I FINALLY FOLLOWED THE THEME of this month’s WIAW!!!! The day finally came but I’m not sure if this will happen again:) Thank you Jenn for hosting! Pop on over to her site to check out all the WIAW madness!
So I don’t know how you guys celebrate Halloween but here at UCSB, Halloween is kinda A BIG DEAL. I don’t know when everyone decided Santa Barbara was THEE “destination Halloween” spot, but it is, and this past weekend was just another year of the crazies infiltrating Isla Vista. Literally, cray. Go Look.
Because everyone here celebrated Halloween this past weekend and I spent the majority of the weekend in the library or working, I totally forget that the actual holiday hadn’t even occurred yet! So today while I was ellipticalling away (don’t even want to talk about it, other than to say that I HATE THE ELLIPTICAL) I watched some awesome Halloween-themed cooking shows and I came to the realization that I still have two FULL days to delight in everything pumpkin flavored!
Breakfast
Pumpkin-Spiced Coffee + Pumpkin Oats topped with Banana + AB
I also made Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins & Pumpkin Amazeballs. Both recipes are stellar, and I highly recommend you make them before your pumpkin stash run out.
Lunch
I munched on some leftover roasted squash while assembling a clean-out-the-fridge salad. Leftovers are my favorite and today’s treat was leftover Greek Food. MY FAV.
Today’s Huge Jass Salad included:
Spring Mix
Eggs
Kale
Mushrooms
Saffron Rice
Falafel
Hummus
Ketchup
A random assortment, but it sure hit the spot.
Snacks
carob chips + cashews + apple (pre-afternoon class)
Iced Pumpkin Coffee + cereal + yogurt + bananas (post afternoon class)
Dinner
So this is the second night in a row that I ate this exact dinner:
Turkey + Fig Butter + Brie + Tortilla
I threw this one in a pan for a few minutes to let the inside get melty and the outside get crispy = PERFECTION
Roasted Tomato Soup + Spinach
Apothic Red ← totally Halloweeny right?
And I just took Emily’s Vegan Pumpkin Pie out of the oven….my whole house smells like absolute pumpkin heaven right now.
Moving right along to another one of my favorite blogger link-ups…Foodie PenPals!!! If you want more to learn more info about FPP hop on over to Lindsay’s blog, she is awesome at organizing the HUGE event every month!
So for the month of October, the wonderful Alisa sent me a box full of goodness:
Alisa and her husband are professional chefs, so she really knew how to hook a sister up!
Included in the package was Green Curry Paste, Chinese 5-Spice, Guacamole Takis, and seeds from Alisa’s own garden! She sent me a recipe to make Thai Red Curry Sauce so I’m waiting for a cold day to whip up this dish 
I also REALLY want to plant her seeds in my little planter, does anyone know if herbs will grow in Southern California during the Fall?
Thank Alisa for all the goodies!
Did you celebrate Halloween this past weekend or are you celebrating today?
Tell me what your plans are/what you are dressing up as!!
I will be rocking the Captain Underpants Costume tomorrow. Yep buying little boy underwear definitely warrants some interesting looks…
Holy schmee! That pumpkin pie is vegan? I am both shocked and amazed and it looks amazing. Nom nom nom. We can’t do anything too crazy in the office due to counseling students LOL.
It was demolished
I couldn’t believe it was vegan either….I totally tricked some friends to eating tofu for the first time in their lives 
I’m totally on the same page as you about studying all weekend. I almost forgot Halloween was even coming up, and I probably would have if people didn’t start posting all their Halloween pics on Facebook ha! Enjoy your box of goooodies
Power to life of a nerd!!!
holy moses that vegan pumpkin pie looks dreamy!
Thanks! Its crazy how creamy tofu makes it taste!
OHHHHH Isla Vista Halloween. So glad to not have to deal with that ordeal anymore, lol.
And that salad looks awesome. Pretty sure any salad that incorporates hummus and falafel…would be my favorite ever! I went out for Halloween on Saturday and am the same as you (totally forgot the actual day is today), but I have no clue what I’m doing tonight, if anything
Yes, Isla Vista Halloween is such fun….Ha thankfully it was a bit calmer than in the previous years, but still crazy nonetheless.
Hmm… ketchup on salad is a new one. Definitely interesting. Love the foodie pen pal idea!
