A Pumpkin milk shake for Heidi

I have been fighting a sweet tooth all day, there is nothing in the house and I am not in the mood to bake, so I thought up this quick semi-sweet treat inspired by my friend Heidi. She loves anything with pumpkin in it almost to a creepy level. I could just see us whipping up a batch of these and vegging out to an episode of "Bondi Beach."

It's not as thick of a shake as I would like, but if you just need something low calorie and quick to hold you over, this is definitely the treat for you!

2/3 cup pumpkin purée
1 cup almond milk
1 and 1/2 tablespoon powdered milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon sugar
Dash (or dashes) of nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on low until smooth.

Slowcooker Acorn Squash Stew

I love slow cooker meals for when I know I am going to be busy, like grocery shopping day or when I am just feeling lazy- like today.

1lb beef stew meat
1 tablespoon Marjoram
5 cloves of garlic diced
1/2 large red onion chopped
1 acorn squash quartered and cleaned
1/3 cup GF chicken broth
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat the slow cooker to "high" while you prepare the veggies. You always want the slow cooker to start out and cook for at least an hour on high to quickly get food up to a safe temperature. Nobody likes food poisoning :)

Mix all ingredients (except for the Acorn Squash) and place in the slow cooker.

Lay the squash skin side up on top of the stew and your done! [[see photo below]]

How easy was that?!

Cook on high for 3 hours then turn down to low heat for 3 remaining hours.

When ready to serve, scoop the squash out and remove the skin.(careful, it's hot!!)

Place the squash meat in a bowl and ladle the stew on top of it.

This stew is perfect for fall and on a budget! Since the squash is in season I was able to make this quick meal to feed a family of 4 for $7.00 and have enough left over for husband's lunch tomorrow!