Pumpkin Spice Craze

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Yes, I am that person who looks forward to pumpkin spice “EVERYTHING” season!  
I admit to being sucked into the Pumpkin Spice craze, and I love every single pumpkin spice item or recipe I can get my hands on.  
My fall staples include: pumpkin spice coffee, creamer, cereal, oatmeal, Bath and Body spray, candles, room spray, car air freshener, and my ultimate fave is Burt’s Bees’ Moisturizing Lip Balm, which you can purchase yours here
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Burt-s-Bees-100-Natural-Moisturizing-Lip-Balm-Pumpkin-Spice-with-Beeswax-1-Tube/320463340


My waist line is now screaming at me to decrease my pumpkins spice latte (PSL) intake from 10 a week to 1 a week…… you do the math at 350 calories a pop! Enough with counting PSL calories, there are fab recipes that incorporate the taste of pumpkin spice with more nutritional value than a latte. Pumpkin spice energy balls yield a high energy snack and are great for instant energy on the go or a pre-exercise snack. You can find this amazing recipe here
https://www.blessthismessplease.com/no-bake-pumpkin-oatmeal-energy-bites/

HINT: I use 1.5 Tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of the ½ teaspoon the recipe calls for……. I told you I like pumpkin spice!


You can make your own pumpkin pie spice using cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves.  There are many recipes to DYI pumpkin pie spice seasoning like this one by Martha Stewart
https://www.marthastewart.com/1162252/pumpkin-pie-spice


My go to pre-run meal is a simple, slow releasing, yummy bowl of energy to get you through a run or just the morning.  I created this one weekend as a trial and error food before a 15 miler. These oats were a success and my new pre-run staple fuel.  I finally had sustainable energy and no GI distress, so a double win! 
Here is my recipe, but you can create your own power oats with a variety of fresh or dried fruit, nuts, and other spices. 

Pre-Run Power Oats
½ cup prepared steel cut oats (I make a large batch on the weekend to get me through the week)
½ small banana sliced and mashed 
1 T walnuts (pieces)
1 T pumpkin pie spice seasoning 

Nutritional Facts
319 Calories
66 g Carbohydrates
11.6 g Protein
10.1 g Fat


My newest Pumpkin Spice Everything Endeavor!




This may be more of a walk than a run this year due to a femoral stress fracture, but at least I get some cool swag and a complementary PSL from Starbucks! You can register here and get your own PSL swag!
https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Anywhere/PumpkinSpiceLatte?remMeAttempt=



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https://d2mkojm4rk40ta.cloudfront.net/us-east-1-src/prod/clientUploads/2018-09/29/1/67095/30ed5296-0a6f-4c9d-9fa1-9bff5b85681d-bBR8Db.jpg


Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 13, 2018 at 8:49 PM

    I love your recipe for the pre-run oats! Even without a workout, they can provide sustainable energy to get you going through the day with a good balance of carbs, fats, and proteins! I think it is a great idea to take pumpkin spice and make it into healthier options during the holidays so you can enjoy the flavor without going crazy on desserts!

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