Carrot Pumpkin Bread

Carrot Pumpkin Bread, a two bowl healthy quick bread!

Carrot Pumpkin Bread ~vegan~ A two bowl healthy quick bread!

This month’s recipe redux asked us to share our favorite quick bread.

What’s a quick bread?  

According to the every so helpful Wikipedia:

Quick bread is any bread leavened with leavening agents other than yeast or eggs.

Quick breads include many cakes, brownies and cookies—as well as banana bread, beer bread, biscuits, cornbread, muffins, pancakes, scones, and soda bread.

Preparing a quick bread generally involves two mixing bowls. One contains all dry ingredients (including chemical leavening agents or agent) and one contains all wet ingredients (possibly including liquid ingredients that are slightly acidic in order to initiate the leavening process). 

Quick breads are my favorite as I am horrible at anything requiring yeast and kneading.  I don’t have the skill and I definitely don’t have the patience!  Plus, I like the consistency and taste of quick breads better!  For this challenge I combined two of my favorites, pumpkin bread and carrot cake!  I just dusted these loaves with powdered sugar, but by all means top with a cream cheese frosting instead! Try this vegan version from Minimalist Baker, it looks delicious!

Carrot Pumpkin Bread, a two bowl healthy quick bread!

Carrot Pumpkin Bread
 
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Carrot Pumpkin Bread, a healthy quick bread recipe! Makes 2 loaves, 24 slices
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 2 loaves
Ingredients
  • Dry Ingredients:
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1½ cups oat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger
Wet Ingredients:
  • 1 cup pumpkin
  • ½ cup applesauce
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 3 cups carrots, grated
  • ⅓ cups raisins
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In one bowl mix together dry ingredients. In another bowl mix together wet ingredients. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and fold in raisins.
  3. Transfer batter to loaf pans and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  4. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 175 Fat: 6 Carbohydrates: 29 Sugar: 11 Fiber: 3 Protein: 3

Carrot Pumpkin Bread, a two bowl healthy quick bread!

This recipe combines wholesome ingredients such as whole wheat pastry flour, oat flour, pumpkin, apple sauce and a whopping 3 cups of shredded carrots!!!  Ones slices weighs in at 175 calories and 6 grams of fat, but also provides 3 grams of fiber!

They don’t call it quick bread for nothing!  Like wikipedia says, mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients and combine together! This recipe makes 2 loaves, one to share and one for you :)

Carrot Pumpkin Bread, a two bowl healthy quick bread!

Don’t miss out, check out the other recipes from the recipe redux group!

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pumpkin pancake smoothie and Eco at Heart Straws

Disclaimer:  I received this product for free to review.  However, all opinions expressed are 100% my own!

Forget the mess of making pancakes this weekend and try this Pumpkin Pancake Smoothie instead!

Pumpkin Pancake Smoothie ~vegan, dairy free, gluten free~ A blend of pumpkin, maple syrup, oats, hemp seeds and spice!

Last week Noah asked for a pancake smoothie, not sure where he came up with the idea, but we went with it.  I scrambled around the house pulling out ingredients and the end product actually tasted like a pancake!  This week I had some extra pumpkin that needed to be used up, so I thought why not make a pumpkin pancake smoothie!

Any smoothie that makes hemp seeds, oats and pumpkin taste like pancakes is okay by me!  Also, don’t underestimate the power of pumpkin!  According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, winter squash including pumpkin protect against cancer due to its super high carotene content.

pumpkin pancake smoothie and Eco at Heart Straws
 
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Pumpkin Pancake Smoothie, makes 1 large serving
Author:
Recipe type: Drinks
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1 cup soy milk or milk of your choice
  • 1 large frozen banana
  • 2 heaping tablespoons of pumpkin puree
  • 2 tablespoons old fashioned oats
  • 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • ⅛ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • dash cinnamon
  • dash pumpkin pie spice
  • small pinch of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until frothy. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancake Smoothie ~vegan, dairy free, gluten free~ A blend of pumpkin, maple syrup, oats, hemp seeds and spice!

