Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

A big thanks to my good friend Donna for her suggestion and inspiration. I used to love to get us Starbucks coffee on the way to work in the fall. I would get a pepper mint mocha frap and she would get a pumpkin spice latte. Somehow I don't think that peppermint would be good in pancakes, but pumpkin worked out well!

Better than well, actually. These pancakes are freaking delicious. I tested them out on my mom when I made a trip home this past weekend and she is still raving about them. Me too--they were totally comfort food, and surprisingly healthy!

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Combine in a measuring cup:

• 1 cup of milk (I use vanilla almond milk.)
• 1 cup of whole wheat flower
• 1/3 cup of canned pumpkin
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• Spices! I used 1/4 tsp each of freshly ground: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, & cardamom.

I originally included 2 tbsp of brown sugar to this recipe and I felt that it was too sweet. You could completely leave it out or use just 1 tbsp.

The batter. Add extra milk if necessary to get the perfect texture.
Also, stirring with a whisk seems to make a difference somehow.

Then fry 'em up! I usually don't use any oil while cooking, but non-stick spray is an absolute MUST for this batch. Not really sure why...

These get especially fluffy. Be liberal with the non-stick spray or they'll mush when you go to flip them.

Serve with 100% pure maple syrup. Yum! I will definitely be making this recipe over and over again this winter. It is just so homey. Also, I found very interesting, a single can of pumpkin has nearly 20 grams of fiber. Who knew!

Each batch makes about 6 pancakes. Things go a lot smoother if you have a helper, too:

My doggie, Katie, begging for a taste. Who could say no to that face?

I created this recipe myself so let me know how it goes!

Caffeine Withdrawals

I am a big coffee drinker, but I can't take it black. I like mine all doctored up and froofy--Starbucks fraps are my best friend. Unfortunately, all of those things that make coffee so delicious and appealing are made of dairy. And without these things, I'd rather not have coffee at all. Snobbish, I know.

I haven't been drinking any soda either. Technically I could drink diet soda, but since I'm doing this whole natural foods regiment, it seems logical to give chemical sugar substitutes the boot as well.

Which means that I am having some crazy caffeine withdrawals today. At first I thought I hadn't gotten enough sleep, so I was really tired. Then I started feeling terrible, so I thought I must be getting sick. But then I started getting grump and depressed, and I knew it must be something else. The good news is that it will probably pass quickly. I am determined to believe that this is a good thing, and that I'll be better off without all of the extra stimulation.

Another thing I've noticed, and it seems to be a trend, is that I get the hiccups after every bulky vegetable meal. And these aren't your normal hiccups--these are drawn out, painful, obnoxiously high-pitched and loud hiccups. Helen actually came out of her room last night to ask if I was okay. It's not a big deal, just something I've noticed. Like many people, I have a hiatal hernia which is sometimes irritated if I eat too fast. Perhaps these foods, such as kale, just have a hard time passing into the stomach and disturb my diaphragm. Who knows.

For lunch today I was supposed to have a BST (bacon, sprout, tomato) sandwich with baked sweet potato wedges, but I couldn't find any fake bacon at the store. I think it is called tempeh, and I have no idea what that is. Instead I polished off some leftovers. I had some watermelon salad, my last mango pancake, and the caldo verde that I decided not to chuck out last night. The sweet potato fries will have to wait for a little later.

Dinner should be interesting tonight, especially given that I'm not a big fan of tomato soup (though I've never had home made, I suppose). Stay tuned!