Happy Halloween
You have got to try it! It sounds weird but is actually really good, especially if there are eggs in your salad
Currently enjoying one more iced pumpkin coffee (disappointment…our coffee doesn’t taste that good
) and am SO bookmarking a vegan pumpkin pie. That should be interesting. I indulged in Cheesecake factory’s pumpkin cheesecake last night. I was going to plan to eat a 1/3 or 1/2 but then I had a stressful conversation about my life after college … oh well.
We celebrated a little with costumes this weekend but I can’t imagine going out to UCSB! I’m not sure how I would feel with that many people. This weekend I was a construction worker and today I am rocking a “Robin” shirt with attachable cape. It’s lovely.
Loving the use of ketchup. Always clutch. Did you make or buy your falafel? I’m interested in doing that. Just need to put it on the list.
What happened with the elliptical??
haha I have just been confined to the elliptical for so long that I am starting to despise it. I saw your Robin costume, it was so adorable! And that falafel was definitely NOT homemade, but I really want to try to make my own soon, since it is one of my favorite foods!
all your eats look SO good! i am totally wishing i could make a crispy quesadilla right now (instead of the microwave ones that i always make!). your salad also looks super good! i’m glad i’m not the only one that puts ketchup on her salads – my friends always tell me i’m crazy when i put it on some of my salads in the dining hall!
No way girl! Ketchup is so good on salad beasts! There is no shame in that, you and I just have some very “advanced palettes”
Ok…so I just thought I’d let you know I read this right during my afternoon snack time and you gave me the idea to have cereal! But anyway – adding pumpkin sauce to Starbucks coffee is the best idea ever. I’ve been doing it almost every time I go! All your food looks great! I love the turkey quesadilla…definitely going to have to try!
I always read blogs when I am hungry too for some snack inspiration! I feel ya with the pumpkin spice syrup at Starbucks, but I am going to be so sad when Pumpkin Spice Season is over
(
I just went today! Now it’s time for peppermint season!
What a great box! Also liked how you documented what you ate. So much healthier than me. >_<
I brought the little one out to some Halloween kid events on Saturday and trick or treating around the neighborhood today. Then went out with some friends Saturday night and also going to watch my friend's brother's band play tonight. What did you do for Halloween?
I dressed up at Steampunk White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland! Link to pictures below if you're interested. ^_^
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152211470605603.921741.505355602&type=3
Oh my goodness, I just checked out your halloween costume, and I am impressed! It looks insanely good
Random salads are the best, especially when they include falafel and kale! I haven’t dressed up for Halloween in at least 5 years but I was Tinkerbell today for my campus TV station’s Halloween show. I almost forgot how fun wearing a costume is and I loved seeing what everyone else dressed up as!
Tinkerbell is such a good idea! I was considering not going out, but I am so glad I did just to see everyone’s costumes!
I had the same experience with Halloween this year—Friday and Saturday night were spent in costume, so when the weekend ended, it felt like the holiday had ended as well! I didn’t do too much to celebrate today, other than eat candy.
All of year meals look delicious–especially that turkey + fig butter + brie tortilla. Yum!! I’m going to go check out the vegan pumpkin pie recipe now!
Candy is a great way to go, especially Reeses
)) I loved that pumpkin pie, it was so “creamy”!
dang girl, you scored w/ your FPP! What an awesome package!.. I’m kinda sorta jealous of all those spices she threw in.
HAHA thanks Jessie! I know the spices are so different than everything I am used too, so I will definitely be doing some experimenting in the kitchen soon
Wow I’m loving your salad. Epic salads with a million ingredients are the best in my book! I pretty much add anything to mine
And WOW that pumpkin pie —> yum!!
I totally agree, the more ingredients in a salad, the better! That’s science right there
I want a foodie penpal!!!
You should totally sign up! I think the deadline is the 5th of the month so you still have time. I really hope you do, there is simply nothing better than a package filled with food on your doorstep every month
Wow, Halloween is a big deal there. Holy madness.
Your day of eats looks really good and now I’m hungry.
Major score on your foodie pen pal. Good luck with the seeds. I usually keep fresh herbs all winter long inside here in Ohio. They do so-so because we don’t much sun. Hopefully yours will flourish.
Thank you for the advice! I am such a newb to gardening, so I’m hoping the Santa Barbara sun will do be on my side
Your dinner combo is genius! And I love Greek food, so that salad sounds amazing:)
[...] Five Spice Chicken thanks to my FPP Alisha who sent me Chinese 5-spice powder [...]