Stepped-Up Pumpkin Bread

Fall is one of my favorite times in Colorado! Mornings are crisp and cool while the days are still warm. It’s also the time when I can start baking again without it heating up the house too much! In fact, the house got down to 55 degrees last night, and I refuse to turn the heater on this early in the year, so baking is a good excuse to actually warm up the house a little! I'm not totally ready to give up summer yet, but I know it's coming.

I love a tasty warm treat when the weather is cool. I’d be happy to drink espresso and snack on treats any day of the year if we’re being honest. However, tasty doesn’t not have to mean full of sugar and inflammatory flours! There are plenty of amazing ingredients that are delicious and nutritious at the same time.

I’ve been on a quick bread kick lately-particularly the warm flavors of pumpkin bread. In addition to being a classic fall flavor, pumpkin is actually quite nourishing. High in protein, Vitamins A & C, potassium, & iron. Its rich antioxidant nature increases your immunity, decreases your risk of heart disease and cancer, and even assists your eye sight and skin health! Pumpkin is a great addition to smoothies, oatmeal, and even pasta.

This particular pumpkin bread recipe is also packed full of fiber & iron with it’s swap of all purpose flour for coconut flour.

Incredibly moist and flavorful it’s the perfect breakfast, dessert, or afternoon treat paired with espresso!

Bread Ingredients

• 1 Cup Pumpkin Puree

• 4 Eggs

• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil

• 1/4 Cup Arrowroot Starch

• 1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

• 2 Tsp Cinnamon

• 1/2 Tsp Cloves

• 1/2 Cup Coconut Flour

• 1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar

• 3/4 Tsp Nutmeg

Streusel Topping

• 2 Tbsp Melted Coconut Oil

• 1/4 Cup Coconut Sugar

• 2 Tbsp Coconut Flour

• 1 Tsp Cinnamon

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F

Step 2: Mix pumpkin, eggs, sugar & oil. In a separate bowl mix remaining dry ingredients.

Step 3: Fold dry ingredients into wet and gently mix until combined. Pour into a greased baking pan.

Step 4: Prepare the streusel. Mix oil, sugar, flour, & cinnamon. Spread on top of batter.

Step 5: Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Optional: Mix in chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips for added flavor!

Back To The Basics

"Keto worked for me, you should do that". Vegan worked for me you should do that". "Paleo worked for me, you should do that". "Whole 30 worked for me, you should do that". Sound familiar? There are a plethora of praises for each diet and if you are trying to improve your health it can be pretty confusing to know which one of those claims is right-because to be healthy, you need to have the magic, mind-blowing, "never heard that before" formula, right? Well, maybe not. While each one of those diets has their own unique rules what's the one thing they all have in common? A return to whole, unprocessed foods. Well then if that's the case, perhaps we can lift the marketing terms and labels and get back to the root of it all. Get back to the basics. Perhaps the secret to healthy living has been in front of us this whole time, just disguised by diet labels to keep us confused and always looking for the next diet.

You know, I find it interesting that despite an endless list of diets, self-help books, and bio-hacks, we as a nation are the sickest we've ever been. In the U.S. alone, 34.2 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes, 1 in 4 deaths are caused from heart disease, and nearly 50% of all adults are living with high blood pressure. Perhaps the lifestyles we lead and diets we follow aren't truly serving us.

So with all this knowledge around different diets and quick fixes so readily available to us, why are we so sick, gaining weight, and stressed? Perhaps it's because we're looking for the easy fix, the quick solution, the magic pill. The good news is, there is a solution to many of these ailments; and while it may not be perceived as the easiest change or coolest trend, it is the one that will pay the highest dividends long term-lifestyle change and getting back to the basics.

So what does that mean in practice? At the end of the day, it boils down to:

1. Eating real, whole foods and limiting the intake of processed "foods".

2. Focusing on how you're eating by being mindful and in tune with your meal. I.e. eating at the table, eating with family, not watching television or working while eating, recognizing emotional eating etc.

3. Placing an emphasis on sleep, aiming for 7-9 hours each night.

4. Limiting stress and utilizing outlets like meditation, and nature as aids.

5. Spending less time in front of a screen and more time in nature or with family.

6. Building a community of friends and family.

7. Defining your purpose in life instead of mindlessly going through the motions.

8. Serving others

9. Leading an active lifestyle and consistently moving your body throughout the day.

10. Taking time to be grateful.

Not a magic pill, a 30 day diet, or earth shattering information. But maybe that's not what we need (because clearly that's not working for us). Maybe we just need a reality check on our lifestyle and a push to get back to the basics.

