Pumpkin the Savory Way

I may be pumpkin’s number one fan. I love the fall because places begin carrying pumpkin-infused goodies. Pumpkin muffins, Frappuccinos, cookies, scones and pies are popping up everywhere and I am in heaven.

Whenever I incorporate the yummy squash into my recipes, I generally make sweet dishes, sweetened with cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin’s lover: pumpkin pie spice. This evening I was determined to use the fall delight to make a savory dish: pasta with pumpkin sauce.

I began to make the pumpkin sauce by sauteing chopped yellow squash and onion in a pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Sizzlin' Squash and Onions

Once the onions became slightly carmelized, I added a splash of chicken broth and some finely diced garlic and let it simmer for a couple minutes.

Chicken Broth and Garlic

While the veggies were simmering, I cooked up some pasta.

Noodles

I then added half a cup of canned pumpkin and a splash of Almond Breeze almond milk to the veggies.

Almond Breeze Almond Milk

Pumpkin Sauce

I seasoned the pumpkin sauce with salt and pepper before topping the noodles with the savory sauce.

Savory Pumpkin Pasta

When I tasted the sauce on its own, I wasn’t sure if it was what I was going for, but when I used it to top the noodles, I was very pleased. The pumpkin and veggies created a thick sauce, making this a wonderful fall pasta dish.

Yum, Yum

It was kind of weird enjoying a food I normally associate with sweetness without the typical cinnamon and spices, but I enjoyed using pumpkin in a different way. Plus, I felt like I was making a seasonally appropriate dish which put me in a fabulous fall mood!  

Time to clean up the apartment a bit and read more of The Lost Symbol. Poor Dan Brown’s book has been very neglected lately because we’ve been so busy! I gotta give it some lovin’ tonight. 😉

Pretty ‘n’ Pink

I really don’t consider myself an extreme girly-girl, though Ryan may disagree with this statement entirely. I do love clothes, shopping, weddings and babies. However,  I’m not a huge fan of doing my hair or putting on make-up and can be found lounging in my Victoria’s Secret Pink sweats with my hair in a ponytail (or a nice high bun that Ryan likes to call my “poof“) most of the time.

Beloved Victoria's Secret Pink Sweatpants

One thing that I do share with typical girly-girls is my love for the color pink. Last night I made a delicious snack to bring to work today that resulted in the most brilliantly colored pink puff of tastiness.

After reading rave reviews of this concoction hailed by the women of Oxygen, I decided to try the recipe known as “Pink Fluff.”

To begin, simply prepare a packet of sugar-free jello, but only use one cup of hot water to stir into the packet. Do not pour in the other cup of cold water like the directions on the box indicate.

Put the jello in the fridge for an hour or two until it has set and become firm, then top the Jello with one cup of cottage cheese and blend baby, blend!

Strawberry Jello and Cottage Cheese

BLEND AWAY!

Blended Cottage Cheese and Jello

What a beautiful puff of pink fluff!

I topped mine with freshly sliced strawberries, almonds and walnuts.

Pink Poof

The consistency was like a hardened mousse. It was definitely creamy, light and fluffy. For you cottage cheese haters, this is a fantastic way to use the curds because you would never know cottage cheese was in this bad boy.

This recipe was so simple and so tasty. I cannot wait to try it with sugar-free lemon jello. I think it might taste like lemon meringue pie. Drool…

Pretty AND Yummy

Question: Do you consider yourself a girly-girl? Why or why not?

Autumn Awakening

Ryan laughed at me during our most recent trip to the grocery store when I actually cried out “Yes!” and clapped my hands upon seeing cans of this little beauty back on the shelves:

Canned Pumpkin

My local grocery store has not been carrying canned pumpkin because of the fungus outbreak on some of the crop, so I was beyond thrilled to have pumpkin back in my life.

Last night, I planned ahead and made a hearty breakfast featuring this delicious squash. I first combined half a cup of pumpkin with a quarter cup of cottage cheese and a liberal amount of pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin, Cottage Cheese, Pumpkin Pie Spice

I then microwaved a third of a cup of oatmeal with half a scoop of All the Whey cinnamon bun protein powder and water.

Cinnamon Protein Oats

I combined the two mixtures into one mushy bowl of pumpkin pie oats!

Pumpkin Pie Oats

This morning I ate about half of it cold and then microwaved it to eat the other half warm.

Warming up the mixture allowed the cottage cheese to melt into the oats, so if you’re not a fan of the lumps, this might be a better option. I actually preferred it cold.

Warmed Pumpkin Oats

This was a delicious autumn breakfast. I’m so happy to be able to use pumpkin again!

Pumpkiny Goodness