It's the season of pumpkin-spice everything, when all of your favorite product-from cookies to body lotion and everything in between-gets a flavor dose of fall's favorite gourd. But despite the gluttony of pumpkin products available, those darn pumpkin spice lattes (otherwise known as PSLs) get all the love.
Well, we're here to change that. Read on for a list of our ten favorite pumpkin products-products that don't come in a disposable coffee cup, or pack more than twice the recommended daily sugar intake in a single (grande) serving.
If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it only makes sense to get your pumpkin fix first thing in the morning. Barbara's has been revolutionizing the cereal aisle for years with kid-friendly products that are both delicious and healthy (read: no food colorings or artificial anything). Now, in a limited edition fall flavor, the company is introducing its signature Puffins cereal in a pumpkin variety. And, no, those crunchy, pillow-shaped morsels are not doused with some lab-concocted pumpkin flavor-there's actually real pumpkin in there.
Let's be honest, shall we? We love baking cookies, but more often than not, we find that our cookie dough gets eaten before we can actually get it in the oven to bake. Oops.
Typically, this would be a problem (you know, salmonella, E Coli, et al), but Cookie DO NYC has eased all of our bacterial worries with cookie dough that is designed to be eaten raw, no baking necessary. (Yes, you can bake it if you really want to. But... WHY?) The Pumpkin Chai Chocolate Chunk is everything we could hope for in one spoonful, and the fact that most of the company's flavors are also available gluten-free and/or vegan means we may never turn on our oven again.
Like many of you, we were a little skeptical when the kale chips craze first hit. We're all for a green smoothie, but the idea that we'd be shoveling pieces of kale into our mouths by the pound didn't seem plausible.
But-like everyone else-we eventually we came around. And then we tried the Pumpkin Kale Chips by Sprouts Farmers Market to completely solidify our leafy green obsession. More sweet treat than salty snack, these crunchy bites are the perfect go-to when you're looking for a subtle hit of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg flavors. They're like little bits of guilt-free pumpkin pie.
Nothing says Fall like pumpkin-flavored goodies baking in the oven-the aroma literally takes over your entire home. And now, for those of us who don't have the time or willpower (see the first slide) to keep our ovens full through October and November, Primal has given us a way to replicate the same intoxicating scent.
Like each of its other products, the Pumpkin Spice Mood Mist by Primal is made of all-natural and organic ingredients, so whether you spritz it on your throw pillows, your bed sheets or even yourself, you can rest assured that you won't be exposed to any harmful toxins.
So we've established that, while delicious, a pumpkin spice latte isn't exactly the most effective use of our daily calorie and sugar allotment. But that doesn't mean that you won't still fiend for a warm cup of something soothing and pumpkin-y.
In an ingenious and uber-convenient delivery system, TeaDrops are handcrafted, pressed tea shapes made with genuine tea leaves that dissolve in hot water. And like other flavors, the Pumpkin Spice Tea Drops are made from the finest organic teas and finished with organic sweeteners and spices. They literally make sipping on the flavors of fall as simple as "add water and stir."
So it happens like this: We finally get the kids in bed. They've gotten up no less than 18 times for more water/a cold pillow/another bedtime story/monster-under-the-bed checks, and they're out for the night. Then we collapse into the bed ready to zone out on some adult television programming-but not before we grab some chocolate. It's a simple reward for a parenting job well done (or just done, at least).
Thanks to Nicobella Organics Pumpkin Chai Truffles, we can now get our pumpkin spice and chocolate fix in one yummy, indulgent bite. And as an added bonus (as if we needed one), they're completely vegan. Yes-that's smooth, creamy, melt-in-your mouth truffles made without milk.
Washing your face is one of those mundane daily tasks that you slog through simply because you know you should (and because everyone always says you should never, ever sleep in your makeup).
But who says cleaning your face can't be an enjoyable experience? Enter the Exfoliating Pumpkin Facial Scrub by Peter Lamas. Aside from being formulated with pumpkin oil-which helps the skin retain moisture while fighting free radicals and helping to maintain a youthful appearance-the scent is literally fall in a bottle. It's warm and sweet with just the right amount of spice. It's also 100% vegan, as well as sulfate-, petrochemical-, paraben- and gluten-free.
Ok, ok. We know what you're thinking. You've read through this entire slideshow, and you're thinking, "All those products sound great, but I still want my pumpkin spice latte."
And we totally understand. We're partial to PSLs, too-especially since we've discovered SweetLeaf's Pumpkin Spice Sweet Drops. They're made from stevia leaf extract, and they're gluten free with zero carbs or calories. So forget the high-calorie sugar bomb at your local coffee shop. Follow this recipe from SweetLeaf and you can whip up your own version at home that has all of the flavor and none of the sugar.