And when it comes back to the basics, there's nothing more basic than banana bread right?:) Tried out a new recipe today and it was delicious and quite nutritious too! Eating healthy, real foods, does not have to be boring! And bonus points for enjoying with those we love!

Blueberry Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 4 Ripe Bananas

• 2 Eggs

• 1/4 Cup Raw/Unfiltered Honey

• 1 Tbsp Vanilla

• 1 Tsp Baking Soda

• 2 Cups Almond Flour

• 5 Tbsp Coconut Oil (Melted)

• 1 Cup Blueberries

Directions:

1. Mash Bananas in a mixer

2. Add eggs, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla and mix until combined.

3. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.

4. Fold in blueberries.

5. Pour batter into a lined pan.

6. Layer sliced bananas on the top.

7. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F.

8. Enjoy while relaxing with a loved one and sipping some coffee:)

What Does "Putting In the Work" Mean Anyway?

I am a firm believer that a huge portion of success lies in consistency. Consistency in showing up and doing the work. However, in order to be consistent you need to have a plan. The excuses can come flooding in at 5am when that alarm goes off, or after work when you're tired, and by not having a set plan it's far easier to write the workout off for the day.

I've found that for a plan to stick it must be specific, flexible, and realistic-with a bit of accountability thrown in too.

Specific

I work with a great running coach who provides me detailed workouts two weeks at a time. In my schedule, he outlines time/mileage, intensity/pace, and terrain specifics. Some runs are as simple as 10 mile rolling recovery, while others are more detailed like 3 mile warm up, strides, 3x2 mile @ 6:40 with 2:00 recovery jog, and 2 mile cool-down. Regardless of the specifics I'll at least know what's on tap for the day so I can plan accordingly. When I get the schedule I will write the workouts down on a dry erase board and pair with different days, times, & locations for that 2 week span. That way when I go to bed, I'll know I have a 10 mile recovery at Spruce Mountain on Wednesday or a 3 hour long run on the Santa Fe Trail on Saturday. In addition to the running workouts, I will also pair up cross training and walks. I aim for 30:00-45:00 of cross training (core, upper body, lower body) 5x per week and generally just utilize workouts on YouTube or my own made up sets. That way, I'll know I'm doing upper body on Monday/Wednesday/Friday and don't waste time scrolling through youtube looking for a workout to do. Non-specificity is the root of procrastination and excuses.

Flexible

While I always write down the specifics of my runs and workouts for the week I maintain a mindset of flexibility. Forcing a workout on Tuesday when you feel you need an extra recovery run or only sticking to a certain location when a friend invites you to a different route can lead to poor quality workouts, burnout, and a lack of consistency. Make the plan, because you know life is inevitably going to get in the way, but be flexible when you have to cut that run short, your body requires more recovery, or you need that 15 minutes more sleep and have to run from your door instead of driving to the trailhead. At the end of the day success lies on the groundwork of consistency in being committed to getting in the work, yet flexible in how you arrive there.

Realistic

Pushing yourself outside your comfort zone and creating stretch goals are necessities for growth-however being unrealistic with the amount of work you're able to do can lead to burnout and disappointment if you're consistently not able to hit the goal. If you know you only have time to run 30 miles a week don't set a goal to run 60 because it "sounds better". Week after week of falling short on your goals may eventually cause you to get down on yourself or lose passion for the sport. Again, it's absolutely important to stretch yourself, and if you really do have time for a few extra miles try adding roughly 5-10% more each week to gradually build the increase into your lifestyle. Get real with yourself. Will you do the work? Is what you put on your plate too much? Are you committed to your goal? If the answer is no, see where you can make adjustments to make it realistic so you can stay consistent and increase the load as time allows.

Accountable

Making your goals known can significantly increase the likelihood of your success. Now this doesn't have to be in the public, and can be as simple as a spouse, coach, friend, or mentor. Making changes, or sticking to big goals can be overwhelming. Put it out there, find someone who can join on your journey, or simply find an accountability partner when the going gets hard.

It can and should take a bit of time for running, or any form of exercise, to consistently weave its way into your life, but by making a plan that's detailed, flexible, realistic, and allows for accountability you'll soon find your workouts quickly becoming the best part of your day!