Pumpkin Pie Apple Oats

Surprise!  It's a day in autumn ending in "y" so clearly, this post is about pumpkin.

Specifically, pumpkin pie oats.

Now that it's colder in the mornings, I've been craving warm breakfasts.  And oatmeal is always one of my favorites.  The quick cooking oats are perfect for a chilly morning, the apples provide some sweetness, and the cinnamon and pumpkin are super comforting.

I used Stevia for sweetener, but really it was only because I was out of both maple syrup and honey.  Both would be delicious! 

I topped my oats with some Trader Joe's Super Seed Blend and some organic sunflower butter, and it was a super hearty and filling breakfast!

For more great recipe ideas, check out the What's Cookin' Wednesday Link Party at Buns in My Oven!

Pumpkin Pie Apple Oats
Serves 1

1 cup unsweetened cashew milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 chopped apple
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 packets of Stevia (or sweetener of choice)

Bring milk to a boil in a small saucepan.  Once it boils, add the oats.  Stir occasionally, for about 1-2 minutes or until oats thicken.  Once thickened, remove from heat.  Add in pumpkin, pumpkin spice, apple, vanilla and Stevia.  Combine and add your favorite toppings!

Pumpkin, Pumpkin Everywhere

So, to what will come as absolutely no surprise to anyone who knows me, this post is all about pumpkin.

I have a serious pumpkin problem you guys.

The thing is, it's totally seasonal.  From August til November - give me alllllll the pumpkin.  After that?  I move into gingerbread or peppermint territory for the holidays.

Obviously, given the addiction that is Pinterest, I've tried lots of pumpkin stuff, so I thought I'd post some of my favorite links for all of you pumpkin lovers out there!

I'll just leave this here first.  Because pumpkin beer.  Obviously.

Pumpkin Pie Monster Smoothie from Oh, She Glows
Pumpkin Dump Cake from Cookies and Cups
Crockpot Turkey, White Bean, and Pumpkin Chili from Skinnytaste
Parmesan, Pumpkin, and Spinach Quinoa from ifoodreal

And one of my own....Gingerbread Pumpkin Cobbler

Fantastic Friday Four - September 30

TGIF y'all!

Is it me, or has September been a MILLION years long?  I'm getting a 4 day weekend this weekend so hooray for that.

Here are some other things making me smile this week!

I hosted a family brunch this past weekend, and the Mimosa Bar was a hit!  I had some raspberries and strawberries, champagne (obvs), and three different juices - orange, tropical, and mixed berry.  YUM.  Also, LOVE this chalkboard that I got on clearance on Michael's!

I am OBSESSED with this Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Night Cap.  I got a sample in my Sephora Play box and have been using it all week.  I use it after showering on wet hair, and I also have put it on before bed on dry hair (it's pillow safe!).  It smells amazing and my hair is sooooo soft. 

Because it's fall, and all things are pumpkin in my world, I made a batch of these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Energy Balls from Clean Food Crush.  Super easy and sooooo delish.  I subbed in pumpkin seeds for the nuts, but everything else was the same.  It made a huge batch as well!  I have 2 to 3 as mid-afternoon / pre-workout snack and they are a perfect boost.  Also, they keep great in the fridge!

Because it's Friday.  And also, accurate.















What are you loving this week?

Because Who Doesn't Love Sunday Brunch?

Ok, technically mine was Saturday brunch, but brunch is brunch yes?

I thought I'd share some of the recipes I used.  A couple I found through Pinterest (of course) and one was from this very blog (the pumpkin one, naturally).

The strata I made will be coming to a post near you very soon!

Crockpot Pumpkin Latte

Cheesy Hashbrown Cups from Coffee with Us 3

Spiced Pumpkin Coffee Cake from Anderson + Grant 

Enjoy!

Fantastic Friday Four

A few things that are making me smile this week!

I got to see Bruce Springsteen at Met Life on Tuesday and it was EPIC.  Also, he played Jersey Girl, so score!

Seriously (and I'm biased because I'm a HUGE fan), if you haven't had the chance to see Springsteen, DO IT.

Let's just call this my transition to fall bag.  Love the color, and of course it has to be giant enough to fit my immense planner.  Got it at New York and Company!

