Celebrating National Pumpkin Day (Year Five)

What time is it? Pumpkin time. Less new pumpkin products this year...

Favorite Day pumpkin spice trail mix

Trader Joe's pumpkin butter

Trader Joe's Pumpkin O's

And lots more pumpkin recipes...

Blended pumpkin overnight oats (Well Plated)

Cottage cheese pumpkin spice cake bars (Poulef Recipes)

Easy pumpkin Greek yogurt biscuits (The Athletic Avocado)

Flourless pumpkin protein pancakes (Kim's Cravings)

Moist pumpkin muffins (Jo and Sue)

Protein pumpkin overnight oats (Jenn's WW Journey)

Pumpkin baked oats (That Spicy Chick)

Pumpkin bagels (Healthy and Delicious)

Pumpkin bread (All Purpose Veggies)

Pumpkin chocolate chip overnight oats (Art From My Table)

Pumpkin cream cold brew overnight oats (Kneaded That)

Pumpkin healthy overnight oats (IFoodReal)

Pumpkin mug cake (The Kitchn)

Pumpkin mug cake (The Local Sprout)

Protein mug cake (Run Eat Repeat)

Pumpkin overnight oats (Fit Foodie Finds)

Protein overnight oats (Fit Mama Real Food)-Pumpkin pie version

Pumpkin overnight oats (Plant You)

Pumpkin pie blended overnight oats (So Fresh 'N So Green)

Pumpkin pie overnight oats (Nourished by Nic)

Pumpkin pie protein overnight oats (Matt's Fit Chef)

Pumpkin pie spice English muffin (Devotion Nutrition)

Pumpkin protein muffins (The Clean Eating Couple)

Pumpkin protein mug (Nutritionist Mom)

Pumpkin protein mug cake (Bake it Paleo)

Pumpkin protein pancakes (How Sweet Eats)

Pumpkin spiced oatmeal (Feasty Travels)

Pumpkin spice latte overnight oats (From My Bowl)

Pumpkin spice milk (Back to the Book Nutrition)

Pumpkin spice overnight oatmeal (Big Delicious Life)

S'mores pumpkin mug cake (Plant Based RD)

Sourdough discard pumpkin bagels (This Jess Cooks)

Sourdough pumpkin muffins (Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

The best sourdough protein pumpkin bread (Unexpected Gardener)

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We're not done with pumpkin season yet, either (but these are all the recipes I have made this year up to this point).

Celebrating National Pumpkin Day (Year Four)

You know what time it is? Pumpkin time! (And today, October 26th, is National Pumpkin Day. My enjoyment of pumpkin everything reinvigorated this year. I simply could not seem to get enough! That meant buying lots of pumpkin products:

Autumn mix mellowcreme candy (Brach's)

Pumpkin bagels from Trader Joe's

Pumpkin cranberry crisps from Trader Joe's

Pumpkin butter from Trader Joe's

Pumpkin spice coffee (Red Brick coffee from Winco)

Pumpkin pie concrete from Freddy's

Pumpkin spice energy gel from GU Energy Labs

Pumpkin spice fig bar (Nature's Bakery)

Pumpkin spiced teeny tiny pretzels from Trader Joe's

Pumpkin overnight oats from Trader Joe's

And making a lot, too:

Bacon pumpkin pasta bake (Pinch of Yum)

Blender gluten free pumpkin muffins (Kroll's Korner)

Chipotle pumpkin pasta (Budget Bytes)

Creamy pumpkin ravioli (The Modern Crumb)
 
Fluffy buttermilk pumpkin pancakes (The Modern Crumb)

Oat flour pumpkin muffin bread (Hungry Hobby)

Pumpkin banana oatmeal muffins (Hungry Hobby)

Pumpkin hamburger buns (Travel Cook Tell)

Pumpkin mac and cheese (Chocolate Covered Katie)

Pumpkin muffins (Handle the Heat)

Pumpkin oatmeal cream pies (Sally's Baking Addiction)

Pumpkin spice oatmeal pancakes (Upbeet Kitchen)

Roasted pumpkin puree (The Minimalist Baker)

Roasted pumpkin seeds (The Minimalist Baker)

(The above list is exclusive of all the single serving oats I made.)

Suffice it to say, your girl likes pumpkin!

Fall Decorations

We don't have a lot of fall decorations, which is fortunate, because it provides the opportunity to make some! I really like pumpkin (both as an object, and as a food stuff), and so we've started a little pumpkin collection. My husband bought this blown glass pumpkin several years ago:

And this year, he bought a felted wool pumpkin from Trader Joe's:

I added to our collection with this cozy crochet pumpkin pillow from Stitchberry:

For the pumpkin, I used my trusty size J Boye ergonomic crochet hook, Mainstays white yarn, and I think, a Red Heart gray (but I cannot be sure, so I did not link it).

