September 2018 Goals

By divaandthedivine on September 5, 2018

A new month means a new set of goals! While I am pumped for September and everything it means (fall, cooler weather, pumpkin spice, and other fall flavors, etc), it also means that we’re entering the last third of the year. This time of year is always crunch time, as I tend to realize just how many of my goals for the year I have yet to achieve. This realization is always a depressing one, but rather than dwell on it, I’m going to move forward and use my focus to make these last 4 months of the year the most productive ones of 2018.

Looking Back at August

Before we talk about the month ahead, I always like to look back at the previous month and reflect on how I did achieving the goals I set for myself.

Vlogust: 31 videos in 31 days was a lofty goal, and while I didn’t actually succeed (people who upload daily are crazy!), I did upload a whopping 22 videos in 31 days. That’s still almost twice my normal amount.

Declutter: I did end up decluttering my makeup collection (with several videos for your viewing pleasure on my channel), my clothing, and I started on my office.

2 blog posts per week: Yeah… I published 4 posts all month. Whoops…

Get back on track: In general, August was a great month for this. I went back to tracking Points Plus, rekindled my spark for working out, and have in general been feeling pretty good about all things health and weight loss related. Basically, I’m using August as the month that springboards me into September and hopefully a month full of success.

September Goals

September Watch/Wishlist

By divaandthedivine on September 1, 2015

September means my favorite season is fast approaching! Time for cosy warm sweaters, hot tea and coffee, and pumpkin everything! As I’ve been browsing the internet I found a handful of things that I’m dying to get my hands on this month.

1. Victoria’s Secret Hooded Cardi: Oh my gosh, I saw this and it was love at first sight. To me, the cooler seasons are all about staying warm and cozy in Chicago’s sometimes vicious weather. This cardigan runs big, so you can bundle up and stay warm. I also love the hooded idea for those times when I really want to be cozy. I’m loving the grey (pictured) and latte colors. Read more…

Weight Watchers Friendly Pumpkin Spice Muffins

By divaandthedivine on September 8, 2014

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No..not the Christmasy most wonderful time..the pumpkin-y most wonderful time. Since I’m pretty much obsessed with pumpkin and all things pumpkin/pumpkin spice flavored and scented, I decided that I needed to get a few recipes involving this glorious ingredient out there.

Why pumpkin?

Pumpkin is an amazing ingredient in baking. I have managed to chop the amount of calories in many desserts simply by using pumpkin as a replacement for most of the fatty ingredients, and the results have been amazing

First up for your enjoyment: Weight Watchers Friendly Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Ingredients

One box of spice cake mix
One can of 100% Pure Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
Pumpkin Pie Spice (to taste, but I used 1 Tbsp)

Seriously, that’s all it takes to make these awesome muffins.

Directions:

Preheat oven as directed on box (425? I can’t remember exactly, but the box will tell you)
Spray you muffin tins with nonstick spray
Put all 3 ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Blend ingredients. I used the Kitchen Aid mixer, but you can mix by hand too. Batter will be thick.
Divide batter evenly making 18 muffins (one whole 12 slot sheet and the middle two rows of another if you don’t have a little 6 muffin pan)
Use back of spoon to even out the batter in the muffin slots. You will notice it kind of just sits how it plops because it’s so thick. It will need a little encouragement to lay down flat. You don’t necessarily have to do this step, but know that how the batter looks going in the oven is pretty much how it looks coming out, except raised a bit.
Cook for the amount of time recommended on box (I think I did 13 minutes)
Remove from oven and allow to cool
Enjoy these deliciously simple muffins 🙂

That’s it. They’re that simple. Now for the Points Plus Value of these delicious muffins.

When you make 18 muffins= 3 PPV for 1 muffin; 5 PPV for 2 muffins!

I also did the math for making 24 muffins (2 PPV for 1; 4 PPV for 2) and for 12 muffins (4 PPV for 1; 8 PPV for 2) using the same amount of batter. I went with 18 muffins because it was a little more PPV friendly when I ate two, saving me a whole point. That makes a world of difference in my book.

These muffins are amazing when you pop them in the microwave for a few seconds. Have them for breakfast with a bowl of fruit or have them as dessert or a snack. I love them with a cup of pumpkin spice coffee or tea. There’s really not much to feel guilty about when you replace the oil and eggs with a vegetable. 🙂 This keeps my tummy happy, my sweet tooth happy and my waistline happy, all at the same time.