Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

If you're a regular PB&P reader, you know how much I love pumpkin flavored things!  I especially love using pumpkin when baking because A. I'm obsessed with pumpkin and B. it's a low fat, low calorie, low salt and high fiber food.  It can be used to replace eggs and/or oil in many recipes and creates a really moist product.  So by popular request, I'm sharing my recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, a tasty seasonal treat for only about 110 calories each!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2 cups flour (I use half whole-wheat flour)

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp milk

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix pumpkin, sugar, oil & egg together in one bowl.  

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and milk.  

4. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and combine well.  Add vanilla and chocolate chips.

5. Spoon dough onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake about 10 minutes.

Makes about 2 1/2 doz cookies.  The final product is a little fluffier than a typical cookie, but I promise they're delicious and always a big hit! 

Happy (& healthy) Eating! :)

National Pasta Month Recipe & GIVEAWAY!

October is one of my favorite months for many reasons.  The leaves are changing color, pumpkins are everywhere and Halloween fun is just around the corner! Oh and it's National Pasta Month!  Pasta is one of my favorite foods and as a runner, it's definitely a staple in my diet.   And I'm not alone!  According to the National Pasta Association, the average American consumes 20 pounds of pasta each year.  So to celebrate Pasta Month, the folks at Pasta Fits provided me with a pasta pack so I could make and share a tasty pasta recipe with all of you!  And if that's not exciting enough, they're also giving PB&P readers a chance to win a Pasta Prize Pack for themselves! 

Before we get to the recipe & giveaway, let's talk about why I love pasta so much!  First of all, pasta is tasty and nutritious!  It's a naturally low fat, low cholesterol, low sodium food that contains plenty of B-vitamins, folic acid, magnesium and Vitamin E.  Whole wheat versions can also pack a bigger nutritional punch with increased fiber and protein.  Another reason to jump on the pasta-loving bandwagon is that it is extremely cost-effective.  The average price per pound of pasta is just $1.45, making it a great way to eat well on a budget.  Last but not least, pasta is super versatile.  Pasta fits (get it?!) into so many healthy dishes that you'll never get bored.  Add seafood, vegetables, beans, heart healthy oils or lean meats to your favorite pasta for a completely nutritious and delicious meal.  There are just so many pasta-bilities! ;)

 [Keep in mind: one serving of pasta is 2 ounces uncooked, or for those of us that don't know what the heck 2 oz means...about one cup cooked]

Make sure to visit the Pasta Fits website or Pinterest page to find some inspiration for your own pasta meals.  But first start with my fall-inspired pasta recipe using a few things I love--pumpkin, spinach and goat cheese!

Whole Wheat Pasta with Spinach and Creamy Pumpkin Goat Cheese Sauce

(Recipe makes ~2 servings)

4 ounces (1/3 box) of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Grain pasta

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 onion

1 clove garlic

4 Tbsp flour

3/4 cup skim milk

1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 oz goat cheese

Sprinkle to taste: salt, nutmeg, cinnamon

 1-2 cups spinach, sauteed

1.  Bring pot of slightly salted water to a boil.  Cook Ronzoni's Healthy Harvest pasta until al dente (about 6-7 minutes).  Drain and set aside.

2.  Melt butter in a skillet and add chopped onions and garlic.  

3.  Stir in flour to create a roux.  Add milk and pumpkin puree, stirring continuously.

4.  Add goat cheese until melted into sauce.

5.  Add spices to taste/preference.  (I had a little bit of a heavy hand with the cinnamon because I love it!)

6.  Toss cooked pasta in pumpkin sauce and add sauteed spinach.

7.  Enjoy! 

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 480 calories, 10g fat, 59g carbohydrates, 19g protein, 12g fiber.

And now for the Pasta Prize Pack GIVEAWAY! 

Not only did my friends at the National Pasta Association share the gift of pasta with me, but they'd like to share it with you too!  Enter my giveaway for a chance to receive the products shown above.  

Here's what you'll get:

Dreamfields® Spaghetti
Mueller's® Whole Grain Spaghetti
Heartland® Gluten Free Wheat Free Penne
Ronzoni Healthy Harvest® Spaghetti
Ronzoni Garden Delight® Rotini
Ultragrain Pasta® Spaghetti Spoon

This giveaway ends at midnight on October 30th, 2012.  The winner will be randomly selected by RaffleCopter and announced on October 31,2012.  Good luck! :)

There are a few ways to enter the giveaway, but make sure to leave me a comment telling me why YOU love pasta!!! Leave a separate comment for each entry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: As always, the thoughts and opinions on this blog are mine alone. I was not compensated for this post. The National Pasta Association provided one Pasta Prize Pack for myself and one for a PB&P reader.

