I had so much fun at the market yesterday. 

 

It was a gorgeous day in suburbia and all of my fall favorites were out!  Can you believe the squash was only $0.39/pound???  I bought a butternut and a spaghetti squash.

  

  

 

There were like 7 different types of peppers, so I got a jalapeno for today’s chili along with some other produce.  Speaking of chili, I wouldn’t be able to write a Sunday post without talking about chili.  My best friend and her daughter were coming out to suburbia for Sunday Funday complete with chili and a BEAR’S game.  The BOY and I were up and at ‘em early this morning getting the chili in the crockpot so I could head off to HOT YOGA.  He was a wonderful sous chef, and so I told him I would give him credit for his work.  We used the All-American Chili recipe from Cooking Light’s website, but I turned it into a crockpot recipe so I didn’t have to stay in the kitchen.

  

 

The chili tasted great, but was more watery than I would have wanted.  The recipe calls for canned tomatoes, chopped and undrained.  Next time, I would recommend draining the tomatoes (this might be different if you use the Dutch oven instead of the crockpot).

  

 

And for Dessert…Pumpkin Dump Cake (from Cookies and Cups)!

  

 

I layered pecans, graham crackers, AND toffee bits on the top because I had everything in the house.  The house smelled fall-like and fabulous when I ran upstairs to quickly change into my yoga clothes.  I pulled the cake out of the oven and left it to cool as I ran out the door for yoga.

 

  

 

When I returned home, after a brutal and uplifting workout, I came face-to-face with a delicious looking cake on the counter and I JUST HAD to take a taste (or four).  All I can say is YUUMMMYYY!  This cake is so easy, you can throw it together in minutes, and its unique flavor is memorable! 

  

 

I also whipped up a post-yoga smoothie with this coconut water sample I got.  Throw the following ingredients in a blender for a refreshing (and much healthier than pumpkin cake) post-workout snack.

1 cup coconut water (or Almond milk)

1.5 leaves chopped kale

1 overripe banana

1/2 cup mango

2 Tbsp almond butter

14g cacao powder

Ice

     

  

 

Our friends arrived around 1:00pm.  The house smelled great, and the chili was just about ready. 

Emmy and the BOY were definitely intrigued by our littlest guest.

 

There were plenty of pre-marathon carbs to go with our chili…

        

 

I found myself sneaking tastes of pumpkin cake all day.  The bottom layer is gooey like pumpkin pie and the topping is crumbly yellow cake with a mix of crunchy toppings.

And because she is my best friend and knows the BOY so well…she brought ingredients to make bacon-wrapped dates!

 

We definitely enjoyed the afternoon and even took advantage of the gorgeous weather with a walk through the neighborhood.  What a fun Sunday in Suburbia!!!  Looking forward to having our city guests over again SOON!