Celebrate National S’more Day with these Pumpkin Spice S’more Cookies!

I’m only really up for certain food holidays that relate to pumpkin or that I can somehow relate to pumpkin. National S’more Day is one of those days!

So in honor of all things pumpkin coming up FAST, and trying these Pumpkin Spice Dandie’s marshmallows for the first time, I made a delightfully delicious take on pumpkin spice cookies with them. The best part is that these marshmallows are made with all natural ingredients and are vegan, so all pumpkin lovers alike can enjoy them. No gelatin, no problem! They taste great! Dandie’s is a local Chicago company, so you know I’m giving them extra love for that! Just as soon as it’s cold enough, I think they would be perfect in hot cocoa with pumpkin spice marshmallows!

I stuck to the dairy-free theme and used Enjoy Life Foods chocolate chip (mega chunks) in this recipe. These cookies are a pumpkin twist on a classic, and perfect for this time of year when we’re hanging on to every last bit of summer, but not so secretly loving that fall is right around the corner. Oh, is that just me?

I received samples of Dandie’s Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows that I used to create this recipe. 

xoxo,

Pumpkin Girl

Weekend Roundup & Gluten Free Expo Trends

This sunny weekend was filled with good eats and spending time with some of my favorite people. The weather smiled upon us, and now that Monday is under our belt, it’s on wards and upwards from here!

Saturday started with the Gluten Free & Allergy Friendly Expo in the suburbs of Chicago. I had a great time seeing some familiar faces and checking out the latest and greatest of gluten-free foods! What dd we try? A variety of gluten-free bars, pizza crusts, bread, “nut” butters, baking mixes and probiotic products. Robby came with me, and ironically enough, his starter bag had a GF pumpkin bread mix in it…and he wouldn’t trade me!  Don’t worry though, they let me trade my sugar cookie mix for an unclaimed pumpkin one before we left!

I’ve rounded up the top 5 most buzz worthy finds from the expo floor you should definitely be on the look out for! No gluten, no problem!

1. Pumpkin Seeds & GF Pumpkin Products –Of course you know my pumpkin radar was in full effect as I walked the expo floor! I had my eyes open for any new pumpkin products I’ve never seen before. One pumpkin product that I am familiar with, but some may not be are the uniquely flavored pumpkin seeds from Superseedz! I’m talking tomato Italiano, cinnamon sugar, sea salted, somewhat spicy and many more! Just think of the pumpkin possibilities with this creative flavors. They are definitely not your run of the mill pumpkin seeds, they are made in small batches with premium ingredients. And at 8 grams of protein, and <1 gram of sugar per serving, this snack staple gets an A plus from me, no questions asked

Super Seedz – Gourmet Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, 5 oz Package (Pack of 2) Cinnamon & Sugar – Non Gmo, Vegan and Gluten Free Snacks

2. Frozen Superfoods–I’m a proud partner of Path of Life Organics, and was happy to see them dominating the frozen food scene with their super food side dishes! These blends truly cannot be easier to make for busy weeknight meals, and although I’m partial to their kale and butternut squash frozen vegetable mix (for obvious reasons!), I am very impressed with their entire line up from a dietitian’s standpoint. Example A, if you’ve been following me on Instagram you know I’ve been experimenting with their colorful cauliflower, and as someone who didn’t always like cauliflower, I keep wanting to find different ways I can eat it! I also found out they just launched a new organic green smoothie mix…available at Costco. Now that’s something I’m willing to brave a Costco in the suburbs on a Saturday morning for!

3. Healthiful Hydration–I’m talking beauty water, gut shots and zero-calorie water flavorings. Vital Proteins was sampling their new line of beauty waters–I think I tried a mojito lime one mixed with this flavor of Vital Proteins beauty water…it was delicious! I’m already a fan of their original collagen below. I put it into my coffee and smoothies on the regular and definitely fee like it helps to strengthen my hair, skin, and nails.  Another product not new to me, but definitely new to some is Farmhouse Culture gut shots! With tangy flavors that bring the heat, a shot is all you need to reap the benefits from how many probiotics they contain. I take a shot of ginger beet every morning before I eat anything. It sure does wake me up!

Vital Proteins Grass-Fed Collagen Peptide Stick Packs (10 grams) (Box of 20)

Vital Proteins

4.  Make-at-Home GF Mixes—from breads to pancake mixes, it’s obvious that there is a demand for gluten-free products people can make themselves at home. We received a box of King Arthur Flour’s GF pumpkin bread mix, (which I’ve tried before and love!) and a Pamela’s brand GF pancake mix sample. What I really like about make at home mixes, is the opportunity to further customize them to your preference. Add in things you like, and make it your own, if there isn’t another gluten-free product out there like that for you!

King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Mix, 12 Ounce

King Arthur Flour Company Inc

5.  Safe-For-School “Peanut” Butters— I’m a nut butter addict, and the thought of kids with peanut allergies having to sit separately at school makes me so sad! I ate a peanut butter and sometimes jelly sandwich everyday throughout school, and can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I was allergic, so I applaud the companies out there that are trying to provide kids with something that resembles peanut butter in that instance. The few that I saw were soy blends and Sunbutter. Both of which, unfortunately do not agree with my stomach, however can be great alternatives for you if you cannot have nut butters!

xoxo,

Pumpkin Girl

I saw a recipe out there, and I just knew I had to make it PUMPKIN……

If you out there on Instagram you may have seen this recipe by registered dietitian, @rachaelsgoodeats on Instagram. When I saw this dreamy recipe, I just knew it had to be pumpkin. A few modifications and some white chocolate chips later, I give you this cake pan pumpkin cookie! Not only was it easy to make, but it’s light, moist, crunchy on top and oh so pumpkiny! I can see this recipe going so many different ways this fall, but for now I’m going to try to not eat this whole pan myself! Do yourself a favor, whip one up pumpkin style, and let me know what you think!

Batter in the pan before going in the oven

Cake Pan Pumpkin Cookie (recipe inspired by @rachaelsgoodeats)

Ingredients

1 cup almond flour

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 tsp. baking soda

3 tbsp. maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tsp. unsweetened almond milk

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 tsp. sea salt

Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour, 16 oz

Bob’s Red Mill

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients, including egg and peanut butter and stir well. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk almond flour, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and add white chocolate chips if desired (highly recommend you do!). I used a cake pan to cook this in, but you can put it in a 8″ skillet or loaf pan too! Using a silicone spatula spread batter evenly into pan that is coated with coconut oil. Bake for 19 minutes, and broil for an additional 2 minutes. Top with almond butter, more peanut butter or pumpkin seed butter, and enjoy!

xoxo,

Pumpkin Girl