To make this smoothie even better, we drank it using Eco at Heart reusable stainless steel straws!  The lovely Lucy Kate over at Eco at Heart sent me a packet of straws to test out.  It was an offer I couldn’t refuse as I am constantly trying to eliminate as much plastic as possible.  In the past I tried switching from plastic straws to the cardboard straws, which turned out to be a flop…literally.  They turn to mush in no time at all!  However, these stainless steel straws withheld the smoothie test!  Plus, they are BPA free, non-toxic, super easy to clean with the mini cleaning brush (they are dishwasher safe too!) and there’s no risk of them breaking or rusting so they’ll last for years. Not to mention, they come in plastic free packaging and 5% of all profits will go to helping clean up our beaches and oceans!  We love our beaches!

I’ve been looking for stainless steel straws for a while now.  I’m psyched the hunt for them is over!  Head over to Eco at Heart to check them out!  Shipping in the USA is free and you will receive a 5% coupon if you sign up to be a part of their community!

Pumpkin Pancake Smoothie ~vegan, dairy free, gluten free~ A blend of pumpkin, maple syrup, oats, hemp seeds and spice!

crock pot 3 bean pumpkin chili

Crock Pot 3 Bean Pumpkin Chili, a true fix it and forget it meal!

Crock Pot 3 Bean Pumpkin Chili, a true fix it and forget it meal!

I used to be baffled by people who said they were too busy to eat.  What do you mean you don’t have time to eat?  My life revolved around food and leisurely trips to the grocery store.  Preparing meals was fun…and relaxing.  That was before I had kids!  Nowadays, I’m lucky if I can manage avocado toast let alone prepare a whole meal!  I’m starting to realize dinnertime turns into total chaos if I don’t have a thought out meal plan in place with ingredients already prepped.

Here’s what I’ve been doing each week to make life easier!

~Choose recipes for dinners Monday-Friday, buy groceries on the weekend

(Online shopping and pick-up helps with this!  If I have to take the kids to the grocery store we open at least 3 snacks, take 2 potty breaks and I can’t get out of the store without buying a balloon!)

~Cook a large batch of quinoa and short-grain brown rice

~Bake sweet potatoes and/or roast veggies

~Keep a basket full of bananas, apples and pears out on counter

~Cut melon, wash berries and grapes

~Have hummus and  whole wheat wraps handy for roll-ups

~Saute spicy chickpeas and tofu scramble

~Stock the pantry with broth and beans for soup

~Stash lara bars in the diaper bag

~Keep ripe avocados and rice crackers available for avocado smash (avocado mashed and topped with sea salt, tastes amazing!)

~Cook one large pot of soup to have for lunch a few days during the week (this week was 3 bean pumpkin chili, see recipe below!)

Crock Pot 3 Bean Pumpkin Chili, a true fix it and forget it meal!

crock pot 3 bean pumpkin chili
 
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Crock Pot 3 Bean Pumpkin Chili ~vegan, gluten free~
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
  • 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1.5 teaspoons cumin
  • 1.5 teaspoons oregano
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2.5 cups vegetable broth
  • Toppings:
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Avocado
  • Scallions
Instructions
  1. Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and pepper, sauté until tender. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Transfer to a crock pot.
  2. Add remaining ingredients to crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4 hours.
  3. Top with fresh cilantro, avocado and scallions.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 256 Carbohydrates: 43 Sugar: 7 Fiber: 12 Protein: 13

Crock Pot 3 Bean Pumpkin Chili, a true fix it and forget it meal!

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

You may want to alter the amount of chili powder added.  I kept it on the mild side for a kid-friendly version.  I threw this in the crock pot at night to have lunch ready and waiting the next day.  At ~250 calories, 13 grams protein and 12 grams of fiber you can’t go wrong!  A nutritious meal that will keep you feeling full!

Crock Pot 3 Bean Pumpkin Chili, a true fix it and forget it meal!