What I Ate Wednesday #8

Spooky Snacks & Healthy Halloween Treats

Sweet potatoes, butternut squash and pumpkins are turning up around every corner, so I've started to incorporate them more and more into my meals. Yummy!

I never liked pumpkin. I never even wanted to try it. My Mom would occasionally serve warm pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving or Christmas...but I never ate it. Don't ask me why. I think it's because it just never looked very pretty.

Then one day something happened...and I finally decided to try me some pumpkin pie. I fell in love. I didn't love the actual pie itself (it was too mushy and still not very pretty) but the flavor was something new that my mouth had never experienced before.

This party would not be possible without the lovely miss Jenn, over at Peas and Crayons. Once again, thanks for being a perfect hostess, Jenn <3

Pumpkin Spice Protein Balls: dates, pecans, pumpkin seeds, coconut, pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice. Rolled in coconut, dipped in chocolate. A little bit of pumpkin pie packed with antioxidants and protein.

Sweet Potato, Red Cabbage and Kelp Noodles with Miso: kelp noodles, red cabbage, sweet potato, sprouted beans, fresh cilantro Miso Dressing: brown miso, garlic, lemon, water, olive oil.

Cocoa Granola: buckwheat groats, sunflower seeds, raisins, goji berries, walnuts, cacao powder, maple syrup, coconut palm sugar, dates, cinnamon, lucuma powder, coconut, vanilla, cayenne pepper.

Kale and Avocado Salad with Cranberries: kale, avocado, red onion, tomato, lime juice, garlic, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, sea salt, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper.

Pumpkin Seeds: a perfect snack

Pumpkin Pie Smoothies

Cooked, cooled pumpkin, or organic canned pumpkin has more flavor than raw pumpkin. If you prefer to use canned pumpkin, I suggest using plain canned pumpkin, not the kind that already has pumpkin pie spices in it.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (Vegan)

1/2 cup organic pumpkin pie mix
1 cup unsweetened, almond milk (or make your own)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 large carrot, chopped
2 cups fresh baby spinach (or other leafy green)
2 frozen bananas

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (Raw Vegan)

Soak 2 cups of pie pumpkin, cut in chunks, overnight in water with 1 TBSP of lemon juice to help reduce the starchiness.

Ingredients:
1 cup raw pumpkin, cubed
1/4 cup unsweetened, almond milk (or make your own)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 bananas, peeled
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 carrot juice
2 cups fresh baby spinach (or other leafy green)

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add more almond milk if the smoothie is too thick.