Give Me Something Good to Eat

With Halloween just around the corner, it seems like bags of candy and chocolate are everywhere you look.  A celebration originally intended to honor the souls of the dead has become completely centered on candy corn and "fun size" candy bars.  Talk about scary!

Now I'm a big chocolate fan myself (especially dark chocolate!) and I definitely believe that sweet treats do have a place in a healthy lifestyle.  Still every year I find myself frustrated by the overindulgence that occurs around Halloween and other holidays.  Being surrounded by empty calories is just not a good way to set ourselves up to make healthy choices.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not campaigning to end trick-or-treating or anything crazy like that.  I love dressing up in costumes and trick-or-treating, but I think we need to make adjustments to the messages (and the treats) we're giving to kids today.  When I was little, we always wanted to just skip the houses we knew to give out apples, popcorn or toothbrushes, but maybe those people were onto something!  Of course those are dietitian approved choices, but it doesn't even need to be that "extreme"! There are plenty of snack options that can satisfy a sweet tooth without breaking the nutritional bank.

  Green Halloween is one of many awesome programs working on changing our approach to Halloween.  It's gaining serious momentum and inspiring people to think "outside the candy-box®".  I absolutely love the idea of making Halloween healthier, safer and easier on the environment!  

Some of the well-known companies involved with the Green Halloween movement include Honest Tea, Stretch Island Fruit Co., Plum Kids, Cascadian Farms and (my favorite) Lara Bars!  In fact, Lara Bars is hosting a sweepstakes to giveaway 100 LARABAR minis, which are a great healthy option for trick-or-treaters! (Hurry, though...it ends at 11:59pm tonight!)

So before you stock up on giant bags of (expensive) Halloween candy, consider giving out something GOOD to eat this year!

Have a Happy and Healthy Halloween! 

Did you know I'm an RD? And I'm thankful too!

Hey friends.  First, let me apologize for skipping the last TWO weeks of Thankful Thursday.  It's not that I wasn't feeling thankful, but more that I was feeling overwhelmed with working and studying for my R.D. exam.  Now that that's over, I can get back to enjoying my life! Woo!

So let's get down to it.  This week (month?) I'm feeling thankful...

...that I passed my RD exam!!! I've been a Registered Dietitian for 5 whole days and I'm still not over it.  Although I know that I know my stuff, I finally feel like a credible professional. So listen to me darnit! :)

...for my incredible friends! They are so sneaky and surprised me last night with a Wednesday wine party to celebrate my big accomplishment! Since we already celebrated when I got my job, this was totally not necessary...but much appreciated!

...that those friends I mentioned really know how to party.  And by party, I obviously mean play Outburst and Charades.  Isn't that how everyone spends Wednesday nights?  Oh..and there was lots of wine & cheese! Yum.

...that my absolute favorite season is officially here! Fall=apples, cool weather, pumpkins and comfy sweaters.  What could be better?

Apple crisp = love.

...for my beautiful hometown.  I don't know that I appreciated the beauty of the Hudson Valley until I moved away and I love going back to visit! On Sunday, my mom and I had a really nice walk on the Walkway over the Hudson and took in some incredible views!

...for my Foodie Pen Pal package! Check back on Monday for the big reveal! In the meantime, head over to The Lean Green Bean Blog to sign up for October yourself! 

Okay. Now your turn! What are you thankful for? Do you have the best friends in the world? (Hint: you don't...I do.) Are you psyched for fall? TELL ME.

Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Finally! The weather has cooled down and we are entering fall (my favorite season!).  Fall always inspires me to run more and bake/cook more! :)  Amazing fall foods that come into season include apples, pears, pomegranates, pumpkin, squash, and dates! See my previous posts on Pumpkin Oat Bars and Apple Crisp.  Yum!

Just as I was contemplating what delicious pumpkin recipe to kick-off my baking, I came across this recipe from FitSugar.  These were super easy to make and absolutely delish (not to mention healthy)! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Oat Bars

I'm starting this blog right at the beginning of my favorite season: FALL! There are many reasons to love fall, not the least of which is the FOOD!  Apples, pumpkins, squash, and most root vegetables are at their freshest and most delicious right now!

Since one of my favorite things to do is modify recipes to make them more healthy and nutritious, I recently created a new verison of a typical pumpkin pie recipe.  Check it out below and try it for yourselves!

Pumpkin Pie Oat Bars

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Smart Balance margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 egg + 2 egg whites
3/4 cup white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can non-fat evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine butter and brown sugar.  Add in flour and oats.  Press oat mixture into 9X13 baking pan.
3.  Bake oat crust for 20 minutes until slightly brown.
4. In a large bowl, combine eggs and sugar.  Mix in pumpkin and evaporated milk. 
5. Add salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves to pumpkin pie filling. 
6.  Pour filling over pre-baked oat crust.
7. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let cool and serve. 

*Makes 24 pumpkin pie oat bar squares!