overnight pumpkin pie n'oatmeal - welcome, fall!

yesterday was all about firsts

first day of fall

first day of school (if you live in BC anyway)

first episode of the season for The Blacklist*

and first my first pumpkin-y meal of the season, 

the recipe for which i am sharing with you today!

overnight pumpkin pie n'oatmeal
grain free / dairy free / egg free / vegan

adapted from this recipe

ingredients:

1/2 cup mashed roasted pumpkin

1/2 cup coconut milk 

(i use the light can from Trader Joe's - no additives!)

2 tbsp coconut flour

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1-2 tbsp walnuts, roughly chopped

1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

maple syrup, to taste

instructions:

- combine all ingredients except for coconut and maple syrup in a jar or other container.  cover and place in your fridge overnight

- when ready to eat, heat through (if desired) on stovetop...or just eat it cold like i did

- top with coconut and a drizzle of maple syrup (if desired...i used the tiniest little bit and it was perfect!) oh, and a splash of extra coconut milk before serving doesn't hurt either ;)

*my husband likes to follow tv shows that cause me to turn into a giant stress ball, but at the same time capture my undying attention.  he did this when we were in college with the first season of 24, now he's done it with The Blacklist - so intense, but i just can't stop watching!!

happy first day of fall!

fall? already? what?!

we had what felt like the eternal summer this year

(actually, it's still going strong - yesterday was HOT and sunny!  ...and I'm loving every second of it)

but somehow, i'm still shocked that we're not still in March

this year has really, truly been a blur

but blurry or not, we've made it to the first day of fall

and of course, i had my first pumpkin-y meal for breakfast:  pumpkin pie "n'oatmeal"!

i'm not quite ready to share it with you

(just have to try one more tweak then you'll be the first to know - promise!)

until then, i wanted to share this little gem from my devotional this morning

(from today's morning reading in Morning and Evening by Charles Haddon Suprgeon)

Every attribute of God should become a fresh ray in the sunlight of our gladness. 

That He is wise should make us glad, knowing as we do our own foolishness. 

That He is mighty, should cause us to rejoice who tremble at our weakness. 

That he is everlasting, should always be a theme of joy when we know that we wither as the grass. 

That He is unchanging, should perpetually yield us a song, since we change every hour. 

That He is full of grace, that He is overflowing with it, and that this grace in covenant He has given to us; that it is ours to cleanse us, ours to keep us, ours to sanctify us, ours to perfect us, ours to bring us to glory-all this should tend to make us glad in Him.

...So let God's people now rehearse the deeds of the Lord! Let them tell of His mighty acts, and "sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously." Nor let them ever cease to sing, for as new mercies flow to them day by day, so should their gladness in the Lord's loving acts in providence and in grace show itself in continued thanksgiving. Be glad ye children of Zion and rejoice in the Lord your God.

(full devotional here)

so thankful that in my foolishness, my weakness, my finitude, my unsteadyness

i can and i should be glad in Him!

settling in

well, 

it's just over half way through September and we are finally starting to settle from our move

i'm so excited to share our new little space with you

whether that's through my feeble attempts at home decor

(seriously, not my forte)

or through the little things we'll be doing around here:

cooking

mothering

exploring

living

i've not taken my "fancy camera" out of it's case since we moved

except to second shoot that wedding i mentioned last post

but i have taken a few snapshots on my phone

so without further a do, here's a glimpse at what life's been like the past couple weeks:

(if you follow me on instagram, you've already seen these, so this is for the rest of you!)

our new view

books unpacked = a morning with dr seuss!

produce bought!  another "milestone"!

gotta take a break from unpacking...beach day!  (and beach hair  ;) )

girlies painting in the backyard = unpacking in peace

whoops, guess i got too into unpacking - girlie got into my mascara while i wasn't looking

rainy day people watching...another distraction while mama unpacks

finally starting to cook meals in our new home!!!

(this would be Sheena's recipe - I just used sheep feta instead of goat cheese)

...and that about wraps it up

happy weekend, folks!

what we've been up to + a quick healthy lunch idea

hi friends!

since i last posted on here 

we've gone on vacation,

we got the never ending cold

(seriously, went strong for two weeks!)

we've moved
we've spent lots of time with my in-laws who are in town
(hooray!)

and i second shot my first wedding

(more on that later)

it's safe to say we've felt overwhelmingly busy
but, busy or not, a gal's got to eat!
and despite caving to take-out more than i'd like to admit
i did manage to throw together this salad last week
it was so quick and so easy to make, i just had to share! 

Quick Pad Thai Salad

gluten free / dairy free / vegan / paleo

serves 1

salad:

- 1 small zucchini, julienned 

- 3 broccoli florets, chopped tiny
(my trick:  start at the stem and chop towards the top of the "tree". as you move up, the florets get smaller. stop when you've reached a size you like)

- a handful of baby carrots, julienned 

(or just regular carrots, those are just what i hand on hand)

dressing:

- 1 tbsp almond butter

- garlic powder, to taste

- ground ginger, to taste

- 1 tsp fresh lime juice

- himalayan pink salt, to taste

- 1 drop honey (seriously, it makes a difference!)

- 1/4 tsp almond meal (optional, for "grit"...i'm a texture eater!)

directions:

- prep salad veggies and place into a bowl

- whisk dressing ingredients together

- pour dressing over veggies and top with a handful of crushed walnuts