I am not a food blogger. Yet, I still take pictures of most things I eat because I never know when I might want to use something in a post. I snap two or three quick shots and move on my merry way. I like having photos of meals I deem worthy of sharing…but you better believe I’m not letting it get in the way of my eating. No cold food or sparing my precious dining seconds around here, people!

I could just not bother…but more often than not, I find myself thankful for my quick photo snapping. This morning, I appreciated the photo habit because, when uploading my pics, I realized I had quite the delicious day yesterday.

“Delicious” being code word for “my favorite fall foods”. I should be orange by now! Or at least not so ghostly white. When can I expect that beta carotene to kick in?

I bet you think that means I started my day off with some pumpkin oats. Oh ho ho! You are sorely mistaken. I actually didn’t have oats at all!

I had a savory craving…more accurately a hot pepper jelly craving…and I obliged.

I put together a sandwich with an egg, pepperjack cheese, hot pepper jelly, and spinach on whole grain and seed bread.

Does that not look like perfection? It sure does to me! Just as Honeycrisp apples scream perfection to me as well with their perfect crispiness and sweet, yet tart, bite.

When lunchtime rolled around I continued the fall theme unawares, as I pulled out leftovers from our dinner the previous night.

Tonight's dinner features quinoa, butternut squash, and apple goods. Gonna be good!

October 24, 2011 7:05 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@TinaFFF

Tina Reale

It doesn’t look incredibly appetizing (especially straight from the tupperware) but I promise you this combo kicks butt.

The mix:

• regular ole quinoa cooked in vegetable broth for extra flavor
• a Trader Joe’s apple chicken sausage
• cubed, roasted butternut squash
• a dollop of Daisy Spiced Apple Chutney

Such an easy, fast, and FLAVORFUL dinner! With good leftovers too! #drool

Now onto snack…a mix I promise you will want to get your hands on, if you haven’t already that is!

You all already know my undying devotion to this company.

Love Grown granola became the apple of my eye (stomach?) yet again.

I took a plain container of Oikos Greek yogurt and tossed in a whopping spoonful or two of canned pumpkin. I swirled that all up with some Cocoa Bean NuNaturals drops and grabbed my bag of Cocoa Goodness granola.

After a couple greedy handfuls straight to  my mouth, I topped my pumpkin yogurt and had the perfect harmony of flavors.

The only thing missing? A side of my pumpkin hot chocolate. Oh me, oh my…imagine that coupling for a snack. Forget happy hour with a beer…I want snack time with this! Is it 3 o’clock yet?

• What’s the last thing that made you say “yum”?

I wanted to first say thank you again for your continued support of the Stuffed With Emptiness series. It’s a tough one to write (especially today’s), but it always feels so worth it once it’s out there and I hear your response. Thank you.

*******

Today started out like any other Thursday. I woke up early and wrote my morning blog post. I ate a banana. I went to the gym and ran four miles on the treadmill. I came home and ate more (surprise surprise) pumpkin oats for breakfast.

Things continued in typical fashion through lunch time. You know what Thursday means – family lunch day with Peter at the park!

Today Peter’s work served up the typical sandwich and chips fare.

I picked a sandwich that had a sort of peppered turkey, ham, and pepperoni with pepperjack cheese, then added some tomato, lettuce, and dijon mustard.

Peter also grabbed two bags of my favorite chip flavors for us to share. Cheddar Sun Chips and traditional Salt ‘N Vinegar.

May not have been as good a meal as last week, but the food isn’t the most important part. I will happily eat a sub-par meal in exchange for some family time and our little tradition.

Although, you do all know how if a meal doesn’t satisfy me fully I get a little hankering going on a bit later into the day. This means my Thursday afternoon snack called for something a little different. Something a little more exciting.

I brought home a cookie that came with lunch and felt like having a cozy little treat. Out of nowhere I got struck with an idea that I knew I needed to satisfy.

Pumpkin hot chocolate. Pumpkin hot chocolate. Pumpkin hot chocolate.

And at that moment, today earned the title of “Not Your Typical Thursday”.

To make the pumpkin hot chocolate I simply whisked together the following ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (to taste)

Then I sweetened it up with a bit of Nunaturals stevia drops. I wish I had some whipped cream! It would have taken this already good mix to a whole new level.

If you like pumpkin and chocolate, you must make this!

I think I’m feeling another cup for dessert tonight. But first – dinner! Time to eat! I will see you in the morning with a fun post.

• Do you like chips? What’s your favorite? If not, what’s your favorite salty snack?
• What’s part of your typical Thursday?