Pumpkin Banana Bread, Skinny-Style

Now that fall has really arrived (and, okay, I finally unpacked my mixer), I've been on a complete pumpkin binge, along with the rest of the blogosphere/world.

I made these Pumpkin Donut Muffins from my girl Martha last week, and while they were borderline orgasmic and the coworkers I pawned them all off on were huge fans, they were not a pretty sight to see in-progress. I’ll just say that 75% of my countertops were covered in melted butter, cinnamon, sugar and flour by the end of it, and leave it at that.

So of course, to balance out the gluttonous donut muffins, I baked a dessert bread. But it’s fine, because it’s got “skinny” in the name, right? Right.

This bread is not any old pumpkin bread. The mix of the classic banana bread taste with the pumpkin was unexpectedly delicious, and still had a very strong, cozy, nutty, autumn-y taste to it, thanks to the added spices.

This recipe was super easy to make, and the end result was a dense, moist, almost fudgdy – but  altogether heavenly – bread that you don’t have to feel (too) bad for indulging in.

SkinnyTaste has quickly been my go-to for straightforward recipes for health(ier) dinner menus and desserts, and especially lightened-up gameday snacks. If you don’t already lean on this fantastic recipe resource, I HIGHLY recommend!

What are your favorite recipes to cook/bake in the fall?

Friday's Fancies: Monochromatic Forest

I am a lifelong green lover. Chartreuse, kelly, pine, emerald, mint, olive - you name it, I love it. I'm actually wearing three different shades of green as I type this (kelly green striped tee, DY peridot ring, green amber ring)...

So of course, the first thing that came to mind when I started to think about this week's "marvelous monochrome" Friday's Fancies was green. But not just any green - deep, saturated, fall-y green. And nothing says autumn better than woodsy tones - hunter, forest, pine - whatever you choose to call them, they're my go-to's when the weather gets chilly.

{via}

I may not be chic enough to pull off this monochromatic look, but that won't stop me from pine-ing (okay, pun intended) after these gorgeous green beauties.

Green sweater / Equipment silk blouse / McQ by Alexander McQueen pleated skirt / J.Crew tall pants / Kate Spade high heels / Penelope Chilvers green boots, $425 / Hunter boots, $115 / J.Crew kitten heels / Yves Saint Laurent / Zip bag / Tory Burch / Essie nail polish / Signature Studs Calf Hair Cuff

Saturated green velvet, haircalf, lizard and silk? Doesn't get much better than that, my friends.

Are you a green lover or a green hater? Would you rock a monochromatic forest green ensemble?

Head on over to {long distance loving} for more monochrome love.

Retail Therapy Thursday

It's another dreary one up here, folks. As much as I love to complain about crappy weather, there is something about a drizzly day (or last 7 days, but who's counting? Not me, cause that's an exaggeration....) that drives me toward anything and everything cozy.

It's like I'm on a hibernation hunt. I didn't even really notice until I took a peek at my recent <3's on Currently Obsessed - you'd think I was planning for a wintertime hot cocoa party in an igloo. Not that it's under 60 degrees here, but something about it being dark during the day just screams winter, no? I'm going crazy?

Fine, I’m crazy – but this is what I’m feelin’ these days…

Lotsa tartan, faux fur, wool everything...the staples. I am fervently on the hunt for a perfect Aran sweater (or "jumper", I should say) - there's nothing better than a chunky cable knit, especially in cream. I think I finally found my perfect Aran match in Club Monaco's after seeing it on Liz via instagram; the texture and the fit is just perfect.

And of course, some cold-weather cooking/baking essentials. I'm dying to add a crock pot to my army of kitchen appliances for some pulled buffalo chicken, (pumpkin) chili, and on and on and on...

What are your cozy day essentials?