A Passion for Pumpkin

Pumpkin-a pretty color, a fun decoration for fall, and a heavenly flavor.  Usually the craze comes when a certain coffee chain unleashes their popular drink on the masses and any and everything pumpkin related starts to trend.  Well, we're here to jump on the bandwagon with these amazing recipes featuring pumpkin, plus a super sweet treat we found on Pinterest, that we just had to share!

We're bringing a Brady Bunch variety of different pumpkin recipes, and we're fairly sure you'd never even think of trying pumpkin these ways, but you'll be happy you did.

1. Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars from Roxana's Home Baking

2. Pumpkin Hummus from the ever-amazing Kevin at Closet Cooking

3. Skinny Pumpkin Pasta Bake from The Kitchen Paper

4. Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites from Paleo Grubs

5. Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce and Pecans from Julia's Album

6. Roasted Pumpkin Soup from the one and only, Martha Stewart

7. Cheesy Pumpkin Orzo from Table for Two

8. Peanut Butter Pumpkin Fudge from Crazy for Crust

9.Pumpkin Wontons found on Tablespoon from Girl Versus Dough

And if somehow you just haven't quite had your fill of pumpkin inspired recipes, check out Running on Real Food's 35 Vegan Pumpkin Recipes to Make This Fall featuring 35 sweet treats for breakfast, snacks, and dessert!

Flavors of Fall

Welcome back for this week's edition of Meatless Monday, Flavors of Fall.  We're bringing seasonal favorites like pumpkin, apple, and squash to satisfy your taste buds and give a healthy dose of vitamins and other nutritional perks that are good for you and your family.

Today, we'll start things off sweetly, with some Mini Cinnamon Rolls, brought to you by Two Peas and Their Pod.  The fall favorite, delicious pumpkin butter, is hidden between the soft bread, cinnamon, and ooey gooey frosting.  Pumpkin is known for having large doses of vitamin A, fiber, and potassium, so you can feel better about having one of these delicious rolls.

Another fall favorite, apples, come in quite a variety, but we're here to talk about the ever enticing, Honey Crisp variety.  Ingrid, from A Cozy Apron, shares a crispy, crunchy salad that is brought together with her lovely spiced cider vinaigrette.  You must try it!

We've brought you the sweet, the slightly sour, and now, the savory.  Butternut Skillet Shells from How Sweet It Is, is a creamy, cheesy, hearty dish that features a bevy of health benefits, from vitamins A, B6, and C to fiber, folate, and potassium.  Did we mention it's absolutely delicious?  Try it out tonight and we're sure you'll have another family favorite on your hands.  *To speed up the cooking time, throw the cubed squash and vegetable stock in a microwave safe dish, and cook for 6-7 minutes.  Return to the skillet and follow the rest of the directions accordingly.

Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/04/pumpkin-health-benefits_n_1936919.html
http://www.wholeliving.com/134734/power-foods-butternut-squash

Add A Pop With Peppers-Meatless Monday Edition

Peppers can really pump up a dish with their burst of flavor, be it sweet or spicy.  Today we're bringing you 3 delectable dishes featuring several different varieties of peppers that are sure to please your palette.

We're kicking things off on a spicy note with Spicy Black Bean Stuffed Peppers from Can You Stay For Dinner?  The ever adorable, Andie Mitchell uses sweet red peppers, but believes you can stuffed whatever pepper you fancy the most.  The aroma that will emit from your kitchen while cooking these, will lure spouses and children alike!

Staying with the spice for a second, if you're a fan of jalapenos, then you'll love Closet Cooking's Jalapeno Popper Quiche.  This dish is fabulous for a meal any time of the day, but would make you belle of the ball if you brought it to your next brunch.

Calming things down (a bit), our next recipe has a subtle spice with a pinch of red pepper flakes, but can definitely be kicked up while creating the sauce. Simply Recipes offer a fabulous Asian Noodle Salad filled with colorful veggies that can be whipped up in a half hour or less.  Elise warns the sauce is made to just coat the noodles and it's so very true.  We recommend adding a little more soy sauce and cutting back a hair on the sugar as we found it a little too sweet for us.  The raw bell pepper really brightens this dish and adds a fresh flavorful bite.

Stay tuned next week for some flavorful fall favorites!

Candy Corn Craze-DIY Decor

Halloween is only 3 weeks away and if you haven't decked out your home yet, we've got some great ideas to help get you in the spirit.  These candy corn inspired crafts are not only from items you already have, BUT it's also a great way to upcycle these goods that would otherwise be thrown out.

Our first Pinterest inspired item is a great way to reuse an old white t-shirt that may have a small stain, hole, or the ever hideous-yellow armpits!  We Can Re-Do It has a great tutorial on how to easily dye your shirt, and plenty of other great DIY/upcycling ideas, that are sure to knock your socks off and turn your trash to treasure again.  Such a cute idea to get you Halloween chic!

Our next inspiration is a great way to doll up the kitchen or guest bath with this easy makeover for your soap dispenser.  The NY Melrose Family features Ariean's (One Krieger Chick) step by step guide, available on their website and on How To Nest For Less, along with other candy corn craftiness!

