Happy Friday! It’s time for another monthly recap again, and I’m linking up with Jill for Fitness Friday. Here’s October:
Running Related
- October stats: 12 runs- total 117 miles; 13 spin classes + one outdoor ride- total 305 miles; 3 arc sessions- 13 miles; and weights 2-3x/week
- October races: Finally, a race again! Space City 10 miler
- Record breaking: A new ten mile pr at Space City- 1:14:38
- Cross Training Challenge: Sorry, Kim, I don’t think I had one for October
- Running Buddy: I made it to a few sessions with a local running club this month, and hope to catch more
- Family recipes: I shared several “round ups” this month: 16 Fun Halloween Food Ideas; 24 Healthy Pancake Recipes, and 9 Healthy Cookie Dough Balls
Personal and Family Balance
- Evening quiet time and computer balance: I’m finding a good balance right now and trying to get most of my school and computer work done when L is at school Tuesday and Thursday mornings. But I’ve only been reading about ten minutes at bedtime before crashing.
- Reading: I read through the Appetite for Life cookbook, Anne Lamott’s Grace Eventually, and some nutrition reading for INN. I may have every kids book in our house memorized, and L knows a good number of them by heart as well. I think we need to get to the library more regularly!
- Date Nights: Does trick-or-treating as a family count? We had great intentions for one… but I don’t think it happened! My husband has been traveling more than usual, so we’ll have to make up for it in November.
Another highlight of the month was the Menu Planning Challenge with Jill. We decided to extend the challenge and continue to host a link up on Sundays. Everyone is welcome to link a menu planning post on Sundays and join the party! There are some inspiring bloggers and creative menu plans every week.
I also promised the Pumpkin Tofu Pie, after posting earlier this week on Instagram. Here you go!
Pumpkin Tofu Pie (print recipe)
1 c. pumpkin for a date-nut crust or 2 c. pumpkin for a pastry crust
1 10 oz package tofu, drained
1/2 c. maple syrup or 3/4 c. for a pastry crust
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each nutmeg, cloves, ginger and salt
unbaked pie shell, or *date-nut crust
*For the date-nut crust, chop a heaping 1 c. dates, 1 c. walnuts, and 1 tsp vanilla in the food processor until well blended and starting to stick together. Press into the bottom of a greased 9 inch pie pan.
Add the pie ingredients to the food processor and blend. Spoon into the pie shell, and bake at 375 for 30 minutes, then 350 for 5-10 more or until set. Enjoy!
*Note: If you use a regular pie shell, pumpkin can be increased to a 16 oz can and add an additional ten minutes of baking time. The date-nut crust can burn, so I used a smaller pie filling for a shorter baking time.
This pie was fantastic- the tofu replaces the egg and milk, but it tastes like a traditional pumpkin pie.
How was October for you? Are you a fan of pumpkin pie?
Congrats again on your 10 mile race! My husband and I are terrible about getting a date night in. We tried last month and our kids didn’t understand why we were going for pizza without them. So we cancelled the babysitter and we all went.
And with all my studying, I have found it is easier to get it done at the library. And since I am spending so much time there I decided to take my daughters there after school and they were so excited. Kid love libraries, hehe.
Have a good weekend!
Robin recently posted..Racing Too Much
That’s a great idea to get to the library- I have been shutting myself up in my room after dinner while L gets some quality daddy time before bed, and that has worked pretty well, but there are always distractions at home!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
I love pumpkin pie and was just thinking this week whether or not I could make it vegan! You’ve done it for me
Jill @ Fitness, Health and Happiness recently posted..Fitness Friday || October In Review
I love pumpkin pie, too! We had leftover pumpkin and tofu and I thought it was a genius combination until I looked online and saw that it’s been done before.
But it really worked well, and my husband had no idea there was tofu in there.
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
Great month and congrats again on your PR! I love pumpkin pie but not a fan of pie crusts so your date nut crust looks great!
abbi recently posted..My First DNS
I’m not a fan of pastry crusts either… too try or bland, or something. The date nut one was more like a tart, a little smaller than a pie. It was yummy!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
Congrats on your PR!
I’ve never had pumpkin pie!
Those balls looks tasty!
Have a great weekend!
Kierston recently posted..1 Day Out: The Last Competition Of The Season!
You’ve really never had pumpkin pie? It’s much less sweet than traditional pies, but it’s one of my favorites. Maybe post-competition you can add it to your food list.
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
Sounds like a great month to me!
I adore pumpkin pie, but admit to being a tiny bit skeptical of tofu pumpkin pie. I wish we lived closer so I could taste how delicious your is!
Mandy recently posted..Three Things Thursday
You are absolutely allowed to be skeptical of it. If I made it for my extended family, I doubt they would try it if they knew what was in it.
Yes! I wish you lived closer to- I’d love to give you a bite without you having to make an entire pie!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
I’ve been waiting for this recipe! I think it needs to happen ASAP… I mean, ASAP in 2 more days.
Looks fantastic. Happy Friday!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table recently posted..Pinning Away Post-Competition
Yes- in two days, you’re belly is going to be in for some big surprises.
Thinking of you this weekend!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
Nice month! Oh, the traveling husband–mine has done far too much of it lately. Ugh!
I love all things pumpkin and this recipe looks really good, so I’ll have to give it a go! Thanks.
misszippy recently posted..10 commandments of marathon recovery
I’m lucky that my husband rarely travels- I get thrown off a bit when he does. Have a great weekend!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
You had me at “cookie dough ball recipes”
. Congrats on your PR
Michele recently posted..Monster Dash Duathlon 2012 race report
Haha.
You should definitely try some of them. And thank you!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
You had another fantastic month! You are so busy and always have a great blog post. I don’t know how you do it. I love pumpkin, but I don’t know if I could do pumpkin tofu….
Tasha @ Healthy Diva recently posted..Halloween throwbacks
I promise you wouldn’t know the tofu is in there… but I guess you would if you’re the one making it.
Thanks for your sweet words- sometimes I definitely feel like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, but most of the time I find energy from the things I have going on right now. Especially because I’m not working, other than spin- it’s nice to have things on my to-do list!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
That pie sounds yummy. I’ve made one similar with tofu but it was a regular pie crust. And way to go on that PR Miss Speedy!
Heather (Where’s the Beach) recently posted..Thursday Things for Athletes
Thanks, Heather… have a great weekend!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
Nice month!!! Thanks for the pie recipe. I think I’d be happy just eating the crust!
Angela @ Happy Fit Mama recently posted..A Month of #YogaADay
I know… that’s arguably the best part.
Have a great weekend!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
October was an awesome month for me! It’s definitely my favorite month of the year! Pumpkin pie and pumpkin roll are my holiday weaknesses! I’m trying to hold out and save it for Thanksgiving.
Karen recently posted..Thankful Thursday
Oooh, pumpkin roll… yum. I’ll be making that soon, too.
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
we all love pumpkin pie…I am totally going to make this and not tell the family the ingredients until AFTER they have eaten it…can’t wait!
Oh, yay! You’ll have to let me know how it turns out…
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
Great month and congrats again on the PR!. I love pumpkin pie, O has been requesting it for weeks, might have to give your recipe a try
Jen recently posted..Mental Training
I love pumpkin pie, too! I’m not a big fan of the pastry crusts, so I did the date-nut version, although I it doesn’t make as large of a crust so I probably could have called it a “tart” – but hope you like it if you try it!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
This pie sounds incredible, my husband has Celiac, so the fact that it does not contain Gluten is right up our ally. I could use this crust recipe for a number of pie recipes! Sorry I’ve been so quiet these days, just many things happening here. Have a great weekend Laura! xoxo
Lisa @ RunWiki recently posted..Riding the Waves of Pain
You’re so sweet, Lisa- I totally understand. My life goes in waves of craziness as well. It’s always nice to hear from you.
Yes- I love this crust- the only downside is that it can burn if left in for more than 30 minutes or so, and works best for faster baking pies or as a tart crust.
Have a great weekend, too!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
Yum! I’m super stoked about the Pumpkin Tofu Pie recipe. It looks fantastic! So you decided to go for the INN?!? That’s awesome! Congratulations. I’d love to chat sometime about how you’re liking it and what your thoughts are on it so far. That way the next time a killer deal comes around I might just jump on it
. I’m so excited for you!
Ali @ WHOLEistically Fit recently posted..Strong Legs Lower Body Strength Training Workout
Yep- I’m going for it.
I am definitely happy to chat anytime! Only one week down, so I’ll be probably be more helpful further into the program. Feel free to email me with questions, and I’ll keep you in mind if I hear of other good deals!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
That’s so awesome
. Thanks so much for being willing to chat about it with me! I can’t wait to hear more about it. I’ll shoot you an email when things settle down a little bit for me (I’m in the process of moving so it’s crazy hectic at the moment). Plus I’m sure you’re super busy with adjusting to the new program right now. Thanks again & good luck!!
