It's a Pumpkin Muffin Kind of Morning!

Here’s a terrific breakfast treat that’s sure to be a hit on any Fall morning. These Pumpkin Muffins taste and smell sinfully delicious, but the truth is, they’re good enough to be a part of a healthy, whole-grain diet because, believe it or not, they are only 159 calories each!

1½ cups white whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1 cup canned pumpkin

½ cup honey

3 tablespoons canola oil

½ cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, pumpkin, honey, and oil, until well blended. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir just until mixed. Fold in the raisins, and ladle the batter into the paper liners. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Enjoy!

For more tasty recipes that'll keep you healthy as a horse, check out our bestselling book, Grow Younger, Live Longer. It's got tons of tips and tricks that'll keep you young, healthy, and happy for years to come. You can even try it out for FREE with our Free Preview!

How Do You Like Them Apples?

Last week, we gave you five fabulous recipes using pumpkin…This week, we’re shining a spotlight onto Fall’s other star ingredient: Apples! So get out to your local apple orchard (or maybe just your backyard!) and pick a basket-full. Then, make up one of these dandy apple dishes…

Cheesy Apple English Muffin: Open an English muffin and place 2 apple slices on each side. Cover the apples with 2 slices of reduced-fat cheddar cheese, and toast in a toaster oven or under a broiler until the cheese is melted.

Roasted Apple Salad: Peel 2 apples, and slice them into wedges. Toss the apples with 2 tsp. of olive oil and ¼ tsp. of thyme. Bake the apples for 25-30 minutes at 400°F, turning once halfway through. Then, remove the apples, and let them cool. Toss 3 cups of spinach and 6 cups of mixed baby greens together, and drizzle with ½ cup of red wine vinaigrette dressing. Top with the roasted apples, 2/3 cup of shredded Swiss cheese, and ¼ cup chopped walnuts. (Makes 6 servings)

Chunky French Applesauce: Cut 1 apple into bite-sized chunks. Place the apple into a saucepan with a third cup of raisins, ¼ cup of chopped walnuts, ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, a pinch of ground nutmeg, and ½ cup of water. Bring everything to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Serve warm or cold over the top of grilled pork chops. (Makes 4 servings)

Amazing Apple Crisp: Peel, core, and slice 6 apples. Mix the apples in a bowl with ¾ cup of sugar, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. flour, and 1 tsp. cinnamon, then spread the mixture over a lightly greased 9-inch square pan. In another bowl, combine 1 cup of old-fashioned oats, ¾ cup brown sugar, ¾ cup melted butter, and ¼ tsp. baking soda. Mix well. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the apples in the pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 375°F and serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream. (Makes 8 servings)

For more delicious dishes that’ll also help keep you healthy at any age, check out our bestselling book, Grow Younger, Live Longer—See Chapter 8 for a whole bunch of family-friendly recipes! You can even try it out FREE for a full 21 days with our Free Preview.

4 Smashing Recipes (Starring Pumpkin)

Boo! Get ready for the spookiest time of the year—that’s right; Halloween is almost here. And what says “Happy Halloween” better than pumpkin, especially when it's on your plate!

Earlier, we covered how to prep and cook a pumpkin. If you missed it, head over to Jerry Baker Home, Health, and Garden on Facebook. (And while you’re there, don’t forget to like, follow, and share our page, too!)

Now that your pumpkin is out of the oven and pureed, you can pop it into containers and freeze it for later use, or you can enjoy it right away in one of these four tasty and amazing ways:

• Savory Pumpkin Mash: Stir your mashed pumpkin with a little margarine, ground cinnamon, and skim milk, and eat it instead of plain old mashed potatoes. It goes perfectly with grilled poultry!
• Sweet Pumpkin Puree: Sprinkle your pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie spice and chopped toasted pecans. Serve it with pork tenderloin for a delicious Fall dinner.
• Pumpkin Pot Roast: Add a little salt and pepper to your pureed pumpkin, then pour it over lean pot roast like a gravy. So easy, so quick, and so yummy.
• Berry Good Pumpkin Bowl: Season a bowl of warm pumpkin with ground ginger, and stir in some raisins or dried cranberries. Top with slices of baked chicken, and dig in!

