Pumpkin Bread & school lunches

With the beginning of the new semester, I am again faced with the necessity of making lunches and snacks. I am big on taking my own food to school for several reasons.

1. I have very limited food options on campus. There are a few GF options, including Chick Fil A, Wendy's, McAlisters, and convenience stores.
2. There are only one or two options at each place.
3. Fast food = not very healthy.
4. It's getting old eating the same things.
5. It gets costly.

I try not to rely on using the microwave. Sometimes I just don't have time to go find one, or I don't have time to sit and eat lunch. When I do have time, I take things like:

soup or chili frozen in individual portions
an occasional Thai Kitchen noodle bowl
pasta salad
tuna salad
random leftovers from dinner

I keep juice boxes in the freezer, in case I need to keep anything cold. They stay frozen for a while.

More often than not, though, I end up eating during class or on the way to class, which begs the need for quick, easy to eat snacks. I have Calculus 2 smack dab in the middle of dinner time, and my grumbling stomach makes it very hard to concentrate on integrals. Not that it's easy to concentrate on integrals anyway.

I've been taking things such as:

dried cranberries
cheese sticks or cubes
nuts
pieces of fruit
chex mix
bagel chips (homemade- I need to post my bagel recipe)
granola bars (If I can ever find a recipe I like)
whatever muffins I've made
rice cakes

The thing is, those things get old as well. I'm dying for some variety.

A lady at the post office was mailing pumpkin bread to some lucky person, and gave me the craving. Thanks to the pumpkin in my freezer, I now have pumpkin bread.

It's ideal for in-class hunger-busting, being portable, carb-y and quiet. And, tasty. This bread is moist, but not too wet, with a subtle pumpkin flavor that's just right. The outside forms a great sweet crust.

I can't remember where I found this recipe, so if someone recognizes it, let me know so I can give proper credit. I have modified it slightly.

You will need:

3/4 c. pumpkin
1 egg
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1 1/4 c. flour mix *with xanthan gum already added
1/4 t. baking soda
1 T. baking powder
pinch of salt

2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
(or 1 T. pumpkin pie spice)

Preheat your oven to 350. I made this the same way as muffins: mix the wet, mix the dry, then combine the two. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then flip it out to cool.