Ummmm, yes.  ALL THE PUMPKIN.  And these are delicious!

And speaking of pumpkin...

I feel like this came out extra early this year, but I ain't mad. 

What's making you smile this week??

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Yes, it's yet more pumpkin.  But I can't help it.  I'm addicted.

This is a delicious and healthy smoothie that's like fall in a cup.   It also features one of my favorite tricks - using half a frozen banana instead of ice.  Makes the smoothie super thick and creamy.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
(serves 1)

1 1/2 cups milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond cashew)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 scoop vanilla protein powder of choice

Blend and enjoy!

Blog Bites: Pumpkin Parmesan Quinoa

And the pumpkin obsession continues.

However, this dish from ifoodreal is on the savory side of the pumpkin, and it's really really delicious.  A perfect fall dinner or lunch!

It's very simple to make - took about a half hour.  I will came out a little thinner sauce wise than hers (next time I might reduce the amount of broth a bit) but it was still absolutely amazing.

Makes about 4 servings so it's a perfect dish that will have plenty of leftovers for lunch!

Pumpkin Parmesan Quinoa

Gingerbread Pumpkin Cobbler

So, I'm sure it's no secret by this point that I love me some pumpkin.

But I'm also pretty seasonal, and we are heading into gingerbread territory pretty soon.

So why not combine the two?

This cobbler was adapted from this Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Cobbler.  I made a few changes, and I have to say it turned out delicious. I served it at room temperature but I've seen warmed up leftovers and it's a great fall night dessert!

Gingerbread Pumpkin Cobbler

1 can pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag of gingerbread cookie mix (I didn't use the whole bag, probably around 3/4)
1/4 cup butter, cubed

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, sugar and salt.  Pour into a sprayed 11x7 dish.  Top with the 3/4 bag of gingerbread cookie mix and place the cubed butter evenly around the cookie mix.

Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Crockpot Pumpkin Latte

This basically combines two of my favorite things.  Okay, three.

Pumpkin.  Coffee.  Crockpot.

I found this recipe on the Thriving Home blog and made a few adjustments.  It was absolutely delicious!  Perfect for a fall or winter brunch or holiday morning.

The added dash of Salted Caramel Bailey's didn't really hurt either (not in the crockpot, in the individual mugs :)).

This is super simple to make. Throw everything in the crockpot and let it go on high for 2 hours. After that, I turned it down to warm and let everyone serve themselves!

Crockpot Pumpkin Latte

6 cups 2% milk
5 cups coffee (I just used 5 regular K-Cups!)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3 cinnamon sticks

Pour coffee and milk into crockpot. Mix pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice into in a separate bowl until combined.  Add to crockpot and stir well.  Toss in 3 cinnamon sticks and cook on high for about 2 hours.  I stirred it about every half hour.

Top with whipped cream or add some Bailey's and enjoy!

Spice Squares

So a few years ago, I remember that Weight Watchers trick of mixing a boxed cake mix with pumpkin being all the rage.  It cut the calories significantly.

And while I certainly did it (and ate it), I wasn't a fan of the texture.  Though I liked the idea of having the health benefits of pumpkin in the cake.

So what's a cook to do?  Improvise!

This only has a few added ingredients (and a few toppings), but the texture is so much better than just using the cake mix and the pumpkin.  I made this in my Pampered Chef brownie pan so they came out as individual squares, but I'm sure they'd work as either cupcakes or a whole 9x13 cake - just adjust the cooking time!

I served mine with some lite Cool Whip mixed with about a teaspoon of pure maple syrup and a drizzle of caramel.  Delicious!

And P.S. - these are only about 83 calories per square.  Score!

Spice Squares
(Makes about 18 squares)

1 box spice cake mix
1/2 cup liquid egg whites
1 cup water
1/2 cup pumpkin puree

Combine all ingredients and pour into sprayed baking pan.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (depending on the size pan you use!)

Enjoy!

Fabulous Find: Pumpkin Seed Tortilla Chips

In case it isn't already obvious, I have a thing for pumpkin.

It is seasonal, however.  After Thanksgiving, gingerbread and egg nog take over!

