Pumpkin Deviled Eggs

If these aren’t the darnedest cutest things you’ve ever seen, I don’t know what is.

I love me some hard-boiled eggs. I usually eat them just plain and hard boiled and save the “deviling” to my grandmother on holidays, but I decided to make these. Because they are precious. And totally worth the effort.

Now, I am going to tell you that the pumpkin is light. So if you want more, add more. Maybe another 1-2 tablespoons more.

This is just a way to reinstate that Halloween isn’t all about the candy. Well… it is. But this way you can be festive and counteract the sugar rush.

Pumpkin Deviled Eggs
Inspired by Foodista

3 eggs
2 tbsp pumpkin
Pinch of cinnamon
Tiny pinch of cayenne pepper
Water, until reached desired amount (I used about 1/2 tsp)
6 sliced green onions

1. Put eggs in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Take the heat down slightly, to medium-high, to avoid cracking but continue boiling. Boil for 11 minutes.
2. Get a bowl of ice cold water ready, and after the 11 minutes, but the eggs in the water. Allow them to sit for a few minutes before peeling.
3. Cut the eggs in half, scrape the yolks out, and add the pumpkin and spices. Combine all with a spoon, or blend together.
4. Pipe pumpkin mixture into eggs, or just spoon inside.
5. Place a sliced green onion at one end of each egg, to resemble a pumpkin.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Mondays are hard. Let’s have some pancakes.

Today officially starts my birthday week. I guess I’ve started celebrating a little early, between the back-to-back girls weekends and early birthday gifts. It’s been pretty great.

Another great way to celebrate is with pancakes. Duh. Pancakes make the world go round.

These pancakes are quite pumpkin-y and spice-y. Despite the extremely HOT weather, they make you feel like it’s fall outside. And it’s perfect. And I don’t know about you, but something about pumpkin makes me really full. Pumpkin pancakes are my go-to when I know I have a long day ahead of me and need some serious fuel.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

2 c white whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of allspice
1 1/2 c soymilk
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 c + 2 tbsp canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla

1. In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice with a whisk to incorporate some air.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin, and vanilla.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Pour desired amount of batter onto a greased skillet over medium heat. When bubbles begin to form, flip pancake. Continue flipping occasionally until slightly browned on both sides.

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

I’ve decided to dip my toe a teeny bit more into fall. With some cinnamon apples.

Cinnamon apples are delicious. I actually just recommended them as a “healthy dessert” in something I’m writing. Cinnamon + apples = win.

You know what else is a win? All this stuff I’m learning in my classes! I learned that the inside of an apple is soluble fiber and the outer skin is insoluble fiber. I learned that knives dull when next to other metal, that copper bowls are best when whipping eggs because the copper ions flake off and provide for a more sturdy and stable egg white. Isn’t that fascinating??

Okay, enough nerdy nutrition talk. Back to pancakes. These pancakes are made with whole wheat flour to offset the butter and maple syrup. Just looking out for your taste buds, friends.

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Sauteed Apples
1 apple, chopped
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp molasses

Pancakes
2 c white whole wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 c soymilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c applesauce

1. Melt butter in pan over medium-low heat. Add apples and allow to cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add cinnamon and molasses and continue to cook another couple minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, vanilla, and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
4. Add the cinnamon and applesauce, then add the sauteed apple mixture.
5. Pour desired amounts of batter onto greased pan over medium heat. When bubbles start to form, flip. Continue to cook and flip until cooked all the way through.

**Option: Instead of putting the cinnamon apples IN the batter, you can spoon them ON TOP of the pancakes. After making these, I wished I had sauteed more so I could have done both.

Summer Breakfast Quinoa

I’m interning with this dietitian, and we are currently focusing on gluten-free grains.

Hello, quinoa. You are so dreamy. Full of protein, gluten-free, and highly versatile.

We set up a sample and information table at a grocery store, and despite having few takers, we made some breakfast quinoa for people to try. Now I have quinoa on my brain. And breakfast quinoa? Nothing better than starting your day with some good ol’ protein.

I softened these berries and peaches over heat and scooped them onto some cinnamon-infused quinoa. The almonds, pepitas and chia seeds added a nice crunch.

Shake up your breakfast. Eat some quinoa.

Summer Breakfast Quinoa

1/4 c quinoa
1/2 c plain soymilk
1/4 c blueberries
1/2 peach, chopped
1/4 c strawberries
Pinch of cinnamon
Sprinkling of almonds, chia seeds, and pepitas

1. Combine quinoa and soymilk in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. After simmering for a couple minutes, add in cinnamon and stir to combine.
2. Combine blueberries, peaches, and strawberries in another saucepan. Add 1 tbsp water and cook, stirring frequently, on medium-high (closer to medium) until a sauce forms and the fruit softens. Bring down to a lower temperature, and continue to cook for a couple minutes while quinoa finishes cooking.
3. Combine quinoa, fruit (and sauce made by fruit), almonds, chia seeds, and pepitas in a bowl and serve warm.

Carrot Cake Granola

This is another one of those “breakfast meets dessert” recipes.

Have you heard about the research saying that if you eat your dessert for breakfast you’re more likely to lose weight? I think the reasoning is that if you eat something with high calories in the beginning of the day, you’re more likely to burn them off versus if you eat it after dinner or right before bed.

I’m just helping test that research with all these pancake and desserty breakfast recipes.

This, my friends, is carrot cake granola. Can we brainstorm about more desserty breakfasts? Tiramisu pancakes is on the horizon. And s’mores granola. I’ve had that one stowed away in my recipe brain for a while.

This granola is really good on top of whipped Greek yogurt. You just take Greek yogurt, add some vanilla and powdered sugar and a little gelatin, and whip it up with a mixer. It’s super fluffy and delicious but totally [semi] healthy.

I’m just trying to be a good dietitian here, for ya. You know, making sure you get your breakfast in so there are no feelings is deprivation, but giving the sweet stuff to you early so you can burn it all off for swimsuit season.

Carrot Cake Granola

2 c oats
1 apple, chopped
1 c walnuts, chopped
1/3 c carrots, shredded
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 c honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vanilla

1. Combine oats, apple, walnuts, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl.
2. Combine honey, olive oil and vanilla and then pour over oat mixture.
3. Stir well until completely combined.
4. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.