By Marla Finley

I haven’t carved a pumpkin since 13 years ago during a college social.  I remember not liking it then.  It’s hard to do, tough to cut and messy!  Pumpkin carving should be a sport.

Animated kids can change my attitude. So, last night we set about to carve a pumpkin.  But I’m so practical, that I didn’t want to just throw away all the guts.  First we watched a how to carve a pumpkin video.  Then, I found ideas for recipes.

So, here’s for a long post of 3 picture recipes that we were able to do with the guts of one big pumpkin!

1. Pumpkin seeds as a yummy snack
2. Pumpkin protein smoothie
3. Pumpkin waffles

PUMPKIN SEEDS

Enjoy this healthy snack.  We were surprised that we really like the salty and cinnamon taste.  And it sure made the house smell awesome.

PUMPKIN PROTEIN SMOOTHIE

1/2 Cup crushed ice

1 Tablespoon pumpkin purée

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon agave nectar (or other healthy sweetener to taste)

1/2 cup Almond milk

2 Scoops of protein powder–OsoLean is our preferred supplement since it also targets fat loss

Optional: 1 teaspoon Ambrotose for immune power (UPDDATE: We now add 1 scoop of NutriVerus for a more well rounded nutritional support as well as it being more affordable!)

PUMPKIN WAFFLES FROM SCRATCH

1 1/2 cups flour (wheat is best)

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 pinch sea salt

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (or healthy sugar alternative)

Optional: 4 teaspoons Ambrotose for immune power (UPDDATE: We now add 2 scoops NutriVerus for a more well rounded nutritional support as well as it being more affordable!)

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin purée

1 2/3 cups almond milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl then mix both bowls’ ingredients together while heating the waffle iron.

Use a 1/2 cup measuring spoon to scoop a heaping scoop of batter onto the sprayed waffle iron.  Close the lid and cook for about 2 minutes until lightly brown and firm.

Use a fork and a spatula to move to a foil covered plate.

This mix made 9 heart-shaped pancakes that were so super delicious.  The waffles were a lot more flimsy than with regular batter, but the taste was so moist and decadent.  We are definitely making these again!