I’m still laughing at a photo shared on a friends Facebook page recently:
So true! I can’t stop thinking about all the pumpkin items that we can have this time of year from Pumpkin Spice Lattes to pumpkin ravioli to pumpkin breads & muffins to pumpkin ice cream, and so on.
There are great reasons to use pumpkin in this window of time that it’s fresh and available. It is a low calorie vegetable. 100 g of pumpkin provides just 26 calories and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol; however, it is rich in dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals, anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin A, C and E. Almost all the parts of the pumpkin plant-fruit, leaves, flowers and seeds-are edible.
I looked into my fridge and found some other great fall veggies that pair well with pumpkin, and an Autumn Glory Muffin was born (tip of the hat to my inspiration, the Morning Glory Muffin).
Ingredients:
1 c pumpkin puree
½ c sugars
¼ c Garden of Life Coconut Oil
¼ c chai concentrate-either store bought or home made by steeping a bag of chai or 1 Tbsp. loose chai in ¼ c boiling water (and strained).
2 eggs (or 1 large banana, mashed for vegan version)
1 c flour
½ c oats
2 tsp. baking powder
2 scoops Raw Protein Vanilla Chai
1 scoop SuperSeed
¼ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. flax
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 medium zucchini, shredded
½-1 c craisins
Preheat oven to 375F and either line a muffin tin or sweep muffin tin with some coconut oil.
Combine all dry ingredients (excluding oats) in a bowl.
Cream together sugar and coconut oil, add in eggs/banana and chai concentrate until well combined. Slowly incorporate dry ingredient blend well.
With a spatula or wooden spoon gently fold in oats, carrots, zucchini and craisins.
Spoon mixture into your muffin tin/muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool and enjoy!
This recipe gives you and your family a power packed breakfast for those mornings you find yourself out the door without time for a proper meal.