Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

As you may or may not know, I love pie. LOVE IT! A few posts ago I had mentioned that I made myself a Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake for breakfast and a few of you asked me for the recipe. One person in particular, Mrs. Magnolias and Mimosas herself, Allyson wanted me to post the recipe here. And since I love her like a sister from another mister, that I've never actually met in person - I will answer her request now.

I found the actual recipe I used here. Not only was I happy to be able to read all the ingredients but the lovely people over at sparkspeople.com (best weight loss tool ever!) also break down the nutritional information which is vital when you're in the weight loss game. Please note that for a protein shake this may seem fairly heavy in calories but this is my breakfast in the morning and other than maybe adding a bit of fruit with it, that's all I eat and it keeps me going until my mid morning snack. Not to mention it's portable and takes 5 minutes to make in the AM. I don't have time to make eggs and Oatmeal NEVER fills me up - this kills 2 birds with one stone. I get a full belly, fast and easy.

via google • nom-a-licious!

PUMPKIN PIE PROTEIN SHAKE
(Notes in orange are my additions/changes to this recipe)
Ingredients
1 cup Water (I sub in 1 cup skim milk, it makes the shake more creamy)
1 - 2 cup Ice (give or take depending on your desired thickness)
1/2 cup Libby's Canned Pumpkin (be sure you get pumpkin NOT pumpkin pie filling)
3 Tbsp. Genisoy Vanilla Soy Protein Shake Powder

(I used a scoop and a half of my favorite Vanilla Whey Protein Powder to get my normal serving of protein mixed with this shake)
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
Ground Nutmeg (to your liking)
3 Packets Equal Sweetener

1 tsp. Natural Peanut Butter (I add this for the extra flavor and I figured there is nothing "crust" flavored in this recipe. The peanut butter helps punch it up a notch in flavor).

Directions
This recipe makes 1 serving. (More like 1-1/2 when I make it, if you measure by my "to go" cups). Make it for a fast meal or a snack! Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until ice is completely crushed and it looks like a smoothie. Use more or less water to suit your taste. Soy Milk or Skim Milk can be used in place of the water, but the nutritional values will not be the same and the calorie count will be higher.

Number of Servings: 1

Original Recipe: 183 calories

I am sure my version has more calories since I add in Milk, Peanut Butter and more protein powder but I am OK with that seeing as this is a breakfast MEAL for me and not a snack. If I was to make this as a snack I would follow the above recipe exactly to not risk making it more calories.

So there you have it - Pumpkin Pie Protein Shakes for all my fellow pumpkin lovers out there! Nothing will ever be a Mrs. Smith's Pumpkin Pie, but this is a good sub and a healthier way to enjoy without guilt!

If you enjoy Protein Shakes on the regular, what is your favorite recipe? I just found one for Egg Nog flavored shakes that I can't wait to try!!!

1 party down: epic fail

I don't think I can ever recall a busier Halloween season for me. It's fair to assume that I wait until the last minute for everything and as I've said before my Halloween costumes are no different. This year however I was ahead of the curve which rocked... then it hit me, after finding out we were invited to not one but two different Halloween events, I'd probably have to wear my gear twice. I wasn't opposed to that at all but then it happened.... Yep, good ole' mother nature reared her annoying ass head and my choice costume was rendered slightly useless. Ok less useless and more along the lines of seriously uncomfortable and unflattering to the millionth power. THANKS AUNT FLO!

Enter brainstorming freak out... Friday afternoon at work I devised a plan to pull together a costume on Saturday morning for the Saturday night party. After google searching for what seemed like forever and racking my brain I came up with this....

via google • "Time to nut up or shut up!"

Yes! That is Emma Stone, aka Wichita from Zombieland. I love this movie and figured she would be just the right bit of tough and sexy for me without being inappropriate! Shopping was simple. I already had the boots and the skinny jeans, all I needed was the slouchy white tshirt, leather jacket and a shot gun. Easy right? Actually it was so simple I was shocked. Thankfully everything I purchased was bought in person and was right there on hand for me.

 FIRST ITEM: LEATHER JACKET

via target

Truth be told I really just needed and excuse to purchase a new jacket. And I love this one the faux leather is so soft and animal cruelty free. Win/Win! I was also able to find a soft, barely there white t-shirt to sport for under $9.99 which rocked!

