Colder Weather? Time for Pumpkin!

Ahh, it was a brisk 40 degrees this morning when I headed out to meet my walking group (I lead one through work). I completely regretted not wearing mittens like the pansy I am, but I did NOT regret being outside. It was lovely!! The leaves are starting to show up all over the trail, but they aren't crunchy yet so I haven't begun springing all over the place, smashing them as I go. :)  We left the windows cracked just a teeny bit last night, because we knew it was supposed to get cold. It was 69 degrees in our apartment when I got up, which is a good 9 degrees colder than I usually keep it, aka I was chilly. However, it provided me with the prime opportunity to throw on some sweat pants and a blanket and sip a hot cup of coffee. so.good. The colder it gets, the better the coffee tastes (though it seems nearly impossible for it to taste even BETTER!), and I'm 110% appreciating it.

Despite the fire alarm going off in our apartment building earlier this afternoon (and the record-breaking slow arrival of the firefighters...) I am pumped up about all this autumn weather! Plus, I had a great run in it this morning. So in honor of the fall weather, I have two autumn-ish things to share! The first is a copycat of the pumpkin spice latte from my long-time friend, Starbucks. I got the original recipe from http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ and just barely edited it to make it have a little stronger coffee taste. Her blog is vegan (which I'm not, but still appreciate/make sometimes) healthy desserts, and it is AWESOME! If you've never been directed there via Pinterest, check it out.

Pumpkin Spice Latte (that doesn't require all your rent money)

2 T canned pumpkin

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (if you don't have this, just put a dash of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg!)

1/2 cup of milk or (for a richer taste) a combination of non-dairy creamer and milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 - 1/2 cup strong coffee (depending how coffee-y you want it)

sugar or stevia to taste

Mix everything but the coffee with a fork or whisk. (Then, for a hot latte, you can either microwave or heat on the stove.) Add coffee and whisk again.

YUM! So perfect to sip watching the leaves change color (okay, not really, but you know what I mean).

Here's my other autumn recipe! I had leftover canned pumpkin from my latte, so of course I want to use it! Cue, pumpkin bread! I'm on a mission to prove eating healthy doesn't have to be that hard and you don't have to only eat lettuce and rice cakes (for the record, I love both!) . So I found an unhealthy recipe with too much butter and sugar and healthified it. :) Drumroll please!

Healthified Pumpkin Bread
 
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
1 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
2 tablespoons applesauce



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl. Mix in the pumpkin, brown sugar, buttermilk, egg and butter until well blended. Pour into a 9x5 inch loaf pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 50-60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Eat while drinking pumpkin spice lattes for a double whammy of pumpkin!! Here's a picture of the final product, excuse my phone for not being smart and not taking quality pictures :)

Back to work I go! Let me know your thoughts if you make either recipe!! :)

--KQ