Pumpkin Overdose

I'll admit it, I do get excited when basically everything becomes pumpkin-flavored in the fall.  But, I always get excited for seasonal/ holiday food - hot apple cider around Thanksgiving, egg nog for Christmas, Reese's eggs in the spring (those totally count), and corn on the cob in the summer!!!

I did have my first pumpkin spice latte of the year while it was still warm out, but mostly I was excited to try out some new recipes.

First I made Mama Peas' pumpkin streusel swirl loaf.

It was delicious!!  I highly recommend it.

I used canned pumpkin for that recipe, but then I roasted a sugar pumpkin I got in my second CSA share.

And I roasted the butternut squash, too, following Angela's tutorial.

Lookin' gooooood.

I saved the seeds from the pumpkin and the squash so that I could roast them and make a delicious, iron-filled snack.  Once again, I followed another tutorial by Angela.

I just realized that it looks like I'm hiding an egg in this picture, haha, but it's really just a hard-boiled egg that I was trying to prevent from rolling off the counter.  

I coated the seeds in about a tablespoon of coconut oil (melted), about a tablespoon of brown sugar, and a hefty sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice

Oh yum.

Come in a little closer to see that gorgeous, crunchy coating.

They taste even better when eaten from an orange dish.

Once I roasted the pumpkin, I scooped out the flesh and put it in my food processor to make a puree.  Easy peasy.  Then I used the puree to make 3 more recipes.  I was on a roll!  First up - pumpkin granola.  It's got a great ingredient list and is very healthy.  It even contains quinoa, which I had never thought to include in granola before.  The quionoa gives it some extra protein, and a great nutty flavor.  (I know quinoa is a seed, but "seedy flavor" does not sound too appealing!)

By the way, old pasta sauce jars make great storage containers!

 I've been eating it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk.  I'm in love.

I also made Kath's baked pumpkin oatmeal.  (And I think my oven must be slanted, judging by the slope of the oatmeal in this dish.)

I'm a huge fan of having breakfast ready to go in the morning, so I baked this on Sunday and had breakfast ready and waiting for me the rest of the week.

In the mornings I just scooped out a section of oatmeal, put it in a bowl with some unsweetened vanilla almond milk (a current favorite of mine, if you couldn't tell), and heated it up in the microwave for about a minute.  Perfection.

Finally, I tried out a savory dish - crock pot turkey white bean chili.  It might sound a little strange, but it was absolutely delicious, and easy to make.  And I just love using my crock pot - so convenient!

I could have eaten this for another week straight.

Sadly, I ran out of homemade pumpkin puree at that point.  But I think I put it to pretty good use.

Oh, and I bought some pumpkin soup from Trader Joe's, too.

It. Was. Incredible.  I first had pumpkin soup in France when I was studying abroad, and I absolutely loved it.  I searched everywhere for something comparable in the States, but the closest I could get was sweet potato and squash soups.  I tried making my own pumpkin soup one time from scratch, but it was an absolute disaster and completely discouraged me from making another attempt.  Luckily, after 5 years, I finally found what I was looking for.  Sadly, I only got one container.  I'll be counting down the days until it comes out again next year!

So is that enough pumpkin for ya?  I wonder what my next seasonal food fixation will be... gingerbread?  Cranberries?  Something peppermint?  Hmm, we shall see.

Song of the day:

"The Story" by Brandi Carlile.  I really love this song because it's such a good mix of pretty and raw vocals.  And it's fun to sing along to (but not fun to hear me singing along to!).

Cooling Down

Hey guys!  Can you believe the 4th of July has come and gone?  I can't.  The summer is flying by!

This was my patriotic breakfast for Independence Day:

Plain yogurt with half a banana, strawberries, and blueberries.  Like most of the country, it's been super hot here lately.

I haven't been in the mood for hot oatmeal, so I've been having lots of yogurt for breakfast.  I love to add some granola to plain yogurt and fresh fruit, and last week I tried out a new granola recipe from Angela at Oh She Glows called Power House Glonola.

It has a stellar ingredient list:  almonds, sea salt, flax seeds (I used ground flax seed), chia seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, pumpkin pie spice (I used a maple cinnamon mix because I didn't have pumpkin pie spice on hand), dried apricots, oats, cacao nibs (I omitted these), pure maple syrup (I subbed in agave), and coconut oil.

I baked the granola a bit too long - I should have watched it closely for the last 5 minutes like Angela suggested - but it's still pretty tasty and I'm enjoying adding it to regular yogurt for breakfast, and sometimes to Greek yogurt for dessert!

