Fall is Upon Us

The weather today definitely feels like fall and the ten-day forecast shows no 80 degree temperatures, so I think it's time to switch to fall mode.  While summer is truly my favorite season as I love warm weather, fall is okay, too.  I love to pull out the old sweatpants, whip up some yummy fall treats, and decorate the house for the upcoming holidays.  Fall also brings on football season, which goes hand-in-hand with yummy soup and appetizer recipes.  See, fall isn't so bad!

Yesterday I had my little kids make some stained glass apples to hang on our patio door.  It's so simple and a great craft for those little hands.  Simply print off an apple coloring page, cut the apple out, trace it on some construction paper, and carefully cut it out leaving an open space, while leaving the outside edges in tact, to put the tissue paper in.  Cover with contact paper (make sure the sticky side will face away from your tracing marks) and cut it out.  I pre-cut the tissue paper for my kiddos, but if they're a little bit older they can rip the pieces for some extra fine motor practice.  To go along with our project, we read a few stories about apples:  Apple Trouble by Ragnhild Scamell and The Biggest Apple Ever by Steven Kroll.

Look at those little fingers working!

Taking their time to make...

Beautiful apples!

Fall also means time to make some pumpkin recipes!  Today I thought I'd share with you a healthy (by my books!) pumpkin muffin recipe.

Pumpkin Muffins

 1 1/2 cups flour (whole grain works well or do half and half)

3/4 c. sugar

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

pinch of salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 regular size can of pumpkin

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 c. canola oil

1/3 c. greek yogurt (vanilla or plain; I prefer vanilla)

Combine dry ingredients.  Mix pumpkin, eggs, oil, and yogurt in separate bowl and add to dry ingredients.  Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes (may take longer, as original recipe was for mini muffins).