{body} Homemade Pumpkin Granola

Don't you just love Fall? 

I love the smell of the crisp air, the changing colors of the trees, the clothing, and the food. It is my favorite time of year by far. I especially love it this year because I am actually experiencing the season. Florida doesn't experience too many season changes besides hot and hotter. In Tallahassee, the leaves changed and it got pretty chilly during Fall but nothing compared to North Carolina. I cannot wait for it to actually get chilly!! We have had a cold front for the past three days and it is just beautiful.

As you know I just love all things pumpkin. I could probably incorporate into every meal, every day of the year. Luckily in Fall it is totally normal to have pumpkin coffee with pumpkin granola in yogurt for breakfast, pumpkin soup for lunch, pumpkin pasta for dinner, and pumpkin ice cream for dinner. Right?!?

This fall I am looking forward to apple picking, pumpkin carving, making chilis/soups/stews, the ACC Championship game in Charlotte (hopefully the Seminoles make it this year!!), wednesday kickball games, and hikes in local parks! 

I am so excited to be living in North Carolina and being able to experience a real Fall is going to be perfect!

This pumpkin granola is so delicious, easy, and pumpkiny (if that's a word). It is perfect on top of your greek yogurt with some strawberries or with soy milk for a quick and easy breakfast! The pumpkin spice seasoning and cinnamon add a warmth and spice to the granola. I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, SkinnyTaste. Homemade granola is super easy to make, cheaper than store bought, and you can personalize it with spices, dried fruit, and nuts of your choice!

Definitely make this when you are craving something pumpkin and want to switch up your morning meal!

Skinny Pumpkin Granola
Recipe Adapted from SkinnyTaste

Ingredients:
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa (rinsed and dried)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (used whole wheat old fashioned)
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup light maple syrup
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp oil
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch kosher salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spread oats and quinoa on baking pan and toast in oven for about 10 minutes, turn once.
3. Remove oat mixture from oven and transfer to a book. mix in the ground flaxseed, almonds, and cranberries.
4. Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees.
5. In a second bowl mix maple syrup, oil, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Combine well and add to oat mixture. Stir until combined and transfer back to the baking sheet in one layer.
6. Bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until golden
*sprinkle an additional amount of cinnamon/pumpkin spice if needed.

Enjoy!

{body} White Pork Chili

I hate being sick. I used to never get sick (at least not the typical colds and flus)...until I came to pharmacy school. Now I feel like I am sick every other week. I think it's because my brain is so focused on the material in class and then I stay up studying till around midnight every night. Now that doesn't seem late to most of you night owls but then I wake up around 5:30 am. I am an eight - ten hour of sleep a night girl. That is how I function! So this whole pharmacy school thing is messing with my beauty sleep.

This soup is the perfect cure for the sicklings in the world. It is very easy to make and is just as good as the typical chicken noodle soup. It has the mexican flare that you all know I love to add to my recipes. This soup will warm your soul and fix you up in no time flat!

The recipe originally calls for chicken "White Chicken Chili" but we made a pork roast in the crockpot for pork tacos early that week and have TONS of leftovers. If you haven't discovered the $3.99 pork roast at your grocery store...check it out! It is so cheap and will feed you for DAYS! It is amazing too because all you do is sear it in a pan and then pop it in the crockpot. It should be illegal how easy it is to make.

Make this soup on a rainy day, when you are feeling sick/sad/lonely/happy, or on a chilly night. It is sure to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I promise!

White Chicken (or Pork) Chili

Recipe credit: How to Simplify Blog

Ingredients:

•   1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

•   1 medium onion, diced

•   2 cups cooked chicken (I used shredded pork I made in the crockpot earlier, most people posted that they used rotisserie chicken to save time), shredded

•   2 cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed

•   1 can corn, drained

•   1 can (4 ounces) green chilies

•   1/2 teaspoon cumin

•   1/2 teaspoon oregano

•   1 box (32 ounces) chicken broth

•   Kosher salt (to taste)

•   Pepper (to taste)

•   1 lime, juice

Directions:

1.       In a large pot, saute the onion and cook until it starts to become translucent.

2.            Once the onion is done, add shreds of chicken, Great Northern Beans, corn, green chilies (with juice from can), cumin and oregano to the large pot. Stir to combine all of the ingredients and then add the chicken broth.

3.            Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow the broth to reduce. Add salt and pepper (to taste) and juice from one whole lime. (You can add 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro if you desire. I personally don't like cilantro so I serve it as a side.)

4.            Leave simmering on stove until ready to serve.

*Serve with sour cream, chopped cilantro, shredded Pepper Jack cheese, avocado or tortilla chips.

