Homemade Festive Faves: Fall Recipes

Pumpkin Yogurt

Making your own flavored yogurt is a great option for those trying to avoid the added products or extra sugar in the store-bought yogurts. Simply pick your base yogurt (goat, whole, fat free, dairy-free) and make sure to get the “plain” unsweetened type. Add in your own flavors/healthy ingredients, store it in a small storage container, and you’ve got yourself a tasty, good-for-you, on the go snack!

Ingredients:

1 cup of plain yogurt of choice

½ cup of pumpkin (or to taste)

½ tbs maple syrup (or honey) (to taste)

1 dash cinnamon

1 dash cloves

1 dash ginger

1 dash nutmeg

(or just use allspice or pumpkin pie spice - allspice can be to taste)

Optional parfait additions:

1-2tbs of ground flax seed

¼ cup of raisins

¼ cup of granola/oats/muesli

1 handful of pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients and whisk by hand OR combine ingredients in a blender or food processor for a smoother blend.
2. Add toppings and enjoy! Store in mason jars for meal prep.

Pumpkin Coffee Creamer

Making your own coffee creamer for the week is nice because you get to mix up your flavors and make it to your own taste/dietary needs. One of my favorite seasonal flavors to mix up is a pumpkin creamer.

Ingredients:

8 oz of milk base of choice (oat, almond, milk, goat milk, half and half, cream, etc.)

2tbs - ¼ cup pumpkin puree (to taste)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

2 tbsp maple syrup or 1 tbsp raw sugar or 1-2 tsp stevia/monk fruit

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to simmer over medium heat. Whisk frequently.
2. Remove from heat and store in heat-safe container (like a small mason jar).

Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars

Homemade bars make for a great, quick snack on the run. With a nice date and almond base, you can really play around with whatever ingredients you’d like. All you need is a food processor and a little creativity!

Ingredients:

1 cup oats

4 dates

1 cup almonds

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a baking sheet and spread the oats on the sheet evenly.
3. Place in the oven and toast for 8-10 mins or until slightly brown.
4. Combine dates and almonds in a food processor and blend until chunks are small and fine. Place product in bowl.
5. Take oats out of oven and combine with mixture along with pumpkin seeds, spices, vanilla, and honey/maple syrup.
6. Fold in mixture until sticky.
7. Spread mix evenly on a baking sheet and let settle/cool. Stick in fridge for quicker cool.
8. Divide into even squares and wrap in parchment paper for storage.

Apple Cider French Toast

French toast is one of my breakfast favorites. In the fall, I like to keep cider in my fridge, and I love to use it to amp up my French toast. (In the winter I use egg nog!). This breakfast is filling, tasty and festive!

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 tbsp apple cider

2 tbsp milk or milk substitute

1 dash cinnamon

1 dash nutmeg

1 dash cloves

1 dash ginger

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 slices of whole wheat or sprouted bread (GF if needed)

1 handful pumpkin seeds (optional)

½ apple (chopped) (optional)

Directions:

1. Spray and heat a medium pan over medium heat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, apple cider, spices and vanilla until light and fluffy. Option here to use one egg and one egg white.
3. Take a fork and poke holes throughout each slice of bread. Put one slice in the bowl, coat in mixture, flip and repeat. Move bread to heated pan and repeat with other slice. Pour remaining mixture in pain over the bread.
4. Let cook until the egg is cooked through. Bread will look slightly brown.
5. Remove from heat. Top with pumpkin seeds and apple if desired.

Picture URL: https://www.flickr.com/photos/theocrazzolara/48986157673/in/photolist-2hCJS2p-pt1JY5-p5TtVj-p6T4r2-pm51ij-p6Dm84-pmwvgn-p6B6ND-pnkP3S-piqCpm-p5mxya-pjSwre-p5jZt1-p5jpvc-pibAVB-pnR3YD-p1XLsU-pk6m3u-p1XwT8-p5jUcZ-p6C353-po5qiC-p3FR2c-pnPZ5Z-pnPbkF-p1YqgC-qiksuR-p1Yz7T-qhNnNs-po6Pxb-M4AV9k-p6B5Rt-pnPH7r-p6ChHF-p6BpMf-p5jC7y-pibAwk-po5rG9-p6ChWr-po5qxA-p6AM6Z-p5jukb-p6C22R-dipMA9-dipNXt-p2TnS4-dipPF4-qzRw2s-M8EHrf-dipPtR