Hands up if you like pumpkin!

Hands up if you didn’t know that you like pumpkin until you started reading food blogs in the fall and became aware of this crazy community of people who stir pumpkin into anything and everything that they eat and secretly hold pumpkin appreciation parties where they dress like pumpkins and eat pumpkins and sing about pumpkins. Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin.

I ate a lot of pumpkin today.

This morning I had gym plans, the latest Les Mills releases for all of their programs have been released and my gym was offering ‘sample’ classes of each new release. I stayed for four out of six classes, and tried two that I never have before, Body Jam and Body Combat. Body Jam is essentially a dance class, they build on choreography throughout and by the end you are a pro dancing your way through an entire song. LOVED.

But my new obsession may just be Body Combat. Holy aggression release! It’s a mixed martial arts inspired class full of kicking and punching and screaming. Even though I punch like a girl I had a killer time and my shoulders are killing me! It hurts to type, so bye!

not quite.

Before I went to the gym, I had two slices of pumpernickel bread with maple-cinnamon pecan butter, pumpkin butter, granola and chocolate chips

and after I got home I tried my hand at making a pumpkin spice latte, it worked! Maybe now I can quit depleting my savings account in the name of delicious coffee beverages, all in the name of foamy foam!

A couple of times a week, I go to the Second Cup near by my work and ask for a small medium roast brew white with soy and one pump of pumpkin spice. With a side of raised eyebrows from employees and bystanders. I’m a bit of a coffee diva, but truth be told, it’s because Second Cup coffee isn’t that great! Tim Hortons coffee however, is hot brewed cocaine and unicorn tears. I love it black and bitter.

Anyways, Second Cup seems to charge an extra dollar for each additional word in an order, so even though I only get a coffee once or twice a week, it adds up and I’d much rather spend my money on pretty bowls (weird habit) or groupons that I’ll never end up using, or shoes. Mmm… Shoes…

Pumpkin Spice Cafe Au Lait

INGREDIENTS
1/2 c. strong brewed coffee
3/4 c. unsweetened almond milk
1/4 c. soy milk
1 tbsp. pumpkin spice syrup

DIRECTIONSIn a small sauce pan, heat the milks together. Once the milk is slightly scalded (small bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan) add as much syrup as you like and either transfer it carefully into a blender, or use an immersion blender to whip the milk until it becomes nice and frothy. Pour the milk into a mug over the hot coffee.

Pumpkn Spice Syrup

INGREDIENTS
3/4 c. maple syrup
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. pumpkin puree
2 sticks cinnamon
2 cloves
1/2 tsp. dried ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONSIn a small sauce pan, combine all ingredients and simmer on low for five minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and press the pumpkin through with the back of a spoon. Put the strained syrup back into a sauce pan and simmer for another five minutes until it thickens slightly.