{recipe} Baked Portabella Parmesan

If you are craving Italian but you don't want the heaviness of a baked pasta or chicken parmesan - THIS is the dish to make! I am currently obsessed with portebella mushrooms. I love making sandwiches with them, stuffing them, and putting them in salad. I would probably eat them for every meal if I could. I find myself sometimes choosing the vegetarian route lately. I love vegetables and sometimes I just want a light meal instead of a meat heavy meal.

You don't miss the meat here at all. I made my roommate chicken parmesan the same time as making the mushroom parmesan! So if you have family members or friends who don't like mushrooms or prefer chicken, you can easy substitute the chicken for the mushrooms. It is a quick delicious Italian dish - very romantic with some wine and candle light :)

I am so happy that it is Friday! This is my last weekend of freedom before my hell month of tests begin. I think I am just going to spend it having a relaxing night alone tonight, go hiking to a local waterfall tomorrow and watch FSU play USF, and then have a lazy Sunday making pumpkin pancakes and studying.

Enjoy! Hope you all have a fantastic Friday!! 

Do you have any plans for the weekend? 

Baked Portobello Parmesan

Recipe Credit: One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Italian-style bread crumbs

1 cup (3-oz.) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided use

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 cup fresh minced parsley, divided use

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided use

3/4 cup egg substitute

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon marjoram leaves

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon oregano leaves

4 large (5 to 6-inches wide) stemmed potobello mushrooms, brushed clean

1-1/2 cups (6-oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 cup commercially prepared "light" tomato sauce

Cooking spray

Directions:

1.    Position a baking rack in upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 17-1/2 x 11-3/4 baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a 16-1/2 x 11-1/2-inch wire cooling rack inside the baking sheet. Mist rack with cooking spray. Set aside.

2.   Combine bread crumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoons parsley, paprika and 1 teaspoon salt in a shallow pan. Mix well. Set aside.

3.   In a separate bowl, combine egg substitute, remaining 1 teaspoon salt. pepper, marjoram, garlic powder and oregano. Mix well.

4.    Dip both sides of mushrooms into egg mixture. Dredge in crumb mixture until both sides are completely coated. Transfer, stem side down, to prepared wire rack. Spray tops with cooking spray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender. Remove pan form oven.

5.   Reset oven thermostat to 450 degrees F. Meanwhile, carefully turn mushrooms stem side up. Cover each mushroom with 2 tablespoons of remaining Parmesan cheese, 1/4 of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup tomato sauce. Spray tops lightly. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts and mushrooms are warmed through, about 10 minutes. Use a wide spatula to transfer mushrooms to a serving platter. Sprinkle with reserved 1 tablespoon parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

{Body} Walmart Cake Cookies

These cookies are addicting. You have been warned. They are the perfect balance between cake and sugar cookie. If you haven't had a Walmart (or Publix) cake cookie - you haven't truly lived yet. It is the prepared cookie of choice behind the Oreo. 

These cookies are tender and soft on the inside but have a crunch thanks to the sprinkles. You can really get creative with these cookies. Colors, designs, sprinkles, ect. They are the most versatile cookie out there that doesn't require a rolling pin and cookie cutters.

I decided to go classic with the blue frosting and multicolor sprinkles. I made them for a friend of mine who is going on a road trip this weekend. I have been on a baking kick lately and he has reaped all of the benefits. It is a guilty pleasure of mine to come home from a tough Pilates class, put on my apron, and bake something decadent. The best part - I get all the enjoyment out of baking the cookies, tasting along the way, and then instantly pack them up and give them away. Its called the cookie diet.

I found the recipe for these at one of my favorite blogs Eat, Live, Run and knew they were the perfect thing to make. They are fast, easy, and super delicious.

Big Frosted Cake Cookies (Walmart Crack Cookies)

Recipe Credit: Eat Live Run

Makes 7-8 Large Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

½ cup sugar

½ tsp vanilla

1 egg

5 ½ tablespoons butter, softened

1/3 cup buttermilk (subs. 1 cup milk, 1 tbsp lemon juice – use 1/3 of mixture)

½ tsp baking soda

 ½ tsp salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream together the soft butter and sugar in a KitchenAid (or by hand!) until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat for about three more minutes until well combined. Alternate adding the buttermilk and the flour to the butter, starting and ending with the flour. Add the vanilla and beat on medium until everything is combined and the batter is smooth.

Pipe out (or scoop out) the batter onto a lined baking sheet, leaving about two inches of space between each cookie. Bake for about twelve minutes or until the edges start to turn golden. Let cool and frost to your heart’s delight!