Starving Artist

I’ve been looking forward to today all week! In about an hour, I’m driving out to Stow, MA with 2 of my girlfriends (pumpkin lattes in hand, obviously), to go apple picking! I’m a complete dork, but apple picking is one of my favorite Fall activities and I make sure to go every year. And to top off this fabulously Fall day, we’ll be putting our bounty of apples to work when we cook up an apple themed dinner tonight. I’ll be posting the photos and recipes, so check back later on tonight ;-)

As I gear up for what is sure to be a lovely day with my girlfriends (the rain has stopped, thank goodness!), I thought I would start my morning off with some healthy pecan pumpkin pancakes with TJ’s mix as the base.

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The pumpkin pancakes were out of this world, and so incredibly light and fluffy!

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Here’s the recipe:

Recipe is for 1 large pancake.

• 1/3 cup TJ’s Pumpkin Pancake Mix
• 2 tsp Fage Nonfat Yogurt
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 tbsp egg whites
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp chopped pecans
• Pumpkin Butter
• Maple Syrup

1. Combine all ingredients (except for the pumpkin butter and maple syrup) in a small bowl.
2. Lightly coat a fry pan with margarine/spray/butter/whatever you like, and pour the mixture in.
3. Flip over once the top of the pancake is covered with bubbles and the sides are cooked.
4. Top with a spread of pumpkin butter, drizzle of maple syrup, and a sprinkling of pecans.

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Enjoy!

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I think pumpkin is starting to run through my veins, I’ve been eating so much of it. Flavorful pumpkin oatmeal for breakfast, and now onto creamy pumpkin pudding for dessert. I’m definitely making sure that I soak up every bit of these Fall flavors while I can!

After a delicious dinner of whole wheat pesto vermicelli with slow cooked lemon pepper chicken (recipe to come tomorrow!), I realized that within my pantry I had the ingredients to put together a simple pumpkin pudding. And that I did.

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For the pudding, I had a box of Sugar-Free Jello Singles Instant Vanilla Pudding. Individual packets with 60 calories worth of pudding (when mixed), it was the perfect portion. I combined the dry mixture with the following:

• 1/2 cup cold skim milk
• 1 tsp pumpkin butter
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of cinnamon

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I mixed all of the ingredients together and popped the bowl in the refrigerator to set up. Meanwhile, I prepared a simple crunchy topping consisting of:

• TJ’s Pumpkin Spice Granola
• Pecans
• Light Maple Syrup

When the pudding had set, I piled the topping in the bowl.

So tasty and comforting…

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The perfect treat to cozy up to on the couch while relaxing and watching some Sunday night TV. Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Mad Men, and The Next Iron Chef. Oh, what to watch, and what to DVR??

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