what's for breakfast this morning {homemade pumpkin spice coffee creamer}.

it's a chilly(er) day here in maine.  it's september and there's football on our television.

hey, fall.  welcome back.

i'm a huge fan of all things pumpkin but one of my all time favs?  pumpkin spice coffee.  i've had two already and it's not even "officially" fall.

i should also mention that i have been motivated to get our family eating more cleanly.  no white flour, very little to no white sugar (sorry, this recipe has a couple tablespoons!) and lots of fruits, veggies, lean protein and good grains.  i've been researching different recipes for a couple weeks now and today a clean-baking extravaganza took place in my kitchen.  this pumpkin spice creamer made it smell like heaven... in the fall.

seriously... this will be what gets me out of bed in the morning.  here's the recipe:

homemade pumpkin spice coffee creamer

* 1 c. half&half (i used fat free, but you can use whatever you prefer)
* 1/2 c. pureed pumpkin
* 2 T. sugar
* 1 T. vanilla
* 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
* 1/2 t. cinnamon

- in a small saucepan, whisk half&half, pumpkin and sugar over low heat until warmed.
- remove from heat and add vanilla and spices.  cool, pour into a mason jar and store in the fridge.

how easy is that?  and once you have the ingredients on hand, you'll have enough to make this a few times.  i'm all for that.  next time, i'll be doubling the recipe.

so get in the fall spirit and whip up some of this yummy pumpkin goodness.  your coffee mug will thank you (and i'm pretty sure you'll thank yourself).

{original recipe source}

what's for breakfast this morning {homemade french vanilla coffee creamer}.

i *love* coffee creamer. and i'll be honest. i probably love it more than i love coffee. i get excited to try new flavors when they come out, and i always like my coffee better at home than in a restaurant because of my beloved creamer.

i know. i said i'd be honest.

when i saw this recipe on pinterest for homemade french vanilla coffee creamer, i knew i wanted to try it. nick&i like to eat healthy, and we're always up for eliminating chemicals and processed junk out of our diets. we are big fans of jamie oliver and i once heard him say that "if you don't recognize an ingredient, or your grandma wouldn't have cooked with it, then don't eat it."

this struck a chord with me because oftentimes i'm drawn into the "light" or "low fat" foods that are really just more unhealthy and processed in so many ways. we've made little changes... nothing too drastic... we use real maple syrup now instead of aunt jemima. i try to use real butter more often in recipes. and just this year i've started making all of our bread from scratch. i'm always up for being able to control the ingredients we put in our bellies, and love the challenge of making things on my own to guarantee they are healthier than usual.

(obviously with some exceptions if you've read any of my recent recipe posts... everything in moderation; although it will be back to healthier eating once emmy is here and i'm not craving baked mac&cheese or chocolate chip cookie bars).

anyway.

i checked out the label on the back of my latest bottle of white chocolate caramel latte creamer... i mean, what pregnant woman wouldn't enjoy that?! i was mortified to see what i've been consuming in my daily cups of morning coffee. i'm pretty sure the only ingredient i recognized on the list was water.

yikes.

this recipe is super easy, and you can adjust it according to your personal taste and preference. and a whole jar lasted us about a week, which isn't bad for how inexpensive it is.

and not to mention, chemical-free.

homemade french vanilla coffee creamer

* 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
* 14 oz of milk (i used half skim, and half 1/2&1/2 for some extra creaminess)
* 2 t. vanilla extract or coffee syrup for stronger flavor
* a mason jar (a quart sized one works well)

- combine all ingredients in your mason jar. screw lid on tightly and shake well. voila. you're done.

easy peasy, right? really delish and guess what? not one of the ingredients is water. i like it.

ten things {in my pantry}.

here are ten things that are always (or almost always) in our fridge, freezer or pantry. the cornwell essentials we can't live without. i can honestly say we have all of these items in our kitchen right. this. second.

1. turkey bacon.

an absolute staple in the cornwell household. ever since we were married, every saturday and sunday morning, nick makes turkey bacon and scrambled eggs. even if i make waffles or cinnamon rolls or something else of the sweet variety, he still will make his faithful tb&se combo. love him. and loooove turkey bacon! only 35 calories per slice. please and thank you.

