Mini Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes Family Holiday Time Healthy Recipe (2024)

*This post was sponsored by the National 4-H Council as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

It was 9 o’clock on Halloween night. See I was finally sitting down to sort out all the candy loot my kids had gotten.

Mixed in were a few stray empty wrappers. Because kids being kids couldn’t resist having a few treats along the way.

Plus now my house is overrun with possibly 10 pounds of candy.

And this is truly only the beginning of the holiday season where all sorts of yummy, but clearly unhealthy foods reign supreme. This is truly a hard time of the year to instill healthy eating habits for youngsters.

Plus sadly many kids are not afforded the tools to eat healthy, especially during the holiday season. Seealmost 16 million kids live in households that are food insecure or don’t have consistent access to food throughout the year, the holiday season included.

Thankfully National 4-H Council’s Food Smart Families Program is empowering youth and their families all year long (especially during the holidays) to make healthy living part of their everyday lives through nutrition education, cooking skills and food budgeting skills to bring more affordable, nutritious foods into their households. Plus,UnitedHealthcare and 4-H have actually partnered together to help deliver healthy living programs to more than 340,000 youth and their families in 14 states. Moreover, they are consistently connecting families with nutrition assistance resources in their own communities.

I shared all about National 4-H and UnitedHealthcare’s initiative here. But now more than ever with the holidays looming thought it was important to reacquaint my readers with them, as well as how my own family continues healthy eating habits during the time of the year.

So, how do we maintain healthy eating during the holidays?

Read on for my top 6 family healthy eating tips now…

6 Healthy Eating Tips for Your Family During the Holidays

1. Enjoy the holiday season in all its glory.

The holiday season does include food treats as earlier mentioned. But it still so much more. Therefore, this is the time of the year to enjoy all the fun outings with it. So make sure to do as much as you can on your holiday bucket lists, such as going to FREE local events like tree lightings, attend holiday themed plays, movies and more together as a family unit.

2. Talk it out.

Again fun treats will find their ways into your lives no matter how you slice and dice it. But discussing how too much of a good thing can lead to upset stomachs and more issues. By being proactive, you can try to curb the unhealthy eating with being open and honest with your family.

3. Be a leader.

When in doubt have some will power. This means making healthy food choices whenever possible. Modeling this type of behavior is key to helping your kids also make healthier eating choices.

4. Also be present.

This sounds straight forward, but during the holiday times we all seem to feel the crunch of the busy season. But our kids still need us to be present and there for them. So, find time every day to give your kids your undivided attention. This could be a small a gesture as to sit reading a book together, cooking a yummy, but healthier treat or even making fun holiday crafts or cards for friends and family.

5. Treats in moderation.

Again tis the season for sweet and savory treats. But save these treats for special times, such as get togethers with family and/or friends. For every day snacking try to stick to healthier snacks that include fruits and/or veggies.

6. Be creative and get them involved.

However, when you have a picky eater it can sometimes be a chore to get them to eat fruits and/or veggies. Therefore, I have learned to master fun and tasty ways to get my kids (specifically my picky eater) to enjoy fruits/veggies. This time of the year apples, pumpkin and many other seasonal veggies and fruits rule. So, I try to incorporate them in fun, but kid friendly snacks/treats.

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One such kid friendly treat is MiniSpiced Pumpkin Cupcakes. I mean what kid doesn’t like cupcakes. But these are loaded and packed with pumpkin veggies goodness. Plus, they are mini and can be eaten in moderation in a smaller portion size.

So yummy cupcake treat, but still veggies healthy with pumpkin, too.

Want the mini spiced pumpkin cupcakes recipe?

Check it out below now…

Mini Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe:

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Mini Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Total Time: 23 minutes

A yummy, but healthy holiday snack that the whole family can enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FROSTING:

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1-2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line a mini muffin pan with cupcake liners or spray with nonstick spray.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until combined. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk the brown sugar and eggs together until combined.
5. Whisk in the pumpkin, oil, milk, and vanilla until combined.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
7. Spoon the batter into the cupcake tins, filling them about 2/3 of the way.
8. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

1. Beat together the frosting ingredients on a low speed until combined. Then kick up the speed and beat the frosting until it is nice and fluffy.
2. Using a piping bag fitted with your favorite tip, pope the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. If desired sprinkle colored sugar over the frosting.

Notes

This recipe makes about 28 cupcakes, so you will have a couple cupcakes to bake in a 2nd batch.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 230

Will you try these mini spiced pumpkin cupcakes for your family?

How do you maintain healthy eating for your family during the holidays.

Now tell me in the comments…