Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Pumpkin!!

Fall in So Cal is turning out to be not so "fall like", despite the fact that it feels like summer outside I am still craving anything and everything pumpkin!  I've made these delicious pumpkin muffins HERE, almost every week since mid October, and have been enjoying Duncan Donuts Pumpkin Spice coffee every morning!  I've scoured Pinterest for pumpkin recipes, and wanted to share a few that look amazing.

Considering that the high is almost 90 degrees on Wednesday, I will definitely be enjoying my pumpkin on ice!  The Pistachio Project has several yummy looking pumpkin recipes including this Pumpkin Spice Smoothie HERE.

I LOVE how easy this Pumpkin Butternut Squash Bake looks from Skinny Mom HERE.  I think this will be a perfect side for Thanksgiving!

If the weather continues to be this warm, I think we will be eating this tasty looking Pumpkin Parfait HERE instead of warm pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Chili!?!? Yes, please!  Lisa at Snack Girl you are a genius, and I can't wait to try this recipe! HERE



I'd love to hear how you've been enjoying pumpkin this fall!  Leave a comment or email me at AllthingsMelissaAnn@yahoo.com

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

As mentioned HERE (Pumpkin Muffins) and HERE (Banana Muffins) my husband LOVES homemade muffins!  I had three Golden Delicious apples that were probably too ripe to eat by themselves, but perfect for baking, and only one muffin left in the refrigerator!  Almost running out of muffins is VERY scary for the hubby!  I pretty much copied the recipe for Pumpkin Muffins but made a few tweaks to create these tasty Apple Cinnamon Muffins!

Chop 2-3 apples (about 2 cups) and cover with 1/2 c. sweetener of choice, I used Stevia, and 

 cinnamon to taste.  I LOVE cinnamon so used about 1 tbs. (maybe more)

Mix so apples are coated in cinnamon / sugar mixture, add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Spoon mixture evenly into muffin tin and top with granola.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

Ingredients

2-3 chopped apples

1/2 c unsweetened applesauce

2 mashed bananas

1 1/3 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c sweetener 

1 tsp baking soda

1tbs cinnamon

OPTIONAL - Granola for muffin topping

Perfect for Fall - Healthy Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins

Fall is in the air!! The mornings have been nice and chilly here, so I thought it was the perfect time to start baking some Fall food.  Homemade muffins are a MUST in our house!  My husband loves them for a late night snack, and I enjoy the convenience of a grab and go meal on busy mornings.

Ingredients

15 oz can Organic Pumpkin Puree
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup egg whites (or 3 eggs)
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup quick oats
1/2 cup Splenda
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
nutmeg for taste

OPTIONAL - Granola topping for each muffin 

Makes 12 DELICIOUS muffins

Mix ingredients until moist and blended well.  Spoon evenly into a muffin tin.  I added a bit of Nature Valley Oats and Honey Protein Granola to the top of each muffin before baking.  I love the crunch it gave the muffins.

Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees.

Healthy "Carrot Cake" Cookies

Due to the move and having quite a bit more time on my hands, I find myself on a BIG baking kick!  Carrot cake is my husbands favorite dessert, but two people do not need an entire cake, so I combined a few "carrot cake" cookie recipes I found via pinterest and made him HEALTHY "carrot cake" cookies!  The texture of these cookies is soft and cake like, they have just the right amount of sweetness and since I used healthy baking alternatives they don't come with the usual guilt of eating a cookie!

Ingredients

1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 c oats
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 mashed banana
3/4 c dark brown sugar
1/4 c unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c crushed pineapple
1/2 c unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c finely grated carrots
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients first,  then add in wet ingredients, mix well, and drop by tablespoon onto lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Apple Pie Smoothie

It is an understatement when I say I am beyond ready for falls arrival!  I was hoping that with our recent move we would be lucky enough to escape the miserable summer heat!  Unfortunately, it seems like we brought the Texas heat with us to So Cal :( I can't wait to wrap myself up in cozy sweaters and leggings, enjoy chilly morning runs, and savor all of the yummy food that goes along with fall.  Since the summer weather seems to be sticking around a bit longer, I will appreciate beach time and warm days; however, this smoothie did bring me a bit closer to the wonderful flavors of fall!  It is no secret that I LOVE smoothies, and being that apple pie is my favorite fall treat, this one is no exception.  I am on a mission to turn all of my favorite fall treats into smoothies!

Ingredients

1 banana
1 apple (I used Golden Delicious)
1/2 c Vanilla Almond Milk
1/3 c Vanilla Coconut Milk Yogurt
1/4 c Granola
few dashes of cinammon
handful of ice cubes

Healthy and Delicious Banana Bread Muffins

These muffins are SO yummy!  

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsweetened natural applesauce

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/4 splenda (or other sugar substitute)

6 mashed RIPE bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray or lightly grease muffin tin.  Combine all ingredients EXCEPT bananas and blend well.  In a separate bowl mash bananas until smooth and then mix into the other bowl of ingredients.  Bake for 15-18 minutes then DEVOUR guilt free!

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Hopefully you've had a chance to try the recipe Turkey Burgers with a Kick, since I posted that recipe my hubby has requested the burgers a few more times, which has given me the opportunity to work on getting my baked sweet potato fries just right!  The key to getting perfectly crisp baked sweet potato fries is soaking them in water before baking. Who knew?

For the amount of sweet potato fries you see below I used one large sweet potato, I sliced the sweet potato quite thin so they would be nice and crispy.  Before baking, fill a large bowl with water and soak sweet potato fries in the water for about 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Remove the sweet potato fries from the water and place on a baking sheet.

I coated the sweet potato fries with Pam Olive Oil and seasoned with Tony Chachere Seasoning, great seasoning for just about everything.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes, after the 20 minute mark you need to keep a close eye on them, once they start to brown it is time to take them out.  If you want your fries extra crispy you can turn your oven to broil for the last minute or two.