Festive drinks during the holidays...Why not?

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When October is near, you might want to start enjoying fall and Halloween drinks like apple cider and pumpkin spice lattes. Unfortunately, many of the traditional ways to make these drinks are not health-approved. Here are some alternatives to have many of the Halloween and fall favorites without going adding too many extra calories.

Spiced Cider
If you enjoy apple cider, you can absolutely have it for Halloween! This is fun to make when you are carving pumpkins, having your dessert after trick-or-treating, or to enjoy during a Halloween party or other special event. To make the cider, you will combine some organic, all-natural apple cider with no sugar added or preservatives. You can make it from scratch, but using organic bottled cider saves you a lot of time! To that you will add some cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, cardamom pods, and grated nutmeg. For adults, you can also add in a little bit of spiced rum.

Pumpkin Tea Latte
Regular pumpkin spice latte coffees use dairy and some other ingredients you don't necessarily want to have in your regular diet. However, you can make a health-friendly version with tea and some spices. To make pumpkin spice tea, you will want to use an organic black tea along with a little coconut milk and coconut oil, pure maple syrup(to taste), and vanilla bean powder(or vanilla extract). Add in seasonings like ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg to taste, also as another option, you can use pumpkin pie spice. Brew your tea and add the other ingredients, straining it before serving.

Pumpkin Spice Latte
Now for an actual pumpkin spice latte! This gives you the caffeine you crave and that pumpkin spice flavor you want without using any sugar or dairy. For a pumpkin spice latte on your diet, you will need 1 cup of strong coffee, 2 cups coconut milk(or any non-dairy option), vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon, ginger, (or some pumpkin pie spice) 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree and coconut whipped cream (optional but oh so yummy). Combine your coffee with the other ingredients in a pot and heat it up. Pour it into a coffee cup and top with your coconut whipped cream and other seasonings.  This should make two servings.

These drinks are simple to make, don’t require a lot of ingredients you don’t already have, at least during this season, and can really help you enjoy Halloween a little better. Whether you are an adult looking to spike your drink with some rum, or you want to serve the kids a fun pumpkin-flavored tea, these are so fun to have for the Halloween season and are pretty guilt free. It is a good reminder that all your favorite things usually have an alternative that is a bit healthier.