pumpkin

Not-So-Traditional Pumpkin Pie

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This pie crust ain’t flaky.

Nope, not at all.

It is, however, dense, sweet, chewy, and delicious.   These mini pies are also full of fiber, free of refined sugar, easy to make gluten free, and low in fat and calories.

Makes 8 mini pies


Crust

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 8 pitted dates
  • pinch of salt
  • ~1/4 cup water
Pulse dates, oats, and salt in a food processor until everything is a fine crumble.  Slowly drizzle in water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to stick together.  Careful, the dough can easily get to wet, you want it to stick together but not to your fingers.

Form eight equal balls with the dough and place each into a paper muffin tin liner.
Use your index finger to push the dough down to form a little crust.
Filling
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3 tablespoons coconut milk (the real stuff in the can)
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1/2 teaspoon spices (I used cinnamon and chai spice but use a pumpkin pie blend if you’ve got it!)
  • honey, stevia, or maple syrup to taste
  • 1 egg
Mix everything but the egg.  Taste for sweetness/spice, adjust, add egg, mix thoroughly.
Scoop a rounded tablespoon of filling into each crust.
Put ’em in the oven, set the oven to 375* and turn on.  Cook for about 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Peel off the paper and serve!  Top with yogurt, whipped cream, or coconut cream if desired.
P.S  In case you were wondering, the answer is yes, this is an excellent “breakfast pie”!

Good Choices

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This year I am giving thanks for the power of choice.

Last Spring I got really hooked on the mantra “make good choices”.  I would repeat this phrase to myself whenever I was making small daily decisions, like whether to exercise or not, eat something or take seconds, or say something snarky (and usually unnecessary) to my amazing husband.  It really helped me pause and take time to consider what was best for me in that moment (the “good” in the choice).

Lately I have been overeating. Often.  Over the last week I have wound up too full nearly daily.  I used to do this a lot but over the last year, through “making good choices”, I have been able to stop when I am 75% “full” more often than not.  And feel I feel a lot better when I do that (surprise, surprise).  Besides the obvious (excessive calories) it just feels gross to be truly full.

So, on this day of feasting I am going to celebrate my choice to eat or not eat, drink or not drink, every bite and every sip.  I love food and have always had a hearty and healthy appetite.  I have every intention of eating a nice full plate of food, or maybe two, but I will make every bite a conscious choice, taking my cues from inside rather than outside.

“Good” is relative and doesn’t have to be attached in this case to it’s opposite, “bad”.  I have no desire to beat myself up or judge my decisions (and definitely not those of others!) but sometimes a little pause and assessment is helpful to see what is really best in any given moment.

I woke up to the sound of my sister rubbing the turkey with butter.   Coffee, an apple, and a small banana later and it was yogatime.

What you can’t see in these pictures is my sister’s mother-in-law watching us from the couch and my sister’s nephew sleeping on the other couch!  He only roused briefly as we performed a very intense “breathe of fire” exercise.  If you’re not familiar with “breathe of fire”, he managed to mumble, “you sound like panting dogs”.  He’s 17.

We flowed along with Shiva Rea for just over an hour.

Breakfast number two.

Pumpkin and plain yogurt topped with cardamon, garam masala, and a kiwi.  This will hold me until 2pm “dinner” time.  It was delicious and satisfying and I enjoyed every bite.

There were 10 of us at my sister’s house last night and we expect the remaining 4 guests around noon (my parents, stepmom, and step sister), a house full of family for the festivities!

 

After yesterday’s run I was not planning on repeating that adventure today but the dark clouds have parted ways and I would love to get out in the sunshine for a while.  Hmmmm, make a good choice, what would be best for me right now?

I’ll decide over another cup of coffee, right now that is definitely a good choice. 😉

Happy Thanksgiving!  Enjoy good food, good company, and good choices!