Mama Chick Mondays – Healthy Eating and Exercise Advice for Moms!

Pumpkin Power!

Hey Chicks!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Last week I talked about sneaking veggies into your kid’s diets. This week I want to share with you my fave sneaky (and unsneaky) veggie – pumpkin!

Pumpkins aren’t just for carvings and pies. They are a delish source of vitamin A and antioxidant carotenoids, particularly alpha and beta-carotenes, it’s a good source of vitamins C, K, and E, and lots of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and iron. (source: lowcarbdiets.about.com) And it’s a great source of fibre! About 3.5 grams per half cup – fab!

Now while you can buy a pumpkin and de-seed it and cook it – who has time for that?

sneaky vegetable, fit chicks, healthy eating, boot camp, pumpkin

This is a great brand I often buy - make sure the label reads Pure Pumpkin! source:www.edsmith.com

Every week I stock up on at least 6 cans from the grocery store which can be found in the baking aisle. Make sure that you are buying pure pumpkin puree. The only ingredient listed should be pumpkin. There are also cans of pumpkin pie filling loaded with sugar and other ingredients, so make sure to read the label.

Now what the heck do you do with pumpkin?

While my little girls will eat a bowl of it straight from the can, it’s probably not going to seem yummy to everyone! Here are my other fave ways to use pumpkin:

top oats with a half cup of pumpkin, cinnamon, and a few walnuts for pumpkin pie oatmeal
substitute pumpkin puree for oil in baking to increase fibre and nutrients and decrease fat content
stir it into pasta sauce, mac and cheese, stews, chilis, and soups. You won’t even notice it!
Mix with greek yogurt and cinnamon and a touch of sweetener if needed for high protein pumpkin pie yogurt. It’s a perfect blend of protein and carbs for post workout.
I also whisk pumpkin into eggs with cinnamon and vanilla and cook like scrambled eggs for a “pumpkin custard”
Make a delicious pumpkin pie smoothie!