I have pinned several pumpkin recipes and one of my favorites has been Crockpot Pumpkin Pie and Apple Oats!
Pumpkin Pie Steel Cut Oats in the Crockpot Serves 6-8
- 2 c. steel cut oats
- 1 15oz can of pumpkin (or about 1 3/4 c.)
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 apple chopped up
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 c. honey or maple syrup (or leave unsweetened and add after itâ€
s been cooked)
Put all ingredients in a oven safe bowl. Place bowl in slow cooker and add water up to half the bowl. Set to cook for 5-6 hours on low. Serve hot with milk or a dollop of Greek yogurt, extra honey or maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon. My favorite is with a scoop of Trader Joeâ€s pumpkin butter! If you have leftovers, they keep well in the fridge but can also be frozen in small portions to take out when needed for a quick breakfast.
P.S. Here is another wreath for a good friends wedding gift! Love making these!
The family and I had an amazing pre-holiday weekend get-away! Full post to come this week, but I had to share one of the best egg casseroles that I have ever made. The best part about it, itâ€s a lot healthier than the normal egg casseroles put there 
This would be perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning!
A Healthy Sweet Potato, Veggie and Egg Casserole
Adapted from Kimâ€s Healthy Eats
Ingredients
- 3 sweet potatoes thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 bag of fajita mixed veggies (or 1 red and green bell pepper chopped)
- 1 package of sliced portabella mushrooms
- 1 package of baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded Salt and pepper to taste
- 10 eggs
Directions
- Preheat oven to 4oo degrees.
- Line baking sheet in a single layer with thinly sliced potatoes. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Lightly spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread roasted potatoes into baking dish.
- Lower oven temp to 375 degrees.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet sauté onions and peppers until tender. Remove from heat and spread on top of potatoes in casserole dish. Add mushrooms to skillet and sauté until tender about 3 minutes and add to casserole dish.
- Finally sauté fresh spinach in the same skillet with 1 tablespoon of water until wilted. About 3 minutes and add to casserole dish.
- In a bowl beat eggs and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixed eggs over veggies in casserole dish and top with cheese.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until eggs are firmly cooked and golden brown.
Enjoy!
s time for some delicious pumpkin recipes! So I will be posting a new holiday/festive recipe from me or others weekly! Todayâ€s recipe is brought to you by Cynthia from We Make a Beautiful Mess. I was so inspired that I created some as well!
Ingredients:
– 2 Slices of Udiâ€s Gluten Free Bread
– 3 Eggs
– 1 cup of Almond Milk
– 1 tbsp of Pumpkin Spice
– 1 tbsp of Pumpkin Puree
– 1 tsp of good Vanilla extract
– Pomegranate Seeds (optional)
– Organic Pure Maple or Agave Syrup
– Coconut Oil for Cooking
Directions:
Place the milk, eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla and pumpkin spice seasoning in a bowl and whisk until all ingredients are well incorporated. Once the mixture is ready, dip the bread in and allow it to soak some of the mixture making sure you get both sides. Spray coconut oil on a hot griddle and place the bread. Allow it to cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Top the french toast with pomegranate seeds and sweetener of your choice. This is such a delicious way to enjoy french toast and is kinda guilt free!
Question:
What is your favorite thing to make with pumpkin?
This past Sunday I decided to get creative in the kitchen and whipped a batch of Morning Glory Pancakes from my new book The Crazy Sexy Kitchen. I decided to make it my own 
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of oat flour (throw in a cup of oats into a blender and process until flour) or you could use gluten free all purpose baking mix.
4 tbsp cornmeal
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup almond milk
1 chia egg
2 tbsp agave
coconut oil
1/2 mashed banana
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
1. Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Mix the almond milk and chai egg thoroughly in a separate bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the coconut oil)Â whisk together. Pour into the dry mixture and mix together. Let batter rest for 10 minutes. Preheat the griddle.
3. Put coconut oil on the griddle to help it flip it easier. Pour a 1/4 cup of batter on the griddle. Cook the first side for about 2 minutes and flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Top each pancake with a little almond butter, agave nectar and sliced bananas.
YUM!
Loving this cool weather right now, I get to wear a new scarf everyday! I am thinking about adding a fashion tab on the blog? What do you think?
Guess who started the New Rules of Lifting for Women today? ME!! I am super excited about this, I need a new plan and Hubby got me this book for Christmas and I got super stoked!
The Breakdown
The lifting plan prescribed in The New Rules of Lifting for Women is easy to follow it has a great breakdown of moves and workouts. I am not a newby when it comes to weights, hello I am a personal trainer 
 But itâ€s always more fun when someone else rights the plan for me!
The plan is divided into eight stages and each stage consists of two workouts that alternate three times a week. Stage one is the longest in length (repeating each workout eight times), stage two – five repeat each workout only four times and it goes up from there. He recommends a weekâ€s rest between stages (or when ever you can fit them in).
I went ahead and created a NROL calendar and I am going to do my best to stick to it!
Monday: Workout A
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Teach Kickboxing
Thursday: Workout B
Friday: 6 Mile Run
Saturday: Workout A
Sunday: Long Run
Each workout in each stage only had a handful of moves associated with it and strict guidelines on the order you should perform, how many reps, and the rest time in between.
