have your cake.......

....or pie as it may be.
As I mentioned last week I love fall.  The amazing colors and fall produce are a few of the redeeming things about living in the Midwest as I grow older.
I returned home from Las Vegas on Wednesday and discovered that it was much colder than when I'd left!! My "turn on the oven" instinct kicked in!! I had a sugar pumpkin on the counter and decided to see if I could tweak my favorite Pumpkin pie recipe so I could share it with my Goals friends.
We strive to teach that nothing is forbidden (especially pie on a special occasion) but if something can be modified without adding a ton of fake ingredients AND still be delicious- why not???

So here goes nothing..... hope you enjoy!!

Guilt-free Pumpkin Custard

3 cups cooked pumpkin (or canned pumpkin puree)
2 eggs
2/3 cup liquid egg whites
1 cup 2% milk
3/4 cup light agave syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven to 375. Boil water for water bath.
Spray non-stick spray in 10 half-pint size canning jars (wide mouth works best) or ramekins.
Mix all ingredients. Pour 1/2 cup in each jar.
Place jars in a 9x13 casserole dish and fill with hot water to the same level as Pumpkin mixture in jars.

Bake 45 minutes until sharp knife inserted in center comes out clean.

While the custards are in the oven, mix up your topping- (this is the important part GIM people!! It's delicious, but this is where you're going to get the protein to balance all of those yummy carbs!!).
Each custard  should be topped with 1/2 cup fat-free Plain Greek Yogurt that has been mixed with a heaping Tablespoon of your favorite vanilla protein powder. Vanilla Greek yogurt won't do...your carb: protein: fat ratio will still be off!!

Serve when custards are slightly cooled for an indulgent warm pie experience or cover with plastic wrap and chill for later (pssssst.... they're REALLY good warm!)
I added some toasted Pumpkin seed (just a Tablespoon or so) to make it look nice! Ok, so they tasted good too....
I tossed the clean seeds in a teaspoon of olive oil and baked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. I sprinkled with cinnamon and a little Ancho chili powder when I took them out of the oven.

Here's the finished product! Delicious and healthy. Made as I suggested above it is the perfect midafternoon or evening snack any (or every!) day.

Nutritional facts calculated on Sparkpeople.com recipe calculator: Includes one custard (1/10 of recipe), 1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt, 1 1/2 TBS. Vanilla Protowhey protein powder and 1 TBS. toasted pumpkin seeds.
254 calories, 3.5g fat, 32g carbs, 30g protein!!

slipping in to autumn............

I love this time of year.
There is beauty, everywhere I turn. The colors have popped- red, brown and gold and
the air is crisp and clean and cold.....
Fall has always been my favorite season- there is something wonderful about waking up buried under blankets and still being able to grab some sunshine later in the day.
This year seems particularly vibrant to me, perhaps because I feel like I'm entering my own autumn.... Act III if you will.
a time to settle in to all of the good that has come into my life.
In a decade when so many of my friends and family are mourning the flight of their children or the change in their careers, I find myself settling in. I find myself appreciating my colors, my strengths and my gifts.
Perhaps I'm able to step back and enjoy because life has always been so busy for me.... perhaps it's because I pushed comfortable away and chose a new career path 3+ years ago...perhaps it's because I am able to feed off the good that happens in my world every day.... maybe it's the refocus on health and happiness....
regardless of the reason, I am grateful to be able to sit here in silence today, happy to live in my skin and to appreciate life the way I do.
I am still messy, unorganized, and scatterbrained.... but I have the very best intentions to get through the day and accomplish a great multitude of things. If it's important to me- it will get done. If not, it might happen after class ;)
Love to you all..........