And there you have it: our fall decorations--pumpkins!

Celebrating National Pumpkin Day (Year Three)

I have done a pumpkin recipe round-up every year since 2017, I think. Only two others times have I done it on National Pumpkin Day (October 26, 2023), so here I am back again. Maybe I'll be consistent with posting on this day in the future? We'll see.

Fall harvest pumpkin bread muffins (From my Easy Vegetarian Slow Cooker Cookbook)

One bowl pumpkin spice muffins (Bless This Mess)

Pumpkin cheesecake whip (Wholesome Recipe Box)

Pumpkin granola (Eating Bird Food)

My own pumpkin pie baked oatmeal

And a host of pumpkin bowl and mug cakes to finish off the leftover pumpkin!

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

I'm back into my baked oatmeal phase. This one is a blended oatmeal, one that tastes just like pumpkin pie and has a similar custardy texture. With no added sugar and four whole eggs, this is a great, protein-filled breakfast!

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 c pumpkin

1/2 c water

1 t vanilla

1 c oats, blended 

2 t pie spice

2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

Directions:

1. Whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, water, and vanilla.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients.

3. Bake 60 minutes at 350 degrees.

4. Cool and refrigerate before cutting and eating

Inspired by Making Thyme for Health's healthy pumpkin baked oatmeal.

The Annual Pumpkin Recipe Roundup

It's that time again! Time for the annual fall pumpkin recipe roundup. I haven't been as intentional about making pumpkin things this year, but for what's it worth, here are the recipes I have tried.

Pumpkin spice creamer (Kim's Cravings)

Pumpkin superhero muffins (Rise and Run cookbook)

Chocolate pumpkin granola (Family Food on the Table)

Cinnamon pumpkin granola (Le Creme de la Crumb)

Pumpkin bars (The Flavor of Wisconsin cookbook)

And too many pumpkin mug cakes to list individually....

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Readers, have you found any new fall recipes? Or do you have tried and true favorites? Please share in the comments section.

40 Ideas for your Fall Bucket List

 

There's debate about when Fall officially starts. Some say it's September 1 ( Almanac.com, 2022). Others say it is September 22, the date of the autumnal equinox. Either way, fall is coming. Time to celebrate! If you're like me and like to really live each season up, I've made a list of 40 ideas to do this fall:

1. Go for a fall morning walk (VanSchmus, 2021).

2. Try a new coffee drink (Santi, 2021).

3. Make a fall themed breakfast.

4. Eat some chili (VanSchmus, 2021).

5. Read a story.

6. Enjoy a new hoodie.

7. Hang up some fall towels (Bucket List Lists, n.d.)

8. Drink some fall tea.

9. Get a fall manicure.

10. Make a fall craft.

11. Hike.

12. Work with yarn. (Crochet, knit weave, etc.)

13. Hike!

14. Try a fall hairdo all hair (Gillette, 2021).

15. Celebrate the life of someone who suffered from breast cancer. (October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.)

16. Bake!

17. Wear boots with an outfit.

18. Light a fall candle (Santi, 2021).

19. Buy some candy corn.

20. Make a fall soup or stew (gumbo).

21. Pumpkin spice everything.

22. Pull out a fall jacket.

23. Celebrate National Dessert Day October 14 (Bucket List Lists, 2022).

24. Sip pumpkin spice coffee.

25. Eat a pumpkin cookie.

26. Shop for some cozy home goods.

27. Begin your Christmas lists.

28. Pull out a blanket for the bed.

29. Visit a corn maze (VanSchmus, 2021).

30. Celebrate National Pasta Day October 17

31. Admire the fall moon.

32. Do a crossword puzzle.

33. Plan a trip.

34. Take photos outdoors.

35. Sip some hot cocoa.

36. Roast and eat some vegetables.

37. Carve a pumpkin.

38. Roast your pumpkin seeds.

39. Drink some fresh apple cider

40. Plan your Thanksgiving Feast

We actually did most of these items as part of our bucket list last year. What will we do this year? I am still planning. Follow the blog to stay up-to-date!

