pumpkin-spice-latte

Sustainable Lifestyle: Fall, Pumpkins and Spices

Tracey Martin is a Sustainable Lifestyle Leader and author and has been a certified Transformational Life Coach as well as health, life and wellness advisor for more than 25 years. Traceyā€™s mission is simple, to protect our natural resources, planet, and our most precious resource: humankind. She is sharing her knowledge with us in this weekly column and this week Tracey shares with us some sustainable ways to enjoy your favorite fall staples.

It is that time of year again where we see pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin cookies. These treats can be so heavily laden with calories, chemicals and sugars. I wanted to give you a few alternatives to get that glorious smell of Fall in your home, in your skincare routine and coffee mug that aren’t as scary as the others.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

The current top seller is the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. I thought you might like to be informed on this monster.

Serving 16oz.
Calories: 380
Total fat: 14g
Cholesterol: 55mg
Total Carbohydrate: 52g
Sugars: 50g
Protein: 14g

A healthier option:

In your mug: Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte
Replace the above with this little treat
1 cup freshly brewed coffee
2TBS pumpkin puree
2TBS Coconut milk
1/4 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp Maple syrup
optional – Vegan whipped cream

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan on the stove. Stir and heat thoroughly.
Pour into you favorite Holiday mug and top with vegan whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Calories (without whipped cream) 157
Total fat: 3.2
Cholesterol: 0
Total Carbohydrate: 4
Sugars: 8
Protein: 2.3

Fall Skincare

There are some great natural pumpkin cleaners on the market. That great smelling enzyme has such benefits for your skin. It is a wonderful source of vitamin C which protect the skin from free radical damage. This includes wrinkles and even some skin cancers. It contains beta-carotene and other carotenoids that help protect the skin. Pumpkin is full of potassium, copper, magnesium, manganese and iron. Your skin will have a supernatural glow to it!

Some great cleaners and scrubs you can find on the market today:

Rhonda Allison – Pumpkin Cleanser (rhondaallison.com)

Peter Lamas – pumpkin exfoliator (peterlamas.com)

Fall Home Scents

DIY Fall scented potpourri. Most potpourri you purchase in the store has chemical smells added. Here is an easy one for your house that is all natural and will leave a delicious comforting smell of Fall.

Take 1 quart water and pour into a saucepan.
4-5 Bay leaves
1 small orange, thinly sliced
1 large twig of fresh rosemary
1 vanilla bean

Place everything in a sauce pan and cover with water. Turn heat to medium high. Let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Turn heat down if you want to leave it on for several hours. You can also use a mini crock pot on low.

Just remember to always think of ways to make better and more natural choices for your health and home.

Sustainably Yours,
Tracey xo

If you have comments or questions you would like to see addressed in this column, please send them to info@fabulousarizona.com.

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For a private one on one with Tracey text 602.568.4124.

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