Every year about this time I have a small panic attack. When I realized that another summer has passed and that fall is just about to kick off, I start obsessing about all of the "summery" things that I still haven't done. Instead of driving myself nuts as usual, I decided to fully embrace the change of the seasons this year. We had a couple of cooler days this week so yesterday was a great day for pumpkin muffins! These muffins are not super sweet but they are really healthy- they contain lots of iron and protein too! I wasn't sure if they'd pass the "kid test".

Kid-Tested Pumpkin Muffins

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 Tbsp chia seeds or ground flaxseeds
1/3 cup packed brown sugar (*see note)
3 Tbsp oil (whatever kind you prefer to use)
1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
1/4 protein powder (I used Vega Smoothie Infusion)
3/4 all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1. Preheat oven to 400〫F (204〫C). Whisk together the pumpkin, non-dairy milk, chia or flaxseeds, brown sugar, oil, and molasses and set aside.
2. Combine the flours, baking powder, protein powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine (combine well but don't over-mix).
3. Pour batter into a lightly oiled or paper-lined muffin pan. Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.

*A note about sugar: These muffins are not super sweet. If you prefer a sweeter tasting muffin, I recommend using 1/2 to 2/3 cup of packed brown sugar or 1/2 cup of real maple syrup.