My Love Affair With Pumpkin

Now that fall is upon us (although the weather in Vegas is still in the 100’s and you wouldn’t know that it is, in fact, fall), I love to start thinking about fall foods.  As most of you know, I have a slight obsession with all things pumpkin. 

Not only is pumpkin delicious, it is also a nutrition powerhouse.  Pumpkin is only 50 calories and 3 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup!  That bright orange color shows that it is full of the antioxidant beta-carotene.  Beta-carotene converts to Vitamin A and helps fight off free radicals.  It’s also a good source of vitamins C, K, and E, and lots of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and iron.

I have tried two new pumpkin creations this week. Both were delicious!

The first was an inspiration from Mama Pea’s pumpkin spice latte.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coffee
• ½ cup milk (nonfat)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin
• Sprinkle cinnamon (I also added pumpkin pie spice)

I poured mine over ice. It is definitely comparable to a Starbuck’s pumpkin spice latte but without the cost of one. I have been making them most of the week to get in my pumpkin fix.

Check out this cute cup I got for my iced drinks!

The other was a recipe my mom actually found and thought I would like.  It is from a local paper.

Skinny Pumpkin Muffins source

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose-flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup milk

Directions:

Whisk the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.  Fit a regular muffin pan with liners. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Beat the butter until creamy, then beat in the sugar.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

Gently fold in the pumpkin puree and the milk.

Add the flour mixture and blend into batter.

Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Bake until muffins are puffed, about 25 minutes.

Per muffin: 200 calories, 4 grams protein, 1 gram fiber, and 9 grams fat.

These turned out really well!!

The pumpkin flavor was very subtle. I think the addition of nuts would have worked well with these.  To boost the fiber, I will probably substitute in some whole wheat flour next time around.

Here are some other links from blogs for yummy pumpkin ideas:

Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal (from Iowa Girl Eats)

Autumn Grilled Banana Sandwich (from Healthy Tipping Point)

Pumpkin Smoothie (from Running Leaner and Greener)

Can’t wait to try all of these!

Do you like pumpkin?  What are your favorite ways to use/eat pumpkin

Tagged as: pumpkin, pumpkin muffin, pumpkin spiced latte, recipe