Giveaway: $50 Starbucks Gift Card, 11/1-11/22

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It’s Fall, Y’all!!!
Just in time for Fall we have an amazing giveaway for all you coffee or tea lovers!
We have teamed up with Everything Mommyhood, Love Juliebug, Money Saving Deals, Budget Earth, and 3 Sons Have I, along with a few other bloggers to offer a $50 Starbucks gift card to ONE LUCKY READER!!!

When I heard about this giveaway, I knew immediately I wanted to join in and bring it to my readers. I’m a huge fan of coffee and tea (especially coffee), and pumpkin spice lattes are a “hot” drink right now (in more than one way). Win this giveaway, and you can buy a whole lotta PSLs! I’m a little jealous, I’ll admit. -Elisebet

US Residents, 18 and up only!
One entrant per household.
Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize once emailed, or a new winner will be chosen.
Giveaway begins 11/1/2013 at 12am EST and ends 11/22/2013 at 11:59pm EST.

Disclosure- My Life: A Work in Progress did not receive compensation for the promotion of this giveaway. All opinions are 100% our own and were not influenced in any way. Everything Mommyhood will be responsible for prize shipment. My Life: A Work in Progress is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, and any other social media are not affiliated with this giveaway. This disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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Sugar free Pumpkin Bars #SweetFuture

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Truvia® Natural Sweetener . All opinions are 100% mine.

I’ve been more active in the kitchen lately, taking advantage of the fall produce now readily available, like squash and pumpkins. One thing I’ve been meaning to do is update last year’s pumpkin bar recipe and jazz it up a bit. These pumpkin bars are sweet and moist with nuances of ginger and orange. Yum!

Sugar-free Pumpkin Bars at My Life: A Work in Progress

It may look like a lot of ingredients in the photo above, but it’s really not! Most of what’s pictured are seasonings to expand the flavor. The ingredients you need for these sugar free pumpkin bars are:

  • 15 ounces pumpkin puree
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup coconut or olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Truvia® natural sweetener (about 30 packets)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Zest from one orange

Step One:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together your eggs, oil, Truvia®, and pumpkin.

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Step Two:

Add in the rest of your ingredients and mix together.

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Step Three:

Pour mixture into greased 9×13 cake pan. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the middle has set.

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Step Four:

Let cool, slice, and enjoy!

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The Truvia® brand has partnered with World Food Program USA to help poverty-stricken families in Bolivia. More than 40 percent of Bolivian families struggle on a daily basis to provide food for their children. Additionally, many families suffer from health issues caused by the widespread use of primitive stoves.

The “Sharing a Sweet Future” charitable initiative has already provided nutritionally-balanced school meals to nearly 35,000 Bolivian school children.Learn even more about the Truvia® brand’s initiative here.

Want to help? Here are some ways to learn more and to help spread the word about this initiative:

    1. Share the Truvia® brand’s video on Facebook to support their Sharing a Sweet Future initiative. $1 feeds 4 kids.
    2. Follow Truvia on Twitter and tweet about the initiative.
    3. Share the Truvia® brand’s video to support their Sharing a Sweet Future initiative. $1 feeds 4 kids.
    4. Check out the Truvia® “Sharing a Sweet Future” Facebook App.

Visit Sponsor's Site

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Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

We’re well into Autumn, and with all the pumpkin pancakes, bread, cookies, and other recipes I’ve seen on the Internet, I decided it was time I got on board. I made pumpkin bars (it was really like a pumpkin cake) with cream cheese frosting. My oven isn’t great, since it doesn’t stay hot very well, so baking doesn’t always go as planned. But they turned out! I had lots of compliments from Hubby and friends.

 Ingredients:
  • 4 eggs
  • 1-2/3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt

I substituted vegetable oil for canola oil, since that’s all I had. I also used 3 teaspoons of baking powder total, since I was out of baking soda. It worked! I’m not sure how it changed the texture of the bars, since I’ve never made them before, but they were delicious.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Mix the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, and oil together.

Mix the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, and oil together.

Add in the dry ingredients and mix together.

I used extra baking powder, since I was out of baking soda.

Pour the mixture in a greased baking pan and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Check to make sure the middle is set before removing. My oven takes longer to bake things, so it was over an hour before the bars were set!

After removing from the oven, let cool, then cover with frosting. I still haven’t bought a hand mixer, so I just used store-bought cream cheese frosting. I covered the pan with plastic wrap to serve later.

These bars tasted great fresh and even the next day!

They were very easy to make, and a big hit, so I’ll be making them again soon! You can view the original recipe here along with a cream cheese frosting recipe.

What’s your favorite pumpkin food to make?
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