Pumpkin lovin'

I was texting Nick the other day and called him "pumpkin", and then pitched the idea of "seasonal pet names".  I thought it was clever and could get interesting.  He responded with "I'm gonna be late for work, witch-face".  I retracted my request shortly thereafter.

Anyway, I just love the Fall! Its such a gorgeous time of year--probably my favorite! Its still warm enough outside to go running, but breezy enough to wear a closet full of trendy boots.  I love the deep colors of orange, red and brown-it all just makes me so happy! I got into the Fall spirit a few weeks ago at the grocery store and purchased a very small, pathetic-looking pumpkin.  It looked quite funny in our bare apartment, but it did spark the desire to make pumpkin-flavored goodies! Here's a few of our pumpkin creations:

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 T Truvia (if you dont want it low-cal, add 1/2 c. sugar)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup nonfat milk
1 cup craisins

directions: add flour, sugar, truvia, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in small bowl.  In large bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, oil, and milk.  Add the dry to the wet ingredients by folding it together. (if you over-mix, the muffins will be dense), carefully fold in craisins.

For cup cake pans: 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes
For mini muffin cake pan: 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes

We used a mini muffin pan so they would be less calories for 1.  1 serving is 55 calories with 1 g protein and 1.5 g of fat! :) pretty tasty!


I told Nick to grease the pan... he took his job very seriously. :)










Pumpkin "Ice Cream" 

I must give props to Amber for this one.  She developed this little treat a while back and I tweaked it a little. Its delicious.

ingredients:
1 container vanilla chobani yogurt
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
dash of cinnamon
dash of pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 little packet of truvia (i just added that because i have a serious sweet tooth)

combine all the ingredients, and put in the freezer for 1.5 hours and it gets really smooth and cold--it tastes just like ice cream!

It makes 1 serving.  and its 166 calories, 4 g of fiber, 17.5 g of protein (wow!), and .4 g of fat! and its PACKED with vitamin A.






Toasted Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds


This recipe is NOT good for you. lol...but its delicious!

Ingredients:
1 c. fresh pumpkin seeds, rinsed and dried
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional...but fantastic!)
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)

Mix everything together in a large bowl and then spread it out on a baking sheet covered in foil (otherwise they will stick to the pan).  375 degrees for 15 minutes on one side, remove to stir, and then bake 15 more minutes.  Keep an eye on them.. it may not take that long depending on the oven.. and they burn quickly.





Here's pictures of us carving the pumpkin! :)

Say hello to Nicks little friend.  He created this guy when I was working hard to get the guts out of our tiny pumpkin!

My husband is not a hillbilly.  I warned him his nudity would be blogged. He was indifferent as always.

Not the most flattering of pictures after going to the gym... It looks like a "first day of school" photo. It was the only photo Nick agreed to take of our sad pumpkin.  I thought the "G" would be cute...we just ended up looking like die-hard Packers fans (this one's for you Bekah!). It was still a fun experience!