The workouts eventually get tougher with more sets, more weight, and less reps, but so far each workout in stage one have taken no more than 30 minutes to finish.
There is so much more I want to talk to you about this book…but Iâ€ll save it for later 
I will keep you updated on how it goes from here on out
Questions:
Have you heard of NROL?
What are your thoughts about strength training?
These pancakes are packed with protein and other clean ingredients.
Protein Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 scoop protein powder
3/4 cup liquid egg whites
1/8 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp pumpkin purée
Pinch of cinnamon
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 cup whole wheat flour (or any flour to thicken up)
1/4 cup oats (or not)
Syrup:
1/2 cup of blackberries mashed and nuked in the microwave
Directions:
Whisk egg whites until they are firm and have a peak. Mix together the rest of the dry ingredients and the pumpkin purée. Then fold in egg whites. Heat up a non stick griddle to medium heat and put 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Nuke the blackberries and pour on top of your cakes! Also added a little agave for a bit more sweetness, but you don’t have to.
I also poured a little batter into my mini donut maker and it made for some healthy little protein snacks!
You can really pour any pancake batter into the donut maker. I am going to make some carrot cake protein donuts and banana ones!
I heart COOKING!
Off to church Have a restful Sunday.
Have I told you all how happy I am to be back to my normal self? I take my health for granted way too much. It feels good to be back to not blowing my nose every 5 seconds or having to cough every time I open my mouth to speak!
This week I have been doing great at my Back-to-Clean Eating Challenge. I have been sticking to 5-6 meals a day, eating lots of veggies, protein, and complex carbs. I have felt so DE-BLOATED from the holidays and have had so much more energy!! I am kind of excited about date night on Saturday though, I am craving some fro-yo!!
Here is a look at some of my favorite meals.
BREAKFAST
Kashi Go Lean with almond milk and an egg white puff. Just put 4 egg whites in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes, yum!
Peanut Butter Banana Protein Oats: 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup water, 1 tbsp PB, 1 scoop of protein powder, and 1/2 banana.
LUNCH
Brussels sprouts, carrots, trout and a small avocado.
Leftovers!!! Salmon, brown rice, veggies and a 1/2 an avocado.
SNACKS
I have been enjoying some pure protein bars, Greek yogurt, almonds and I really like these protein shakes in case you forget something.
DINNER
Hubby’s famous vinegar chicken with brown rice and Brussels sprouts.
Cajun Tofu. I just seasoned with a little paprika and chili powder and backed for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Along with steamed spinach and brown rice.
Late Night snacks have included protein shakes, cottage cheese and cinnamon, celery, almond butter and Greek yogurt and berries.
I have done 3 workouts from my 12 week challenge and just one day of Kickboxing. I am really sticking to the new cardio for 30 days, because like I said I really want to see results. So far each day at the gym has been pretty short about 30-40 minutes and the workouts have been doable. I think I need to up the weight a little. For the first time ever I actually did the bar squat!! I never thought I would use this machine, I was pretty darn proud of myself.
Tomorrow, I am going to go for a light run with my friend Val and do Day 4. Time to cook dinner and then relax for the evening!!
Question:
How is your new year going so far?
My new goal is to make something sweet or savory for breakfast once a month. It can be anything from croissants to baked quiches. I remember growing up my Mom always made us a special breakfast treat on the weekends and I always looked forward to it! I know I can’t commit to every weekend, but I can commit to once a month.
Cinnamon rolls have always intimidated me, but not anymore. They are not difficult to make, but they are time consuming. They are worth every minute in the kitchen and I can’t wait to make them again! I suggest prepping them the night before
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
roll dough adapted from King Arthur Flour
makes approximately 15-16 rolls
Ingredients:
Roll Dough:
1/4 cup warm water (not hot, about 110 degrees)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm milk
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup pumpkin puree, either fresh or canned
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups (approximately) All-Purpose Flour
1 1 /4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Filling:
3/4 stick butter
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each of allspice and ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 – 1 stick butter, softened ( I used a 1/2)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
Stir yeast into water to soften in a large bowl. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before stirring to combine. Stir in the milk, eggs, pumpkin, butter, 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
Slowly add the rest of the flour (all purpose), a bit at a time, until the dough is stiff enough to knead. Begin with 1 1/2 cups of flour and increase if necessary. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.
Place the dough into a greased bowl. Turn the dough in the bowl to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and rise until doubled, approximately 1 hour.
Combine the white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in a another bowl, set aside. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat or roll it into a 16″ x 12″ rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough and then sprinkle with the sugar mixture.
Roll the dough into a log the long way; it’ll stretch to about 20″ long as you roll. Using a very sharp knife, slice the log into 15 slices. In order to cut down on drag, it helps to rinse the blade in hot water, and wipe it off, between slices. Place slices in a greased 9×13 inch baking pan (or in two 8 or 9 inch round cake or pie pans). Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 375°F oven. Bake the rolls till they’re brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center, about 20-30 minutes.