Sometimes yogurt for dessert just doesn't cut it for me, though.  The hot weather has been the perfect excuse to finally try out my ice cream maker and some recipes from Jeni's book.  If you live in Ohio, there's a good chance you've at least heard of Jeni's ice cream, and hopefully you've had the chance to try it!  Her ice cream is unbelievably delicious.  My favorite flavor (so far, at least) is her Salty Caramel - probably because sweet + salty = perfection.

These ingredients are not for the faint of heart.

Pretty darn rich, but that's why it tastes so darn good :)

I was a little nervous to caramelize the sugar, but it worked fine and the results were definitely worth it.  I'm a fairly messy cook, though, and the kitchen turned into quite a disaster zone in the meantime.

Churning away:

Look at that creamy texture!

Ready to go in the freezer (after I taste-tested some from the ice cream maker, of course - someone had to scrape the bowl clean!).

Frozen and ready to be scooped.

Perfection!

Along with yogurt for breakfast and ice cream for dessert, the hot weather has meant the need for cooler clothes.  I ordered a pair of white lace shorts and red tennis shoes from Land's End Canvas (on sale + free shipping, of course).  I love the scalloped edge of the shorts.

Another hot weather staple - watermelon!  I got a juicy, sweet watermelon that tasted so delicious and refreshing.  Eaten with half of a leftover baked sweet potato (with butter and cinnamon) and a slice of whole grain oat bread topped with leftover smashed chickpea and avocado spread.  Great lunch!

The heat finally broke today, so I spent a good portion of the day out in the garage working on painting my kitchen table and chairs.  Thank goodness for my NPR app - it keeps me very entertained!  This afternoon, one of the shows I listened to was the Cleveland taping of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me, which I actually got to attend a couple of weeks ago!  

My mom got tickets for our family as a Father's Day present for my dad.  It was so much fun, really hilarious, and also interesting to see the "behind the scenes" part of what goes into recording the show.  And we all got reusable bags - score!

I hope you're all staying cool and that you're getting the most out of your summer!

Song of the day:

"Stutter" by Maroon 5.  I was listening to their newest album the other day and of course I know the song "Moves Like Jagger" but I think "Stutter" is even catchier.

Salads Galore

I'll be the first one to admit that I really like routines.  It's pretty easy for me to get set on something and stick with it.  That is definitely the case with a lot of my meals lately, but I'm okay with that.  For the most part, I've been having yogurt + fresh fruit for breakfast and big salads for lunch.

I've stuck with Angela's salad-a-day challenge so far... but I haven't been as good with Amanda Russell's 4-minute morning workout routine.  I did it for 4 days, but didn't do it yesterday or today :/  Gotta get back on that!  I've found that knowing I have to do push-ups immediately doesn't make me want to hop right out of bed and get the day started, so I linger and push snooze, and then run out of time before I have to start getting dressed and ready for the day.  But I did feel awesome on the days when I did it, so I've got to focus on that feeling instead of the imminent push-ups!

Anywho, back to my meals.  Let's start with my lunches.  Sunday I took a break from helping my Dad wash 4 cars (inside and out - mine was one of them, yay for clean cars!) to re-fuel.  I had a salad with spinach, sugar snap peas, carrots, lentils, white bean and basil hummus, balsamic vinegar, and walnuts.

With an apple + almond butter on the side, and a medjool date for dessert.  My dad was really excited when he saw my medjool date and asked where I'd been hiding them (in the fridge!).  Then he said my mom never buys food he likes (not true, haha) so next time we were at the store she picked up a container for him to have all to himself... which is almost gone :)

One night my mom was making white rice as a side for our dinner, and I decided I wanted something a little more nutritious to go with my meal, so I made some sweet potato fries for myself.  My mom had one and said she thought they were better than some she had a restaurant recently - yay!

I made them again the next night and my dad said he'd like some, too, so I made enough for everyone to share.  I think I baked them a little too long the second time I made them, but it's still fun to share some healthier alternatives with my family.

Packed lunches up next.  Monday I had a salad with spinach, grape tomatoes, orange bell pepper, carrots, sugar snap peas, walnuts, lentils, white bean and basil hummus, and red wine vinegar (I meant to grab balsamic but accidentally took red wine vinegar with me instead - it was still tasty, though).

Apple on the side and a medjool date to satisfy my ever-present sweet tooth.

I had a pretty similar lunch on Tuesday - the same salad as the day before, but with balsamic vinegar this time, plus some marinated artichoke hearts from Trader Joe's - SO good!

Apple + almond butter on the side, and another medjool date.  All crammed in to that Lululemon bag (along with a travel mug for my morning coffee plus a water bottle - I don't exactly travel light.  Ever).

