Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 Tbsp. pumpkin spice (or 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg) 

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 3/4 tsp. table salt

• 1 cup canola oil

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (or 3/4 cup Splenda for recipes) 

• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar)

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 3 large eggs

• 1 (15 oz.) canned pumpkin 

• • Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

  • Frosting:

  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

  • 1/4 tsp. table salt

  • 3 cups powdered sugar

  • Directions

    1. Prepare oven and pan:

       Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 15 x 10 x 1–inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper, allowing excess paper to overhang the edges.

    2. Make cake batter:

       To prepare cake, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

    3. Whisk together oil, sugars, vanilla, eggs, and pumpkin in a medium bowl.

    4. Add oil mixture to flour mixture; whisk until well combined.

    5. (The texture of this cake is similar to banana bread, so I think walnuts dispersed throughout would also be good. If you want, add walnuts, and stir.) 

    6. Bake cake and cool:

       Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing into an even layer.

    7. Bake at 350°F until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes; lift cake (using parchment paper) out of pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

    8. Make frosting:

       When cake is cool, prepare frosting. Place softened butter and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute.

    9. Beat in vanilla and salt until well combined. Beating at low speed, gradually add powdered sugar until thick, creamy, and smooth.

    10. Finish cake:

        Spread frosting over cooled cake.

    11. Cut cake lengthwise into 3 rows; cut crosswise into 8 rows to yield 24 bars.

    
    

    1. Original recipe inspiration: https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/pumpkin-bars

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Pumpkin Muffins

Good recipe for pumpkin muffins. They remind me of the pumpkin muffins at Food City stores in the Appalachian region. 

I made muffins, and also put some batter in a jelly roll pan to make it more like a coffee cake. 

The topping is the best part. It candies and crystalizes, providing satisfying texture and flavor. 

The last time I made it, I used AP flour by mistake, and added 1 tsp. each of baking powder and baking soda at the end. It actually rose much better when I did this. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin 

• 2 eggs

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• ½ cup melted butter

• ¼ cup milk

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 2 ½ cups self-rising flour (or 2 1/2 cups AP flour plus 1 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. baking soda) 

• 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon and 1/2 Tbsp. nutmeg) 

Topping

• ⅔ cup sugar

• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg) 

• Directions

• In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir in flour and pumpkin pie spice until just combined. Divide among 2 (12-cup) muffin trays lined with 22 paper liners. Or pour in a jelly roll pan to make a coffee cake. 

• Make Topping: Stir together sugar and pumpkin pie spice; sprinkle over top.

• Bake at 350°F until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Cool in tray 5 minutes.

• Original recipe inspiration: https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/sugar-and-pumpkin-spice-muffins

Watermelon Cake

Here are a couple of pictures of a watermelon cake that I made by carving a fresh watermelon into the shape of a rose, then I garnished it with fresh sliced strawberries and pineapple. It's so good, I want some right now. 

A Moderate Approach to Diet and Fitness

Slow and steady wins the race, so focus on everyday food and exercise habits.

• Assess your daily food and exercise routines, and find practical areas for improvement.

• Look at your daily eating pattern, and find ways to add more vegetables.

• Find foods from each food group that you enjoy eating. A well-balanced diet should contain a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy or other high calcium substitutes, and a variety of protein foods, including plant proteins like nuts and beans. 

• Plan meals and snacks in advance to avoid having to eat whatever is around. You will get hungry throughout the day, and that’s good because you have to feed yourself to stay alive. :) Plan meals and snacks according to your hunger signals.

• Find time for exercise. Look for times in your daily schedule where a workout would easily fit in. 

• Choose exercise that you enjoy, and you will be much more likely to stick with it.

• Have realistic expectations. Exercise for 30 minutes to an hour most days of the week. Do more if you have the time, but don’t worry if you can’t devote 8 hours a day to exercise like an Olympic athlete. 

• Don't get frustrated. As long as you're trying, that's what matters. If you have a busy day and can't workout or one day you don't eat all your vegetables, it's okay, sometimes we have days like that. Your usual routine and the choices that you make most of the time are much more important than that one day where you felt like you weren't perfect. 

Is Moderation Boring?

Falling for diet fads is tempting because they’re always sold in a sensationalized manner. It sounds exciting to completely overhaul your everyday routine for something new and revolutionary. In reality, the new wears off in a week or so, or maybe a few days. Then you’re left back at square one with no real, useful lifestyle changes. 

The good advice that a large number of people don’t want to hear is that moderation and everyday changes to your routine produce sustainable results. It’s similar to the story of The Tortoise and the Hare. Slow and steady wins the race. The nutrition version would end with the tortoise being in great shape while the hare is asleep, exhausted from constantly chasing fads.

Fads may seem exciting while moderation may seem boring, but if you really want to be healthier in the long-run, focus on everyday changes to your routine and habits.