Craving Pumpkin Pie? Paleo Protein Pumpkin Pie Muffins & Cake

Please note while my phone is in the shop I am borrowing a 3G iphone so sorry for the terrible pictures :(

I have had this organic can of pumpkin sitting around for way too long.. Our coolness consisted of a 4 hour rainstorm the other night but that was enough to trigger my longing for everything fall. Greg & both have serious pumpkin spice addictions. We love ANYTHING pumpkin spice. I wanted a treat that would satisfy my fall "tooth" and sweet tooth at the same time without sacrificing my diet... And.....

Paleo Protein Pumpkin Muffins/Cake & Greek Yogurt Frosting (optional)

Whatcha need:

1 Big can 29oz of organic pumpkin - nothing added, just pumpkin!
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
1/2 Cup Almond Flour
2 Scoops Vanilla NanoPro Whey (The highest quality, most easily digested, lean protein powder)
4 Eggs
1/2 Cup "Milk" I used my Almond/Coconut milk - My fav! Unsweetened of course
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Baking Soda
1-2 TB Pure Maple Syrup or Stevia
1 TB Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Ground Cloves
1 tsp ground ginger (I was out but usually would have used it!)

-You can bake this into any form you please.. I realized my bread pan is missing so I may it into a spring form cake pan & muffin pan -

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grab two medium sized bowls and in bowl mix together all of your dry ingredients: coconut flour, almond flour, whey protein, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves & ginger. In the other mix your wet ingredients: pumpkin, eggs - 1 at a time, your milk, and maple syrup. In both bowls mix ingredients well together than slowly add in your dry ingredients to your wet - again stirring well to make sure everything is combined.

In a well oiled pan fill it to your desired height - these will barely rise if at all. Bake for 35-45 minutes depending on pan. 35 minutes for my muffin pan and about 45 for my "cake" due to the density of this recipe remember even after you remove it from the oven it will continue to cook a little.

Let cool and devour if the wonderful aroma in your house doesn't kill you first!

^This is all Paleo v this is not

Greek yogurt cinnamon "frosting"

You need:
4 TBS Greek Yogurt - I always use plain Fage - my fav!
Lots of Cinnamon
2 TBs Maple Syrup
Scoop of Cake Batter Protein powder - optional and I actually liked it better without

In my bullet I threw roughly 4 tbs greek yogurt, a good amount of cinnamon and 2 TBS maple syrup... It had a great texture and I honestly should have left it there but I got greedy and added in a half scoop of cake batter whey and it made the texture much more runny.

Because of the runny texture I rebaked the cake for about 10-15 minutes at 400 so it wouldn't get soggy.

Fall = time for Kombocha Sage Bacon Soup

So I got these funny looking squashes from my dad turns out they are Kobocha squash, which I have been hearing a lot about lately. Weather here in SoCal is for lack of a better word... AWESOME. Sorry. But living near the coast we sometimes get a few weeks blanketing in the marine layer which makes me want to get all cozy and eat yummy soup... It was one of those mornings when I decided to tackle my unknown opponent.. I mean err ingredient.

Whatcha Need:

1-2 Medium Kobocha Squashes - halved & seeded (preheat oven to 400)
1 Package/1 Ounce/30ish Sage leaves divided - 1/3 leaves, 2/3 chopped
3 Uncured Thick Bacon Slices
1 Large Onion, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 32oz Carton Organic Chicken Broth or 4 Cups homemade
2 Cups water
1 Tb Apple Cider Vinegar (optional)
Coconut Oil
Balsamic Vinegar - I used Fig & Orange from World Market

With your oven preheated to 400 place your squash cut side down on greased pans and roast until soft about 45 minutes-1 hour. When cool enough scrape flesh from the skin & blend in blender or bullet - used a tiny tiny bit of my almond/coconut milk to help it blend faster. - I know many people do it at the end but I feel like this is easier and I like the chunks of the other ingredients in the soup-

Find the smallest little saucepan and put enough oil to get a good 3/4-1 inch and heat it up to medium-high. Fry 1/3 of the sage, whole leaves, in small batches until crisp about 4-6 seconds and transfer to a paper towel with a slotted spoon.

Slice your 3 pieces of bacon into chunks and place at the bottom of a large soup pot and cook on medium-high heat, add in chopped onion and minced garlic, cook bacon until a place you would usually take the bacon off and consume - take out maybe 1/2 a slice of bacon and set on the paper towel with your fried sage. Add in the rest of your sage and stir. Stir here and there until very fragrant about a minute or two.

Add in your vinegar, broth, water and squash and stir well. If you're in a rush just let your soup meld for about 20 minutes but I cooked mine a good 40 minutes.

Serve in a bowl with some of your fried sage & bacon crushed on top, fresh ground black pepper and a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar.

SO GOOD! Again DON'T FEAR THE FAT! You can eat bacon & enjoy it... just I personally wouldn't every day. Hope you all enjoy this fall inspired soup! I bet this would be great with butternut or pumpkin in place of the Kobucha squash too!