Ali @ WHOLEistically Fit recently posted..How To Make Homemade Breadcrumbs {Vlog!!}
Great Job Laura!! Looks like you pretty much accomplished everything you set out to do
I wish I could say the same for me but it seems like I’m too scattered for that, still working on getting into a rhythm after baby…20 months later…lol. Oh well! I used to be on such a crazy schedule when I worked (which had a rigid schedule) that I kind of went to other side of the spectrum when Miss Bean was born. Just now finding what the in-between is supposed to be set at.
The pumpkin pie tofu looks pretty good; I really like your date-nut crust (Brilliant!) I will definitely being using that recipe for some pies for the holidays
Kris recently posted..My First "Real" Spin Class
Going to the opposite of a rigid schedule is a good thing! I wouldn’t feel bad about it. It’s only been the last six months or so that I’ve added more structure to my days, but it’s helped that L is a little older and has a morning program two days a week so I can get some of these other things done. Being scattered is the world of moms, I’m realizing.
Nothing wrong with that- it’s such an important job!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
Laura- what a nice October and congrats on a PR! I hope to see you more in November!
Thanks, May- I hope so too. I was hoping to join the group workout last night but got a 24 hour bug that my husband had earlier in the week.
Plus my shin has been unhappy off and on since the race so I think avoiding the speed work for a bit is probably smart.
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
Great job last month Laura! I adore that first picture of you and L. I’m also happy to hear that you’re finding a good life balance right now. So important.
Christine @ Love, Life, Surf recently posted..October #YogaADay Photo Challenge
I’m trying to find that balance! Some days are better than others.
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
see, this is why tofu was invented! it goes so well with everything. YUM! and i think you need to pat yourself on the back for those miles! nice.
lindsay recently posted..Feed Me Friday: Food and Friends
It’s so true- I love how it can be made sweet or savory. Have a great weekend, Lindsay!
Laura recently posted..October Recap and Pumpkin Tofu Pie
Another great month for you! I had every intention of doing the menu planning challenge, but just have not had time to do much blogging lately. Love seeing your menus, though – always great to get new ideas!
Michelle recently posted..In Which I’m Reminded of How Uncomfortable Hospital Beds Are
I would have never thought to put tofu in a pumpkin pie. I just might have to try this. Thanks for sharing.
I will have to try that pumpkin pie! I LOVE traditional pumpkin pie but am willing to try healthier varieties that allow me to eat more pieces. :^)
October was a fantastic month for me. Yay for PRs!
Terzah recently posted..Four Weeks Out
Great job this month Laura!
I think that October went pretty well for me, hopefully the rest of the year will be better! And I LOVE pumpkin pie, so yummy!
Jamie @ couchtoironwoman recently posted..East Ave Grocery Run 5K Race Recap
Scheduling date nights is hard. I called my babysitter to schedule one (we have only used her once to go to a movie in July), but she recently had a heart attack, so that turned out well. My husband loves pumpkin pie, so I might have to see if I can slip that recipe by him. He won’t eat it if he suspects it’s healthified.
Sarah S recently posted..The end is in sight and a training update
Tofu pumpkin pie? I can’t decide if that sounds awful or wonderful! LOL Our ” date nights” usually involve at least one of our children tagging along, too.
jan recently posted..Random Thankfulness
I love how you did a running recap of October. I should do that too. Maybe it would give me a better perspective on my running and where I’ve been on my journery to where I’m going. =)
Maria @ Lil Mys Ninja recently posted..Motivation Mondays: A Running Journal
hi laura! the pie sounds great!! i think i am going to add it to my thanksgiving menu. what type of tofu did you use (firm, silken, etc) and did you press any water out or just drain ? thanks!
Hi Heather! I used firm, and drained it but didn’t press it. I used the smaller amounts of pumpkin and maple syrup for the nut-date crust so it was more like a tart size-wise. Hope you like it!
Laura recently posted..My favorite posts and a holiday challenge
thanks! for a graham crust, do u think use all of the pumpkin??
Heather recently posted..Recipe Share – Tofu Marinara Casserole
Mmmm! Creamy pumpkin makes me so happy!
Especially when it’s warm. It just makes me so cozy!