Happy Thursday! Busy week over here, so let’s jump right into this weekly dose of randomness.

*I’ve been loving pumpkin spice added in with the coffee grounds lately when I brew a pot. Mine make 4 cups, and I’ve been adding about a teaspoon. It’s a delicious way to DIY the whole pumpkin pie spice thing without all the syrup or sugar.

Of course, if you’ve got your heart set on a PSL, I’ve got some tips over on Shape for making it healthier. You can also make your own at home with just a few ingredients.

*The weather got into the 80’s in NYC this weeks—what the what? If you’re needing some cool food to help you cool down, EA Stewart of The Spicy RD has an awesome round-up of summery salads to check out. My goat cheese caprese zoodle salad is included in the list. Delicious any time of year!

*Also not seasonal but always wonderful: I’ve been listening to a lot of old Leonard Cohen records. Something about this time of year does it to me. Instant time travel to my sophomore year of college back in Boston. It started with me realizing as I glanced out the window during a yoga class, “The light is very ‘Chelsea Hotel No. 2‘ this morning.” That’s just the way my brain works. There was also this great profile in the New Yorker that an old friend told me about not long after that.

Do high school and college kids still get all emotional over old songs? God, we used to spend so much time talking about and listening to music. Then, I feel like I came of age in some weird fantasy world that is basically the early 1970s with cell phones. And the early days of The Facebook.

*A little but more seasonal (even if the weather hasn’t felt it), I’ve been testing a bunch of pumpkin recipes and wanted to share this GoodZing article I wrote about the health benefits of pumpkin.

One of those recipes is a tasty twist on Mac & Cheese featuring Banza chickpea flour pasta. Some of you saw a preview on Instagram the other night. Recipe coming soon!

And that’s all she wrote for today. Have a great one!

What’s on your mind today? How’s the weather? Are there any songs that make you think of this time of year? 

This has been another installment of the Running with Spoons Thinking Out Loud link party, where randomness is the name of the game. Thanks to Amanda for hosting.