Welcome to Fall...Take 2

So, the "Welcome to Fall" committee reconvened on Saturday night after our feeble attempt a few weeks ago that was bathed in heat and humidity!  But last night was wayyyyyyyyy better, so we headed over to our quintessential "Fall/Winter Cozy Place"...Issac Newton's in Newtown, PA....

We even managed to snag a SWEET table outside to enjoy the cooler weather;)  Now THAT'S the "Welcome to Fall" dinner we had been waiting for!!

And after my carb-o-licious breakfast and lunch on Saturday, the second my eyes spied the "Cup of French Onion Soup/Half Cesar Salad" on the menu, I knew I was sold!  It just hit the spot perfectly at that moment...

Or maybe it was the chill in the air and the "dinner by candlelight' that helped sell it:)  hahahahaha...either way, it was a nice night!

And it got even BETTER as we headed over to Shady Brook Farms for some:

And they even had a sign to greet us to let us know that FALL had arrived at Uncle Dave's;)

....even if it was NOT easy picking from THIS list of flavors!  Yowza!!

...but in the end, I went with a scoop of Pumpkin....and I must admit: A scoop of Reese's Peanut Butter cup:)  I just can NOT get away from peanut butter ice cream this year;)

Uncle Dave's ice cream is supppper creamy & oh-so-delicious!  After Scott tasted his Tiramisu & Dulce de Leche flavors, he said we can add this to our plethora of REALLY GOOD ICE CREAM SPOTS! :)  There are so many! :)

Anyway....so Sunday morning, I felt like doing a little bit more of a "healthier" breakfast (after BASKETBALL sized pancakes yesterday morning;)...so with a little help from Penny (who had JUST moved from her spot between me & the counter when she heard the "BING" of the camera;)

I used Kristin's recipe and made the VERY FALL-like "Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal"....

For the Oatmeal, you mix:

• 1/2 cup of oatmeal
• 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or whatever milk you have on hand)
• 1/4 cup pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• A teaspoon of vanilla
• Tons of Cinnamon & Nutmeg

You mix all of that together, pour into ramekins & bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

Next I mixed together:

• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans  (Scott's choice:)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon butter

Top the oatmeal, and bake for another 10 minutes or until the sugar is melty. 

YUM!!!!  I set this in front of me and just took in the smell of PUMPKIN PIE!...in the morning....for Breakfast!  And it was healthy!!:)  I ate all of the creamy, pumpkin flavored oats around the edges first...

...and saved all of the crunchy, brown sugar kissed pecans for the end! 

Heaven in a bowl, I tell ya!  Heaven in a BOWL! :)

And we weren't the only happy ones, as Penny found a new lounging spot on the sun porch while we ate our pumpkin pie oatmeal:)

The rest of the day was spent enjoying a few more FALL-ish events;)  I'll fill you in tomorrow, but here's a sneak peek:

And in other news, since I got selected by Foodbuzz to be one of their Featured Publishers just last week...I thought I'd take the plunge and try to enter my little blog in their "Project Food Blog" contest!  The first challenge is to describe why your blog should be selected as the "Next Food Blog Star"....so here goes:

I started my blog to show people that you can live a normal life and still maintain a healthy weight.  A pretty common idea for most people, but from a person who saw life from the "other side of the fence", one where I believed the only way to be "healthy" was to exist on prepackaged "healthy" frozen meals from a box or celery sticks and water, I'm living proof that you can be healthy AND still enjoy your life.    I've currently lost 63 pounds (My husband even topped me and lost a big 7-0!), we enjoy ourselves when there are treats around (aka-weekends or in our travels), and try our best to eat healthy in between all the fun!  I'm not Miss Fitness or Miss Perfect Diet....but I think that's why I've been able to maintain my loss for 5 years:  Because it's accessible!  It's the little changes you can make in your everyday life that can change your mindset from "Diet" to "Lifestyle"....it might not be perfect, but I'm living proof that it can work!    Is every day easy???  Of course not, and hence why it's all part of a Journey...and this blog is part of the road on my journey from obese to healthy...and I'm going to make sure it's a Tasty one! :)


That being said, another thing I learned is that "health" food DOES NOT have to be boring!  A few swaps here and there can save you TONS of fat & calories that you'll never notice OR miss, and THAT's what I hope to show people.  That healthy eating can be delicious AND you can have a little extra "fun" along the way:)

So that's my shpeel:)  I hope that helps nail down "My Tasty Journey" for any new readers out there:)
Anyway....hope you had a GREAT weekend and are ready for the week ahead...(the jury is still out on that one;)  Have a great night! :)