Yesterday I was out of spinach, so I stopped by Earth Fare (a local health food store) to put together a salad for myself.  That baby had mixed greens, spinach, shredded carrots, sliced kalamata olives, red/ green/ yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, black-eyed peas (must remember to pick some up to add to my homemade salads!), chickpea salad, artichoke hearts, olive oil, Italian white wine vinegar, and sunflower seeds.

And the stars of the show:  3 stuffed grape leaves.  So unbelievably delicious.  I'm pretty sure I could eat these every day and not get sick of them.

While I was at the store, I picked up this new-to-me bar which was on sale.  It was pretty good, but I still prefer Larabars and their extremely short ingredient list.

I only remembered to take a picture after I had already torn into it - oops!

I also picked up lots of fresh fruit yesterday and had a very summer-y breakfast this morning:  a bowl of plain yogurt with a sliced banana, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries.  So delicious and decadent, and filled with antioxidants.

And for lunch I packed a salad with mixed spinach greens, grape tomatoes, orange bell pepper, artichoke hearts, and a last-minute addition of grapes.  I topped it with hummus and lentils (and brought a bottle of balsamic to work with me to add right before eating), but I took the picture before adding the last couple of things to showcase all of the colorful ingredients!  I don't usually add fruit to my salads, but I figured I could use a little variety so I took a chance with those grapes.  I love sweet + savory, so this was right up my alley.

Nature shot of the day:

I found some forget-me-nots growing in the woods so I picked a few to make myself a little bouquet.  I photographed them downstairs, but in reality they're sitting on my very messy childhood dresser, haha.

PS That trophy is for a contest my friends and I entered and DIDN'T win, haha.  So proud.

Hope you're having a great week so far.  Until next time!

Song of the day:

"Ho Hey" by The Lumineers.  Obsessed with this song lately.  It's so sweet and fun to sing along with (fun for me, not for anyone else who might happen to hear me, haha).

Simple Eats plus a Morning Workout Challenge

My meals have been pretty straightforward lately.  Here are some of my recent eats:

1/2 cup 1-minute oatmeal mixed with 1 cup boiling water, 1 T chia seeds, 1 banana, strawberries, blueberries, cottage cheese, and a spoonful of sunflower seed butter.  This was packed full of nutrients and kept me full until lunch!

I've been getting kind of tired of hot oatmeal, though (and have been too lazy to put together overnight oats or breakfast cookies before I go to bed at night... need to work on that) so I decided to make a yogurt bowl instead.  I combined plain nonfat yogurt with a banana, strawberries, blueberries, and homemade granola.

I went home for lunch one day this week and made myself some scrambled eggs topped with Trader Joe's salsa (SO good!), and ate them with an apple, sugar snap peas, baby carrots, white bean and basil hummus (also from Trader Joe's and ridiculously tasty - I highly recommend it!).  Medjool date for dessert!

It's been awhile since I had a salad beast, so last night I made myself one for dinner.  I threw together spinach, some iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, carrots, chopped walnuts, white bean and basil hummus, oregano-infused balsamic vinegar, and lentils (which I got already-steamed and ready-to-eat from Trader Joe's).  I ate this with a baked sweet potato with a little butter and cinnamon.  Plus a bowl of yummy Greek yogurt and homemade granola for dessert.

Today I finally took the time to make myself something a little more substantial for lunch to take with me to work.  

My salad last night tasted really good, so I pretty much made a repeat, but I also added some leftover cooked asparagus this time, and brought regular balsamic vinegar to add.

Another medjool date for dessert!  Tasty wasty.

Angela at Oh She Glows started a "Salad A Day" goal for June, which I think is a great idea.  One day down, 29 to go :)

I've posted some of Amanda Russell's workouts before - I love them because they're short but intense, and require little or no equipment.  She just uploaded a new video with a "challenge" - it's a 4-minute morning workout, and she challenges us to do it every morning for 3 weeks.  I mean 4 minutes isn't too much, right?  I'm going to try to do it!  Anyone with me?

The routine is:  30 seconds of push-ups, 30 seconds of leg lifts (on hands and knees, lift alternating leg with bent knee and flexed foot to ceiling), 60 seconds plank (see this Fitnessista post for lots of plank variations to keep it interesting and challenging), 30 seconds Spidermans (in plank position on hands, bring knees to elbows), 30 seconds bridge-ups, and 60 seconds headstand.  The headstand is the only one I'm worried about - I'll probably have to use the wall.  I do want to get better at doing a headstand, though, so this will be the perfect way to improve.

Hope your weekend is off to a great start!

Song of the day:

"Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt.  Such a classic - I love her.  I listened to her a lot growing up (because my dad's a big fan).  She was in town the other day and I caught part of a radio interview with her, and it reminded me of how great her music really is.