Fallin' for Fall

Happy fall! September 23 marks the first day of autumn and I am very excited for this season. I celebrated (yes, celebrated) by getting a pumpkin pie almond milk latte on my walk to work yesterday morning. I am on the east coast this fall, Washington, D.C., and have never actually experienced a "true" fall season. You know, where the leaves change and you need to break out a cute peacoat. So that means there will be plenty of photos to come in future posts! Looking forward to autumn always puts me in a great mood and now that it's actually here we can all enjoy the wonderful things it brings. Two of these are...
Pumpkin everything. I don't even have to explain anything here. Pumpkin is to fall as avocado is to summer, but about ten times more extreme. Pumpkin cookies, oatmeal, lattes, soups, and just about anything else you can think of. Let's eat lots of pumpkin. Don't even forget about real pumpkins and seeing them all stacked in front of stores!
Coziness. That's right. Time to snuggle up in your comfiest sweatpants, big tees, and socks. Make some warm tea and enjoy being comfortable. Relax, unwind, simply be. Cinnamon candles, warm scents, and a good read or movie with a soft blanket. Not to talk about the weather, but the cool air is always a nice change from the warm summer sun. This means it's also time to bust out those sweaters, knee high socks, and boots when you go out and about.

http://shopruche.com/blog/first-day-of-fall/

Last night I made a fall-ish inspired recipe. It's only 3 ingredients, real ingredients. Good for you and your lil tastebuds. Here you have it. Oh, and I meant to add black beans to this, but remembered when I was half way done eating it....so add some black beans to yours!
Cook Time: 30 minutes 
What you'll need: 
1/2 avocado
1 1/2 large sweet potatos
1 cup quinoa
Simply cook the quinoa according to the package's instructions. I used Rainbow Quinoa from Whole Foods, which was really good. While the quinoa is cooking, skin the sweet potato and cut into small cubes. Place the sweet potato in a pan and drizzle some olive oil onto them. A dash of cinnamon on the sweet potatoes while they are cooking adds a bit of a fall flavor to the recipe. Let these cook, but be sure to stir and flip them around! Now that your quinoa and sweet potato are both cooking, cut up the avocado and place to the side. After about 20 minutes, both were done. Next, mix your quinoa, sweet potatoes, and avocado together & eat up! Add salt, pepper, or cinnamon to taste. Quinoa is a great source of protein, avocado is your healthy fat, and sweet potatoes are a delicious starch full of fiber. Two big plates later and I was satisfied!

Here's to a wonderful season!

"Thinking 'here goes nothing' could be the start of everything." -Drew Wagner