Hey readers! Long time, no see! I hope that your summer was not nearly as short as mine seemed, and that you are rocking the school year so far. I know it is a struggle to wake up at terrifyingly early hours and lug your overflowing backpack to the bus only to face 7 hours of long classes and hard work. Sometimes the only thing to get you going in the morning is a piping hot cup of caffeine.

Starbucks has become the go-to place for Harriton students to get a blast of energy that lasts them through the day. Although you may rely on your Chocolate Chip Frappuccino and Chai Tea Latte to keep you awake, you may want to reconsider the impact they have on your health. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is Starbucks’ iconic autumn drink. Coming to the attention of many bloggers, researchers, and nutritionists, these delicious drinks have unnatural amounts of sugar, chemicals, and artificial colorings. With a whopping 49 grams of sugar for a grande sized cup, as well as caramel coloring (known to be linked to cancer), Pumpkin Spice Lattes are not an ideal drink for your health. Additionally, these pumpkin flavored drinks contain no real pumpkin, only artificial flavoring and chemicals. This week, I decided to make a homemade, healthy pumpkin spice latte—from the flavoring to the whipped cream— that will be sure to get you through the school day, as well as keep you warm on autumn’s chilliest days.

Before making your very own latte, there will be some prep involved: making your own pumpkin pie spice mix and whipped cream. The pumpkin pie spice mix is super easy and takes about a minute to make—add 4 tablespoons of ground cinnamon, 4 teaspoons of ground nutmeg, 4 teaspoons of ground ginger, and 3 teaspoons of ground allspice in a plastic container or glass jar and shake well, until mixed. This will make about 8 tablespoons of spice and you can use the extra to add to yogurt, coffees, and smoothies to make your meals more in the fall theme. Although you use a minimal amount of the spice mix in the latte, cinnamon is the main ingredient and is chock-full of health benefits such as reducing cholesterol and chances of cancer, as well as increasing your memory skills (major school bonus!).

Additionally, you will need to make the whipped cream so it can sit in the fridge and shape itself before you add it to your coffee. Normally whipped cream is made with heavy whipping cream and sugar, which is extremely high in fat and calories. Substituting most of the whipping cream for 2% plain Greek yogurt reduces your calorie intake to 19 calories/serving from 40 calories and the fat content is cut in half. In addition, I used raw turbinado cane sugar as opposed to chemically altered and processed white granulated sugar. This sugar is pressed from turbinado canes and has the taste of molasses, with less calories, and more vitamins and minerals (because they are retained without chemical modification) than granulated sugar. The recipe for the the whipped cream is as follows:

Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of heavy-whipping cream
• 1/2 cup of 2% plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of turbinado cane sugar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat with a mixer until soft peaks form and stay, momentarily after mixing as stopped. Once all of your prep is done, you can finally begin concocting your latte! Don’t forget to read all of the instructions through before cooking because you have to move pretty fast in order to keep your ingredients hot and delicious. The recipe comes in two parts: making the espresso and making the pumpkin milk formula. The recipe calls for whole milk, but that is high in fat content and calories, so I used a much healthier substitute,almond milk(if you don’t like almond milk, skim or soy milk are great alternatives as well). Almond milk has absolutely no cholesterol or saturated fat so it is heart healthy! It also, contains rich amounts of vitamin E, which keeps your skin clear and glowing. If you are concerned about the texture of the latte getting messed up, don’t be! It tastes exactly as yummy and your drink will still be frothy, thick, and super cozy! In the milk mixture, canned pumpkin is a main ingredient. Trader Joe’s has a great organic canned pumpkin with only one ingredient: organic pumpkin! Pumpkin (even canned) contains large amounts of dietary fiber, vitamin A, iron, and vitamin E. All of these contribute to visual health, heart health, and can reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure.

Now on to the espresso; it’s surprisingly very good for you—if you drink it in moderation! Espresso reduces the risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and heart disease! There are plenty of studies that show that espresso (coffee) is extremely good for your health and should even be consumed everyday, whether straight or mixed with other ingredients. For example, coffee has the most antioxidants out of any fruit or vegetable out there! Even just the aroma of coffee can reduce stress (perfect for facing the school day with a calm and collected attitude).

When making this delicious latte, there are a few notes and tips to consider. First, you don’t need an expresso machine to make the coffee; you can use a cold press or just a plain old coffee machine if that’s all you have! Also, as I mentioned before, make sure that you read the recipe through because once the milk mixture is cooked you have to move pretty quickly to get your latte just right! Lastly, you may need to multitask or have two people working at once because I advise making the espresso while you are waiting for the milk mixture to boil. This recipe is super easy and super delicious, not to mention full of amazing health benefits. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice mix, plus more to garnish
• 2 tablespoons of sugar (preferably turbinado cane)
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of preferred milk (almond, skim, or soy)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of espresso
• 10 tablespoons of boiling water (to make the espresso)
• 1/4 cup of whipped cream to top latte

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan add the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice mix and cook on medium heat for about two minutes, until the mixture is hot and smells cooked; stir constantly.

2. Add the sugar to the pan and stir until the mixture becomes a bubbly and thick syrup.

3. Whisk the milk and vanilla and add to the pan. Warm until the mixture is gently boiling.

4. Place the pumpkin mixture into a blender and mix until frothy and thick; place a thick wad of paper towels over blender so none of the hot liquid splashes on to you.

5. Meanwhile you can begin to make the espresso as directed (according to the machine you have).

6. Divide the coffee and pumpkin milk between two cups and top with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice mix!

Serving Size: 1 cup (1/2 of espresso and pumpkin milk)

Yield: 2 cups

Recipes Credits: allrecipes.com, thekitchn.com, cookinglight.com