I found these chips at Stop & Shop and was super intrigued.

Love the ingredients, love the stats.

Be aware, this isn't a super savory chip.  There's a hint of sweetness but it's not TOO sweet.  They don't taste really pumpkin-y, so if you aren't a huge pumpkin fan, I'd still give them a shot.

They were absolutely delicious paired with both black bean hummus and a medium heat salsa.

They are seasonal, so get them while they last!

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

So in case it isn't already fairly obvious?

I love pumpkin.

I literally had something pumpkin at every meal today.  Including one of these as a mid-morning snack.

Yes.  A donut.  As a mid-morning snack.

But this donut is different!  It's pretty low in calories (about 150 calories) and made with much healthier ingredients, and yet still has all that delicious pumpkin flavor.

In researching swaps for this recipe, I found the best news.  You can substitute butter in recipes for coconut oil.  SCORE!  And it's an even swap :)

Also, if you haven't invested in a donut baking pan?  Do it.  I have one for regular size donuts and also have a Babycakes baby donut maker and I love both.  All the goodness, and none of the grease!

Baked Pumpkin Donuts
(Adapted from JessFuel.com)

Makes 6 Donuts

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3 tbsp. egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp. skim milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray donut pans.

Combine coconut oil, brown sugar, and pumpkin puree and cream together until smooth.  Add egg whites until combined, then add milk and vanilla and mix.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.  Add this mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

Put the batter in a piping bag (or a ziploc with the tip cut off), pipe the batter into the donut pan.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool in pan for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

(You can top them with a glaze or cinnamon or powdered sugar, would be delicious!)

Pumpkin Pasta Bake - 21 Day Fix Friendly!

So, you've been warned.

Around this time of year, I'm a pumpkin - a - holic.

From savory to sweet, it's all about pumpkin for me.

So thanks to Mom getting me a little pumpkin cookbook, I found this recipe and realized it was really quite 21 Day Fix friendly!

It's from a cookbook called Favorite Brand Name Recipes - Pumpkin! (I'm pretty sure it's one of those checkout aisle at the grocery store books).  I really didn't change much except I used regular tomato sauce instead of marinara. 

I also measured out all of the ingredients in the fix containers so I could accurately (or at least as close as possible) give you the Fix container servings.

This recipe makes 8 servings, and I used the green container to measure a serving.  I figured that was what Autumn recommended for lasagna in the book, and this is a fairly close idea to lasagna.

One last note, turkey sausage isn't in the book, but I researched on the Beachbody website and the mods on the board there said it could count as a red if you checked the ingredients and it was clean.  The sausage I got was meat, water and spices so I figured we were good :)

So here goes!

Pumpkin Pasta Bake

Organic coconut oil spray
5 links of lean spicy turkey sausage out of casings ("fried up" those equaled three red containers)
1 minced garlic clove
2 1/2 greens of tomato sauce
1 1/2 greens of 100% pure pumpkin puree
1 blue of shredded parmesan
10 yellows of cooked whole grain pasta (I used a quinoa / brown rice blend!)
3 blues of shredded part skim mozzarella cheese


Preheat oven to 375.

First up, cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain.  Measure out 10 yellow servings (the package made more, I saved the rest in a separate container).

In the same pasta pot, spray with coconut oil and "fry" up the turkey sausage until cooked through (I actually measured this out after it was fried for three containers, just in case, then put it back in the pot).  Add the minced garlic and let cook for about a minute.

Stir in tomato sauce and deglaze the pan.  Then stir in the pumpkin and half of the parmesan cheese.  Stir well, then add in the pasta. 

Spoon into a sprayed 9x13 baking dish.  Sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan and the three containers of shredded mozzarella.

Bake for 15 minutes (you can cover, but I found I didn't need to!) or until bubbly.

Now for the containers (this is as mathematically as close as I can figure out, it might be a little high on the red but if it is it's only a slight amount).

1 green container serving = 1 1/4 yellow, 1/2 blue, 1/2 green, 1/2 red

As a side note, I had this for dinner with a leftover green of roasted veggies and it was a perfect dinner!  Would also be great with a salad!