Cuppins!

My treat day today at work. I'm lucky in that most of the people I work with don't mind a little healthy. In fact, I think they prefer the not-so-terrible-for-you stuff.

So in an effort to make something yummy but not cellulite producing, I borrowed a recipe from the Hungry Girl blog with a few modifications.

I call them Cuppins ... a cross between a cupcake and a muffin. The texture is a bit more dense than a true cupcake. Since I'm a fan of dense and moist when it comes to baked goods, it works for me.

*** Please also note that Cuppin is a combination of the words Cupcake and Muffin. Like Bennifer or Brangelina. The alternative, Muffcake, is decidedly less appetizing.***

Spice Cuppins
1 box spice cake mix
1 can puree pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
Big handful of chopped pecans
Big handful of coconut
(Raisins would be good, too, but I didn't put any in)
1 container ready-made cream cheese frosting

Mix pumpkin with cake mix. Batter will be thick. Toss in pecans and coconut. Scoop into lined tins. I do NOT fill them all the way to the top. Remember, we're still trying to save calories here. Bake according to box instructions. Let cool completely. Frost.  (You could make your own cream cheese frosting with a mixture of low-fat/fat-free cream cheese, but, really ... why? There's no law that says you have to glop frosting on there ... just don't use as much. I frosted 20 cupcakes with a half of a tub.)

They also taste pretty good with Nutella frosting. I sampled one last night.

Party Swap-Outs

As previously mentioned, we had a Rose Bowl party yesterday. (And I had a blast, BTW.) Unbeknownst to my guests, I made a few switches to normal party fare in an effort to make it not as terrible as it could be.

No one even noticed.

Makes me feel a little sneaky. But makes my jeans feel better.

Here are the easy swap-outs I made. Nothing too terribly clever. But every little bit helps.

Taco meat: Use half lean ground beef and half ground turkey.
Crab dip: Use light or fat free sour cream and cream cheese.
Potato chips: Didn't serve them. Instead had a bowl of big, crunchy pretzels with honey mustard and stone-ground mustard for dipping.
Red velvet cupcakes: Made with Egg Beaters instead of whole eggs and applesauce instead of veg oil.
Shredded cheese and sour cream for taco bar: Used reduced fat versions of both.
Drinks: Offered diet sodas in all flavors for mixers and had a low-carb beer available.
Veg tray/dip: Used light sour cream.
Candy: Offered fat-free licorice instead of M&Ms.
Taco Bar: Offered whole wheat and corn tortillas in addition to white flour versions.
Tortilla chips: Baked Tostitos Scoops, baby.

What did this mean for me? Meant there was room for a delicious, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie bar once everyone left and we were cleaning up the kitchen. Yum.

P.S. I have enough beer left over to have ANOTHER party sometime soon. Think of a reason to celebrate and come on over!