 176 cal/ 3.75g fat/ 4.75g fiber

* As with all recipes points®/calories/fats will vary according to ingredients so please be sure to figure your own nutritional information out according to the packages & information of the products you use.



Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME!


Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!

Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness



3.

4. BWJEN



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc.