I smell fall in the air.....Or do I?!?

Despite the 80 and 90 degree weather around Santa Cruz recently, I still going full front on my fall festivities.  I've been using a lot more with canned pumpkin, buying my first round of squash, makin' more soup, etc.  Oh how I love fall, regardless of our "late summer" recently. I don't sense fall in the air; however, I sense it in all the grocery stores, now having an abundance of on sale canned--and fresh-- pumpkin, locally grown winter squash and all the summer produce saying goodbye.  I'll miss you corn, zucchini, watermelon and tomatoes (and much more), but I'm ready for mah apples, pumpkins and winter squash :)

Oh, how I love fall.  I'll still create in my own environment, even if people are out boogie boarding and soaking up the sun:)  Despite being a sun lover and cold-weahter hater, I'm really excited actually for the weather to start cooling off and getting my uggs, scarfs and warm, poofy jackets out of my closet!

What are your favorite parts of fall?  Do you get excited when squash and pumpkin go on sale and you see fall start to bloom?  I sure know I DO :)!

As I've said, a lot more of my meals have been more "autumny"-- aka, pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, apples, etc.


   Not so fall-like of a meal, but it was tasty and warm, so that's all that matters.  Oat bran cooked in wholemade coconut milk, cinnamon and ginger and topped with hemp fudge and coconut.

By the way, I bought this Hemp Protein awhile ago because I've heard quite a bit about the nutritional benefits of hemp protein-- loaded with dietary fiber, iron, protein, omega-3s, MUSFA, etc.  It's definitely an amazing superfood.  There's a "but" though-- as some food bloggers have said, some hemp products can taste like "dirt".  After trying this Nutiva brand of regular, unsweetened hemp protein, I have to say I'd agree.  I've had tons of unsweetened protein powders, whether they be soy, pea, rice, whey, and even hemp.   Their quite yummy and my preferred choice for protein powder, as I don't like added sugars.  When I found the Non-Dairy Queen's recipe for hemp fudge, I definitely sprang to give that one a shot.  I combined it with a packet of stevia, 2 tablespoons of hemp protein and 1 tablespoon of coco powder.  It was good, but still pretty earthy tasting-- I'll definitely try a bit more stevia next time.
                                          
Ok, enough of my hemp story, onto lunch...


 I made a really good wrap yesterday despite hurrying since my cleaning lady had just arrived.  I used a brown rice tortilla from TJs and filled it with hummus, roasted mediterranian-type veggies and a bit of avocado.  Roasted, but cold, veggies and hummus are an EXCELLENT combo.  I also had a couple mini homegrown apples and cashini butter.



This morning, while doing homework, my mind drifted away and got me thinking about Heather's cornbread re-make that I really wanted to make again to see if it would be better than the last batch I made.

And I did-- and it came out wonderful.  Thanks so much for the tips, Heather.  I used eggs this time, un-veganizing it and the results were  moist and delicious.  I also used 2 heaping spoonfuls of pumpkin in place of one of the eggs.


With cinnamon added on the top :)

I was planning on having the cornbread with the chili I made tonight, but I could not wait-- I wanted some with lunch.  How can you resist not trying freshly baked cornbread?!?  
   I made a simple egg salad with hummus, paprika and dijon mustard and layed a top of spinach.  I added some carrots for color, crunch and extra nutrition.  Aside is a piece of the warm, fresh-baked cornbread with a bit of WF brand peanut butter atop.

  


    Mmmmmm, it wasn't (by "it", I mean the fabulous cornbread) that sweet either, as I only added about a tablespoon of agave.  The PB atop was enough to sweeten it, though.


    I got home from an appointment late, so I quickly made a big ole' bowl of almond butter chili...and of course accompanied it with more cornbread.
Into the mix of almond butter chili went 1/2 can of diced tomatoes, onion, carrots, 1/2 C. kidney beans, red bell pepper and a tablespoon of Almond butter added and infused at the end.  It was quite filling and yummy, however, I managed to burn my tongue at first bite.  Dangit.



Well goodnight, lovelies.  I hope your weekend gets you all have a fabulous Friday :) xx