‘Tis the season for pumpkin! And I am ohh soo excited. Pumpkin is one of my favorite seasonal foods. I love how you can have it sweet or savory! So far this season, I have only made sweet pumpkin things but I am looking forward to making some savory dishes with a small sugar pumpkin my boyfriend bought for me (he is the greatest!).
It seems we always associate pumpkin with foods that are bad for you like pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, or pumpkin doughnuts, but if you eat pumpkin by itself or in healthy dishes, it is surprisingly really good for you! According to Nutrition and You, some benefits of eating pumpkin are:
- It is very low calorie– 100 g is only 26 calories
- Rich in dietary fiber (especially the seeds)
- Good source of antioxidant vitamins- Vitamin C, E, and an especially good source of Vitamin A (an essential vitamin for good eyesight)
- Abundant in B-complex vitamins– i.e. folates, niacin, Vitamin B6, thiamin, and pantothenic acid
- Good source of copper, calcium, potassium, and phosphorous– all essential for good health
So, basically if you incorporate pumpkin into your healthy dishes, you will ingest a load of vitamins and minerals that support good health! Yay! Because it is delicious and of course…it is the season for it!
A few days ago, to get festive for the first day of autumn, I bought some canned pumpkin and made this healthy and delicious pumpkin pie smoothie bowl for breakfast. Here is the recipe:
RECIPE:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree (I used canned, but fresh is always better, if you’re up for it!)
- 1 frozen Banana, peeled
- 1/2 – 1 cup Almond Milk (depending on level of thickness you prefer)
- 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon Ginger
- Small pinch of Cloves
- Or instead of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, you can add some pumpkin pie spice to taste
Directions:
- Place all ingredients into a blender
- Blend until smooth
- If you prefer to have a smoothie bowl instead of a regular smoothie, pour smoothie mixture into a bowl
- I topped my smoothie bowl with cacao nibs, chia seeds, and coconut flakes (accidentally added a little too many cacao nibs but I suppose I got a high dose of antioxidants that morning)
- Otherwise, top your smoothie bowl with whatever toppings you desire
- Some suggestions for other types of toppings that could go well with this smoothie bowl are: walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, whipped cream, nutella, etc.
- Serve and enjoy 🙂
Lance Wright
I have previously made a smoothie using a recipe nearly identical to this one , but I left out the banana and added 2 tablespoons of peanut oil so I could absorb the fat-soluble vitamin A. It’s a guilt-free pumpkin pie! Delicious! I love your idea to add chia seeds-I’ll have to try it that way.