In my humble opinion, there is no greater time of year than when the leaves begin to change, the air becomes cool and crisp and the scent of cinnamon lingers in the air. Wait, what am I talking about? I live in Southern California, this doesn't happen!
A girl can dream though, can't she!?
I truly love fall. It literally makes me giddy. Maybe it's a more of a nostalgic feeling than anything, bringing me back to my youth growing up in the Bay Area. My mom always had pumpkin-y candles burning and the leaves actually fell off the trees! The air was cold and crisp and I remember the excitement of Halloween [I was a big candy lover back then, if you could imagine!] and Thanksgiving with family and my grandma's insanely buttery mashed potatoes.
It's hard to pinpoint more about the nostalgia, it's just a warm and happy feeling when I think about fall. Now a days, I look forward to decorating our home with all things pumpkin and burlap, walking the pups with my hubby, and having friends and family over to celebrate birthdays, Thanksgiving and life over harvest-inspired meals and cocktails.
It may be a million degrees here right now, but my heart is ready for fall. I know that sooner or later, the leaves will begin to turn and the temperature will slowly fall and our sleeves will grow longer and thicker with each passing month.
Last week, my good friend Cara brought me the sweetest gift when her, her hubby and their kiddos came over for dinner [Cara shares an equal obsession with all things fall]. She surprised me with the most beautiful pumpkin plate so I figured this was a sure sign that the blog was also ready for all things fall. So, I whipped out my Real Food Meal Plan | Fall Edition and found one of my very favorite recipes : Pumpkin Spiced Muffins.
Because who doesn't like fall in the shape of a muffin accompanied by a warm cup o' Joe in the mornin'?
These muffins are so simple to throw together, they have the most beautiful fall flavor and they are so moist and fluffy! No processed grains or sugars here, instead I used coconut flour as my flour substitute and coconut sugar to sweeten! You can use less coconut sugar and even omit the chocolate chips to make a lower carb version.
I hope you love them. Slather them with butter and enjoy them with someone you adore. They taste even better that way.
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