Autumn's the mellow time. -- William Allingham
OMG. I totally love fall. It's my favorite season - cooler weather, sweaters and hoodies, college football, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, back to school, the end of tri season and the beginning of running season...not that I don't love triathlons and all, but I do like falling back to my old favorite for the off-season. I love the color orange and have the (perhaps-misguided) impression that it looks good on me. I love the tans, and browns, and plaids that come with fall. There is not much that is not awesome about autumn. Except this year. Fall is presenting me with quite a challenge - you see, I'm obsessed with pumpkin. Pumpkin bread. Pumpkin cookies. Pumpkin lattes. Pumpkin! Pumpkin! Pumpkin! And this year, it seems that the shelves are even more laden with sweet pumpkin happiness - heck, there are even Pumpkin Pie Poptarts - NO JOKE! I want. Unfortunately, all of this pumpkiny-goodness does not really fit the clean eating project that I'm working on. It is totally creating a strain on my mad-skillz of willpower. :)
So...what is a pumpkin-obsessed healthy girl to do? I think I might need to bake. Yes, me - the girl who cooks but does not bake. At all. Because baking requires measurement and precision, yet I'm a bit more of an improvisationist in the kitchen. Baking does not suit my natural kitchen strengths and tests every last bit of patience I have. That being said, if I'm going to make it through this season without succumbing to the pumpkiny goodness of Starbucks Pumpkin Lattes washing down Pumpkin Pie Poptarts, I'm going to need to find an alternative.
Here are two recipes I'm thinking of trying:
http://balancedbites.com/2012/10/easy-recipe-carrot-pumpkin-spice-muffins.html
and
http://paleoparents.com/2011/pumpkin-pucks/
Hopefully one or the other (or both!) will quell my pumpkin cravings and keep me on the straight and narrow of doing right by my body. But seriously...Pumpkin Pie Poptarts....I want. I want. I want.
Instead, I will put on a little Vivaldi, Autumn, and make a grocery list for my pumpkin happiness alternatives.
I have a good pumpkin muffin recipie... but it's not "clean" I usually add some protein powder too.
ReplyDeleteGet small sweet pumpkins, cut in half, roast them in oven, smash with butter (and cream and brown sugar/maple syrup if you must). Eat as a side dish. Mix with pasta/rice/meat. Pumpkin is great as food!
ReplyDelete