Thankful Thursday

Newest obsession:

This little cup o' joy is so tasty and good for you that I just can't resist! It's super low in sugar for yogurt, super high in protein, and SO delicious. My friend Julie introduced this to me on top of baked apples with pomegranate and pumpkin seeds, and it was heavenly. So I went and bought a cartful. Not really. Almost. I'm already looking forward to my afternoon snack.

This weekend we're headed up the hill to Placerville to visit the family and get away from it all. We're probably definitely going to test out my mountain bike too, EEEEEEEE! Either way, I slept terribly while Nolan was away at his conference (cue: awwww), and I'm looking forward to a few good nights' sleep. We always sleep SO well at my parents'. And so:

1. I'm thankful Nolan has a few days off and we can take advantage of it to relax! We need a nice weekend.
2. I'm thankful for this recovery week of my workout program. My body needed a little break, and I'm really enjoying this week of yoga, stretching, and really low intensity exercise. I feel stronger and ready to jump back in next week! I love that they build in a week of recovery for every 3-4 of hard work.
3. I'm thankful for all the fun social things we've had going on. Even though I'm tired and busy, it's all good stuff, so I can't complain about stress...unless it's the stress of what to make for lunch the next day (it's a big deal to me!).
4. I'm thankful for food. I'm obsessed with it. I really need to somehow make a career out of cooking and eating because I could just do it all the time. And I do. I cook (and eat) a lot. It's awesome. God is good for deciding to give us tastebuds. I'll share one of my new fall favourite recipes below!
5. I'm thankful for my job. Sometimes I hate the commute and sometimes I don't fully appreciate how great my work is, but then I realize how fortunate I am to have work that I enjoy, a place I like, people I like, flexibility...the list goes on.

What are you thankful for?

Recipe Sharing Time!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Ingredients

2 /1/2 cup oats (old fashioned)
1 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt
2 eggs
3/4 cup xylitol or other natural sweetener
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup pumpkin
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of ginger
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp cinnamon
*add the ginger, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to taste - I didn't actually measure so I'm guessing at how much I put in*

Note: The paper liners don't work well when baking with a base that does not include flour unless you grease them. So don't forget!

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease liners or pan.
2. Place the oats in a food processor until finely ground, then add all the other ingredients.
3. Divide batter among cupcake liners (full recipe makes 12), and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
4. Enjoy! When muffins are this low in calories, fat, sugar, and this high in protein and taste so delicious...why wouldn't you?

Fun tip:
*You can substitute the pumpkin for 2 bananas, or a cup of strawberries and remove the salt, ginger, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice to make either banana muffins or strawberry shortcake muffins!*