Lighten up!!

I've been fat. I've been thin. I've been all sorts of in-between. I've dieted. I've exercised. I've given up. And I've been gung-ho. I've been on every extreme of the weight continuum. I've always struggled with my weight. My all-time high (non-pregnant) was 197. My all-time low (as an adult) was 120. I once lost 70-some pounds on Weight Watchers. I was rocking those points baby!! I'm an emotional eater.....and an obsessive baker. I'm addicted to sweets...and I genuinely enjoy baking...watching Food TV....trying new restaurants...etc. I'm also a bad pregnant woman. I HATE those petite pregnant ladies who juuuust gain a sweet little belly. No matter how careful I am, I get enormous when pregnant. I get blood pressure issues and swell up and just get ridiculously large. Which obviously, leaves me with a weight problem after delivery. A 9 pound baby is big, yes....but doesn't account for an over 60 pound weight gain!!

But I'm back on the wagon. Now that the weather is tolerable, I can go for walks during the day, so I'll be more active. I do bake, but that's something I'm not willing to sacrifice. Baking is more than a means to an end for me....it's therapy. I get in that kitchen and get in my zone, and it's so much more than flour and sugar, if you know what I mean. Baking generally isn't an arena where I seek light recipes. But I found a recipe for pumpkin pound cake that I had to try.....it was modeled after the Starbucks version...and Lord knows I ate my weight in those things when I worked for da Bux. This version cuts your fat down to HALF a gram per slice!!!!! It's super yummy too....doesn't taste light at ALL. It's not as heavy/dense as traditional pound cake.....but it's so moist!! Definitely give this a shot, and you won't have to feel terrible over at least ONE holiday baked item!!

Oh, and by the way...I used my glass loaf pan again...but turned the oven temp down 25 degrees. It needed about 5-7 minutes extra baking time, but turned out BEAUTIFULLY!!!

Pumpkin Pound Cake (thanks Slashfood!)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated, if possible)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1/2 cup plain, nonfat yogurt

1 cup pumpkin puree (canned)

1 tsp vanilla extract

optional: 1/2 tsp butter flavoring

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly coat a 8x4-in. loaf pan with cooking spray.In a small bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.In a large bowl, beat together sugar, brown sugar, egg and egg white until combined. Beat in the yogurt, pumpkin and vanilla extract (and the butter flavor, if using). Slowly whisk in the flour mixture, stirring only until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.Cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes, then gently turn the cake out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack before slicing.Serves 10.