References:

Almanac.com. (2022, July 27). Facts & folklore about the fall equinox. https://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-fall-autumnal-equinox

Bucket List Lists. (n.d.) October bucket list. https://bucketlistlists.com/october-bucket-list/

Gillette, B. (2021, October 13). Fall 2021 hair trends: 30 colors, cuts, and styles to try this year

Santi, J.(2021, September 4). The Everygirl's 2021 fall bucket list. The Everygirl. https://theeverygirl.com/fall-bucket-list/

VanSchmus, E. (2021, June 29). 24 things to add to your fall bucket list this season. Better Homes and Gardens. https://www.bhg.com/thanksgiving/planning/fall-bucket-list/

Celebrating National Pumpkin Day (Year Two)

I have slowed my roll on pumpkin stuff, but since it's National Pumpkin Day, might as well celebrate what we have. It's more pumpkin spice than anything this year:

Purchases from Trader's Joe's Pumpkin Palooza (Pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin spice espresso beans, and pumpkin spice coffee)

Pumpkin pie spice rooibos which we went back and bought later

Iced pumpkin spice latte (Gimme Some Oven) 

Pumpkin spice roll cookies (Sally's Baking Addiction)

Pumpkin black bean tacos (Peas and Crayons)

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I have not stopped liking pumpkin. Maybe I just don't like it so much. We will how the trend continues next year....

Celebrating National Pumpkin Day

Yeah, I have a thing with pumpkin. I don't remember exactly how it started, but I seem to remember it starting with a roommate's scrumptious pumpkin chocolate chip muffins one fall long ago. Sometime after, I started buying pumpkin, lots of it. I like to see it as a pantry staple. Or maybe it's just a sanity staple because I like it so much.... 

Normally October is my pumpkin month and my recipe round-up comes November 1st. But I just realized that today, October 26th is NATIONAL PUMPKIN DAY! Cue all the pumpkin stuff now!

Pumpkin carving

Pumpkin coincidences

Pumpkin commitments

Gratitude pumpkins (Coffee and Carpool)

Pumpkin cozies

(Okie Girl Bling 'N Things pattern)

Pumpkin couple dates

And yeah, the recipes, albeit a few less this year due to the (not) pumpkin shortage:

Easy pumpkin chili (Erin Lives Whole) and whole wheat pumpkin cornbread (The Baker Mama)

Flourless pumpkin pancake (Kim's Cravings)

Pumpkin nice cream (Running in a Skirt)

Spiced pumpkin vinaigrette (Daring Gourmet)

Plus a few of my own creations:

Pumpkin hot chocolate

Chocolate apple pumpkin peanut butter baked oatmeal



Chocolate pumpkin protein overnight oatmeal

Cocoa pumpkin baked oatmeal

Any other pumpkin lovers out there? Please share your favorites with pumpkin in the comments section!

Pumpkin Recipe Round-Up (Year Two)

We all know I like pumpkin. So in an effort to care for myself and enjoy life, I made October about the pumpkin, vowing to make at least one pumpkin recipe a week. I succeeded, barely. 

Here's what I made:

Easy pumpkin masala (The Iron You)

Pumpkin baked oatmeal (a riff on my traditional baked oatmeal)

Pumpkin hummus (Kroger)

No-bake pumpkin oatmeal energy balls (Bless This Mess)

Pumpkin protein oatmeal (My own concoction)

Pumpkin spice granola (Budget Bytes)

Also, I realize I posted last November 1 about pumpkin. I guess it's a thing now....

Pumpkin Recipe Round-Up

It's fall. It's pumpkin season. And you know what that means? Time to do a pumpkin recipe round-up. This isn't a new idea, but I thought it would be fun. In the beginning, I intended to do a photo dump of all the pumpkin recipes I have ever made and photographed, but I quickly realized that was too much. So here are the pumpkin recipes dated 2017. (Yes, it's still a lot!)

Chipotle, pumpkin, and chickpea curry (From My Bowl)

Pumpkin baked oatmeal muffin cups (Happy Healthy Mama)

Pumpkin chocolate chip overnight oats (Chelsea's Messy Apron)

Pumpkin peanut butter oatmeal bars (Averie Cooks)

Pumpkin pie spice coconut oil granola (Lovely Little Kitchen)

2 minute flourless pumpkin English muffin (A cooking and photo flop, but it tasted good! A Big Man's World)

Pumpkin apple oat muffins (Food.com, now Genius Kitchen)

Fat-free pumpkin raisin granola (Oatrageous Oatmeals)

Pumpkin oat breakfast cake (Oatrageous Oatmeals)

And don't forget to check the recipe index for all the pumpkin recipes I've created and posted!

So what are you going to do with that can of pumpkin in your cupboard. (And if you don't have a can, for goodness' sake, go buy one!)