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Hey earth muffins! After making my own pumpkin puree using the recipe I shared a month ago, I have slowly been using up my frozen purees in different pumpkin recipes. As I already shared my absolute favorite pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe with you all a few years ago, I thought I would share my go-to pumpkin pancake recipe with you all today. 😊 Finals are just around the corner for me, so I love to make recipes that remind me of home… And my dad can whip up the BEST pumpkin pancakes. 😍 Let’s jump right into it!

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What You Need:
-2 cups flour
-1 tablespoon baking powder
-1/4 cup sugar
-2 tablespoons brown sugar
-2 teaspoons cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1.5 cups milk (I use almond milk!)
-1 cup pumpkin puree 🎃
-2 eggs
-2 tablespoons of canola oil

What To Do:
1. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients with a whisk or spatula until combined. Try not to overmix the batter!

2. Heat your griddle or skillet over medium-high heat until it is hot.

3. Spray the griddle or skillet with cooking spray or add a bit of oil/butter so that the batter doesn’t stick.

4. Ladle the batter onto the griddle/skillet into whatever pancake size you prefer.

5. When bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes, use a spatula to flip the pancake over.

6. After about 2 minutes, take the pancakes off the heat.

7. Serve with maple syrup and enjoy your pumpkin pancakes!! 😃

What other pumpkin recipes should I try? 

Love,
Jenna ♥

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Hey earth muffins! The start of my sustainable journey back in May of 2018 introduced me to one of my current loves: mason jars. 😍 These jars aren’t just for holding your trash when you go zero waste (which, of course, isn’t something that all zero wasters aspire towards anyways!)… They can be used for reducing waste in your kitchen and pantry, for holding DIY cleaning supplies, and about a million other things. Today, I wanted to share the brands/types of jars that are currently in my personal mason jar collection. 🙂 I will then share the best way that you can pick up your own!

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The Brands That I ❤️ 
–Ball: How can you not love a good Ball mason jar? I probably own at least one of every type of Ball mason jar in terms of size and shape in my mason jar collection…. 32 oz normal mouth, 32 oz wide mouth, 24 oz normal mouth, 24 oz wide mouth, 12 oz normal mouth, etc. etc. I think my two favorite Ball mason jars are the 24 oz wide mouth (as they are tall and skinny and are the perfect size for leftovers!) and my 24 oz vintage 1920s blue tinted jar (it even has a different Ball logo – I love that it can still be used after all of these years). The wide mouths are definitely the best ones, as it is much easier to get food in and out. ✌️

–Kerr: I also have a lot of Kerr mason jars, in sizes and shapes that are similar to Ball. Again, I think the wide mouth ones are the best, so I tend to have a lot more of those in my collection.

–Le Parfait: I only have one jar from this brand, but I will definitely be looking out for more. It seems like the glass of these jars is thicker, which makes it seem more sturdy than some of the newer Ball or Kerr jars. I also love the gorgeous design of the cursive “Le Parfait” on the side – it makes it seem so elegant and French! 🍷

–Mom’s Mason Jar: This brand doesn’t exist anymore, but I think it is just adorable that there is an actual “mom” in the jar’s design. I only own one jar of this brand, and it is a 12 oz jar. This makes it perfect for packing things in my lunchbox, so I definitely get a lot of use out of it!

–Atlas: They also don’t make these jars anymore, and I only have one of them. It is also a small jar which makes it perfect for saving leftovers or taking food with me when I am on the go. 😊

–Bormioli Rocco: As an Italian, I obviously must have some glass jars from Italy in my collection. They make these jars in some really fun shapes, so I have a coupe of oddly shaped ones to spice up my pantry.

Where to Get Your Jars
Yard sales! I have found that the best place to buy a lot of jars for a cheap price is at yard sales (especially if you go to a sale at an elderly person’s home). I got a box of ten jars for $2 at one garage sale and another box for $3… And these included the 1920s blue Ball jar, the Mom’s Mason Jar, AND the Atlas jar. Quite a way to grow your mason jar collection! This shows that you can not only get a great deal, but you can also find some unique jars you might not be able to find somewhere else.

My grandpa (aka relatives). My grandparents did a lot of canning when their farm was up and running, so he accumulated boxes and boxes and boxes of jars… That are now just sitting in his basement. He gave me a ton of jars to start my collection (for free I might add!), so I would definitely ask relatives and friends to see if they have any jars they do not want anymore.

