In honor of October's commencement this week, I thought I'd tell you a chilling story today...
So, let me give you a few deets first.
When we got pregnant with Jade, we bought a standard-sized crib that she ended up using very little. In fact, all of our kids have actually slept the best in the detached car seat, if you can imagine, so, if they're not in the bed with me, that's where they sleep. It's nice in a way because I just move it from room to room with me, if need be.
The other night, I went to bed, as usual. My husband was at work, so it was just me and the kids in the house. Sam fell asleep in the car seat, so I just carried him in with me, setting him by my bedside.
I'm an extremely light sleeper, so I often wake up during the night, and this night was no exception.
I would guess about two hours into my slumber, I awoke.
I peered into Sam's car seat to check on him, and he was gone.
I immediately felt panicked as I searched the bed, thinking I had put him there and forgot, but he wasn't there either.
I jumped up and ran out to the living room, on the verge of hysterics, and didn't see any sign of him!
I was beyond scared at this point and just when I was about to wake the girls, I returned to my room, flipped on the light, and found Sam softly snoring in his car seat.
Okay, so I know you're probably thinking what I was...I imagined it, the shadows were just playing tricks on me, I was half asleep, etcetera...but I would swear on an important appendage that none of the above were the case. When I initially checked the seat, I had clearly seen the belt sitting loosely among the blankets, and when I found him the second time, no belt was visible.
I have had a couple of eerie experiences in my life, but none so dramatic as this.
Needless to say, the rest of my night was a bit unsettling!
In addition to creepy narratives, October is a time for all things pumpkin. 😀
This is my absolute favorite time of the year! I love the cooler weather coupled with the anticipation of the upcoming holiday season, not the least of which is Halloween.
I posted about these awhile back for a 'What I Ate Wednesday', and a few of you expressed interest in seeing them.
As with all of my current lower sugar recipes, these may not be for everyone, especially those of you currently consuming a lot of sweets.
I love the taste of the pumpkin combined with the spice blend, and the little bit of molasses sets them off perfectly for me. What really makes them shine, though, is the coconut butter 'frosting', which is entirely sugar-free!
Pumpkin Pie Bars (Low Sugar, Paleo)
Ingredients
BARS:
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin
- 2 eggs
- 2 t. molasses
- ¼ c. dairy-free milk
- 2 t. vanilla
- ⅓ c. coconut flour please see notes
- 1 t. baking powder
- ½ t. sea salt
- 2 t. cinnamon
- ½ t. nutmeg
- ½ t. ginger
- ¼ t. cloves
- stevia to taste
FROSTING:
- ¼ c. coconut butter
- 3 T. dairy-free milk
- 1 t. lemon juice
- 1 t. vanilla
- stevia to taste, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix the wet ingredients (pumpkin, eggs, molasses, milk, vanilla) in a large bowl.
- Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, spices, stevia) in a small bowl until lumps are little to none.
- Mix all of the ingredients together in the large bowl until smooth.
- Pour the batter (it will be thick!) into a well-oiled 8 x 8 baking dish.
- Smooth the top out with a spoon.
- Bake 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm the milk for the frosting in a small pan.
- Stir all of the ingredients together for the frosting until smooth.
- Once the bars have baked, cool, cut, and top with the frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from this recipe
Notes:
Coconut flours vary in absorbancy, so here is a link to the brand I use.
Surprisingly, these are a house crowd-pleaser, which surprised me, especially with my picky little one. 🙂
What is your favorite holiday?
kinsey
Mmmm I have these in the oven now 🙂 Is the nutrition facts calculated for the bars and frosting together? I'm asking because I plan on using my leftover Cranberry Chia Seed Jam top top and if so, that means I can indulge a bit more on the bars and cut them into 9 servings instead of 12. #priorfatgirlprobs lol
Sharon
Ahhh! I'm scared now! I've never seen anything strsnge happen like that but my sister has seen a couple of odd things in her life. How creepy! The bars look fab, though. 🙂 I'm totally working on some kind of pumpkin magic myself. It's so Fall, I love it.
Mike
These look amazing Lauren I need to make 'em happen asap!
Carey
Did you try with an egg replacer by any chance, ie chia? I know coconut flour can be testy without real egg. I will try anyway bur just wondering
Lauren
Sorry Carey, I didn't. Let me know if you try it and it works!
carey
not much luck unfortunately. No cake like consistency at all but more like the filling of a pumkin pie if that. Any suggestions. I tried the chia seed substitute for the egg. maybe flax would be better? I Imagine applesauce would also be too wet?
Lauren
Hi Carey,
They're not at all supposed to be like cake, hence the 'pumpkin pie' name. I also haven't attempted any other egg replacers, so I'm not sure how to advise you, sorry!
kinsey
I can't wait to make these!!!!
kinsey
Sorry if I missed somewhere this already being answered, but how much stevia did you use in both the bars and frosting? I have NuNaturals white powder (not extract) and vanilla drops and was thinking 1 tsp powder for the bars and 20-30 drops in the frosting.
Lauren
Hi Kinsey! Stevia brands vary so much that I don't tend to put an amount, just use it to your taste. I have the NOW powdered extract and just use a few sprinkles in each component. I hope you enjoy them if you make them! 🙂