Halloween Happiness: Pumpkin Picking

Fall hasn't come yet to Southern California, but that didn't stop us from embracing Fall traditions, one of my favorite being visiting a pumpkin patch.

Tanaka Farms didn't disappoint - there were rows of pumpkins as far as you could see, a cute corn maze, and fun crafts and games for kiddos.

Admission is $2 to get into the pumpkin patch area, I feel this is worth it. The pumpkins are decently prices (by weight) and there are a lot of fun activities and photo-opps once inside.

We spent only a few hours here, mainly because it was over 100 degrees, but it was just what I needed to get myself into the Fall mood to kick off pumpkin season! Oh how I wish I was cozy in boots and a sweater while picking my pumpkins.

They also have a gift shop area with fresh pumpkin breads, and cookies, as well as home decor and carving kits.

Later, on Halloween we carved up our pumpkins and I even roasted the seeds, something I've always wanted to do but never got around to doing in the past and I can honestly say it will be a new Halloween tradition.

Its amazing when it works out that a fun Holiday like Halloween falls on a weekend and you have all day to enjoy it and create new traditions and spend time with family.

From mine to yours I hope you had a very Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Pie Bites

I'm always looking for ways to clean up my favorit treats and here is a great one! Pumpkin pie bites are delicious and easy to make, and this recipe keeps it clean though your could sub for more traditional ingredients.

Recipe:

1 Can Pumpkin

2 Ripe Bananas

1/2 C Coconut Sugar

1 Egg

1/4 C Coconut Flour

1/4 Seed or Nut Butter

2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/4 Tsp Salt

Mix all ingredients together in a food processor or by hand and pour into lined muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 20-30 mins until set.

Depending on how ripe your bananas are will depend on how much banana flavor you get versus pumpkin flavor, less ripe will be a less potent flavor.

These were an easy and delicious treat for Halloween, read more about my Halloween menu here.

Halloween Happiness: Dinner Menu

I love holiday's; all of them really. I think it came from my grandma always having the house fully decorated for whatever holiday was coming next, and that carried onto me - my house is always decorated with festive nik-knacks or mantel decor. It's also a great excuse to make festive foods and try things you otherwise might not. This Halloween we carved pumpkins and watched movies while handing out candy to trick-or-treating kiddos, so I created a Halloween menu to go along with this night that was of course; all things pumpkin.


Pumpkin Pasta

This is the splurge for the night as it is most definitely not clean, but it's also much better than going out to a restaurant and ordering a similar dish.

Pumpkin Raviolis, Butternut Squash Raviolis, and Pumpkin Pasta Sauce come together to make a delicious, cozy, Fall, meal that was just what we needed.

Chicken Stuffed Peppers

Since I kept the pasta portions low I got our meat and veggies in with stuffed peppers. I began with carving the faces in each that was easier than I anticipated it being. Next whipped up the stuffing the "lazy girl way" by browning 1 lb ground chicken and chopped zucchini, draining the fat and then adding 1 jar of Fall Harvest Salsa (or pumpkin salsa), mix and let simmer then transfer to your cleaned peppers and bake at 350 for 30 mins. Delicious, healthy, and so festive.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

My whole family loves snacking before meals so I roasted seeds from the pumpkins we carved while the carving was happening and they were the perfect healthy snack for the movie night after!

Clean seeds well, like really well, then transfer to pot of boiling water and boil for 10 mins. Drain and pat seeds dry then transfer to mixing bowl and toss with olive (or avocado oil) and seasonings of your choice (I just used sea salt here). Next transfer to baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and bake for 30 mins at 10 min intervals, stirring between, and keeping an eye that none blacken. Such a delicious healthy treat to snack on!

This meal came together perfectly and with all the time consuming parts prepped the night before, it allowed me to make a beautiful meal while still enjoying the night and company. Happy Halloween everyone!

All Pumpkin Everything

Fall means one thing to me: Pumpkin Season.

I will try everything pumpkin at least once and I'm thrilled that so many brands and stores are getting on the pumpkin band wagon! Here are some of my favorite pumpkin finds that I've come across this year, enjoy!

Siggi's Pumpkin Yogurt

creamy, tart, delicious and goes perfectly with granola!

Purely Elizabeth Pumpkin Fig Granola

Not over overpoweringly pumpkin but a good spiced flavor and quality ingredients

Tuscany Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

I was skeptical at first too, but this was delicious, perfect addition to butternut squash raviolis!

Pumpkin Spice Apple Sauce

This is delicious, no sugar added perfect side to a Fall dish and kiddo's will love it

Fall Harvest Salsa

Spicy-er than I anticipated but good flavor and great with ground turkey in my stuffed peppers.

Pumkin Ravioli

I paired this with the pumpkin pasta sauce  and it was delicious, sweet but not overpowering - the perfect Fall meal.

Ace Pumpkin Cider

I'm a cider lover - all kinds really but Ace is my favorite and this didn't disappoint. Not super sweet but a nice subtle pumpkin flavor - heavenly.

Homemade Pumpkin Soup

Confession time: I've never made soup from scratch. I've also never baked a pumpkin, I've been using the canned stuff my whole life. Both of those things changed today when I decided its about time I deepen my appreciation for pumpkin (if that's even possible) and give "from scratch" a try. I took some ideas from multiple recipes online and concocted a combination that suited my tastes and I must say it turned out surprisingly well.

This recipe was made up as I went along and can be altered based on what you have in your house or diet preferences. It's the perfect meal for a cozy Fall day (or when you're wishing it felt like Fall already). In fact this was my Halloween lunch and it was perfect!

Begin by baking your sugar pumpkin. Prep the pumpkin by washing, cutting off stem (this will make it easier to cut in half) and slice in half, then remove all seeds and scrape the walls clean. Bake cut side down at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the pumkin halves and set aside to cool until manageable to handle.

While the pumpkin is cooling, steam or roast (or microwave like I did) about a cup of mushrooms - any variety you prefer is fine. Also set aside to cool down. Next peel the skin off the pumpkin and load into a food processor along with the mushrooms. Puree until combined, scraping sides down as you go. Add chicken broth in 1/4 C increments until mixture is smooth.

Transfer pumpkin mixture to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer then reduce heat. Season with salt, granulated garlic (you could also use roasted garlic if you prefer, in that case add during the food processor stage) and pumpkin pie spice. Next stir in milk of choosing and allow to simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.

There you have it, such a quick and easy soup with wholesome ingredients that you can control!

     Recipe:

• 1 Sugar Pumpkin
• 1 C Mushrooms
• 1.5-2 C Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• 1/4 C Milk (Skim, Coconut, Almond, or any other)
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Granulated Garlic
• Salt

1. Bake Pumpkin at 375 for 30 mins. allow to cool then peel skin.
2. Steam mushrooms and combine both mushrooms and pumpkin flesh in food processor and pulse until blended.
3. Slowly blend in Chicken/Veggie broth until smooth, scraping down sides as needed
4. Transfer mixture to sauce pan and bring to simmer. Add milk and seasoning and continue to simmer for 5-10 mins. Remove from heat and serve.

This can be garnished with croutons, garlic bread, or kale chips like I did here. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Cookie Brownie

This is not a typical recipe for me, I try to stick to a clean diet and definitely avoid refined sugars in general but Halloween called for something special and this most certainly delivered.

There are three layers: Cookie, Candy, Brownie. Use mixes for all and change it up to suit your preferences.

Cookie Layer: Nestle Toll House Pumpkin Spice Cookie

Candy: mixture of Reece's, Twix, Snickers, and Pumpkin Spice M&Ms

Brownie Layer: Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie

Start by preheating the oven to 350 and spray the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan with non-stick spray

Mix up your brownie layer according to box directions and set aside. Layer the cookie layer on the bottom of the pan evenly.

