Why do my favorite holidays have to fall during the work week this year? Halloween is a Wednesday, obviously, and Christmas falls on a Tuesday. It’s aggravating, although I can’t even remember the last time I *truly* celebrated Halloween (college?). It’s the principle…

It is Wednesday, though, and that means another What I Ate Wednesday post, hosted by Jenn at Peas and Crayons. Since I’m new to the blog world, I love being introduced to the blog community this way.

To go with my morning coffee, I microwaved some apple cinnamon “Oat Revolution.” Yes, they’re instant—and not as healthy as the real thing—but this brand uses real sugar (and less of it) to sweeten. Plus they include flax seeds for an omega-3 boost. I topped the oats with dried cranberries, pecans, and some white chia seeds.

A coworker brought a bunch of satsumas into the office, so I enjoyed this little guy as a mid-morning snack.

At lunch, I ate chicken salad (made by the husband, using leftover chicken from Monday night) on 5-grain bread. On the side: baby carrots dipped in hummus. Dessert: a mini butterfinger, since it is Halloween.

Normally I have a piece of fruit for an afternoon snack, but the same generous, Halloween-loving coworker brought a box of cookies from Pollman’s Bakery—and I just couldn’t refuse this creepy but cute fellow and a cup of Earl Grey. (Spiders normally terrify me, but this one’s atop a cookie, and clearly my love for cookies > fear.)

For dinner, we had our usual soup. I roasted a sugar pumpkin (and its seeds) while we snacked on cheese and crackers. The pumpkin was combined with chicken stock, sautéed onion and carrot, an apple, and spices (salt, pepper, thyme, red pepper, cinnamon, and a pinch of smoked paprika) and blended with the immersion blender. No recipe, really, just a variation of the many soups we make. I’d all it a success: creamy, delicious, and filled with fiber and vitamins.

Happy Halloween—and don’t eat too much candy! 🙂