Anyone who knows me knows that I love PUMPKIN!!  I loved pumpkin pie when I was little and could eat a whole pie myself within that week alone.  As I grew up, the world of pumpkin exploded and now you can get everything with pumpkin in it, and it is amazeballs!

Many pumpkin things within the marketplace, unfortunately, have artificial flavors and normally little to no actual pumpkin in them.  Due to this, they are high in sugars, corn syrups or other unhealthy ingredients and don’t have any nutritional benefits at all.  I am here to change that and help you get your clean pumpkin treat fix! An important note, when pumpkin is called out, make sure it is just real pureed pumpkin with NOTHING added.  You don’t want to accidentally get the pumpkin pie filling that has sweeteners and other additives in already or you are defeating the purpose.    Pumpkin is high in antioxidants such as Vitamin A, C & E and is loaded with fiber and minerals all while being low in calories and pretty inexpensive as well.

Some of these are healthier than others and could be eaten every day such as the overnight oats, but feel free to try them all out and mix it up throughout the whole pumpkin and fall season.  In my mind it lasts from August through Thanksgiving so Pumpkin Palooza away until you are sick of it!  My favorites by far are the Pumpkin Cheesecake and the Pumpkin Oat Bars, both of which are kid approved.  There are obviously stores full of all things pumpkin decorating for your home, but checkout some of these cute cups and dishes to bump these up a few notches.

Pumpkin Overnight Oats

Ingredients

1 Cup Pumpkin

1/4 Cup Uncooked Oats

½ Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1 Tsp Vanilla

½ Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 Packet Stevia

Directions

1. Mix the pumpkin, milk, vanilla, spices and stevia together until thoroughly mixed
2. Fold in the oats and place in sealed container
3. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator ( for at least 8 hours ) and enjoy in the AM with no prep! Let it soak longer if you like as well!

 

Pumpkin “Cheesecake”

(This makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

1/3 Cup almonds (around 48)

2 Tsp Coconut Oil

2/3 Cup Pumpkin

2/3 Cup Nonfat Cottage Cheese

1 Egg or 2 egg whites

1 Tsp Vanilla

½ Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 Tsp Honey

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Put almonds into a blender or food processor and pulse until you have a flour-like consistency
3. Put into bowl and add your coconut oil, mix until you have an almond paste
4. Fill the bottom of two muffin tins with 1/4 of the paste mixture and press down into a crust. Set aside.
5. Puree the cottage cheese until it is a smooth consistency in the blender.
6. Add the egg, vanilla, stevia, spices and pumpkin and blend until thoroughly mixed.
7. Pour 1/4 of the mixture into each muffin tin and place in the oven.
8. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until a knife inserted into the cakes comes out clean.
9. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before enjoying ( both to set up and to not scald your tongue)

Remember, this recipe is 4 SERVINGS!!!

Pumpkin Pie Dip

Ingredients

2/3 Cup NonFat Greek Yogurt

½ Cup Pumpkin Puree

1 Tsp Vanilla

½ Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 Stevia

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly.

When eaten alone I find this one to be a little bitter, but as a dip it is great.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients

¼ Cup Oatmeal

1 Cup Pumpkin

1 Egg or 2 Egg Whites

¼ Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

½ Tsp Cinnamon

Splash of Vanilla

1 Packet Stevia

Directions

1. Heat griddle or pan to a medium heat, coat with coconut oil if not nonstick
2. Put oatmeal in the blender and pulse until it becomes a flour-like consistency
3. Add all other ingredients and mix until a smooth consistency (**NOTE – this will be pretty loose )
4. Pour 4 inch size pancakes onto the griddle ( this should make 5-6 )
5. Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes and flip. Cook another 1-2 minutes and remove from heat.

These can be  eaten alone because they are sweet enough, or add honey or some pure maple syrup.   This one is kid approved and they love it with a little bit of Vanilla yogurt on top with some walnuts.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars

** WARNING THESE ARE MY FAVORITE AND HIGHLY ADDICTIVE**

(MAKES 4 SERVINGS)

Ingredients

2/3 Cup Pumpkin

1/3 Cup Dry Oats

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Egg or 2 Egg Whites

8 Walnut Halves (chopped)

2 Tsp Chocolate Chips

1 Tsp Vanilla

1/2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Pinch of Salt

2 Tsp Honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Mix pumpkin, egg whites & vanilla until smooth
3. In another container, mix baking soda, oats, salt, and spice
4. Fold the wet and dry ingredients together until uniform
5. Last, add the walnut halves and chocolate chips and fold until mixed throughout ( do not STIR)
6. Flatten into the botton of a pan and spread out until approximately ¼ inch thick
7. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned

In an airtight container these can last for a little over a week if you wanted to cut them into smaller pieces or make a larger batch.  They will stay moist and not be a crunchy cookie so keep that in mind as they bake.

Pumpkin Parfait

This can be 1 HUGE serving or 2 smaller portions ( but still big)

Ingredients

Pumpkin Fluff

1 Cup Pumpkin

½ Tsp Pumpkin Spice

1 Tsp Honey

Vanilla Cream

2/3 Cup Cottage Cheese

1/2 Tsp Vanilla

1 Packet Stevia

½ Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Almond Butter

Directions:

1. In bowl, combine the ingredients for the pumpkin fluff and mix thoroughly.
2. Heat in microwave for 1 ½ minute ( this helps get rid of the bitterness)
3. In blender, combine ingredients for Vanilla Cream and mix 2-3 minutes until smooth
4. Place the pumpkin in a piping bag ( or heavy duty Ziploc).  Place the Vanilla Cream in another piping bag.
5. Place a layer of pumpkin puree, followed by a layer of vanilla, a layer of pumpkin and final layer of vanilla until it has been used.
6. Top with the granola mixture if you like and enjoy!

 

Pumpkin Butter

Ingredients

1 Cup Pumpkin

½ Apple

½ Tsp Pumpkin Spice

2 Tsp Coconut Oil

2 Tsp Honey

Directions:

1. Put diced apple into blender and puree until it is an apple sauce consistency
2. Put apple into a pot on the store and add pumpkin, seasoning and coconut oil and mix until it is a combined mixture
3. Heat on low for 5-7 minutes stirring slowly until it becomes a thicker paste like consistency
4. Place in a Tupperware container or an old baby food jar and place in fridge for storage

I use this in 2-3 tablespoon increments and almost use it as just a “free” topping with how little is used.  I find it to be a a great topping on toast or dolloped on top of oatmeal for a different  flavor profile.

Pumpkin Coffee

Coming from a person who drank a container of pumpkin creamer a week while in season, this has been a big go to!

Simply add ½ tsp of pumpkin spice to your coffee grounds prior to brewing.  It will smell wonderful and infuse some of that spiciness into the coffee as it brews.  You can always add more pumpkin spice to your finished coffee, but I find that it can give almost a dry feeling to the tongue at times.

Like I said, I love pumpkin!  I hope you can pin and share these recipes to use throughout the season.  It is easy to find ways to enjoy your favorite comfort foods in a clean way and I hope this blog can help you do that.   Eating healthy doesn’t mean being boring, you can enjoy food and play around all you want, especially with great seasonal dishes such as these.

What are your favorite pumpkin recipes?  I’d love to try to make it healthy!

For those that love having a hardbound cookbook , some great cookbooks for just Pumpkin alone exist – check them out here!!