Next chop candy and layer evenly over cookie dough.

Now top with the brownie mixture and finally add a generous layer of M&M's on top.

Bake at 350 for 30 mins, then cover with foil and bake an additional 10 mins or until center has set.

These were amazing! Perfect treat to take to an office party or potluck because they are so easy to whip up and taste like you spent hours.

A Day on the Whole30

The Whole30 has been wonderful for me, it has rid my body of its sugar addiction, helped me feel my best, and really helped me understand and establish a better relationship with food.

The first time I did a Whole30 round I had not yet found the 21 Day Fix program and the biggest comfort I found while on the Whole30 was over indulging in the approved foods like avocados and nut butters. (can you blame me though?) Due to my over eating of those items I really didn't see any weight loss which was quite discouraging considering I had gone a whole month without any breads, sugars, or cheese! This time I'm sticking with the portion containers of the 21 Day Fix and it has helped tremendously! This is my second go around with combining both programs and I'm loving what it's done for me.

Now for the point of this - what does a full day of food look like, hopefully this will inspire you all to try one of these or just give you hope that it really isn't all that hard to stay Whole30 compliant!

Morning Snack: Shakeology and a Peach (1 Red & 1 Purple)

I know that Shakeology is NOT Whole30 approved - no protein shakes or bars are - but it has become a staple in my diet and for its other health benefits I've decided to keep it as a part of my diet. If you're doing the Whole30 for the first time I would encourage you to stick to the program fully and then make adjustments if you do it again. This could easily be swapped for two hard boiled eggs giving you the same conversion. I eat this on my way to work right after my morning workout.

Breakfast: Adele's Chicken Apple Sausage with Egg Whites and Spinach (1 Red & 1/2 Green)

I whipped this up in the morning by scrambling 2 egg whites (1/3 Red) with spinach and then pan grilling the sausage - quick, easy and super flavorful!

Lunch: Taco Salad and Sweet Potato Toast with Sunflower Seed Butter (1 Green, 1 Red, 1/2 Blue, 1/2 Yellow, 2 Tsp)

Taco Salads are my favorite! They are super easy to prep then you just throw it all together when ready to eat. For the "toast" I sliced a sweet potato approximately 1/4" thick and baked on parchment paper for about 20 mins per side at 375. I make a large batch at the beginning of the week then just reheat in the toaster when I was the feeling of some toast in my life! Also delicious with mashed avocado for a breakfast addition!

Afternoon Snack: Honey Crisp Apple (1 Purple)

Dinner: Baked Chicken Breast with Avocado and Sauteed Veggies (1 Red, 1 Green, 1/2 Blue)

Another super easy meal that was so delicious! I bake and shred the chicken at the beginning of the week then just saute the veggies I have available and throw it together!

I hope this helps you see that Whole30 meals don't need to be complicated - they can be quick, easy and rather basic, but still be delicious. You don't realize how good food can taste when it's stripped down to what it is actually intended to taste like.

What are your go-to Whole30 meals? I would love to try them!

Zucchini Noodle Pasta

I love pasta, so while on the Whole 30 I've been looking for pasta alternatives and finally got on the band wagon and tried zucchini noodles - and they are delicious!

I've always relied on spaghetti squash as my pasta alternative so this is a great change of pace and actually a thicker noodle depending on what spiralizer you use.

Start by washing the zucchini and spiralizing it, I'm using a Veggiti - it's hand held, easy to use and was only about $10 on Amazon - but any spiralizer would work.

Spread out the noodles on a baking sheet lined with papertowles and bake at 250 F for about 40 mins.

This doesn't really cook the noodles just helps them dry out so they are less soggy when you do cook them but in a time crunch this step can be skipped or shortened.

Then transfer noodels to saute pan and cook on medium with a splash of olive oil and seasoning until tender

Pair this with ground turkey and marinara sauce like I did here and you have a great italian meal without the pasta guilt!

This pairing counts as 1 green, and 1 Red if doing the 21 Day Fix.