I’ve been a poor blogger lately, but with good reason – my sixth novel is nearly finished!  I’m down to my last twelve pages of rewrites, and have devoted much of this past summer to that task, so that the book will be out by November. And here we are at the end of September, so what better way to take a break than with some pumpkin talk?

It’s here, it’s seemingly everywhere. Pumpkin-spice (insert brand here). Ingredients: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Modified Cornstarch, Dextrose, Water, Gelatin, Contains Less Than 2% of Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate (Whipping Aid), Natural And Artificial Flavor, Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 1.

Ingredients: Sugar, Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine, Mononitrate (Vitamin B1) Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid, Palm and/or Canola Oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Cornstarch, Salt, Baking Soda, Soy Lecithin, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Artificial Color (Yellow 5 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Blue 3 Lake), Paprika Oleoresin (Color)Ingredients: Whole grain wheat, sugar, contains 2% or less of brown rice syrup, cinnamon, ginger, gelatin, nutmeg, allspice, annatto extract color, natural flavor, BHT for freshness. Vitamins and Minerals: Reduced iron, niacinamide, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), folic acid, vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), zinc oxide, vitamin B12.And how about that pumpkin-spice latte? This is what you might get:

Ingredients: Skim Milk, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Brown Sugar, Caramel Color, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Salt.

How about you make your own? Here’s my favorite fall breakfast:

• 1/2 banana, frozen (50 cal)
• 1/2 scoop PLNT protein powder (chocolate or vanilla) (55 cal)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (50 cal)
• 1 1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk (45 cal)
• pumpkin pie spice (however much you want)

Blend it and love it! Here’s the nutrition information: 200 calories, 5g fat, 27g carb, 12g protein

And the best part? It’s real.