NEXT ITEM: MY BOOM STICK!

(extra points if you tell me what that's from)

SmokN'Barrel Toy Shot Gun • via amazon

Sometimes Wally World comes through for me - and in this case they did in a big way. Did you know that Target doesn't sell toy guns unless they are Nerf or don't look anything like a real gun. I can respect that but come halloween time you sort of need that type of thing. One stop shopping would have been awesome but I scored this toy gun [read: one very similar covered in hot orange colors] for $10.00! The awesome part was it makes shooting noises and if you are willing to fill it with batteries it also blows smoke AND empties out shot gun shells when you open it. Did I feel like doing this? NO, and you'll see why.

ITEM #3: SHE'S CRAFTY

via google

Here's where the costume got more crafty and less store bought. I wasn't about to walk around with a hot hunter orange and cream colored gun. Nothing says ZOMBIE KILLER like a Creamcicle colored fire arm! I went ahead and purchased some Flat Black spray paint and spent my afternoon huffing creating my zombie slaying masterpiece. 

ITEM #4: GET YOUR FACE DID GURRRL!

bottom quad is what I used • via cover girl

Finishing touches... a compact of dark eye shadow and a cheap eyeliner pencil in midnight black and I pretty much had Wichita nailed. (I've mentioned this before I am HORRIBLE and so challenged when it comes to make-up application - in the end I was happy but it was a far cry from what I wanted it to look like, seriously an 11 year old could do better!)

ITEM 5: GET YO' GROSS ON!

via hot topic • I didn't use THIS kit but these kits ROCK!

No mess and super easy to remove.

Add to that a few "zombie bite" and "blood drip" temporary tattoos and I was ready to rock the evening. {I know that Wichita was never actually BIT but I thought it would be a fun touch and at the least people might know I'm a Zombie Hunter}. 

Thankfully accessories were not an issue, she doesn't wear any - I sported some modest hoops in my ears just because I feel naked without earrings but otherwise I was simple and hoped rocking the Zombieland look to a T. The only extra thing I considered adding but didn't was chopping off my bangs. I seriously thought about it but couldn't find my hair shears. In the end I'm glad I didn't - Mike shaved off his beard for his costume and was immediately regretting the choice the next morning.

I guess you're wondering where the EPIC FAIL came in aren't you? Well first off NO ONE at the party had any clue who I was...For real??? Secondly... I totally forgot to take pictures!!! Let's just say some Hunch Punch was served at the party and our host with the most "MR. Paula Deen" had me in stitches and I sort of forgot about photographic evidence. So my Wichita costume and Mike's Frank the Tank get up may have to just live in our memories instead of film or digital images, and for that I am sorry.

If I do decided to revisit Wichita weekend I promise to take pictures... but after leaving the party we went to the bar and it was WAY too warm in there with my jacket on. I dealt with it due to "bloat" but if I'm feeling less um... menstral by this weekend it might not be an issue.

Have you all been to any great parties yet?!?!? Did people know who you were dressed as?

a day of nostalgia

Every once in a while I get completely nostalgic. When this happens I tend to think about days when I was younger, when life was simple and things were always OK so long as you got tucked in at night. Maybe it's due to the fact that PMS is rearing it's ugly head, or maybe it's just all the fond memories I have of growing up and this time of year when the holidays are growing closer  - whatever it is I've been in the mood to flood these nostalgic thoughts with comfort. They say the best trigger for memories is your sense of smell and I couldn't agree with this more.

Last night I took a chance and grabbed myself a huge tub of Noxzema. My skin has been less than attractive lately and with all the different lotions and potions a girl could go broke. I used this stuff every, single, day when I was growing up and I always had the best skin. Granted I'm not longer the 12 year old that I once was and my skin certainly doesn't have that youthful glow of 14, but at first whiff of the container I was transported back to my childhood home and the thoughts of using the amazing eucalyptus scented face wash.

via noxzema.com

I have to say I really like the label redo it made me feel a bit less "old fashioned" purchasing a soap I used when I was a teen. Like I said I had great skin as a teenager. I get more zits now than I did back then. This my be due to the fact that I wear more make-up now, I was bare faced through most of my pre-teen and teen years, or it could just be age, I'm not sure. Either way I scrubbed my face with this magic scrub this morning and my day instantly felt brighter than the others this week. Fingers crossed this will do the trick for my skin. I've tried a ton of different things and nothing seems to work for me lately. I'm over buying cover-up in bulk.

