Pumpkin Mini Bunt Cakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I made these for my boyfriend's mothers birthday and they were delicious! If fall had a taste, these would be it!

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1 package of super moist carrot cake
3/4 cup of water
1 can of pumpkin (15oz)
Mini bunt cake pan
Non-stick spray

For the Frosting:

2 cups of confectioners sugar
4oz of cream cheese (don't use fat free)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons of cold cubed butter

Directions: 

For the cake:

Preheat your oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the carrot cake mix, water and can of pumpkin. Mix well until it is well blended. Spray your bunt cake pan with non-stick spray. Fill them half way with the mixture. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until it passes the toothpick trick.

Allow them to cool for about 5 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack. I used a butter knife to gently remove my cakes from the pan. Allow to fully cool before frosting them. This recipe should make about 9 mini bunt cakes.

For the Frosting:

Add all of your frosting ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Blend with a hand mixer. Start at a slow speed and slowly increase the speed until it is a frosting like consistency.

Once the frosting is well mixed, place in a large ziplock bag.Cut a small edge off the tip of the bag and gently squeeze the frosting out on to the cakes with your desired design. Be sure to keep the frosting refrigerated because it has cream cheese in it! Serve and dig in!

Grandma's Apple Crisp Recipe

Just in time for Thanksgiving! I am thankful for family recipes being passed down! My mother makes this recipe that was passed down from my Grandmother Boudreau and it is delicious! I like it served warm with vanilla ice cream of course!

Ingredients:

1 cup of bisquick
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 t of cinamon
1/4 cup of butter softened
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
5 medium apples

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Peel and slice the apples. Place in a medium sized coated casserole dish. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve! How easy is that?!

Butternut Squash Soup

It's that time of year again, the leaves are falling off the trees and it's getting cold out. On a more un-traditional note, we have already gotten about 10 inches of snow... and it's November 1st! Nonetheless, I'm not trying to rush fall along, as it is one of my favorite seasons! There's absolutely nothing better on a cold night than a warm cup of butternut squash soup... especially when its homemade AND healthy! This is my version of butternut squash soup.

Ingredients:


- 1 Macintosh apple
- 1 White onion
- 1 Butternut squash
- 1 Clove of garlic
-3 Bullion cubes (I used chicken flavor, but if you're a vegetarian, use the vegetable kind)
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
-***Optional (this is not calculated into the nutrition facts): 1/2 cup of sour cream

Directions:

Fill a large cooking pan with the 3 bullion cubes and suggested water amount. Place on high. Chop up the garlic clove into small bits and place into the pot. Take the butternut squash and peel the skin off with a potato peeler. Cut the squash in half and take the seeds out with a spoon. Chop the squash up into small cubes and place into the pot. Peel the apple and chop into small cubes and place into the pot. Chop up the onion (be sure to take off the skin) and place into the pot. Let this come to a boil, stirring occasionally. Let these ingredients cook until the squash is mushy and the onions are transparent (about 15-20 minutes.) Sprinkle the top with only a teeny bit of nutmeg- too much nutmeg would taste gross! Then sprinkle on top the ground cinnamon (use your discretion with how much to add.) Let the mixture cool for about an hour. Once it is room temperature, place in a blender and puree. When it has reached your preferred consistency, it is ready to serve! If you are choosing to add the sour cream, this is when you do it. Be sure to mix it in well.

Nutrition Facts for 1 Serving (This recipe should make 6 servings at 1 cup each)

Calories - 81
Carbs - 20
Fat - 0
Protein - 1
Sodium - 387
Fiber - 3

All Natural Applesauce

So I went apple-picking this week which is a plus if you live in New England. Born and raised in the hometown of Johnny Appleseed, it's kind of a big deal around here. So I went apple picking and filled a whole peck full....

Once I got home, I thought to myself "what the heck am I going to do with 14 apples?" I've been eating 2 apples a day now and I still have a ton left over! I decided to think up a recipe for homemade apple sauce. Nothing is better than eating warm homemade apple sauce on a cold fall day! I began my recipe search online and realized that most of the recipes called for a cup or more of sugar. Not my idea of a healthy snack. So I created my own little take, using only all natural ingredients. If you live in New England, or somewhere where you can pick your own apples, I highly suggest it!

Ingredients:

- 4-5 large apples (I used fresh picked Cortland)
- 2 tablespoons of a natural sweetener (I used ideal - similar to truvia)
- Ground cinnamon -  about a tablespoon or so

Directions:

Peel all of the apples and chop them up into small cubes. Combine in a baking pot and place on medium. Add a little bit of water. Continue to stir until they are mushy (20-30 minutes). Slowly, add in the cinnamon and natural  sweetener. Continue to stir until it bubbles and looks like this...

From there, turn off the stove top. You can serve this as a side as is to any dinner (preferably a country style dinner) if you would prefer. Place the mixture into a mixing bowl. Using a hand held blender, mix together until it is to your preference of consistency. Serve warm, it tastes better that way!

Nutrition Information for 1 serving (one cup) - this recipe should make around 4 servings

Calories - 85
Carbs - 23
Fat - 0
Protein - 0
Sodium - 1
Fiber - 6

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog for more weekly healthy recipes! Up Next - Butternut Squash Soup!