Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

If you don't know by now, I'm a little obsessed with pumpkin.

I've posted a number of pumpkin recipes on this blog because:

• I love the taste of pumpkin.
• Pumpkin is healthy (Some people call it a superfood because of it's Vitamin A, fiber and other amazing nutrients!).
• Pumpkin is a great egg substitute. It gives egg-free baked goods a wonderful moist quality, and it holds everything together so well!

I knew I had to share these AWESOME pumpkin chocolate chip muffin tops with you.  I call them muffin tops because they're almost like the thick and dense top of muffins...the part that many people eat first and love the most.

Oh, and they're also gluten-free and free of refined sugars.

I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite food allergy friendly baking cookbooks. I wish I could say they're vegan, but I did use honey in them!

Recipe
*Makes 12 muffins (I doubled the following recipe and made 24 muffins. They go fast in our house and I like to have some to freeze!)

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 and 2/3 cups oat flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 cup (or more or less!) Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips 

Liquid Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup soymilk (or ricemilk or coconut milk - any milk will do)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup agave nectar (you could probably use 1 cup honey or 1 cup agave nectar, but I chose to try half of each
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil

Directions:

• Mix all the dry ingredients (a whisk or electric mixer makes it easier)
• Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well
• Spoon about 1/3 cup of the mix into greased muffin tins until you fill up the 12 tins. I greased the tins using my trusty Misto Olive Oil Sprayer.
• Temperature: Bake at 350 degrees. 
• Time: Set your oven for 27 minutes, and check to see the muffins are golden brown. My oven took about 28 minutes, but ovens do vary.
• Makes 24 muffins.

Also, I've been the guest pinner on WeGo Health's "Healthy Eating" Pinterest Board all month. I'm actually kind of sad this is my last week as I've had tons of fun! I've been actively seeking out healthy recipes and finding some great eats on Pinterest!

If you aren't following me already, please follow my Mamacado Pinterest Board for lots of food, family and fun!

Products included in the post you may like:

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Bites

'Tis the season for warm and comforting recipes, especially those made with pumpkin! I've been making different forms of warm and comforting baked oatmeal for the past few months. Baked oatmeal is such an easy breakfast.  I mix everything together the night before, then the next morning I pour it in a pan and bake! This recipe for Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Bites is one of my favorites because:

• It includes pumpkin!
• It only calls for a little bit of honey as a sweetener. No processed sugar added.
• It's made in muffin tins for nice baked oatmeal bites. Perfect portion control, great for kids to pick-up and eat, easy to freeze, and easy to transport for a breakfast on the run or a lunch box.
• It's egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and allergy-friendly for Little Guy.
• I usually have all of these ingredients in my house, so it's an easy breakfast solution.

I made two different forms of these Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Bites. One using gluten-free oatmeal only, and the other using half gluten-free oatmeal and half quinoa. I think we all prefer the oatmeal bites, but add quinoa too if you'd like to try a different form of protein.

Here are the ingredients I used:

• 2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free, but you can use any oats you like) OR you can use 1 cup oats and 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1 cup milk (I used soymilk but any will work)
• 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal mixed with 3 Tbsp water) - this replaces 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp honey (or more or less depending on how sweet you like your baked oatmeal!)
• 1 tsp cinnamon*
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt

*It's easy to make this recipe even more pumpkin-liscous.  Just add other spices like pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg or even more cinnamon.  I was making this to please the palates of a 3 and 1 year old, so I used milder spices.

Directions:

• Mix everything together in a big bowl (I do this the night before to make it easy)
• Spray the muffin tins with oil (I use my trusty Misto Olive Oil Sprayer)
• Add oatmeal mix so it's just about even with the tops of the muffin tins
• Put in pre-heated 375 degree oven
• Bake for 25 - 30 minutes minutes, or until firm and a little brown around edges

Here are both the Pumpkin Baked Quinoa/Oat Bites and the Oat Bites only.  Both were tasty.  The quinoa bites just have a different texture and flavor than the oat bites.  I prefer the oat bites, but try them both and see what you think!

Everyone in our family enjoyed these including 1 year old Little Gal, 3 year old Little Guy and the
Hubs and me! I also love them because they're easy to freeze and pop in the microwave to reheat.



Are you a baked oatmeal fan? What's your favorite way to make/eat oatmeal?

Here's another one of my favorite ways to eat oatmeal: Vegan Overnight Oats

This smoothie would round out the pumpkin baked oatmeal bites nicely!: Green Ghostbuster Smoothie

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My Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

We've hosted Thanksgiving for the past 4 years and are continuing the tradition this year. We usually have around 15 people, but this year we have a smaller crowd of about 8 (plus the two lovebugs).  Less people is a good thing as I am MORE unprepared for this Thanksgiving than EVER. 

Since we were away this past weekend and since I’m working all week, my Thanksgiving prep has involved making lots of lists. Most of the actual prep will be done after work tonight and before everyone arrives tomorrow!  Thankfully our guests are bringing more than one side dish with them, so I definitely have help with the meal.

I’m keeping things rather easy this year. I'm sticking with the basics and also only making 2 recipes I've never made before: Allergy-friendly stuffing and sweet potato truffles.  Here’s my Thanksgiving dinner menu, a combination of allergy-friendly and traditional Thanksgiving food!

Allergy-friendly Thanksgiving food:

• Turkey – bought from a local farmer. I'm making it with olive oil and seasonings like rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.
• Allergy-friendly stuffing from this recipe
• Mashed potatoes (made with Earth Balance butter)
• Sweet potatoes (made with Earth Balance butter)
• Steamed green beans (for those who want an alternative to green bean casserole)
• Sweet potato pie truffles from this recipe in Clean Eating Magazine
• Possibly some Enjoy Life cookies

Traditional food (made with non-allergy friendly ingredients):

• Traditional sausage stuffing made by my mother-in-law (so good)
• Green bean casserole made by my mother-in-law (a crowd favorite)
• Rolls
• Pumpkin pie (My mom is making this.  We would have loved to make this allergy-friendly but I didn't have time this year!)

Hopefully I’ll remember to take photos of the meal this time!  Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

My husband and I love Kashi granola bars as a snack or quick breakfast (plus a banana) on the go. However, I can't seem to find any nut, dairy, gluten and egg free granola bars for my son. Solution?  Make them myself!  I found the recipe for these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars here, and they're so tasty that I haven't tried any alternate recipes.  These bars are probably even better than store-bought granola bars since they're homemade, less processed, and include less "junk" than store-bought granola bars.

They may be more of a fall-time treat since they use pumpkin, but they're a staple at our house year-round.  They also freeze really well.  I just cut them into toddler size squares, wrap them in plastic wrap, and put them in a large ziplock bag to freeze.  I defrost one or two on the counter overnight, or even in the microwave if I need one quickly.  They taste great even after being frozen.

I found this recipe here. I stayed true to most of it, but made a few minor changes.

Here are the ingredients I used:

• 3 1/4 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten free oats
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup honey (agave nectar works too)
• 3 Tbsp oil (I used Smart Balance this time) **This is updated from my original post - you need 3!
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup Craisins

In one large bowl combine: oats, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In another bowl whisk together: brown sugar, pumpkin, honey, oil and vanilla extract.

Pour mixture over oats and stir well, then add chocolate chips and Craisins (other add-ins would work well too if you can eat them!  I'd love these with almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds or other dried fruit).

Line your 8x8 or 8x11 pan with parchment paper as I did, or spray it with oil or cooking spray.

Put your pan into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cut them however you like - in bar shape, squares, etc.

REALLY delicious!