Start the week right.

It's not quite time for New Year's resolutions, but I saw this quote while blog-hopping (is that a term?) and it struck a cord.

Expect the people you love to be better. It helps them to become better. But don't get upset when they fail. It helps them keep trying.--Anonymous

We're all thinking about how to show our loved ones we really care around this time of year, but the very best gift of all is support and compassion. Don't forget though, to be kind to yourself as well when you're not quite as good as you want to be. Half the fun in life is the mistakes we make. 

In a completely unrelated note: This is my breakfast today. Pumpkin blueberry cobbler. Oh my, my favorite things! Unfortunately, I don't own ramekins so I used a muffin pan instead. Mine aren't quite as pretty as the ones in the recipe photo, but they sure are tasty! 

Today, I baked.

Did you know that it has been a week since my last post?! I did not realize it had been that long.

Since my last post I've taken a trip home, attended a breakfast for a good cause, did some shopping, and worked a whole lot. 

Today was my first day off in what felt like a really long time (It's really only been like 4 days...). I started the day off by making some more of that delicious granola from my last post, only this time I made the lower calorie version which substitutes applesauce for the oil. Now, normally I can't really tell the difference between "light" versions of foods and the full fat versions. This is not one of those times. The flavor of the granola is pretty good, but instead of crunchy bits of delicious you get larger clumps of chewy "okayness". I used it to top my breakfast yogurt and it was pretty tasty, but I won't be eating this by the handful like the last batch. 

After some early Christmas shopping and dinner with the boyfriend I came home and baked some more. I've been dying to make Pumpkin Scones and was super excited to finally have the time to try it out. I found a recipe from sparkrecipes.com. I had to make some substitutions due to the fact that I don't have an incredibly stocked pantry. I substituted the cloves with cinnamon, and had to replace 2 T of sugar with 3 packets of Stevia sweetener when I ran out of real sugar. 

I was a bit nervous since I've never made scones before, but they turned out fantastic! Leave it to me to bake scones the day I decide to start tracking my calories again. Well, here goes a lesson in self-disipline! 

{pumpkin shaped pumpkin scones}

Falling for Fall

I went on a window shopping spree last week and am a little embarrassed to admit how giddy all of the fall lines made me. Don't get me wrong I love eating on the patio, lazing on the beach, and sunset at 9:00pm, but when summer ends there's nothing (and I mean NOTHING) more exciting than sweaters, boots, scarves, and the day I can finally order a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Seriously, I drink at least 4-5 of these a week once they appear on coffee shop menus.

Last year, I tried my hand at baking these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

I made them intending to bring them to a party, but liked them so much that my boyfriend and I ate the whole batch ourselves (my friends got some homemade cookies, don't worry I didn't show up empty handed).

Needless to say, I'll be making those again. I'll also be making pumpkin scones, pumpkin bread, and anything else I can mix a can of pumpkin puree into. But until I get to indulge in my favorite flavor, I'll keep on enjoying the Mojitos and salads of summer.

Is there a particular season you love simply because you get to eat your favorite foods?