Sunday, November 13, 2011

My Love Affair With Pumpkin

It is no secret: I'm obsessed with pumpkin.  I love the color, the smell, the rich flavor, how it adds moist fluffiness to any dish............and I love it in all types of foods, from coffee to chili.  During my last contest prep, I was inundated with pumpkin.  Everywhere I looked, I saw pumpkin, and it drove me MAD!  So, the first meal I ate after my show obviously involved pumpkin, and I've been on a pumpkin kick ever since.  Here are some of my favorite BP original pumpkin recipes, as well as recipes from some others.  Enjoy!!

BP's Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
1/2 c oats
4 egg whites (about 168g if you're measuring your food)
1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein (14-16g if you're measuring)
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1/2 t baking powder
2-4g (about a tsp) jello sugar free/fat free vanilla or cheesecake pudding mix
pinch salt
cinnamon, nutmeg - I don't measure
1 packet of splenda
optional: capella pumpkin pie spice flavor drops or 1 t Torani sugar free pumpkin pie syrup

Combine all ingredients except the pumpkin and blend them for a few minutes in a blender or magic bullet.  Turning the oats into oat flour will make the batter more pancake-like.  After you've made your batter, fold in your pumpkin puree.  I usually put my batter in the fridge overnight to let it thicken.  In the morning, I add a splash of Hood Calorie Countdown milk if it's too thick.  If at any time the batter seems too thick, thin it out a bit with some skim milk or almond milk.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and pour your batter onto the skillet like you would regular pancakes.  When they start to bubble, it's time to flip!  This batter usually makes about 6-7 pancakes, depending on how much batter I pour onto the skillet.  Serve with sugar free maple syrup and enjoy!

You can add other things to this base - sometimes I use chocolate protein powder and chocolate pudding mix and add 1 t of cocoa powder to make chocolate pumpkin protein pancakes.  Or you could add craisins to this mix to make pumpkin-cranberry pancakes - the possibilities are endless!  :)




BP's Pumpkin-Stuffed French Toast
2 slices Ezekiel Bread or whole wheat bread
2 egg whites
1 T skim milk
1/2 oz Torani sugar free vanilla syrup (1T) OR 1 t vanilla extract
cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
1 splenda packet
20g 0% Fage Greek Yogurt (about a tablespoon)
20g pumpkin puree (about 1 tablespoon)
2g (1t) sugar free/fat free jello cheesecake pudding mix

Combine egg whites, milk, vanilla syrup/extract, spices, and splenda in a pyrex dish.  Add your bread and soak up the batter with the bread until it's fully-incorporated.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and start to fry your bread on both sides.  In the meantime, combine the greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, and pudding mix in a small bowl.  Once your toast is browned on both sides, spread the greek yogurt mixture on 1 of the slices of french toast.  Place the other piece of toast on top, and brown both sides for about 1 more minute until the stuffing is heated through.  Top with sugar free maple syrup and try not to die! 


BP's Pumpkin Spice Latte knock-off
1 c coffee of choice
2 oz skim milk
1 oz Torani sugar free pumpkin pie syrup
pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

Brew your coffee and pour yourself a normal serving.  Pour your milk in a tall glass and use a milk frother to create some foam to put on top of your latte.  Once the milk is frothed, pop it in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.  In the meantime, add the Torani syrup to your coffee and splenda, if you want it.  Sometimes I'll even add a splash of cream if I'm feeling naughty ;)  Once the foam is heated, use a spoon to top your latte with your foamed milk.  Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon over the top and enjoy!


BP's Pumpkin Cheesecake Protein Shake:
8oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1/2c 0% Greek Yogurt
60g pumpkin (1/2 - 1/3c)
5-6g (1T) Jello sugar free/fat free cheesecake pudding mix
Cinnamon and nutmeg OR pumpkin pie spice
1 oz Torani sugar free pumpkin pie syrup
3-4 ice cubes
1-2 packets of splenda (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and well-combined.   This one runs you about 250 cals, so it's a meal replacement. 


Nicole Mason's Pumpkin Oatmeal:
1/2 cup steel cut oats
2 cups water
1/3 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cook oats as directed, , but add pumpkin to pot.  Steel cut will take about 20 min, .  Add  spices and stir over low heat until well blended (about 5 min). You get 1 monster serving or 2-3 normal servings.  Top with a tablespoon of golden raisins , 1/3 cup chopped sweet red apple (Gala, Pink Lady, etc) and a tablespoon of chopped walnuts and add a drizzle of real maple syrup.

You can also use regular rolled oats.  Just follow the instructions on the package for the amount of water and oats and cooking time.

If you're watching your calories, you can use brown sugar Splenda, cut the raisins and walnuts, and use sugar-free maple syrup as a garnish.  Sliced almonds can also be a really yummy topping instead of walnuts.
Here are my favorites from other bloggeristas who keep it clean - hope you enjoy!!

The Bikini Baker: Pumpkin Pie Granola

The Bikini Baker: Pump It Up Pumpkin Cake

Stephanie Fitness: Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

SkinnyTaste: Pumpkin Turkey Chili

3 comments:

  1. Your pumpkin pie protein shake recipe is really similar to mine, but I don't use yogurt. I use half of a frozen banana and then use very little ice. The frozen banana turns into an ice-cream like consistency and makes more milkshake-like.

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  2. That sounds really good. How does the banana flavor pair with the pumpkin? Can you taste it at all, or does it just add thickness? The greek yogurt ups the protein content (i need higher protein than carbs right now) and gives a tart flavor that makes it more cheesecake-like. I sometimes use vanilla casein instead of standard whey to thicken it up.

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  3. WTF? That is my ancient blogspot account that will not die. Anyways, i don't taste the banana a lot with all of the spices I put in. its more for consistency :) but then again, I think I usually bypass the milk and just use ice water, which changes things too.

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