Pumpkin S'mores Bars & A Recap of Blog Brûlée

My attendance at Blog Brûlée was partially funded by the Sponsors of the event. I was not compensated to write this post, and all opinions are my own.

You can’t beat the fresh air in Vermont. I discovered this during my 45-minute car ride from the airport to the hotel in which I kept the car windows down the entire time. And the people in Vermont are the sweetest. I had this realization when I made immediate friends with the girls at the check-in counter at Smuggler’s Notch, the beyond gorgeous resort I stayed at last weekend.

 

on a walk at Smuggler's Notch

taking the road less traveled

And Vermont is now so special to me because it is home to the first ever Blog Brûlée, a healthy blogger conference that gave this blog a new spark of creativity and a stronger sense of community.

I reconnected with old friends and built new friendships with some truly amazing bloggers – friendships that I think will be ongoing both online and off. Take a peek at their blogs!

Jessica of Nutritioulicious

Diane of Cape Fear Nutrition

Kylie of Immaeatthat

Meme of Living Well Kitchen

Danielle of Food Confidence

Kara of The Foodie Dietitian

Kristina of Love & Zest

Julie of RDelicious Kitchen

Karman of Nutrition Adventures

Jenna of Fresh Food Perspectives

Marissa of Marissa Moore Nutrition

Jennifer of 30 Seconds with A and J

Ann of Dunaway Dietetics

Holly of Grass Roots Nutrition

Jen of Down-to-Earth Dietitian

Ashley of The Fresh Beet

Rachel of An Avocado a Day

The conference was educational. I learned a lot from some of the writers, recipe developers, and photographers I admire most, including:

EA Stewart, The Spicy RD

Brierly Wright, editor of Eating Well Magazine

Anne Mauney of FANNEtastic Food

Carolyn Ketchum of All Day I Dream About Food

Janice Bissex and Liz Weiss of Meal Makeover Moms

And the amazing Blog Brûlée founders:

Gretchen from Kumquat, a gluten-free blog with photos so beautiful, I could look at them for hours.

Deanna from Teaspoon of Spice a food-loving blog that makes me inspired to whip up something new every time I read it.

Robin from Robin’s Bite, a blog I fell in love with a few years ago for making healthy eating fun and approachable.

Reagan of Healthy Aperture, with food photos that are beyond drool-worthy.

I laughed. My roommate, Jen (who I adore) and I hit it off right away and found ourselves bonding over Davidson Safe Eggs in the morning and giggling uncontrollably at Jimmy Fallon videos at night.

This Wheel of Musical Impressions with Adam Levine was Jen’s favorite.

And this Lip Sync Battle with Paul Rudd was mine.

The conference was delicious. We shared stories while enjoying jicama salad and shrimp skewers for lunch, sesame-crusted salmon for dinner, and chocolate, Cabot Creamery cheese, and Boyden Valley Wine in-between.

But, most of all, I left feeling happy and connected. I left with a better understanding of the things I’m good at, and the things I’m not so good at – not from a judging perspective, but from the perspective of a friend that wants me to do my best.

It also served as a good reminder that life is really what you make it. And if you have good food and good people around you, life is pretty sweet.

I’m already missing the Blog Brûlée crew but am so thankful to have them as our new friends and part of our blogging community.

A HUGE thank you again to the incredible sponsors who made the Blog Brûlée weekend possible:

•   Cabot Creamery

•   Smugglers’ Notch

•   Boyden Valley Winery

•   Welch’s

•   The Soyfoods Council

•   Mountain States Rosen

•   Davidson’s Safest Choice Eggs

•   Kashi

And now for a recipe inspired by the pure joy I felt while roasting marshmallows with new and old friends last weekend.

(We may be in a serious heat way in Southern California, but it’s not stopping me from welcoming autumn with full-force. I got my first taste of autumn in Vermont and I’m just rolling with it.)

Whole Wheat Pumpkin S’Mores Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 cups whole wheat flour

pinch of sea salt

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

2 cups marshmallows

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, egg and vanilla. Stir until well-mixed.
3. In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, flour and salt. Stir until well-mixed.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Stir until well-mixed.
5. Pour the batter into a pre-greased 9 x 9 baking pan.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Take out of the oven and pour the chocolate chips and marshmallows onto the warm bars. Place in the oven for 2 more minutes. For 1 more minute, turn the oven to broil so the marshmallows turn golden brown (keep on an eye on them so the marshmallows don’t burn!).

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.

Healthy Snacking: How to Choose a Snack Bar

It's so secret we are big fans of snacking.  Having snacks between meals can be an important part of healthy eating habits.  Snacks can be an opportunity to add more nutrition to your day—think fruit, plain yogurt, nut and nut butters, or vegetables and hummus.  Balanced snacks can stave off hunger pains and prevent you from overeating later in the day.  

Most of the time, it’s best to snack on real, whole foods like those listed above—something with a combination of good quality carbohydrates (think fiber), protein and good fat.  But sometimes, you need a quick, easy and convenient snack to tide you over when you don’t have access to a kitchen or refrigerator.  And that’s where snack bars come in.   

 So, what should you look for in a snack bar?

• 225 calories or less per bar.  Any more than this, and the bar actually becomes a meal.  If you have weight loss goals, you may want to choose a snack bar that has around 150 calories.  

• Bars made from whole food ingredients, like nuts, dried fruit and whole grains.  Bars with ingredients you don’t understand or can’t pronounce should be a last resort. 

• The first ingredient should not be a form of sugar—sugar, honey, dextrose, sucrose, agave, maple syrup, etc.  Even better, the first three ingredients should not be a form of sugar. 

• Ideally, the bar should not have any added sugar.  The sweetness should just come from dried fruit.  However, these bars are not always easy to find. 

• At least 5 grams of protein. 

• At least 3 grams of fiber.  Ideally, the fiber should come from whole food sources, not fiber additives (like inulin). 

• No hydrogenated oils (trans fats). 

Be sure to read labels and not be deceived by marketing.  Even within the same brand, different flavors can have varying ingredients and nutrition information.  Many snack bars are actually just candy bars in disguise.  However, they can be a part of a healthy diet, when eaten as a snack or treat, not as a meal replacement.