Thrift stores! Just like yard sales, you can usually find lots of shapes/sizes of mason jars secondhand. However, they will definitely be priced at $1-$3 for each jar, which isn’t as cheap as other places.

As gifts! Especially during the holiday season, many people like to gift things in mason jars… Which allows you to enjoy whatever is inside AND the jar. 🎉

Repurposed! Some of the jars in my collection I have added through repurposing. After using up the honey, I added a glass honey bear that can now be refilled from the bulk bins! 🧸 I also used an old mini wine bottle as my counter-top olive oil container (that can either be refilled from the bulk bins as well or from a huge glass bottle of oil in the pantry).

New? With all of these other secondhand options, do you really need to buy them new?

What is your favorite thing to do with mason jars??

Love,
Jenna ♥

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Hey earth muffins! My absolute favorite cookies are pumpkin chocolate chip, so I am a huge fan of pumpkin spice season. When grocery shopping a couple of weeks ago, I saw that pie pumpkins were on sale… 🎃 So I thought it would be fun to try to make my own pumpkin puree! Thanksgiving is coming up soon, so this recipe would be perfect for your delicious pumpkin pies (and of course any other pumpkin-themed baked good). Let’s jump right into the recipe!

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What You Need
-Pie pumpkin(s): I used two small ones which made about 2.75 cups of puree
-Large spoon
-Large knife
-Baking tray (must have some sort of lip)
-Water
-Blender (or some sort of Nutribullet)

What To Do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using the knife, cut off the stems of the pumpkins. Be careful you don’t cut off any fingers!
3. Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise.

4. Use the spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits in the middle of the pumpkin. I suggest roasting the seeds as a tasty snack and then composting the rest! 😊
5. Place the pumpkin halves FACE DOWN on the baking sheet. Add about 1/4th of an inch of water to the bottom of the pan.
6. Pop into oven and let bake for 60-90 minutes. The pumpkins are done when a fork can slide in easily (mine took about 65-70 minutes).
7. LET COOL!
8. Scoop out the pumpkin “meat” and put into the blender. Blend until smooth.
9. If your pumpkins were a bit watery, you can drain some of the water out to get a thicker puree consistency. You can also add some water if it is too thick. My pumpkin puree was absolutely perfect straight from the blender, so I skipped this step.
10. Either use in a recipe right away, pop it into the fridge to use up within a few days, or freeze it. As I wanted to be able to use the puree for cookies throughout the year, I measured it into 1 cup portions and froze in mason jars. 😀 Ta-da! Your pumpkin goodies are just waiting to be baked!!

What are your favorite pumpkin recipes?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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Hey earth muffins! If you have been following Life of an Earth Muffin for some time, you will know that I use the Femometer (and both the Basal Body Temperature and Cervical Mucus methods) as a natural form of birth control. As many people have not thought about using natural birth control, I wanted to share what “experts” say on the subject… Let’s jump right into it!

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*Doctors: The opinions on using natural birth control differ for every doctor. My doctor laughed in my face when I told him I wanted to use something natural, so I haven’t discussed the matter with him any further. Check with your doctor to see if natural birth control is right for you!

*WebMD: When looking at the natural family planning page on this infamous health website, it says that natural birth control isn’t as effective as other forms of birth control: about 24% of women will get pregnant… However, I find it weird that they would put a percentage on their website for all forms of natural birth control instead of breaking it down by method, as some natural birth control methods (like “pulling out” or using just a calendar to count days) definitely have a much higher pregnancy risk.

*Planned Parenthood: In their article about natural birth control methods, Planned Parenthood says that using natural birth control will result in about 12-24% of women getting pregnant. Again, they group all of the methods together. This article then goes on to say that this percentage can be reduced, meaning natural family planning can be more effective, if you use multiple methods together (which is what I am doing!) and/or use condoms as well.

*American Academy of Family Physicians: The AAFP did a study on natural birth control, and they actually do break their results down by type. The percentages are how many people will get pregnant using the certain method

I think these results stress how important it is for couples to know how to use their birth control method in the correct way!

*Medicine Net: This article goes into detail about less popular types of natural birth control (things like douching), but it states that overall natural methods can be as much as 98% effective if they are continuously a commitment.

*Natural Womanhood: If you are interested in trying out natural birth control, I would definitely recommend looking into blogs (like this one) and YouTubers who speak about the different forms. No opinion is more valuable than those who actually find success using these methods! This post shares that natural methods (with typical use) are 92% effective: the birth control pill is usually only 91% effective!

