Pumpkin, 4 ways

That would be breakfast.  More specifically oats with chopped apple and flax seeds.

Then things got a little crazy.  I took an inspiration from Kath and my leftover pumpkin.

Boiled, mashed, and tossed into the mix.

I admit, I was a bit skeptical, even as a pumpkin lover but this girl seems to know her stuff.  Especially when it comes to pumpkins!

I also added lots of cinnamon, ground ginger, a touch of stevia, a pinch of salt, and vanilla.

Sprinkled with chopped walnuts and doused in soy-milk this was a delicious and super filling breakfast.  This pumpkin is pretty mild in the flavor department but it added a LOT of bulk (I am all about the volume eating), fiber, and vitamins.  Definitely a breakfast to repeat.

I decided to start the week in the kitchen and set about making yogurt.

You pour the milk into a double boiler.  I used Horizons fat free organic.  Set 2 tablespoons of yogurt per quart of milk out on the counter to come to room temperature.

Wait for it to reach 185 degrees while stirring occasionally.  When it reaches temperature set the pot into a sink full of cold water.  Stir occasionally as the temp comes down to 110

When the milk reaches 110 degrees add the room temp yogurt and stir well.  Pour into containers.

Set containers into a warm water bath. I use my sink but have heard that a cooler works well.  The water needs to stay as close to 100 degrees as possible.  When the temp dips I drain a bit of water out the bottom and add hot from the faucet, this is every 1-2 hours.

After 6-7 hours it’s ready to ready to put in the fridge for a few hours and then EATEN!

I also baked off the pumpkin seeds from yesterday.

I sprinkled them with cayenne, curry powder, smoked salt, and liquid aminos and popped them in the oven.

They are delicious!  I had to stop myself from eating the whole pan because I am still full from those pumpkin oats.

I still had a bit of kitchen energy left in me so it was applesauce time.  After lots of chopping I cooked the apples until they were nice and soft and into the blender they went.  I also added a bit of pumpkin, cinnamon, and ground ginger.

This will be perfect for my next batch of brownies!

And then it was lunch time. Leftover chili of course!  With toasted pumpkin seeds, greek yogurt, and chili flakes.

I am really looking forward to taking a Pilates class and a Zumba class at Gold’s this evening.  I neglected Pilates last week in favor of checking out all the classes while on my week free pass and Zumba is just so fun.