Pumpkin pie! Pumpkin latte! Pumpkin scones! Pumpkin cheesecake! Pumpkin Loaf! Pumpkin muffin! Pumpkin pancakes! Pumpkin everything!
If any of you know me well, you will know this is my my favorite time of the year and pumpkin is my favorite flavor of everything! I cannot get enough pumpkin in my diet if I tried - and it's healthy to boot! Ok - well, with the exception of the flavored syrup a certain coffee shop likes to fill my latte cup half way full with... but still. Pumpkin is rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals, low in calories, a good source of fiber, very tasty and so fun to carve!
I like to use pumpkin year round and it usually ends up in pancakes or muffins. Muffins are mine and Munch's favorite thing to make and also one of our top snacks to munch on. They are also very good for lunches and often I will make around 24 of them, freeze them, and take them out as needed. This works very well on those mornings you find you don't have enough time to make a sandwich - sometimes a few good muffins will do the trick! Especially if you make them with whole wheat flour and a healthy fruit or vegetable - like pumpkin. These here are pumpkin cranberry muffins that we like to make and the recipe can be found
here. I usually substitute half the all purpose flour for whole wheat and I like to add more spices.
Recently we have discovered the wonder of pumpkin pancakes - absolutely delicious! These are a "must try at least once" recipe - really, they are that good. Again, for this recipe I substitute half the all purpose flour with whole wheat and about double the spices (this recipe can be found
here).
A few weeks ago, I tried the cold pancake left overs as part of Munch's lunch, and she loved it! So this is our new idea for the week - pancakes for lunch! She eats them cold with just a bit of powder sugar sprinkled on them and seems to love them that way. With the whole wheat and pumpkin, they fill her up well. Here her lunch container is seen with a handful of raspberries and a small container of powder sugar on the side. This is now one of her favorite lunches!
Happy Pumpkin Season! (that is over too soon - lucky Americans get it for longer!)
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| Avery's pretty posh kitty carved pumpkin - so cute! |
Pumpkin pie is my all time favourite dessert! I never even considered that this delicious vegetable (it’s a vegetable not a fruit right?) could be made into other baked goods!! – Your genius haha
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to mention that pumpkin seeds another great way to get some healthy benefits from pumpkins! Whenever I carve my pumpkins for the Halloween season I always make sure save the seeds!
The way I do it is:
1. Pick out all seeds and place aside in a bowl until done carving.
2. WITHOUT RINSING THEM (doing this takes away the flavour - I learned this the hard way..) Lay them out on an ungreased baking tray
3. Sprinkle salt on them before cooking so it will stick to the seeds
4. Cook on 400C until golden brown on both sides (i usually take them out once or twice to shuffle them around a bit and get them all turned over)
As a fellow pumpkin lover, I’m sure you have already tried pumpkin seeds - so anyone else reading this that hasn’t must try it!
Pumpkins seeds are very low in fat and calories, and high in potassium. They contain Vitamin C and other nutrients, such as Niacin, Vitamin E, Calcium and Iron!
A delicious snack to have on their own, through in a salad, casseroles, soups, and other baked goods.
P.S I am definitely trying that muffin recipe :)
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/63171/the_nutrition_of_pumpkins_and_pumpkin.html
Pumpkin Pancakes might even go well as a little Apéro on a Sunday afternoon with a Pumpkin Highballer Beer after a day of raking!
ReplyDeleteOh the multitalented pumpkin, how we underestimate you.
Thanks for the tasty recipe!
I have made these wonderful tasty pancakes a few times now as they are a bit hit with my boys. I love how they taste sweet yet have very little sugar in them. I gave them along for their lunches as well and it went over well. This recipe has now been added to my favorites list. By the way I think your pictures are gorgeous! Love the lit pumpkins all in a row. Autumn is such a cozy time of year and your recipes and pictures certainly embrace that feeling.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!
I will have to try those pancakes - we already love pumpkin muffins around here. Great idea to put them in a school lunch!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to send in their lunches. I have some whole wheat pancakes in my fridge right now - I may try this for tomorrow!
ReplyDelete