Fall break is upon us! TG. Once the fall weather hits, it can only mean that pumpkin season is HERE. I've grown up eating the world's best pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (coined chumpkins) but wanted to find a recipe with some healthier alternatives, while I could still indulge in the pumpkin flavor.

I absolutely love pumpkin – real pumpkin, not that PSL business – and would do anything for it. Not really, but I know that around here, we are at risk for canned pumpkin shortages. Last year, there I was, scoping the canned vegetable aisle (personally, I think there are better locations for canned pumpkin) for this fall delicacy. I crouched down to look at the bottom shelf of the canned goods to see one tiny label indicating that pumpkin should be there; enough people felt the fall vibes, resulting in me having to go to ANOTHER store (not bitter, just honest) to get pumpkin. 

This year I have stocked up enough to last me for a while, but this advice goes out to all of you to get your canned pumpkin supply. All I'm saying is that you don't want to be sitting there, in the midst of fall, with tears streaming down your face because you can't get your fix. Dramatic, I know, but I take these things seriously.

So lately I've really been in the mood for a bagel. Not a cardboard hole-less rock of dough but an actual BAGEL. Currently, I'm not really located in an ideal bagel hub, meaning there is not a little shop where I can get my once in a blue moon bagel fix. So.....I just decided on a whim that today was going to be the day I make bagels (technically not today, but that's how I felt on the day I actually did go about doing the deed).

I recently made this BOMB pumpkin chocolate chip bread (don't fret, recipe is coming soon), and it called for whole wheat flour. For some strange reason, the grocery store doesn't really want to sell you a mini bag of whole wheat flour and would much rather sell you a mini bag of all-purpose white flour. So there I was, lugging a giant bag of whole wheat flour, convinced that this investment of flour would somehow benefit me in the long run. Enter whole wheat bagels. Surprisingly, the only thing I didn't have was instant yeast, but thankfully the grocery store DID come through, as I was able to buy three little packets. 

This took longer than expected, but that's because I snuck a nap in while the dough was rising, and an hour turned into two and a half hours....but the dough was nice and puffed up when I came out of my slumber (#napperks). I started these on a Monday afternoon and finished them that night, so when I was whippin' out my ole Nikon to snap some in progress shots of the beauties, it was fairly dark, and my love of natural light was lost, since the sun set. Knowledge. HOWEVER. My beautiful and talented roommate (shout out to Floyd) pulled through and let me borrow her speedlight when she got home, so I got a few nice little pics of them.  Anywho, here you go!