Our last adorable idea comes from Bliss Ranch and is perfect if you have any scrap wood lying around your garage.  Simply cut into triangles, sand, and paint.  It doesn't get any easier than that!

For more upcycled crafts and costume ideas, check out and follow our boards on Pinterest.  Happy Halloween!

Traditional Recipes With A Twist! (Meatless Monday Edition)

Going meatless once a week can not only save you a few bucks, it can help boost your immune system and help prevent a TON of diseases and illnesses by giving your body a shot of nutritious veggies and fruits that might otherwise be missing from your diet.  Many kids groan at the thought of having a meal that consists only of vegetables, but that's not what Meatless Monday is about at all.  It's simply taking a break from meat, fish and poultry.  You can still eat all the carbs, grains, and starches you would normally consume.

Today's recipes offer traditional dishes with a twist, and not just because they are meatless.  Whether it's a complimentary ingredient, or a complete substitution, we're sure you'll find a winner out of this bunch.

Let's kick things off with a classic kid's favorite, given a superfood twist.  Quinoa Mac and Cheese by Simply Quinoa, not only substitutes regular pasta with quinoa, but it also adds a shot of hidden vegetables, with pureed butternut squash to give it a creamy, dreamy texture.  Use whatever your favorite cheese is, or even use a few different varieties to kick this dish up a few notches.

The next dish again, really throws some great ideas and large doses of veggies with it's take on another classic, spaghetti and meatballs.  Skinnytaste.com features Eggplant Meatballs over "Zoodles" or zucchini noodles.  Stick to regular pasta if you don't think the family will go for the zoodle-noodle switch, as Gina's eggplant meatballs offer a plethora of nutritious goodness.

Our final dish is a simple spin on another favorite.  When it comes to cobblers, crisps, or crumbles, why use one fruit when you can use two?  Instead of plain ol' cherry crisp, Good Housekeeping features a "triple tested" hit with their Cherry Nectarine Crisp.  If you can't use fresh fruit or are out of season, check your local grocer's freezer and follow the thawing directions on the bag.

Here's to healthy eating and a happy Monday!

The Best Baked Veggies

How many times has the phrase, "Eat your vegetables," been uttered at your house?  With these 3 yummy baked veggie recipes, we have a feeling they'll be asking for seconds.

Meatless Monday is all about highlighting yummy meatless recipes, whether it be a one pot supper or several dishes.  Today, we're bringing baked vegetable recipes, that are sure to be a hit.  As baking offers a more nutritious route than frying, many vegetables actually release more disease fighting benefits when they are cooked.  Check out Health.com and HuffingtonPost.CA for some raw vs cooked produce information.  In the meantime, let's get cooking!

Baked Veggie Fries are a great way to make eating your vegetables fun.  Mix up the assortment for an even more nutritious side dish.  A yummy dipping sauce adds another fun twist on this healthier version of fries.

courtesy of Pottery Barn Kids via Design Mom

Crispy oven roasted potatoes can be eaten as a side for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Let the Baking Begin has perfected a simple recipe that requires a little extra cook time to get the right amount of crispness.  If you don't have the full hour they recommend, skip the soaking step after you wash and cut the potatoes.

This next dish will have you scrapping the bowl for sure.  The Gluten Free Goddess (who even gives substitutes if you don't need the dietary restrictions she does) offers a crispy, crunchy top to a savory Zucchini Gratin middle, that is to die for.  The smell from the oven alone will have you drooling.

These savory sides are sure to fill your family's bellies with nutritious and delicious goodness.  Happy Monday!

Meatless Monday Includes Desserts!

So we've never had a dessert with meat in it, which made us think-why not have a Meatless Monday Desserts edition?  It's a great way to kick of the week, if you ask us!

With the tail-end of summer upon us, try using blackberries in this Easy Blackberry Cobbler by Southern Living, to use this juicy seasonal favorite before it's gone.  

Or this fruity favorite, Lemon Loaf Cake, which can be made year round.  They come out so pretty, we want to use this as a cute little gift to neighbors or friends as a thank you.

Not feeling the fruit?  Well look no further than this impending seasonal pick-pecans!  Eatingwell.com has shared three secrets to making the perfect pecan pie, such as swapping the corn syrup for maple syrup.  Check out their recipe and other tips and let us know what you think of their suggestions.

Speaking of switching things up, this next recipe will really kick up that plain, boring bowl of ice-cream.  Try a Cookie Bowl instead!  Coleen from Coleen's Recipes makes her own cookie dough with specific instructions to create a bigger, sturdier bowl.  You can use the store bought dough as well with cupcake pan for a smaller, crispier bowl.

Lastly, we can't have a dessert post without a chocolate dessert...so here it is...and it's dreamy!  Dark Chocolate Double Coconut Cookies.  The name says it all!  This recipe yields a small amount, but these luxe cookies will fill you up.  Not a fan of dark chocolate?  Simply switch out the dark chocolate morsels for another variety and you'll be a happy camper in no time.

Which dessert recipe is your favorite?  Let us know in the comment section below!