2. blueberries.

not as wonderful as fresh maine blueberries, but we always always always have a carton in our fridge. i'm obsessed with blueberries and cheerios these days. my daily weekly breakfast. and i'm super determind to make bella like them too. i don't really know why. but more importantly, i don't know why she is weird about them right now. i ate anything with blueberries allllll the time when i was pregnant. number one: blueberry pancakes. oh. yum.

3. steam-able veggies.

we eat these almost every night. if you open up our freezer, it is always packed with these lovely little packages of veggies. just pop 'em in the microwave and voila... you've got servings of vitamins and minerals within minutes.

4. yellow saffron rice.

we keep these yummy lil rice packets in our pantry as a staple to our weekly meal of tilapia, rice and veggies. so easy and suuuuuper delish. bella loves it too!

5. real maple syrup.

waffles love to make a saturday or sunday morning appearance in the cornwell household and we love our maple syrup. we always used to use light variations of hungry jack or aunt jemima until we watched jamie oliver's food revolution when he specifically talked about how much garbage is in that man-made-brown-concoction-of-stickiness. thank you, jamie oliver. and you are right: the real stuff tastes sooo much better.

6. hazelnut coffee creamer.

i *have* to have coffee creamer in our fridge. it's a must. i go on kicks in terms of my flavor preference. for a long time it was vanilla. then it was caramel-vanilla. then it was the holiday-inspired creamer. now it's hazelnut. i just love it. can't have my coffee without it. which is probably unhealthy but i don't care. it's one splurge i can live with, that's for sure.

7. tofu noodles.

these are my most recent discovery and i am in love! low in carbs, fat and calories these lil noodles are awesome. just be sure to rinse thoroughly and they taste great! i love adding them to a stir fry with fresh bok choy, carrots, garlic, ginger, broccoli, water chestnuts and a little soy sauce and honey. hungry yet??

8. laughing cow cheese.

i first discovered this lil gem when i did weight watchers a few years ago to burn off some extra graduate school weight. only 35 calories per slice. spread 'em on some crackers and they are simply delightful. perfect pairing? try wasa crackers... high in fiber and protein and low in fat and calories. also like whole wheat flatbread with them too.

9. cheerios.

oldie, but a goodie. especially necessary when you have a nine-month-old. as i said earlier, this is my breakfast staple. a bowl of these sprinkled with some fresh blueberries or banana? the perfect combo.

10. pink grapefruit.

when i was pregnant with bella, this was definitely my biggest craving. pink grapefruits... but more specifically pink grapefruit juice. weird, i know. but i still love them even when i'm not with child. a perfect breakfast side or a mid-afternoon snack. and good for you, too. what's not to love?

multitude monday.

15. drinking coffee out of my big, red snowflake mug given to me by my college bff.
16. my inlaws bringing us oh-so-delish homemade chicken soup last night. perfect for two things: my sore throat AND my sickness-induced-lack-of-energy making it next to impossible for me to think about cooking dinner.
17. pumpkin pancakes on a saturday morning (with real maple syrup).
18. knowing there is less than two weeks until we fly to maine for christmas with my family.
19. cold air outside and the warm smell of our heater on inside.
20. having a man in my life that not only is a wonderful husband, but is an *amazing* father and loves taking care of his girls.
21. baby babbles. our baby's babbles.
22. watching bella open up her first christmas gifts last night, in her footed fleece pj's under our christmas tree.

multitude monday.

a friend of mine did this on her blog, and i always thought it was such a great idea. each monday, she would list things she was thankful for. since my prayer/focus for this year (and for life) is gratitude, i thought this would be a good thing to include on my blog... and what a perfect week to start... you know, with thanksgiving and all...

(and yes, i'm totally into stealing ideas from friends blogs these days)

so here is the beginning of multitude monday.

1. my baby girl's grin each morning when she sees me for the first time.
2. holiday flavored coffee creamer.
3. fiery red and orange trees dotting the streets to let us know it's fall even though it may be seventy degrees outside.
4. my husband reaching for my hand.
5. sundays spent laying on the couch in my cozy pajamas under a warm blanket.
6. pumpkin scented candles.
7. anticipation of the holiday season and the time with family, food and making memories.