Eats and Reads...

Life happens. That about sums it up. Do you ever have those days when your "to do" list is 7 miles long and there just aren't enough hours in a day? Well that has been my last week and a half.
This is something that I love and have wanted to post about for a long while. BOOKS. yay!
Reading is my escape, my passion, and my hobby. My only regret is that I don't get to do it nearly as often as I used to.

My favorite books tend to be fantasy/fiction... and I have a soft spot for well written Young Adult fiction. Enter: Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and The Uglies... if you have read any of these, I need not make any further point! :)

Here's my fall reading list so far:

1. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
2. The Selection by Kiera Cass
3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
4. Thirteen Hallows by Michael Scott (My Halloween Pick!)
5. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
6. The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Those are just a few.. I know that there are more, but good reads are hard to come by.

Now a snack to snuggle up to those nice books with... Pumpkin Nut Muffins via skinny taste.

Pumpkin Nut Muffins
Skinnytaste.com 
Servings: 12 • Size: 1 regular sized muffin • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 162.5 • Fat: 7 g • Carbs: 23.5 g • Fiber: 2 g • Protein: 3 g • Sugar: 14 g
Sodium: 170 mg 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (King Arthur)
• 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour (King Arthur)
• 3/4 cup raw sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• baking spray
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and lightly spray liners with oil for easy removal.

In a medium bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking soda, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix pumpkin puree, oil, egg whites and vanilla; beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

Add flour mixture to the wet mixture, then blend at low speed until combined; do not over mix. Fold in chopped nuts.

Pour batter into prepared muffin tin and bake on the center rack for 24 - 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let them cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 muffins.