Tag Archive | October Recipe

Recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Oct19

roasted pumpkin seeds ingredients

October in New England means running through corn mazes, picking apples, gathering up fallen leaves & jumping in them, and of course, carving pumpkins.  Pumpkin carving is one of our favorite autumn traditions.  One of the things my daughters love most about carving pumpkins is roasting the seeds afterwards for a tasty autumn treat!

Pumpkin seeds are not only delicious, they are packed with nutrients and provide many health benefits as well:

  • They are a good source of essential minerals like copper, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium.
  • They are also a great source of Fiber, Protein, and Vitamin E.
  • They help to reduce levels of LDL Cholesterol
  • They help to reduce inflammation
  • and many more…

Here is the recipe we use in our family for roasted pumpkin seeds.  You may experiment with different spices and season to your liking.

Ingredients

  • Seeds from one or more pumpkins
  • Olive oil
  • Salt or other seasonings (to taste)

Directions

  1. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin.
  2. Rinse seeds and separate from flesh.  Lay seeds in a single layer on a paper towel and pat dry.
  3. Spread seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  4. Drizzle 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil over seeds
  5. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt evenly over seeds
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
  7. Season as desired.
  8. Enjoy!

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Jan27

We have a new favorite smoothie in our house!  I have been on the green smoothie kick lately, but last week I decided to try something different and see if my daughters would give it a try.  My 11-year-old and 6-year-old both loved it!!  They have been finishing this smoothie daily and asking for more!  Like many moms, I am always looking for ways to get as many fruits, vegetables, and superfoods into our diet as possible.  This is an easy way to do it.  This smoothie is packed with superfoods…bananas, pumpkin, oranges and pineapple!  For a great resource and list of 50 superfoods, check out this link.  Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! 🙂

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

 Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients:
¾ cup orange juice (I prefer freshly juiced, but store-bought also works)

1 cup organic vanilla yogurt (I like Stonyfield French Vanilla) OR 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt and 1 Tablespoon Local Honey

½ cup pumpkin puree

½ cup fresh pineapple chunks

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice* (see below for substitution)

2 frozen bananas (make sure they are ripe when you freeze them)
Instructions:
  1. Add all ingredients to the blender except the bananas.  Blend until smooth.
  2. Add the bananas.  Blend until smooth.

Yield:  Approximately 34 fl oz

Journeytocompletewellness.com

Update:  1/31/2014 – My kids love this drink and ask me to make it for them every day.  I finally ran out of the pumpkin pie spice, and when I went to buy more I noticed that it was $5.99 for 1.12 oz.  I decided I didn’t want to pay that much for it, so I did some research and found a recipe to make it myself.  Here it is:

Pumpkin Pie Spice

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice or cloves

Store in an airtight container.