sweat for sweets

Hi dolls! Happy Friday! And for my Canadian friends, Happy Thanksgiving Long Weekend! I hope lots of laughter, pumpkin pie, turkey + wine awaits you.

Before I jump into the pumpkin madness, I want to share some exciting news with you. I’M NOW OFFICIALLY A SWEATPINK AMBASSADOR!!! So exciting. I initially applied to SweatPink a few months back, but they weren’t accepting any applications at the time. I gave it another shot a few weeks ago & just heard the news back this week. YAYAYAYAY I’m really looking forward to working with the SweatPink community (can ya tell?)

Anywhoooo..

I mentioned in my Sunday post that I had spent some time making pumpkin muffins and pancakes earlier that day. My friends, the time has come to share these wondrous recipes with you. You’re welcome, in advance Unlike some of my other pumpkin fails in the past (pumpkin chips, pumpkin martinis and pumpkin smoothies just to name a few), these were both smashing successes!

First up, the gluten-free chocolate pumpkin protein pancakes. I’m usually not a huge fan of protein powders, but using them in this context is just genius! The protein powder essentially replaces regular flour & kept me full for HOURS.

Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

Serves: 2

Time: approx 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 2 scoops chocolate protein powder (vanilla would also work well)
• 1/4 c. chocolate almond milk (or any milk of your choice – regular, soy, etc)
• 4 tbsp. canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 3 tbsp. water
• 2 tbsp. ground flaxseeds
• 3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1) Mix all ingredients in a bowl (make sure there are no clumps)

2) Use canola oil to lightly cover a pan + then pour small amounts of the mix onto the pan while on medium heat –-> I discovered that pancake-making is a fine art while doing this. It took a few guinea pig pancakes for me to really get the hang of it It’s definitely better to pour smaller amounts of the mix onto the pan than trying to make large pancakes. I also heated the oven on low heat + transferred the finished cakes into a tray in the oven to keep them warm.

3) Once all pancakes are done, enjoy!

Topping suggestions: almond butter, cinnamon, whipped cream, maple syrup

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Next up, gluten-free pumpkin spice muffins

• Makes: 6 large muffins (next time I would double up the recipe to make 12.. they’re that good)
• Time: 5-10 min. prep + 30 min. baking = 35-40 min. total

Ingredients:

• 1.5 c. quinoa flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c. crushed pecans (optional – I just put these in for a little added flavour + protein!)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 3 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground ginger
• pinch of salt
• pinch (or two) of pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease muffin cups. Set aside.

2)In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.

3) In a large bowl mix pumpkin, olive oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla.

4) Combine all ingredients in the large bowl + stir until smooth.

5) Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter + add one full pecan on top as a decorative topping. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.

6) Enjoy!

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I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!!

Lots of love,

A xo

PS – have you done any baking/cooking with pumpkin so far this fall? I’d love to hear your recipes and ideas!