On the first day of Autumn, when the rest of the country was pulling out their knee-high leather boots, chunky sweaters and sipping on pumpkin latte, I was here in Texas sweating my butt off in extreme temperatures.

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I am in love with the fall season; I even wrote a song about it. Now nearly a month after the official start of Autumn, the weather in Fort Worth is beginning to cooperate. The cooler temperatures signal it's finally acceptable to go pumpkin crazy!.

I shared a pumpkin-themed workout on the blog this week and joked that you could make a pie from your pumpkin once you finished the workout. It reminded me that I saw a healthier muffin recipe in my Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow cookbook. I decided to forgo the pie and make healthy pumpkin spice muffins instead.

“Pumpkin offers slow-digesting carbohydrates, some fiber, a healthy dose of beta-carotene, and a mix of other vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, E, potassium, and magnesium.” - Precision Nutrition.

Eating pumpkin has health benefits, but just because pumpkin is healthy, doesn't mean all pumpkin treats are created equal. Pumpkin pies and those beloved pumpkin-spiced lattes aren't health-conscious at all. These muffins are all about treat and no trick. (Wait, the wrong holiday.)

I love these muffins made with almond meal (ground up almonds) instead of flour, rich in healthy carbohydrates (perfect for fueling your long run) and sweetened with a bit of maple syrup.

While high in sugar, maple syrup contains manganese and zinc, which makes it a more nutrient-dense replacement for white sugar. When shopping for maple syrup, always read the ingredients list. It should contain only one ingredient: 100% pure maple syrup. While healthier than table sugar, it still should be consumed in moderation. (i.e., try not to eat the whole pan of muffins in one day.)

HEALTHIER PUMPKIN SPICE MUFFINS

Ingredients

2 cups almond meal (pulse 10 oz of whole raw almonds on high speed in food processor until finely ground)
1 1/2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips (optional)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (unsweetened)
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup maple syrup

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
In separate bowl, whisk together remaining wet ingredients, then mix into to the dry ingredients.
Spoon the batter into lined muffin cups to the brim.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Adapted from RUN FAST.COOK FAST.EAT SLOW. Copyright © 2018 by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky. Published by Rodale Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC

They turned out absolutely pumpkin-lious. I added the "optional" dark chocolate chips this time, but for me, they were a little too sweet. I probably would have preferred them without the chips like in the original Superhero muffin recipe that I shared in this post.

I’ve made a half dozen recipes from the Run Fast Cook fast Eat Slow cookbook so far and every single one was a winner. I highly recommend picking up this cookbook chalk full of healthy recipes for runners.

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Coach Lea