Apple cake tries to go Paleo

apple oatmeal bread

It is no secret that my favorite autumn treat is pumpkin oatmeal bread.

But... this year we went apple picking, and with two refrigerator drawers full of apples, I was inspired (cough: required) to modify the recipe to turn it into an apple cake.

I joke that the cake is "paleo." It's obviously not. But the recipe is packed with healthy omega-3s from the flax, plus it's low sugar, and 100% whole grain.

APPLE OATMEAL BREAD

Ingredients
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 mashed ripe banana or 1/2 cup prune puree
1/2 cup canola or walnut oil
2 whole eggs
1 cup shredded apple, squeezed
1 cup regular oats
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp oat bran or wheat germ*
1 tbsp ground flax seed*
2 cups whole wheat flour (preferrably whole wheat baking flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cooking spray


Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; mix well to ensure there are no undissolved bits of brown sugar. Combine apple, oats, and milk; add to sugar mixture, mixing well. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir with a fork. Add to sugar mixture; mix just until moist. (Do not over mix the batter!)

Divide batter evenly into TWO 9 x 5-inch loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread

This pumpkin oatmeal bread is one of my favorite fall dishes because it's both delicious and healthy. The recipe is packed with tons of vitamin A from the pumpkin and healthy omega-3s from the flax and walnuts. Plus it's 100% whole grain. I've been making this quick bread, and modifying the recipe, for years.

I think this version is perfection...

PUMPKIN OATMEAL BREAD

Pumpkin oatmeal bread

Ingredients
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 whole eggs
1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)
1 cup regular oats
2 tbsp oat bran or wheat germ*
1 tbsp ground flax seed*
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 cups whole wheat flour (preferrably whole wheat baking flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips*
1 cup chopped walnuts*
Cooking spray

*Note: Bran, flax, chocolate chips, and walnuts are delicious additions, but are entirely optional.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; mix well to ensure there are no undissolved bits of brown sugar. Combine pumpkin, oats, and milk; add to sugar mixture, mixing well. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir with a fork. Add to sugar mixture; mix just until moist. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. (Do not over mix the batter!)
Divide batter evenly into TWO 9 x 5-inch loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Postcard from an autumn walk

Next week, when my schedule has gone back to something approximating normal, I'll write a real postcard post about my travels.

In the meantime, here a photo from one of my runs last week:

Any guesses as to where I was???
Hint #1: Not Florida.
Hint #2: Chi can't guess because she knows the answer.

Autumn love

Autumn is here!!!

Ok... ok... Jamoosh is right. No one from Texas to Georgia is safe from heat waves until Thanksgiving, but now it's in the 60s at dawn - not the 80s. I'll take what I can get.

I love this season for so many reasons:

• Running is more pleasant (read: faster and less sweaty).
• I no longer get the stinkeye when I order a pumpkin spice coffee or an Oktoberfest beer.

• School is in session and I again love at least one of my jobs.
• Summer crowds are gone from the beaches, leaving them wide open for locals like me.
• Hiking in Florida in the autumn feels more like hiking, and less like swimming. (Full disclosure: I mostly avoid hiking and trail running here between May and September. Between the bugs and the heat, it can be a miserable experience. But fall and winter months? Bring on the trails!)

What is your favorite fall tradition?

You know it's autumn when...

Despite continued balmy weather in Florida, you know it's autumn when:

• You no longer need to wake up at 5am to start a long run, because the sun isn't up, and it isn't sauna-temperature, until nearly 7.


• On Sundays running your long run on the treadmill is more tempting than running outdoors because it's a great way to catch the first half of the morning football games. (Also, dreadmill miles seem much faster when you imagine yourself running in for the TD.)


• Spending the rest of Sunday on the couch or at a sports bar, eating nachos, watching the afternoon games, seems like a brilliant post-run recovery strategy.



Football photo circa 1910.
Image source

• Oktoberfest beer is on tap. 'Nuff said.


• Before your morning run, you spike your coffee with pumpkin-spice creamer, and pumpkin bread is your post-run food of choice.

Peanut loves pumpkin, too!
Note: No animals were harmed in the making of this blog post.

What do you love about this season?