Fall is in the air



I love fall, okay most of it except the fact that it means winter is on the way which I can do without. But fall is wonderful: pumpkins, squash, apples, cooler running weather and marathons. Besides the joy of drinking coffee and eating pumpkin anything to refuel after a run there are so many reasons to love fall running...
Cooler temperatures: No more (or much less) extreme heat allowing for pushing through runs much easier and speeding up.
  • Let the cooler weather guide you and after a short warm up add short intervals of speed or increase overall pace
  • Enjoy not always needing to carry water
  • Add distance slowly as you feel it, likely being able to cover a longer run in the same time as the summer heat
  • Crisp morning air is the perfect way to wake up
  • No more waking up super early to avoid the heat
  • Time to pull out the cute long sleeve running clothes that have been packed away all summer
  • Enjoy the changing leaves
  • No ice or snow yet instead the sound of crunching leaves under your feet are the soundtrack of the season
  • Fall means marathon season is here! 2 weeks to go...
What is your favorite part of fall?

To take advantage of pumpkin season I decided it was time to change my pumpkin bread recipe to a gluten free version. The result was great, love the addition of fresh ginger adding a little kick.


Pumpkin Spice Bread
1 c oat flour
½ cup pecans ground fine
1/2 c oats
½ c brown rice flour
1/2 c dates, packed (soak for a few mins in warm water if dry)
1/2 c non-dairy milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger (I used fresh and pureed with dates, added a great flavor)
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c raisins or chopped dates
½ c pumpkin seeds

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.
Mix dry ingredients (flour, ground nuts, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices). Sift or stir with a fork to combine.
Puree dates and pumpkin in a high-powered blender. Add remaining wet ingredients (pumpkin, applesauce, vanilla and non-dairy milk), combine. Add to dry ingredients, stir to combine. Add in raisins and nuts.
Pour into nonstick or sprayed bread pan. I used 4 small and baked 28 minutes

Linking up the Fitness Friday, Gluten Free Fridays and Wellness Weekend

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 21, 2012 at 11:22 AM

    I'm gonna bookmark this recipe! I MUST try it!!! :) Hey, I'm hosting a running blog hop at http://feetdominatingpavement.blogspot.com/2012/09/friday-runners-blog-hop.html. I'd love to link up to your blog! Check it out. :)
    L Finch

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenSeptember 21, 2012 at 11:59 AM

      Thanks! I'm heading over to check out your blog and link up :)

      Delete
    2. UnknownSeptember 21, 2012 at 12:20 PM

      Thanks for the link-up! :)

      Delete
  2. JamieSeptember 21, 2012 at 1:38 PM

    I love fall running too! I feel like I can breathe and I'm not, always, sweating like crazy! I also love race season (although my husband and I race a lot all year round)!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenSeptember 21, 2012 at 5:31 PM

      It is so nice to run without sweat pouring off me! Thinking about it Fall is actually the end to big race season for us.

      Delete
  3. Clarinda @ Enjoying the CourseSeptember 21, 2012 at 1:53 PM

    The cooler air is nice, isn't it? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenSeptember 21, 2012 at 5:32 PM

      I love it :) SO much easier to run in then the thick summer air.

      Delete
  4. UnknownSeptember 22, 2012 at 12:07 AM

    Oh no! I'm about to hit summer! Lol - I'll let you have fall for awhile, but I might come and take it back. Pumpkn spice bread looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenSeptember 22, 2012 at 6:47 AM

      Today you can have fall back, it is 40F and we are doing a mud run, yuck! That is too cold.

      Delete
  5. jillconyersSeptember 22, 2012 at 3:22 AM

    Visiting from the Runner's Blog Hop. This is my favorite time of year. I'm loving the cool evening runs and pretty much any recipe with pumpkin :)

    http://jillconyers.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenSeptember 22, 2012 at 6:48 AM

      Same here, anything with pumpkin, I'll make it year round too :)

      Delete
  6. Suz and AllanSeptember 25, 2012 at 4:03 PM

    I pretty much love everything about fall. It's such a beautiful time of the year and a great time to run outside!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Cindy DGSeptember 25, 2012 at 6:33 PM

    I LOVE pumpkin! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! We had some fabulous entries this week! Our gluten free blogger directory is growing too! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! :) See you next Friday! Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenSeptember 27, 2012 at 7:59 AM

      Thanks Cindy, I love seeing the recipes everyone shares :)

      Delete

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