Healthy Pumpkin Recipes to Add to Your Fall Menu
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Do you think of fall as a time to indulge in all those yummy treats or as a time to invite new autumn produce into your kitchen? By adding in seasonal foods like acorn squash, butternut squash, and pumpkin we can finally introduce a whole new set of delicious recipes and reap the health benefits as well! And in this article, I want to just focus on healthy pumpkin recipes and the hidden power of pumpkin!
As much as I don’t want to admit that summer is winding down, I can already tell that the days are getting shorter. Autumn is right around the corner. As we get ready for all the upcoming fall holidays with all the delicious treats, it’s can be easy to lose sight of some of our health and fitness goals.
With October comes Halloween parties, candy for trick-or-treating, and all the pumpkin spiced lattes, which means unhealthy options are everywhere! Even as early as August, we start to see pumpkins everywhere we look! I was at the craft store yesterday and apparently, I really underestimated the amount of time everyone needs to get ready for Halloween because decorations and pumpkins littered the aisles!
Anyway, instead of just seeing pumpkins as a fun decoration that you can paint or carve fun faces into, let’s talk about how we can add more healthy pumpkin recipes into our diets this holiday season as well as all the awesome benefits of eating pumpkin.
Great Post-Workout Meal
As a result of an intense workout session, you’ll want to have a post-workout meal or snack within the first 30 minutes of finishing. You’ll want to include both a carbohydrate and a protein. For the carbohydrate portion, starchy vegetables, like pumpkin, are a great choice. They are packed with antioxidants and are nutritionally dense without adding a lot of calories.
Pumpkin can help your body replenish the electrolytes and glycogen your body loses do to sweating during a workout. It can also help prevent muscle cramps because pumpkin is a great source of potassium.
Here are a couple of pumpkin recipes that could make for a great post-workout snack or even as your breakfast if you exercise in the morning:
Breakfast and Snack Recipes
Great Source of Fiber
Our American diets tend to be far too light on fiber, but by adding in pumpkin you can easily increase the amount of fiber you’re eating. Pumpkin is relatively low in calories, therefore it’s great to snack on when you are hungry. Not only does fiber help you feel full for longer periods of time, even more, it aids in digestion and helps keep you regular.
According to Medical News Today, in one serving of fresh cooked pumpkin, you’ll get 3g of fiber and 7g in canned pumpkin! Canned pumpkin is an easy option to prepare. However, you just need to make sure it’s pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling, which has added sugars.
Versatile and Easy to Use in these Healthy Pumpkin Recipes
Adding healthy pumpkin recipes to your weekly menu doesn’t mean the meal has to be complicated. Pumpkin can be incorporated into any meal, including dessert, without guilt! As a result of making a few substitutions or recipe modifications, you can still have your pumpkin pie and enjoy it too! Pumpkin can also be eaten in seed form, as a puree, as a pasta addition, in stir-fry – the options are limitless!
Lunch and Dinner Recipes
Pumpkin Risotto with Garlic and Sage
Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Lentils and Goat Cheese
Side Dishes and Snacks Recipes
Roasted Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, and Brown Rice Pilaf
Desserts and Drink Recipes
Pumpkin Pie with Whole Wheat Crust
Pumpkin Spice Shakeology
And if you just love the pumpkin spice flavor, you’ll want to hear about this! Instead of going for a PSL from Starbucks, why not give Pumpkin Spice Shakeology a try? Their Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte will run you 380 calories, 14 g of fat, 52g of carbs, and a whopping 50g of sugar! That’s 4 Tbsp of sugar in one 16oz drink!
In contrast, 1 serving of Pumpkin Spice Shakeology has 150 calories, 3g of fat, 16g of carbs, and only 7g of sugar. And just like the other flavors of vegan Shakeology, it does not contain any genetically modified ingredients and is packed with all the nutrients, vitamins, proteins, and minerals in the amounts your body needs to:
- reduce hunger and food cravings
- help fight free radical damage
- help support a healthy immune system
- help the body adapt and respond to the effects of stress
- help nutrient absorption
- support regularity and healthy digestion
You can view the complete supplement facts of our Pumpkin Spice Vegan Shakeology flavor HERE.
This will be a limited-edition flavor is on sale in the U.S. starting on September 17th and in Canada on October 11th. it will only be available while supplies last, so you’ll want to make sure you get yours by clicking below to order!
This flavor will only be sold in boxes of 14 single-serve packets, with no monthly subscription option. You will be able to purchase up to 5 boxes per transaction, and up to a total of 20 boxes.
Shakeology Recipes
If you can’t wait to try the official Pumpkin Spice Shakeology, try one of the pumpkin recipes below. Using another Shakeology flavor to mock the pumpkin spice will probably tide you over until you can get the real thing!
Honey Pumpkin Spice Shakeology
So there you have it, 17 healthy pumpkin recipes that you can add to your fall menu! Leave a comment below and let me know which one are you going to try first?