Anypizzaface, for the past few weeks I've been trying to stop myself from purchasing more shampoo. I tend to over buy in this department and have told myself I need to finish and entire bottle before purchasing more conditioner and shampoo. Our shower seriously can't hold that many products, mine greatly out weight Mike's. I hate that he's able to condense his shampoo, condition and body wash into ONE single product! My hair would NEVER have that. I say I've been trying to stop myself from purchasing new shampoo because the other week when browsing through the drug store I came across a product that I thought for sure no longer existed. It hadn't dawned on me to look for this shampoo line in ages because I haven't used it since I was in high school.

via finesse

Like the tagline implies Finesse got a make-over with a new look. The store I was in had the shampoo on sale in a huge display but I told myself not to spend the money. That doesn't mean I couldn't enjoy it for what I truly wanted it for right then and there - and that was the scent. I opened a bottle and took a huge sniff and immediately I was transported back to summers spent with my family in North Carolina on the shore. I used this shampoo day in and day out and loved every time I used it. It also made me recall the times I'd get sunburned and use the Noxzema to cure the burn. I will warn you though that while it makes the pain go away... a day to two days later you will be peeling wherever you put the Noxzema, your face, your arms, your legs everywhere - it sucks so I wouldn't recommend it. Get yourself some aloe instead. Finesse was always my go to hair line. I had long, huge, naturally (I wish, read: permed to death) curly hair. The entire line tamed my mane from the soft touch hair spray to the soft feel gel my hair was fabulous. I wonder if it would still do the trick on my now naturally wavy (and I do mean natural, I have no idea where it came from) hair.

Since I've been feeling particularly nostalgic and maybe a bit homesick in the past few days I thought it was time for some good old fashioned comfort food. I'm currently between workout dvds (ordering my next set today) and while I could consider this a cheat meal I really wanted to just have something that reminded me of home without busting my pants wide open or blowing my hard work.

As a kid my mother always made the best dinners. Some from scratch some from the can and some from the box.

via jiffy mix

Jiffy Muffins have always been and always will be my favorite all time box mix Blueberry Muffins! My mother made them often and it wasn't until I moved to Alabama, lived on my own and started cooking that I realized how much I missed eating these. I haven't made them often because I can polish off an entire box all by myself but in making my choice to have a comfort food meal, I knew these had to be a back up to my main course.

It's not often that I crave fried chicken... but I have been for a few days now.  And when I get something like that in my brain, I can't shake it until I eat the food I want. Instead of trying to fry it up, which I've done before, got great results and then immediately felt guilty for making and eating it... I decided I would try one of the many oven baked recipes I've seen all over the place. I decided to go with my trusted and true Paula Deen for her Oven Fried Chicken recipe.

via google • I love this woman!

I mean really other than 500 lbs. of butter how can you ever say Mrs. Deen is wrong? When I was younger my mother always made fried chicken wings, naked and fried until super crispy in her skillet, most likely with tons of butter, but they were AWESOME! We always had blue berry muffins with this meal so its a win/win for me. I figured to feel less guilty about my meal I'm preparing I will add in some fresh steamed veggies on the side and call it a night.

Add to the comfort food dinner some great Thursday night entertainment and a warm blanket for the couch and I'm good to go! I could go on and on about all the things that make me feel warm and fuzzy, comforted and nostalgic but I am wondering from all of you...

When you feel like you need a little comfort - what does the trick for you? What is your favorite comfort food, or favorite comforting smell?

P.S. I made myself a Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake for breakfast today and it was heavenly! I will share the recipe soon! In even better Pumpkin Obsession news Wally World FINALLY got on the ball and I was able to purchase my Pumpkin Spice Creamer yesterday! The best part is I brought it to work to ensure I wouldn't drink the entire bottle alone. I have my every changing and shrinking figure to worry about here people I'm not crazy!