Overall, there are so many differing opinions on using natural birth control. There is a lot at stake when it comes to getting pregnant, so the decision truly depends on whether or not you are comfortable putting in the work to ensure that your method is as effective as possible. Definitely do as much research as possible, and give yourself a few months to perfect the method using your individual cycle before you fully trust it!

What are your personal thoughts on using natural birth control?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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Hey earth muffins! It has been over a month since I did a book and movie reviews post, so I thought I would write one for you all today! 😁 I have been trying to read as much as possible on my free time; however, my textbooks definitely take the priority most of the time… But I do have some awesome books on my “to-read” list that I hope to share with you all in upcoming Recent Reads post. 🎉

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Recent Reads
~The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Check out the book here!

After being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, Randy Paush (a professor at Carnegie Mellon) decided to give a “last” lecture discussing all of the important lessons he learned in his life. As he was leaving behind two young kids, he wanted them to remember him through these messages. This book shares not only Randy’s last thoughts he presented at Carnegie, but also goes into more detail with his sad, yet powerful message. His takeaways from life are so relatable that it really makes you think about your own life and what legacy you want to leave behind. I definitely want to watch his actual last lecture after reading this book, and I suggest you watch it on YouTube as well!
Rating: 10/10

~essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Check out the book here!

I picked up this book from the library expecting it to be another book on how to minimalize your life in terms of material goods… And boy was I wrong! This book basically takes you through the Marie Kondo method of getting rid of everything that isn’t essential in your life in terms of work, relationships, etc. It was such a breath of fresh air for me, as college always makes it seem like you need to do everything in order to be successful… This book opened my eyes to a different path where you create more (and better!) success by putting more energy into the essentials. For someone on a journey towards living a low/zero waste life, this was an amazing read that truly embraces “slow living”. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is looking to improve their quality of life!
Rating: 9.8/10

Movie Reviews
~Hocus Pocus

Check out the movie here!

How could I not watch this movie this month?!? It is one of my absolute favorite Halloween movies as I mentioned in my Fall Bucket List post. 🎃 It has amazing characters – Billy is the best. It has characters with weird names – Thackery Binx who? It has kids running wild all over town. It has singing witches – “I Put a Spell on You”, anyone? Please watch it if you haven’t already!
Rating: 10/10

~Aquamarine

Check out the movie here!

My roommate wanted to watch this movie the other night, and it was a great time! I have always been a huge fan of any sort of mermaid movie/TV show (H20: Just Add Water is one of the best TV shows of all time), so this was such a nostalgic film experience. It is super cheesy, has a hilarious mean girl (the newscast scene is cringey and oh so good), and a great “friendship fixes everything” ending. A classic for sure!
Rating: 8/10

~What a Girl Wants

Check out the movie here!

Just like the past few Recent Reads posts, I decided to watch a classic chick flick that I had never actually seen. This film stars Amanda Bynes, and it was INCREDIBLE. How had I not seen this before?! It was everything I could ask for in a chick flick: two love stories, a father daughter reunion, a juxtaposition of politics and rocker, amazing music, and iconic 90’s fashion. Will definitely be watching again!
Rating: 11/10

What have you been reading and watching lately?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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Hey earth muffins! If you weren’t aware, this month was Second Hand September! 😃 I have talked about thrifting a lot here on Life of an Earth Muffin, so in honor of this month coming to an end I wanted to share my most recent thrifted purchases. Let’s jump right into the haul!

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*Dining Room Table & Chairs: Facebook Marketplace, $45

I recently shared my tips and tricks for successfully shopping on Facebook Marketplace… And this is one of the best things I have scored! This table and chairs set was super cheap, and it is still in great condition – perfect for a grad school apartment!

*Binder: Local thrift store, $1

I will be writing a whole post this week on “how to zero waste your school supplies”, and one of my suggestions is to check out your local thrift stores! I am about to start studying for my CPA exams and wanted a binder to store all of my notes as I work through the Becker materials. 🤓 This binder was brand new, and it is absolutely perfect for what I was looking for!

*Set of 19 pans: Facebook Marketplace, $5

A small sample of the pans… The rest are stored under the oven!

That’s right – 19 PANS! I have been on the hunt for a muffin tin, cake pan, and bread pan so when I saw someone selling all of them (plus 16 other assorted pans!) I just had to make the purchase. While I found some other good pans in the bunch (like a pizza pan and a brownie pan), I will be donating the others that I don’t want to my local thrift shop so that they can get used in another kitchen. 🧁

*Ann Taylor Black flared skirt: Salvation Army, $1.50

This is for my Halloween costume… And it is perfect! It fits like a pencil skirt but flares out a bit more at the knees, so I will definitely be able to wear it to work after I use it as a costume.

