How I spent September 1st: the unofficial start to autumn!

September 1st is normally an exciting day, but this year I did it right! I binged on pumpkin.

I started off my morning the only way a proper Halloween gal should: with a batch of tasty & delicious Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes. Addicting, they're so good.

Filled with energy and excitement, I took a trip to my local Wegmans to check out their stock of pumpkin ales. (If you don't know this, Wegmans has one of the best beer gardens. EVER.) And I wasn't disappointed this time, either!


I took notes of all the pumpkin brews they had available then selected my custom 6-pick to take home to taste. Look for blog posts covering each one!

Next stop? A quick coffee date with the boyfriend. While Sept. 4th is the official release date for the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks, many will serve them starting the first of the month.

I was THRILLED to snag one yesterday--my first of the season! Since I'm livin' life a bit healthier these days, I opted for a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Light. If you want the hot version of the beverage, ask for non-fat, no whip. There is no "skinny" version of the drink.

Very little of this was actually planned yesterday; it all revolved around a day full of errands.  I happened to have left over pumpkin pancake batter. I happened to have needed to make a trip to King of Prussia mall yesterday, which just happens to be near the new Wegmans. We made a coffee run prior to getting me some new running shoes, and that particular Starbucks happened to be serving PSLs already.

To complete my day of errand-running, I had to visit our local supermarket, a GIANT Food Store. As we pulled up in the lot to park, a bright patch of orange caught my eye. Rows and rows of pumpkins for sale! SWEET. Any size, just $5. Obviously I had to buy one.

It's such a gorgeous one, isn't it? I'm so excited to dig into it tomorrow and roast up a batch of seeds. My favorite snack! 

Oh, yeah. The reason I went to GIANT in the first place? To stock up on pumpkin puree, of course ;)

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

(source: Mother Thyme)

1 ½ c. white whole wheat flour

3 tsp. baking powder

2 tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 c. milk (I used 1%)

1 c. pumpin puree

1 large egg, lightly beaten (I totally forgot to beat it lightly... Don't think it mattered much.)

2 tbsp. butter, melted

I threw all the above into a quart-sized measuring cup--easy to pour from and store leftover batter in with less clean up!

Since I'm on a healthy kick now, I measured out all of the ingredients and decided the recipe would make 4 Jenn-sized servings.

Using a 3/4 cup of batter for a serving, scoop two spoonfuls per pancake onto a griddle pan over medium heat. Since the batter is on the thicker side, use the spoon to spread out the pancake a bit. Mine were probably about 6 inces in diameter. 

Unlike your run-of-the-mill flapjack, these pancakes will not bubble all over producing your usual tell-tale tiny batter wholes. Instead, you may see one or two little guys. Use your best judgement and flip when you think they're good and ready. Does not take long!

I ate mine with a bit of buttery spread and sugar-free syrup, which only added on an extra 40 calories to my pancake serving!

Here is the nutritional information for the pancakes: