This time of year I love all things pumpkin.  I ate pumpkin pie three nights in a row over the Thanksgiving holiday!  Even though it was Nicole’s crustless pumpkin pie, those calories still add up. 

So when I saw this recipe for a Paleo Pumpkin smoothie, I was instantly intrigued.  A adapted it a bit using what I had on hand.  This made one giant smoothie – the stats are excellent – 222 calories, 10 fat, 26 carbs, 5.6 fiber and 2 protein.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie:

  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1.5 cups Lucerne coconut milk (80 calories per cup)
  • 1/2 a frozen banana
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 a cup of ice

Throw everything into a blender and enjoy on your ride to work.

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           lucerne

               smoothie

I wanted to point out that it was Lucerne coconut milk, and not the thick coconut milk you use when making Thai dishes. Smile with tongue out  This was super delicious and filling.  I didn’t figure out the calories until later, so I brought a zucchini egg white omelet and a slice of bread for a mid-morning snack to get some extra protein in.

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I was so happy not to have to run a 5k yesterday!  I did a different 5k, on the elliptical.  I rounded out to 40 minutes on the elliptical and then did 5 minutes of abs on the ball.

5k elliptical

My boss made me cry yesterday.  She had to put her dog down after he’d finished two chemo treatments for cancer.  She’s had the dog for 10 years and he slept with her every night.  I texted her and told her I made turkey noodle soup and homemade bread if she didn’t feel like making a lunch.  She took me up on it – turkey noodle soup is good for the soul.

I don’t really have a recipe for this.  I used the meat off the carcass of the turkey.  I used 4 cups chicken broth, 2 cups water, carrots and celery and Italian seasoning and lots of cracked pepper.  And finished off with egg noodles.  It is comfort in a bowl.

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Tony is the first person I’ve known to take cuts of meat that I normally would cook low and slow and to grill them high and fast.  Although this wasn’t the cut I was looking for originally, this worked just as well.

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Yep, pot roast on the indoor grill!  I just seasoned it the cracked pepper and garlic salt.  I cooked it 3 minutes each side, then flipped the meat to get the grill marks and cooked an additional 3 minutes per side.

I made pan “fried” broccoli on the side and baked potatoes.  This was so good!

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Super tender and delicious.  Before work yesterday, I had rubbed two baked potatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper, and had Tony turn the oven at at 5:00 so they cooked while I drove home.

A couple weeks ago the folks at Chef’s Planet sent me an oven liner.  I actually never thought to get one, but if anyone needed it, it was me!  Check out my stove after Thanksgiving!

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Some of the cool features:

  • commercial grade thickness
  • reusable on either side
  • Made in USA (!)
  • dishwasher safe
  • safe up to 500 degrees

You can check out additional features and care instructions here.

I have a heating element on the bottom of my stove, which they don’t recommend putting it under, so I just have it on my bottom shelf. 

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It already caught some of the olive oil that spilled off the potatoes while they baked.  Once my oven cooled, I just wiped it off with a damp cloth and put it back.  So excited to use this when I make pies and casseroles!

Chef’s Planet is holding a messy recipe contest on Facebook.  Now through December 31, you can enter your original messy recipe contest with a photo to be eligible to be one of the ten winning recipes that will be featured in Chef’s Planet’s special edition 10th anniversary cookbook.  The ten finalists will also receive a gift basket of Chef’s Planet products.  I am sure I can come up with a messy recipe, my kitchen is usually messy by the time I get dinner on the table! Open-mouthed smile

So Day 1 of my Skinny Snowman Challenge.  Here are my points breakdown.  While I logged my food, this week I am not going to be a slave to the exact calorie count this week.  I also am going to weigh in every Monday to keep me on track.

  • 15 points for veggies at every meal
  • 10 points for fruit (unphotographed apple in the afternoon)
  • 10 points for logging my food on fatsecret.com
  • 10 points for drinking 70 ounces of water
  • 25 points for trying a new recipe – the pumpkin smoothie
  • 5 points for exercising more than 30 minutes
  • 70 total points for the day

Alright, off to get ready for work – only two more days before its my weekend again. Open-mouthed smile

Make it a great day!