Hello Fall
I don’t know about you, but fall is one of my favorite seasons. It is not too cold or hot and you get to wear blanket scarves and cute boots. We also love driving to the mountains and seeing all the leaves change color. It’s such a joyful and bright season!
The Season of PUMPKIN
And its finally appropriate to eat pumpkin everything; lattes, soups, muffins, pancakes, pasta, and more!
Pumpkin is a nutritional powerhouse. One cup of pumpkin puree contains 200% of your daily vitamin A, which helps with eye health, teeth, bones, soft tissue, and a healthy immune system. One cup of pumpkin puree contains 3 grams of fiber and ONLY 49 calories making it an excellent food for weight loss. Not only is the puree beneficial, but pumpkin seeds are rich in phytosterols which help improve cholesterol, prostate health, hair growth, and antioxidant activity. Pumpkin seeds are rich in protein, fiber, and several minerals including magnesium, manganese, and zinc. If you have never tried pumpkin seeds, my absolute favorite are GoRaw Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds…. YUM!
Here are a few of my favorite (and healthy) pumpkin recipes for this fall.
Pumpkin Recipes
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oat Pancakes by Cookie + kate
- Gluten-free and dairy-free if you use unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- Delicious on a Saturday morning topped with organic maple syrup and toasted pecans
- Skinny Pumpkin Spice Creamer by Amy’s Healthy Baking
- Skip the high calorie, high sugar Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte and add this healthier alternative to coffee or black tea, yum!
- Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Breakfast Casserole by Healthful Pursuit
- Quinoa is a “pseudo grain” meaning it’s not a grain at all. It is actually an African seed that contains all 9 essential amino acids. Great alternative to oatmeal for breakfast. And this recipe has a delicious crumble on top!
- Pumpkin Almond Butter by Eating Bird Food
- Filled with superfoods this pumpkin almond butter not only contains almonds, but CHIA seeds. I love chia seeds because they are rich in fiber and omega 3s. As you may know, omega 3s help reduce inflammation, improve brain health, and reduce cardiovascular disease.
- Vegan Pumpkin Custard by Food Fitness Fresh Air
- This recipe contains agar, which is a new one for me. Agar is a jelly like substance obtained from algae (basically a vegetarian form of gelatin). I replaced the brown sugar with coconut palm sugar to add a little bit more nutrients to this recipe.
- Paleo Pumpkin Muffins by Jay’s Baking Me Crazy
- These gluten free, dairy free muffins are absolutely delicious. They are super moist and flavorful. Great recipe to make on Sunday to have on hand for breakfast and/or snacks during the week (make sure to refrigerate to keep fresh). If you want to increase the protein content of these muffins add a few tablespoons of collagen.
Share your favorite pumpkin recipe below. I always love trying new recipes!!
