Festive Fall Breakfast!

Julian Michaels is my hero!  I love her!  I get her emails and day dream about how I am going work out and look like her!  I have all her exercise videos! Yup, all of them!  I have her books, yup, all of them. I bought her vitamins, yup, all of them...Oh well, guess that's never going to happen considering she is about 10 years younger than me to start with and I never looked like that 10 years ago.  A girl can dream though, can't she?   I keep trying to figure out how I am going to lose these 10 lbs I gained over the last two years.   It all comes down to two things...diet and exercise!  Yep, that's it folks!  You gotta eat less and exercise more! The older you get the less you can eat!  Some how I have it backwards...seems I have been exercising less and eating more.  I gotta figure this thing out before the holidays get here.  I always gain over the holidays (which by the way, are only 73 days away!)  Today is the beginning of my "get fit" journey!  I am not going to bore you with the details.  I'll check in from time to time to share my progress. The first thing I have to do is get off this computer and get my butt on my treadmill for an hour!  After that I need to lift some weight and then... I am going in the kitchen to mix up a batch of these delicious looking muffins.  Wonder if I can eat just one....

Here is Julian Michael's idea of a festive fall breakfast!

I have to admit, it looks like a lot of carbs and fat, but it must be ok if Julian says so!

Sounds yummy! Perfect with a cup of black coffee!   

Master This Muffin Recipe

Forget about the sugary candy corn and caramel-covered apples — these muffins are one of my favorite healthy fall treats. Whip up a batch of these over the weekend, then freeze a bunch to eat sporadically over the next few weeks. Adding a new breakfast item into your weekly meals is a great way to start a new season. And remember, to get more nutritional bang for your calorie buck, you can substitute whole-wheat flour for all-purpose flour — and if you can find it, organic raw honey is your best bet. Enjoy waking your taste buds up to fall with these muffins!  If you make them, let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Harvest Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 cup pumpkin, packed solidly
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Preparation

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter until light; beat in honey, egg and pumpkin. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing until just blended; stir in walnuts.

Spoon into 12 greased or paper-lined 2-1/2 inch muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 servings

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 45 mins

Nutrition Facts
Number of Servings: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 226
Total Fat: 10 g
Cholesterol: 10 mg
Sodium: 251 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 32 g
Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 5 g