It’s SEPTEMBER and Autumn is closing in! You know what THAT means….right?

It means PUMPKIN SPICE SEASON! That’s right….I said it….”Pumpkin Spice Season”. Pumpkin Spice actually has its own season these days, and it is blissful. No doubt about it. Here is what is NOT so blissful.

• Spending $5.00 for a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte which is mostly milk with a bit of pumpkin flavored processed syrup. (On Starbucks behalf they ARE supposed to be introducing real pumpkin in PSL’s this year, but that has not begun as of the time of this post.) Panera Bread is also reportedly switching ingredients.  That certainly doesn’t change the price of the drink at either location, or similar shops across the country.
• Most store bought Pumpkin Spice products are full of sugar. Now, we can get into the controversy of REAL sugar VS Artificial Sugar.  But I don’t want to get started on the problem of weight and diabetes in our nation that is attributed to our country’s obsession with sugar. What I WILL say is this. A Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte has 49 grams of sugar. The Daily Recommended Allowance of sugar per day as per the American Heart Association, is 24 grams. One drink at Starbucks has twice the amount of sugar you should be consuming on any given day. The Starbucks version also has 260 calories as opposed to 33 calories for my version (see Nutritional Values at the bottom of this  page)
• Sometimes you can’t get out to go to those shops, and you want that latte right in the comfort of your own home or office.
• No one should ever have to get out of their pajamas and drive to a coffee shop when they are in the middle of having a perfectly good pajama day. End of story.

Based on this information, I came home from work today and came up with what I believe to be a darn good Sugar-Free Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe. So, without further ado.

Sugar-Free Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can Pumpkin Puree
3/4 cup HWC or Light Cream or Unsweetened Almond Milk**
2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
2 tsp. Ground Cloves
3 tsp. Nutmeg
6 Tbsp. Xylitol or 4 Tbsp Spoonable Stevia

Directions:
Add all of the ingredients into a bowl, mix well, and store in a glass jar.
Spoon two heaping teaspoons into a mug, then fill with HOT coffee.
Stir to mix.
Top with Sugar-Free Whipped Cream, sprinkle with nutmeg, serve & enjoy.
**Use Unsweetened Almond Milk if you are looking a non-dairy, lower calorie, non-fat option. See Nutritional Values for both options below.