*Red fabric: Local thrift shop, $0.75

I turned some of this fabric into a bow… Any guesses on what I am going to be for Halloween?? 😉

*New York and Company White Button Up: Salvation Army, $4.99

Again, this is for my Halloween costume, but I will get a ton of use out of it when I start working full time. 😀

*2 Pumpkin Napkins: Local thrift store, $0.50 each

One of the easiest things to do on a journey towards zero waste is refuse single use napkins. I have slowly been building a collection of napkins from ones my parents no longer want, but I thought it was time to throw in some fall cheer to the mix. 🎃

*Debbie Mumm Halloween Pillow: Local thrift store, $4.50

My apartment has no Halloween decor right now, so I figured this would be an easy way to add some Halloween spirit to the living room. Frank looks SO cute on the futon. 😍

What have you thrifted recently? 

Love,
Jenna ♥

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Hey earth muffins! Living in an apartment off campus has been great, as I don’t have to deal with the hub-bub that comes with being on campus. 🎉 I also get to cook all of my meals for myself, which I love because I can eat healthy and take time to ensure I am getting the nutrients I need. While my breakfast is usually Cheerios, I will sometimes make some overnight oats instead. 🥣 These are great when I know I am going to be in a rush, so I wanted to share the simple recipe with you all!

What You Need
-1/2 cup rolled oats (I either buy from the bulk bins or the largest cylinder container they have!)
-1/2 cup almond milk
-Mason jar (or other glass container)

What To Do
1. Pour the oats into the mason jar.
2. Add the almond milk on top and seal the jar.
3. Pop in the fridge to set overnight.
4. In the morning, mix with a spoon and add in the toppings (see below!). If you don’t want to eat from the jar, feel free to pour into a bowl.
5. Enjoy!

TOPPINGS
~Add in some frozen fruit slices! I typically choose banana, as I like to freeze slices of them whenever they are getting too brown for my liking. As overnight oats are already cold, the frozen fruit fits right in!

~A small scoop of natural jelly or homemade jam. I shared my fast and easy strawberry sauce recipe over the summer, which is perfect to add some sweetness to the oats. As I am trying to avoid added sugars right now, the smaller the scoop the better. 😊

~Dash of maple syrup! This is a classic combo, so I would definitely recommend giving it a try!

~Sprinkle of brown sugar or honey. If you love your oatmeal sweet, then try adding in some type of sugar. I am a huge fan of brown sugar, but honey works too!

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What do you put in your overnight oats? 

Love,
Jenna ♥

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Hey earth muffins! I think one of the easiest switches I made on my journey towards living zero waste was replacing my plastic products with bars. This isn’t difficult to do, especially now that companies like Lush have a lot more “naked” options. This post outlines the best reasons why you should also replace your plastic bottles, so let’s jump right into it! 😀

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1. 
There is less plastic packaging. If you want to be more sustainable, it is a much better alternative! Many stores like Lush and Whole Foods sell these products in absolutely no packaging, which means you can avoid all waste by bring your own container/bag to the store. Plus, you don’t have to worry about recycling the plastic bottle at the end, which as I mentioned in my Ultimate Plastic Recycling Guide, isn’t actually good for the planet.

2. 
You get more product, which is better for your wallet! How many times have you been unable to get all of the product out of a plastic bottle? There are many hard to reach places, which often forces you to toss before it is actually all gone. Many “naked” products use concentrated ingredients so that they will last a longer time; my Jumping Juniper shampoo bar lasted me 98 washes!!

3.
These products are often more natural. I am all for avoiding any unnecessary chemicals/additives, so I love that I am able to reduce them by buying bar products. This is especially true if you buy locally or off of Etsy, as I have found that even Lush items have more ingredients than I would like.

4.
They look so much better in the tub! 😍 Just peep my side of the shower versus my roommate’s. Plastic bottles are usually obnoxious colors with a million words, so I am a huge fan of having products that don’t visually clutter the room. I love my Ethique soap container that keeps my shampoo bar and soap dry so that they last even longer; I would definitely recommend checking it out, as it is only $15 and is biodegradable after a few years of use.

5.
They work just as well! I think many people are concerned that these products aren’t as effective as the brands they know and trust… And that is just untrue! Sure, you might not love everything you try out, but you will definitely find products that you LOVE!

What “naked” products do you use currently?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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