Pumpkin Recipes

So I go through these phases where I'm obsessed with a certain food (a few posts back it was zucchini)...and currently it's pumpkin puree! Pumpkin puree is typically eaten around Thanksgiving, but it really should be added to your everyday diet.  It's a complex carb that's high in fiber as well as other nutrients such as iron, potassium, and vitamin A.  Pumpkin puree can be added to pretty much anything.  It can also be used as a baking substitute! After reading this post you'll find that I especially like pumpkin and cinnamon together...seriously best combo.  Below are a few of my favorite recipes where I use pumpkin puree. I use Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin.

1. Pumpkin Protein Bread

Ingredients:

-1.5 scoops Cellucor Cor-Performance Cinnamon Swirl whey protein (you can use a different whey protein but macros will be different)

-1 cup Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin

-3/4 cup egg whites

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1/2 tsp baking powder

-2+ tsp cinnamon

-3 tbsp flaxseed meal (Bob's Red Mill is what I use)

-1 tbsp baking stevia

Preheat oven to 350F.  Combine and mix ingredients well.  Spray a bread loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour in the mixture.  Cook for about 25-30 minutes.  

Per serving (I cut it up into 7 pieces): 68 calories, 5g carbs, 10g protein

2. Pumpkin Protein Pita

Ingredients:
-3/4 scoop Cellucor Cor-Performance Cinnamon Swirl whey protein
-1 tbsp Libby's Pumpkin
-Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
-Cinnamon
-1/2 banana, sliced
-Almond butter (optional)

Combine protein, pumpkin, and a ton of cinnamon (I don't know how much but I clearly love cinnamon so a lot!).  Then add a splash of almond milk and mix.  It should be a paste-like consistency (not too liquidy, but not thick like a nut butter either) so keep adding tiny amounts until it's like this.  Then spread the paste on a pita or wrap (I usually use a low carb wrap/pita or an Ezekiel pita depending on the time of day I eat it). Place the banana slices on the paste and fold/wrap the pita.  You can either put this on a George Foreman Grill (be careful it may ooze out a little) or just heat it up in the microwave! Sometimes I spread a tiny bit of almond butter on top after I heat it up (I use Justin's Maple Almond Butter-- so good!).
The cinnamon pumpkin mixture itself is about 106 calories, 3g carbs, and 19g protein (this will vary depending on what protein you use. Cellucor Cor-Performance whey is 130 calories per scoop and 25g protein). You can do what you want with it and don't necessarily need to eat it on a pita and/or with a banana.  Eating it like this can be a good breakfast, or pre/post workout meal....and it's SO yummy, but you can get creative!

3. Cinnamon Pumpkin Pie Oats

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup rolled/old-fashioned oats

-1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

-1 tbsp Libby's pumpkin

-1/2 scoop Cellucor Cor-Performance Cinnamon Swirl Whey (or other whey protein)

-1 packet stevia

-cinnamon

In a microwavable bowl, mix rolled oats, almond milk, pumpkin, and cinnamon.  Microwave for about 1:35 seconds (in my microwave I have to do 1 minute, stop it, then do 35 seconds or else it explodes!). Mix in whey protein, then mix in packet of stevia. Sometimes I add a few slices of banana... you can add whatever you'd like!

The Importance of Rest and Sleep

One thing that's a huge problem for many people is not getting the proper amount of rest and sleep.  For me, being a college student means late nights of studying and then having to get up early the next morning to study some more or for an early class.  Rest and sleep is especially important for those who are more active.  Your body requires more oxygen, uses and requires more energy, and must use this energy for tissue repair.  If you don't get enough sleep, this can actually cause you to gain weight.  This is because ghrelin, the hunger hormone, will increase while leptin, the satiety hormone, will decrease.  This will cause you to be hungrier during the day.  Lack of sleep can also affect insulin sensitivity and cause your fat cells to be more likely to store energy as fat.  Sleep is probably the most important part of recovery for your muscles.  Your muscles are actually growing when you're sleeping--not when you're at the gym! You're tearing muscle tissue when you are working out, and proper nutrients from the food you eat repair this tissue.  However, this tissue won't start being repaired until you are resting for a long period of time.  So if you don't get enough sleep, you won't allow your muscles adequate time to repair and grow.  Human growth hormone is also produced when you sleep.  This hormone plays an important role in growth, cell reproduction, and regeneration.  High levels of this hormone play a role in increasing metabolism.  Another hormone that is affected by sleep levels is cortisol.  Sleep helps lower levels of this catabolic hormone.  High levels can decrease your metabolism and cause muscle breakdown.  For these reasons, rest days are important to incorporate into your workout schedule.  As for the amount of sleep you should get, I think everyone knows that at least 8 hours is the general rule.  It can be different for everyone though.  In my opinion, quality is better than quantity so at least make sure that when you are sleeping, make sure it is a deep sleep with no interruptions!

Parmesan Zucchini "Fries"

Hey everyone! I've been meaning to post this recipe for a while. Lately I've had an obsession with zucchini, I literally put it in everything... veggie stir-fry, my egg white omelette in the morning, etc. My absolute favorite way to eat zucchini is baking them like "fries." I put fries in quotations because they aren't exactly like fries...but if I called them something else like parmesan zucchini strips that sounds super lame-- guess I gotta get more creative with my recipe names!  But anyway, most recipes for zucchini fries require bread crumbs to make them crispy like actual fries, but I didn't want the extra carbs! So here's what I do instead, and although they aren't exactly like fries they still taste amazing!

Ingredients for 1 serving (for one person):
1 medium zucchini
1/4 cup Egg Whites (doesn't have to be exact)
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Garlic Powder
Mrs. Dash

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Spray a baking sheet well with non-stick cooking spray.  Put the egg whites in one small bowl, and the parmesan cheese in another separate bowl (no exact amount...I just pour a little in the bowl, you can always add more but I think it's around 1/4 cup).  Cut the zucchini into strips the size of fries.  Dip the zucchini strips into the egg whites, then dip into the parmesan cheese so they are completely covered. Place on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle garlic powder and Mrs. Dash (any flavor).  Bake for about 15 minutes, flipping them half way.  For the last few minutes, I change my oven to broil on high.



Per serving: 78 calories, 5 g carbs, 3 g fat, 8 g protein.

Spinach & Feta Turkey Burgers

I experimented with making some turkey burgers the other day and they came out so good! I was pretty impressed with myself :) They were actually really easy to make, and you can freeze the leftover patties so you have a quick meal on other days.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground turkey (I used Shady Brook Farms 99% Extra Lean)

3/4 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

2 Egg Whites (6 tbsp)

10 oz. package of frozen spinach

1/4 cup fat free Feta Cheese

Garlic Powder, Mrs. Dash

Cook the spinach in the microwave according to instructions.  Drain well. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix (I used my hands because you don't need to go crazy with mixing it).  Form into 8 patties.  I used a George Foreman grill to cook them and they took about 8-10 minutes.  Make sure you use a little non-stick cooking spray!

Nutrition Information per serving (1 patty):

129 calories, 2g fat, 22g protein