fall
Fall is often the time for pumpkin recipes, but the main drawback is that many of them are a little too fattening. However, if you make pumpkin-based smoothies, you have a delicious breakfast or treat with the pumpkin flavor you crave, and not all the added calories. Here are three pumpkin smoothie recipes to try.
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
If you like the taste of pumpkin pie, but are looking for a healthier way to enjoy it, why not give a pumpkin pie smoothie a try? This is really easy to make with many of the same ingredients that would go in a pie, except for a few variations. You can really use any ingredients you want, as long as you are adding some canned pumpkin and pumpkin spice to your smoothie.
If you like more of a milky smoothie, go for regular milk or vanilla almond milk as an additive. If you like a thicker smoothie, add some peanut butter and granola to the blender. You can also add a frozen banana in lieu of ice for a creamier texture. When you are done blending, just top it with some cinnamon. Continue reading
Having pumpkin in the fall is practically a rite of passage in order to start the season, but many desserts are a little too fattening. The following recipes are both lower in fat and calories and delicious ways to enjoy pumpkin.
Pumpkin Cake with Cranberries
This healthy pumpkin dessert is provided by Eating Well.com. It is a great way to have a pumpkin cake with all the added calories. This simple recipe use basic ingredients for cake, including flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. The seasonings are ground cinnamon and allspice to give it that seasonal flavor and it uses egg whites instead of regular eggs. You will also add pumpkin puree to the cake. Continue reading
When Thanksgiving rolls around, most people focus on the food on the table. Here’s how to make the meal even more special by having a beautifully decorated table even before the food is added. Continue reading
As you start incorporating more pumpkin into your fall recipes and learning about their health benefits, don’t forget to learn more about pumpkins themselves.
You can even teach these facts to your kids to get them more interested in the healthy pumpkin meals you put together.
Pumpkins are a Type of Fruit
Definitely one of the more surprising facts about pumpkins is that they are fruit, not vegetables. Many people consider pumpkins to be a vegetable, along with squash and other gourds, but it is in fact a fruit. Fruits are typically defined by being planted with seeds, which pumpkins definitely have.
Therefore, while a part of the gourd family, they are a type of fruit. This is also a warm-weather crop, similar to other types of winter squash, which is why it is available to be harvested in the fall season. Continue reading
