Gluten Free Carrot Pumpkin Muffins

Gluten free, dairy free and NO added sugar!

These muffins are as clean as you can get! But don’t be fooled. They are loaded with flavour!

I pretty much like just about anything with Pumpkin. From pie, to cookies, to pancakes, even to smoothies, I use pumpkin pretty frequently in my recipes. Be sure to always purchase organic canned pumpkin. Not pumpkin pie filling. Otherwise, you’ll be loading up on a ton of sugar and preservatives.

These muffins are perfect for when that 3pm energy slump starts to hit. My energy slump generally hits me around 5pm. It’s that time of day when I typically head to the gym, but my mind is overwhelmed with all the work I need to do. Plus, I get home from work and just want to play with my cat! At this point, the gym doesn’t seem so exciting. Then that hunger pang kicks in! A few bites of these delicious muffins topped with some almond butter and I’m back in the game!

Gym time, go time and my flavour buds are fuelled! I’m ready to go!

Hope you enjoy these the next time your energy slump kicks in 🙂

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Carrot Pumpkin Muffins
(recipe adapted from 21 Day Sugar Detox)

*Feel free to add in 1/4 cup of raisins, cranberries or cherries for a little extra sweetness.

Ingredients:

      • 6 eggs, beaten
      • ¼ cup canned pumpkin
      • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
      • 1 tsp ground vanilla bean or extract
      • Half a banana, mashed
      • ½ cup coconut flour
      • Pinch sea salt
      • ¼ tsp baking soda
      • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
      • 2 tsps cinnamon
      • 3 cups grated carrots (approximately 3-4 carrots)

Directions:

    • Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, oil, vanilla and banana. Stir in coconut flour, salt, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Stir until well combined. Gently fold in grated carrots.
    • Line a muffin tray with parchment paper muffin liners. Scoop ¼ cup of the batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Happy Baking

Health & Abundance,
Samantha 🙂

 

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Happy Halloween! Cinnamon Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Happy Halloween!

How more fitting to celebrate this super fun day then to make recipes full of pumpkins!

I absolutely LOVE pumpkins! From pie, to smoothies, to pancakes and even lattes…..I’ve been whipping up pumpkin recipes like no tomorrow!

I think I may have to stock pile cans of organic pumpkin puree just so I can continue to make delicious recipes this season!

This smoothie recipe have become a staple in my morning routine. Delicious, easy to make and nourishing!

Pumpkin is incredibly rich in beta carotene – a super nutrient that converts to vitamin A. This incredible vitamin helps boost your immune system, is heart protective and is essential for eye health.

In just 1 cup of pureed pumpkin (organic of course!), you get a whooping 7 grams of fibre and 3 grams of protein. Plus, its really low cal (if you’re into that whole calorie counting thing….me…not so much!). This makes it a perfect addition to your morning smoothies! Protein + fibre = a happy and full tummy!

I’ve added some extra key ingredients to my pumpkin smoothie, such as additional protein for the extra fullness factor, immune support and beautiful lean muscle building benefits. Can’t go wrong with a little extra protein! 🙂

Some extra fruit and blood sugar balancing cinnamon gave this smoothie the perfect sweetness!

 

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Also, take a look at the pumpkins we carved this year! Every year my boyfriend and I get together with his sisters and we have a pumpkin carving contest! I won this year! Yay! I carved BANE (villain from Batman) and it was a winner! Thought he would make the perfect Halloween Villain!

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Happy Carving!

Health & Abundance,
Samantha

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Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes with Almond Cashew Icing and (another) Pumpkin Pie Smoothie!

I know I know…..you’re probably sick of Pumpkin anything at this point since the overload at Thanksgiving weekend! But I can’t get enough of it! Pumpkins are everywhere, and soon I’ll be carving mine and roasting the seeds for a delicious snack. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these simple and delicious pumpkin pie cupcakes that are gluten free! As for the icing, I have to admit it was a cheat on my part. I’ve been wanting to try the Healthy Top almond and cashew whipping cream and thought it would be the perfect addition to my cupcakes….and they were! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Ingredients
2 cups quinoa flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon (I add extra cinnamon because I LOVE IT!)
2 eggs
1 cup organic pumpkin puree
3/4 cup sucanat
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together quinoa flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pie spice and cinnamon. In a large bowl, beat the eggs; add the pumpkin, sugar, buttermilk, applesauce and oil. Whisk until smooth. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and gently stir until blended. Use a large spoon to divide batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan. If frosting, be sure cupcakes have completely cooled so the icing doesn’t melt!

Healthy Top Icing
View the link below to see how to whip the Healthy Top! It takes no time at all! I added 1 tsp of vanilla extract before whipping to give it some extra flavour. http://www.mimiccreme.com/whipping.html

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Last week I posted a GREEN pumpkin pie smoothie! The green hue was due to the protein powder that I use which contained spirulina and chlorella! Sooooo…..I felt the need to redo my smoothie and post a more “appropriate” looking Pumpkin Pie smoothie! 😉 Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup Organic canned pumpkin puree
2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. manuka honey
3-4 ice cubes

Directions
Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Happy Meatless Monday!

Health & Abundance,
Samantha 🙂

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