Don’t worry, we’re not done yet—we’ve also got the best pumpkin seed recipe ever! These tiny treats are the perfect snack to munch on this season. And they’re also a good, concentrated source of zinc, a critical virus-fighter! Here’s how to make ‘em:

• The Tastiest Toasted Pumpkin Seeds: Separate the seeds from any remaining pumpkin pulp by running them under water. Then, spread the seeds out on a cooking sheet in a single layer. Coat them with non-stick cooking spray, and sprinkle them lightly with salt (or garlic salt, if you’d like). Bake at 325°F for about 25 minutes or so, until toasted. Then gobble ‘em up!

We hope you enjoy these Fall Favorites! And for more tummy tempting ideas that’ll keep you in the pink of health, check out our bestselling book, Homemade Health. You can even try it FREE for 21 days with our Free Preview!

Your Fall Yard To-Do List

Brrrr...the weather is starting to turn chilly! And your yard and garden are begging for a little TLC before winter arrives. So take care of this Fall To-Do List as soon as possible. Here’s what you need to get done:

• If Fall has been dry in your area, give your plants a nice, long drink so they don’t go into the winter with parched soil.
• Dig up tender bulbs, such as gladiolus and dahlias, and store them indoors for the winter.
• Remove all dead or dying foliage from your beds. Dispose of any woody stalks, diseased, or insect-ridden matter, and send the rest to the compost pile.
• After fall clean-up, spray all of your perennial beds with this mixture:  1 can of beer, 1 can of regular cola (not diet), and ½ cup of dishwashing liquid. Mix all of the ingredients in a bucket, then apply liberally with your 20 gallon hose-end sprayer.
• Once the ground freezes, mulch beds with chopped leaves, composted manure, salt hay, or pine needles.
• As soon as Jack Frost has visited your garden, remove all summer annuals to the compost pile. Sprinkle 1 pound of bonemeal and 1 pound of Epsom salts per 100 sq. ft. of flower bed. Let it set for a week, and then till the soil under.
• Mulch your roses with leaves, straw, and soil, or cover them with Styrofoam cones.

Once you’ve got your garden beds all settled in for their long winter’s nap, you can turn your attention to warmer thoughts—like lighting a fire in the fireplace, and curling up with a good book and a cup of tea! For some great reads this season, check out our selection of bestselling home, health, and garden books at www.JerryBaker.com!

End-of-Summer Lawn List

Fall is just about officially here, but it’s not time to pack your lawn mower away for the winter just yet. There are still several good weeks of green grass left to enjoy before ol’ Jack Frost comes a callin’, so make sure to keep taking good care of your grass with these steps:

1. Continue cutting your grass to its maximum recommended height. Many types of grass start to go dormant when the first frost hits, so keep an eye out for a cold snap. Once your lawn stops growing, drop the blade a notch, and mow one last time.
2. Don’t let fallen leaves remain on your lawn, or they’ll block the sun and moisture from reaching the grass. Rake ‘em up and add them to your compost pile or green-waste bin.
3. Pay attention to the weather. A few days before temps are expected to dip into the 30s, give your turf a good soaking with our Last Supper Tonic (below). A lawn that goes into the winter with a full stomach will always wake up in better shape than one that didn’t.
4. Mix up a bucket of our Last Supper Tonic: ½ can of beer with ½ cup each of apple juice, Gatorade®, urine, fish emulsion, ammonia regular cola (not diet), and baby shampoo. Then pour the solution into your 20 Gallon Hose-End Sprayer, and apply it to the point of run-off.

For more terrific tips to keep your turf in tip-top shape, check out our bestselling book, All-American Lawns! You can even try it FREE for 21 days with our Free Preview.