This White Chocolate Cupcakes With Honey Pistachio Frosting recipe is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Pistachio Health Institute.
I know these cupcakes are going to make you drool. Then, you’re going to be all, “But Sadie… what about the #SlapDash100? What about our exercise? What about that healthy eating stuff? I can’t just throw it out the window!” I’m definitely not asking or telling you to do that! Pistachios are here to save the day, and I’m going to show you why.
Being Healthy While Staying Realistic
Nobody can be 100% healthy all the time, right? Right. So, it’s important to stay realistic while staying healthy and fit. How do you do that? Balance. Balance, I tell ya. No, not like a balance board. I’d fail at that, real fast. I’m talking about 80% good, 20% not so good. That means that 80% of the time, you need to be on track, eating healthy, and following your fitness program. The other 20% of the time, though, you get a slight break. That doesn’t mean you get to binge and eat gallons of chocolate ice cream, it just means you don’t have to be spot on all the time. If you don’t give yourself a little break once in a while, you might fall off track completely! And we all know how difficult it is to get back on that track.
If you do get off track, hop back on quickly by doing an exercise that is portable, yet effective – like the Valslide®! Valerie Water’s fitness tips for 2014 are bound to get you “Hot in a Hurry”. ;) The Valslide® is specifically designed for flowing, controlled range of motion that activates the muscles that lifts your butt and slim your thighs. Who doesn’t need help with some butt and thigh slimming?!
Guilt-Free Options
Okay, so I’m gonna be honest when I say that these delicious cupcakes can have a little guilt associated with them – but if you are following the 80/20 philosophy, you won’t have the guilt! Eating healthy foods that fill me up without weighing me down is key for my busy lifestyle. I work all day, I bike home 10 miles, and then I have three kids to tend to. That bike ride is difficult, but it’s made easier when I have lots of water, and a healthy snack like pistachios to munch on. Rachel shelled a few handfuls of pistachios for my last bike ride, and it made a huge difference! I love pistachios because they’re delicious, nutritious and completely satisfying. Plus, 30 pistachios is only 100 calories – score! Rewarding yourself for a job well done can give you the motivation and encouragement you need to continue on your healthy journey. I like to give myself rewards in many forms – mostly by buying fancy electronic gadgets. However, that gets expensive. Since cupcakes are way cheaper (and so fun to make), I’m going to share one of my favorite healthy-ish cupcake recipes with you.
White Chocolate Cupcakes With Honey Pistachio Frosting
Ingredients for the Cupcakes: 2 cups flour 1 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup raw sugar (any sugar will work) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup white chocolate chips 1 whole zucchini (shredded) 1/3 cup sugar-free applesauce 2 whole eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions for cupcakes: Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 350F. Mix flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Combine zucchini, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add dry mix to wet mix and stir. Bake for 18-22 minutes. While cupcakes are baking, make your frosting.
White Chocolate Cupcakes With Honey Pistachio Frosting
Ingredients for the frosting: 1 1/2 cups raw sugar 1/3 cup flour 1 1/2 cups whole milk 1/3 cup heavy cream 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 4 Tbsp organic/raw/local honey 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped Directions for frosting: Over medium heat, whisk together sugar, flour, milk and cream together in a medium saucepan until it thickens. The mixture will come to a boil, and start to thicken, in about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture into large mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until cool. Add in butter, honey, and vanilla, until the frosting is fluffy and smooth.
Healthy? Not Healthy?
So while these cupcakes aren’t a healthy treat like fresh veggies would be, they’re a delicious reward item that won’t weigh you down. The best part about this treat is that everyone can enjoy it. Whether you’re focusing on weight management, or not really worrying about it, it tastes great – not like dirt something super healthy. ;)
Win Some Stuff!
3 winners will receive “Shine like the Stars Sweepstakes” prize packs, which include: (1) Valslides autographed by celebrity fitness trainer, Valerie Waters (1) Valerie Waters workout DVD (1) Valerie Waters workout instructions (1) Pistachio Health tote bag (1) Pistachio Health nut container (3) 8 oz. bags of pistachios (1) $100 VISA Gift Card To enter, participants must Like the Pistachio Health Institute Facebook page and enter their name, address and contact information here. Participants may enter once a day for the duration of the Sweepstakes. The Sweepstakes will end at 3:00 p.m. PDT on Friday, February 14, 2014.
What are you doing to get healthy and fit in 2014? Besides trying not to eat too many cupcakes…
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Pistachio Health Institute.
White Chocolate Cupcakes (with Honey Pistachio Frosting)
Ingredients
- 2 C. Flour
- 1 C. Light Brown Sugar
- 1/2 C. Raw Sugar or your preference
- 2 Tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
- 1/2 Tsp. Salt
- 1/4 C. White Chocolate Chips
- 1 Whole Zucchini shredded
- 1/3 C. Sugar-Free Applesauce
- 2 Whole Eggs
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 C. Raw Sugar
- 1/3 C. Flour
- 1 1/2 C. Whole Milk
- 1/3 C. Heavy Cream
- 3 Sticks Unsalted butter softened
- 1 Tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
- 4 Tbsp. Organic/Raw/Local Honey
- 1/4 C. Pistachios chopped
Instructions
- Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.
- Mix flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a mixing bowl.
- Combine zucchini, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl.
- Add dry mix to wet mix and stir.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes.
- While cupcakes are baking, make your frosting by whisking together the sugar, flour, milk, and cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it comes to a boil and thickens – about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture into large mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until cool. Add in butter, honey, and vanilla, until the frosting is fluffy and smooth.
- When cupcakes are cool, frost them.
- Decorate with drizzled honey and pistachio pieces.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Leave a Reply