While rolls bake, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Add the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and lemon juice to a small food processor. Blend until smooth and combined. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, blending in between, until well mixed and desired consistency is reached. (I used 2 cups powdered sugar)
Frost warm rolls with the cream cheese frosting and serve immediately.
For night before prep: Prepare the rolls up to the point where you roll and place in the pan. Then, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove the pan from the fridge and proceed with the instructions where you left off. Rising time may be slightly longer than noted in the recipe due to the dough being cold vs room temp.
Gooey goodness!
I can’t believe I made these from scratch
This was a test batch and will be making more for Christmas morning
Hubby doesn’t even like pumpkin and he said they were the best cinnamon rolls he has ever had!
I hope you try these, your family will fall more in love with you for it 
I stayed up late last night working on some fun new blog stuff, but I got to SLEEP IN this morning, crazy right? I did get in my last MTC workout (review to come next week) and I also even had time to bake a little something special for Hubby this morning!
So as you can see I am a little high on endorphins right now
In other news, want a mouth watering breakfast? Well check out what I made yesterday!
Talk about the best use of leftover EVER! If you have some leftover Chili and cornbread I highly recommend this!
TEX MEX Breakfast
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 1/4 of an onion sliced
- 1 chopped tomato
- 1/2 cup of leftover Chili
- 1 egg
- 1 piece of cornbread
Directions:
Stir-fry up the peppers and onion and then add in tomato and chili. Top with one sunny side up egg and a piece of leftover cornbread. AMAZING!
Question: What is your favorite Saturday morning breakfast?
P.S.tay tuned for a killer weekend workout!
]]>Happy weekend. It sure has been a busy one: Personal training sessions, work, weddings, Bootcamp, and I have completed week 2 of Making the Cut!!
If you are interested in the book, I thought I would share one of Jillian’s workouts as a little sneak peek to what I have been doing the past 12 days!
Do each circut twice before moving on to the next one
ENJOY!
Circuit #1:
-Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns (pyramid up w/ weight, 1st 20 reps, 2nd 12 reps, 3rd 8 reps, 40 total)
-Dumbbell Row (15 reps)
-Lunges (Basic, 50 on alternation legs, 25 ea. leg)
-1 min high knees
Circuit #2
-Low Dumbbell Rows (15 reps)
-Seated Hamstring Curls (5 reps)
-Step ups (20 reps ea. leg, 40 total)
-1 min high knees
Circuit #3
-Crab Walk (10 steps forward)
-Reverse Plank (5 leg lifts on ea. leg, 10 total)
-Crab Walk (10 steps back)
-Reverse Plank (5 leg lifts on ea. leg, 10 total)
-Supermans (20 reps, then hold midpoint 20 sec)
-Reverse Crunches (25 reps)
-Mountain Climbers (reps for 1 min)
Circuit #4:
-Pendulum Lunges w/ Hammer Curls (10 reps ea. leg, 20 total)
-Hammer Curls (reps tell muscle failure)
-Static Lunges w/ Reverse Cable Fly (10 reps ea. leg, 20 total)
-1 min High Knees
Circuit #5
-One Leg Pelvic Thrusts (15 reps per leg, 30 total)
-Toe Touch Crunches (25 reps)
– Mountain Climbers ( reps for 1 min)
Also if you are looking for some healthy breakfast ideas, why not try these:
Option 1: High Energy and Fiber Oatmeal
½ cup Steamed Brown Basmati Rice or 1 Chopped Red Potato (6 oz) or 1 Slice Ezekiel Bread
½ Avocado or 1 oz shredded cheese or 1 tsp Smart Balance butter
(All You Can Eat Extras) Veggies, Salsa, Hot Sauce, and Black Pepper
Option 2 : Happy Scrambled Eggs
4-6 oz Liquid Egg Whites (about 2-4 Large Eggs)
½ cup Steamed Brown Basmati Rice or 1 Chopped Red Potato (6 oz) or 1 Slice Ezekiel Bread
½ Avocado or 1 oz shredded cheese or 1 tsp Smart Balance butter
(All You Can Eat Extras) Veggies, Salsa, Hot Sauce, and Black Pepper
Option 3 : Chocolate Shake
1 Scoop Whey Protein
16 oz of water, No Sugar Added Almond Milk
1 Piece of Ezekiel Bread or Whole Wheat Bread or Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Bread
1 TBSP Peanut or Almond Butter or Smart Balance Butter
]]>So instead of riding I made breakfast and some delicious coffee
Banana Whipped Oatmeal with strawberries, Love Grown cocoa goddess granola, pumpkin seeds, and spoonful of PB. The strawberries were extra sweet which gave my oats a natural hint of sugar
Last night when I got home from work I found this waiting for me on the table! As part of the FoodbuzzTastemaker Program, I received this amazing Godiva Chocolatier Coffee to come up with a fun summer coffee treat!!! OH AND I WILL!
Don’t these sound heavenly?
Alright friends off to work. It’s going to be a beautiful day on the mountain
P.S. Our garden is getting so big I think we need to build a stand out front! Cucumbers, squash, pumpkin, tomatoes, watermelon, peppers, kale, eggplant, cilantro and more!!!
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