Healthy Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• nonstick cooking spray
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup minced crystallized ginger

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray 12 muffin tins with nonstick spray.

2. Place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is very fluffy.

3. Add the egg and mix on low speed to combine. Add the pumpkin puree and grated ginger root and mix again.

4. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice together.

5. Fold in half of the flour mixture. Stir in the buttermilk. Fold in the remaining flour mixture and the crystallized ginger. The batter should be smooth, but be careful to not overmix.

6. Fill the prepared tins halfway with the batter. Bake until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

7. Transfer the muffin tins to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before removing the muffins.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 muffin
Amount Per Serving
Calories 137
Total Fat 4 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Protein 2 g
Total Carbohydrate 23 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sodium 126 mg
Percent Calories from Fat 28%
Percent Calories from Protein 6%
Percent Calories from Carbohydrate 67%

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• Tip of the Month

  June 2010

  Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

  Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
  First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

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  click here to read past tips

• Recipe of the Month

  June 2010

  Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

  This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

  4 large eggs
  4 large egg whites
  1 cup nonfat milk
  2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)
  4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)
  1 cup diced ham steak, (5 ounces)
  1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
  3/4 cup shredded Gruyère, or Swiss cheese
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