Marvelous in My Monday [MIMM] #3

Welp, as expected, we woke up to rain and wind.  Thankfully, it’s not too bad but according to the news, Sandy is just getting started.

For breakfast I made a stack of pumpkin oat pancakes and offered to share them with Sandy [hoping to bribe her to stay out at sea] but she didn’t accept my gracious offer…  How rude!

After breakfast I swung by Whole Foods, the post office, and snuck in a sweat session.  The thought of being stuck inside all day makes me super antsy…  I prefer to be moving > sitting.

Sandy may not be so marvelous but many other marvelous things have happened over the past week 🙂 Marvelous in My Monday [MIMM]…

Marvelous…  No work.  The federal government is closed today and tomorrow = no work for me!  My agenda includes baking, cuddling with Charlie, reading, watching the news, and keeping dry.  Maybe a few canned goods bicep curls?

Marvelous…  Customer service.  A couple of weeks ago I made my first visit to Wegmans.  Holy moly, that store is glorious, it’s like a grocery store + a restaurant + a home goods store all in one!  Unfortunately, I picked-up some spoiled Chobani but didn’t notice until I opened the tub and it smelled sour.  I checked the date and sure enough it had expired 4 days before I purchased it.  Bummed that my money went to waste, I hopped onto Twitter and within minutes, both Chobani and Wegmans responded apologetically and were happy to refund my money!

Marvelous…  VitaTops.  In honor of Halloween, VitaTops offered an awesome BOGO deal earlier this month that I happily took advantage of.  Our freezer is now sufficiently stocked and we should be set for a few weeks!

diced pear + plain Chobani + cinnamon + stevia + Apple Crumb VitaTop

Marvelous…  Coffee catch-ups.  Saturday morning I caught up with a girlfriend at Starbucks.  The past two months were pretty busy for the both of us since we both got married in September!  As you could imagine, we had a lot to talk about and before we knew it, 2 hours had passed.

Marvelous…  Free bike.  While I was chatting away at Starbucks, Ryan was busy at home working, or so I thought until I received this picture…

Ryan said he saw one of our neighbors wheeling the bike out to the dumpster so he went to check it out.  Our neighbor said that she had no use for it anymore so she was giving it away.  Winning!  One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Marvelous…  Belated birthday bash.  Saturday night I celebrated my belated birthday at Legal Sea Foods.  I didn’t take many pictures but I did enjoy a tasty dinner with great company.  I started with a glass of champagne and a house salad, shared a shrimp cocktail with Ryan, and ordered grilled scallops for my entrée.  Dessert was enjoyed at Pinkberry!

Marvelous…  Wedding gifts.  Last week Ryan and I received my momma’s wedding gift, a 10-piece knife set from Cutco!  My momma swears by Cutco and has used them for years [ever since I can remember cutting my own meals] and I am psyched to have a set of my own!  Sunday afternoon Ryan and I used a few wedding gift cards to purchase a pizza stone, a pig egg pan, and a pumpkin stew starter- a few “essential” kitchen items [haha]!  

Marvelous…  Blog updates.  I’m so excited about all the updates happening on LAB!  I really would like to share them with y’all but I’m trying my best not to spill the beans.  I’ve never been good at keeping secrets when it comes to exciting things [i.e. Christmas and birthday presents].

Marvelous…  Pumpkin spice bran eggie cups.  Last week I match a batch of veggie eggie cups and this week I made a batch of sweet eggie cups.  Regardless of whether they’re savory or sweet, eggie cups are great to pack in lunches or to grab on-the-go!

Pumpkin Spice Bran Eggie Cups: TJ’s bran cereal + egg whites + pumpkin spice + stevia

Marvelous…  TNT training.  Ryan and I are scheduled to start TNT training tomorrow night [assuming it’s not cancelled].  I hope after 13 weeks of getting my butt kicked, I have some meaty muscles on my bones!

XOXO,

Allison

Question:  What’s marvelous about your Monday?

Question:  What’s your favorite rainy day activity?

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Immediately after I woke up from my procedure on Friday I had one thing on my mind…  Pancakes.  I’ve been playing around with a recipe for cinnamon applesauce ‘cakes but think it needs a little TLC before it’s shared.

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Fresh out of applesauce, I looked in the cupboard to see what I could find…  Chocolate chips?  Chocolate for breakfast is always a treat but I wasn’t in the mood for something super sweet.  Peanut butter?  A forever favorite but I was in the mood for something more seasonal.  And then, back in the corner I spied with my little eye…  A can of pumpkin, yes!

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A few whiskings later, I was eager to dig into a stack of pumpkin pancakes topped with cinnamon pears and a dollop of maple Chobani!  The texture was light, but a little dense.  The taste was pumpkiny, but the cinnamon was a bit overpowering.  Overall, I’d say they were average and fulfilled their purpose [to fill my empty belly], but they weren’t anything special.  They needed something more.

That night Ryan and I made a quick trip to Trader Joe’s for a few dinner fixings and I spotted pumpkin pie spice.  That was it, the missing “something more” and I knew what I was making for breakfast, pumpkin pie pancakes.  I was hoping to make a stack of ‘cakes that tasted like a slice of pie…  And they did, they tasted like Thanksgiving dessert 🙂

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

¼ cup white whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons stevia

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning

¼ cup pumpkin

2 egg whites

¼ cup Silk Light Vanilla soymilk

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, stevia, baking soda, and pumpkin pie seasoning. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: pumpkin, egg whites, and soymilk.
3. Combine the flour and pumpkin mixtures and whisk until the batter is smooth.
4. Spray a medium-sized skillet with non-stick cooking spray and place over medium heat.
5. For each pancake, spoon 2 generous tablespoons of batter into the pan.  Cook each pancake until a few bubbles form and burst, 1 to 2 minutes. 
6. Flip the pancake with a spatula and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 more minutes.
7. Serve the stack of ‘cakes with your favorite toppings!

pumpkin pie pancakes à la mode [toppings: maple syrup and sweetened cottage cheese]

*Tip: If you’re not immediately eating the pancakes, or are making a large batch to share, you can keep them warm them in the oven.  Heat the oven to 200 degrees, place the pancakes on a baking sheet, and lightly cover with aluminum foil.*

Next up, perfecting the cinnamon applesauce ‘cakes and for the first time, attempting yogurt pancakes…  I’m looking forward to breakfasts this week 😉

XOXO,

Allison

Question:  Do you make pancakes during the week or save them for a weekend treat?

Question:  Have you seen the movie Super Size Me?  I woke up before the sun this morning and nothing was on TV, except infomercials and Super Size Me.  It was the first time I’ve seen it and oh-my-goodness, it was startling and gross…  French fries should *not* be considered a serving of vegetables in the public school system!

Life is Good & Camera Advice

Despite receiving some less than stellar news from the doctor yesterday and the Nat’s losing to the Cardinals last night [they were sooo closeee], life is good!

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Life is good because…  The cool weather has rolled in and slipper socks have made their first appearance!

Life is good because…  I had a satisfyingly sweet bedtime treat last night, cocoa cottage cheese + peanut butter puffs + banana chocolate chip VitaTop.  It reminded me of a banana split [if only I had some strawberries]!

Life is good because…  Surprise wedding gifts continue to appear on our doorstep!  Ryan and I are so grateful and thankful to our family and friends who continue to send us wedding gifts.  It’s always fun to come home to a package on the doorstep!

Life is good because…  Charlie has proven to us that he can stay out of his “room” [aka the kitchen]  and roam throughout the apartment while we’re gone without shredding the curtains or having any accidents!

Life is good because…  I made a batch of pumpkin pancakes yesterday and they turned out pretty tasty…

But this morning I played around with the ratios of dry to wet ingredients and successfully made a batch of pumpkin pie pancakes!  They were light, fluffy, and had a moist center that reminded me of a slice of pie, yum!

Life is good because…  Fall flowers are beautiful, look at those colors!

Trader Joe’s always has the best selection of seasonal flowers- daisies, lilies, mums, tulips…  Have you seen the pumpkin tree bunches?!

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Life is good because…  Ryan and I are going apple picking [for the first time *ever*] this afternoon with a couple of friends!  A field full of fresh fruit and a house full of freshly baked goods, it’s sure to be a beautiful and tasty adventure!

Life is good because…  Tonight Ryan and I are planning to have a homemade date night.  Pumpkin pasta + pumpkin peanut butter cups + my two pumpkins = a good night!

Life is good with a lot of pumpkin it in 😉

XOXO,

Allison

P.S.  Help!  I’m interested in purchasing a point-and-shoot camera…  I love the convenience of my iPhone and the quality of my DSLR camera but I’d like to have the best of both worlds- a compact, reliable camera that I could toss into my bag when I’m out for an adventure.  I’ve been perusing around Amazon.com and have received some suggestions from friends, I’m leaning towards a Panasonic or Sony…  Any advice?!

Question:  See above!

Question:  Where do you grocery shop?  Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are my favorites but I also go to our local grocery store for some general items and make a monthly Costco trip…  I’ve been hearing a lot about Wegmans lately and thinking I should make my way out that-a-way soon!