Reduced Sugar Pumpkin Banana Bread

November 5th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

The fall leaves were gorgeous this weekend! It got me in the autumn spirit. I decided to make a fall wreath:

When I went to Michael’s to get supplies, I had trouble finding fall decor. There was Christmas stuff everywhere! No more fall decorations even though we still have a whole month left. Oh well, I love my DIY wreath projects!

Next, I made some healthier pumpkin bread, mainly because I wanted the house to smell nice. I didn’t care too much about eating the bread… it was more like another craft for me to do!

Anyway, I reduced the sugar by using some stevia/xylitol blend and it turned out amazing. Doesn’t taste “healthy”. So you could trick kids to eating it for sure. And it uses a whole 1/2 can of pumpkin so you can get some squeeze in some veggies!

Reduced Sugar Pumpkin Banana Bread

Makes 1 loaf. Double for 2 loaves. Inspired by Spark Recipes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (helps to keep it light and airy). You could try cutting this in half further (1/2 cup white; 1/2 cup oat or whole wheat)
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar *You could cut out the rest of the white sugar and just use more stevia. Depends on preference.
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 Tbsp. molasses
  • 3 Tbsp. stevia/xylitol blend
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup 1% milk (or skim or almond milk)
  • 1/2 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
  • 1 ripe banana, mashed

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl. Combine wet ingredients and sugars in another bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients until combined. Do not over-stir!
  3. Spoon batter into 1 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick.

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Michelob Ultra Light Cider

June 25th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Food Review - (0 Comments)

BlogHer and Michelob Ultra asked me to review the new Ultra Light Cider (they sponsored this post)–the first ever cider produced Anheuser-Busch. It is the first light cider I have ever heard of. I was interested to know what it would taste like, and how much healthier it could really be. The Positives: It is gluten free, and 120 calories per bottle. Not too bad on the sugar either. This would be good for those who do not tolerate gluten as there is gluten in some ciders and beers. Made from apple juice, sugar, stevia, and sulphites to preserve. I was surprised to find stevia as one of the ingredients! I am glad there are no nasty artificial sweeteners used like aspartame.

The Negatives: The taste is not that amazing. The cider has a nice fizzy mouth-feel, and  is pretty refreshing, but the actual flavor is somewhat lacking. It has an apple candy flavor without the sour flavor. Overall, a very mild taste. Almost too mild. Some people might like that kind of flavor. If you don’t like strong flavors, or strong beverages, this would be for you. When I think of a cider, I think of drinking it in the fall weather, but this particular cider I could drink in the summer by the pool. Mainly because it doesn’t taste like a cider. It tastes like a mild, slightly fruity, fizzy beverage.

This is not for people who like to drink ciders. Rather, it would be a good pool-side beverage for those wanting something more refreshing and mild.

Overall, Michelob light cider is a great way to save some calories the healthy way. And for those of you who need a new pool-side beverage this summer, you could try out the light cider. Don’t be fooled by the “cider” name. Think, light apple candy adult drink! Haha.

Which favorite summer meal or activity do you think would go best with Michelob ULTRA Light Cider?

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