Happy Fall Y’all! I am SO excited for cooler temperatures, the changing colors of leaves on the trees (which, lets be honest, may not actually happen for months), and all things PUMPKIN!

Some Food for Thought

So, I have a major sweet tooth, I know I’m not alone. Sugar addiction is a real thing. Several years ago, The World Health Organization changed it’s sugar intake recommendations to, “For a woman of a normal BMI, the recommendations is 6 teaspoons of sugar per day.”

Again, in my humble opinion, if they were to add a % Daily Value for sugar it’d probably scare the beejezus out of their customers… especially those buying “health food”. No offense, but just because something is labeled organic doesn’t make it healthy - the majority of packaged foods labeled “organic” and “natural” have way more disadvantages than advantages. This could end up being a very lengthy blog post, so I’ll stop there - feel free to comment with your thoughts, I love talking about this kind of stuff with people who are interested.

PS. If you’re familiar with Fed Up you’ve seen the crazy reaction that sugar creates in our brains - the one that’s compared to a brain on cocaine. #yikes.

Let’s Get Cooking

All that to say, I wanted to make some yummy pumpkin muffins with ZERO added sugar - using only bananas and raisins to sweeten this fall favorite recipe. Check it out and let me know what you think!

If you're not ready to go completely sugar free - add a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of brown sugar to the wet mix.

No Sugar Added Pumpkin Pecan Muffins

Dry Mix

2 cups flour

1 cup rolled oats

½ cup ground flaxseed

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 pinch salt
homemade pumpkin pie spice (it's super easy!)

ground cinnamon

Wet Mix

1 can pumpkin puree

2 overripe bananas

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

¼ cup greek yogurt

¼ cup coconut oil

Mix Ins

1 ½ cup raisins

1 cup toasted pecan pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Coat 12-24 muffin pan cups with coconut oil (easiest way is to put a tablespoon of coconut oil in a small bowl, and using clean hands, dip your fingers into the bowl and then into the muffin cups)

In a bowl, combine all your “Dry Mix” ingredients together, set aside. (I didn’t put a measurement for the spices because I never measure this part. Depending on the day, I usually like to use a generous amount. Do what feels right and don’t be afraid of those spices.)

Using a food processor or mixer, combine the “Wet Mix” ingredients and process/mix until smooth, scraping the sides as necessary.

Add the “Dry Mix” to the “Wet Mix” and fold in the “Mix Ins”

Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

I like to serve mine toasted with a tiny dab of coconut oil and enjoy it with my morning pour over on the patio.

PS. If this is too unsweet for you, add a drizzle of honey, or mix a tablespoon of greek yogurt with a teaspoon of honey and a tiny splash of vanilla for a little “frosting”.

Love.

Nina

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