5 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes

It’s autumn and that means that there are pumpkins everywhere!

If you love pumpkin, you’ll be happy to know that pumpkin is very healthy! It has high levels of potassium which help level out your blood pressure. It’s also extremely rich in antioxidants and vitamins! So while a pumpkin spice latte might not be the healthiest choice because of all of the sugar in it, but there are a lot of great choices out there!

Pumpkin Overnight Oats
In a container that has an airtight lid, combine ½ cup greek yogurt (2% or nonfat), ½ cup pumpkin puree, ¼ cup old-fashioned oats, 1 tbsp honey, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon OR pumpkin pie spice. Store in the fridge 8 hours or more. Best served cold.

Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes
Combine one mashed ripe banana, 4 tbsp pumpkin puree, ¼ tsp cinnamon, dash of nutmeg, 4 eggs. Pour into silver dollar size pancakes over medium-high heat.

Pumpkin Chili
Saute 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 chopped onion, and 2 chopped orange peppers. Combine one 28-oz can of diced tomatoes, 1 15-oz can black beans, 1 15-oz can pinto beans, 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree, 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth, 2 tbsp cumin, 2 tbsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp pepper, and ½ tsp red pepper flakes. Cook on high until boiling and then reduce the heat to low for 25 minutes.  Serve with a squeeze of lime, tortilla chips, sour cream, bread, or whatever you like.

Pumpkin Protein Shake
Blend 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk or 1 cup of skim milk, ½ cup pumpkin pie puree, 1 tsp honey, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 medium banana, 6 ice cubes. Enjoy with a thick straw.

Baked Pumpkin Fries
Scoop out the guts of a small pie pumpkin. Remove the skin with a potato peeler and cut the flesh into french fries. Blot with paper towels and mix in a bowl with 2 tsp cornstarch and let sit for 10 minutes. Dry any remaining excess moisture. Toss tries in 2 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, ½ tsp sea salt, and (optional) ¼ minced fresh cup parsley. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, flipping them over ½ way through cooking.