For The Love of Pumpkin…
Hooray~ today was Pancake Sunday at the Gardner’s. We had a few of the family M.I.A. due to a 3rd & 4th grade football tournament (this was a first for us – we haven’t had a football tournament before. We have had basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball tournaments but this was a first for football.) Grady (15) had a couple buddies overnight so I had a new group of taste testers this morning for a Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancake I found on PinchMySalt. I started out the morning heading to the YMCA Express to get in a good session of cardio.
Today’s Program:
- 30 Min Elliptical (H.I.I.T.)
- 20 Min Treadmill (H.I.I.T)
H.I.I.T. = High Intensity Interval Training is a specific type of interval training routine. HIIT is a form of cardio which is beneficial to burning fat in a short and intense workout. The original protocol set is 2:1 ration for work to recovery periods.
Elliptical – 3 Min Warm-Up; 1 Min High Intensity; 2 Min Recovery, Repeat until Cool-Down.
Treadmill – 1 Min Warm-Up; 1 Min High Intensity Run, 1 Min Recovery Fast Walk, Repeat until Cool-Down.
Pancake Sunday
After a good sweat I made a quick stop at Hy-Vee to grab a few ingredients I needed to make this day a pumpkin kind of day
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes (I just made a few slight modifications)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup whole grain spelt flour (if you don’t have just use 1 ½ whole wheat)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup Almond Milk (Recipe called for buttermilk, you could also substitute with reg milk)
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp Grape Seed Oil (You could use Coconut Oil or Canola)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (I used 1 tbsp splenda brown sugar blend)
In a large bowl, mix together the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and all spices.
In a separate bowl, mix together the *almond milk, pumpkin, eggs, oil and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and blend together with a wooden spoon until just combined. Lumps are ok, make sure all the flour on the bottom of bowl is mixed in. If batter seems too thick to pour you can stir in a little more almond milk.
Drop pancakes by ladleful (I used ¼ cup) onto a well greased medium-hot griddle. Cook until the edges appear dry and small bubbles start to form over the surface of the pancakes. Flip and cook the other side to golden brown. (I had oven timer set on 2 minute per side but required just a bit more.)
The whole wheat pumpkin pancakes were a hit with three freshman boys. The boys also had scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter and raw honey. I was content just with the pumpkin pancakes. I added a few walnuts and maple syrup and these were oh so yummy!
Pumpkin Filled Day
The pumpkin cravings didn’t stop at brunch… I decided to carry the pumpkin theme throughout the day. Right after I cleaned up the brunch mess started preparing Black Bean Soup with Pumpkin, Lime & Chipotles from Enlightened Cooking that I had to try. As soon as the soup was on we were headed out the door to watch an afternoon of football.
Mitch #27 and his third grade team
“Huddle Up Boys” My hubby, Tom and Mitch’s team going over their next play.
Mitch’s biggest fans: Bayley (14) & Grandma Mary (my mom) 
Grady (15) was hanging out with his buddies and watching Mitch’s game. It was a beautiful Nebraska fall day!
Grady & his buddy Luke playing catch themselves during Mitch’s game.
Our family loved the Black Bean Soup with Pumpkin, Lime & Chipotles (with the exception of Mitch (9)) for dinner. It was topped with plain greek yogurt and cilantro. In addition to the soup we had toasted whole grain roast beef and pepper jack cheese sandwiches and our favorite spinach salad with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, almonds and a fat free raspberry vinaigrette. This salad is always a family favorite and something we enjoy often during the summer.
Saving the Best for Last
The pumpkin theme didn’t end after the Black Bean Soup with Pumpkin, Lime & Chipotles. In between my son Mitch’s (9) football tournament I ran home to bake a loaf of Honey Raisin Banana Pumpkin Bread from Oh She Glows.
I did make a few modifications to the recipe. I replaced the ¼ cup vegetable oil with ¼ cup grape seed oil, ½ cup sugar with agave and coconut palm sugar crystals. (The gals at The Natural Food Store suggested the coconut palm sugar crystals on Saturday and mentioned it was especially good in banana bread.) I used up some oats that I had ground up with chia seed and added 1 tsp vanilla.
Wow ~ did the house smell amazing while the Honey Raisin Banana Pumpkin Bread was baking and as soon as I pulled it out of the oven Grady (15) was begging for a slice. Grady didn’t stop at one slice either. He had to go for a second slice. Shortly after, Bayley (14) and my mom walked in the house and smelled the yummy bread and had to each have a slice. This recipe did not at all taste that it had been modified to a health version. After the football tournament when my hubby, Tom and youngest son, Mitch (9) finally arrived home they were both starving and nibbling on the Honey Raisin Banana Pumpkin Bread before dinner. (I have to say I snuck a few bites also while preparing dinner – shhh….)
This picture doesn’t do justice to how incredible the Honey Raisin Banana Pumpkin Bread actually is… I was having a few technical difficulties with the camera tonight. 
This was an incredible pumpkin inspired Sunday! It was a beautiful fall day and nothing better than preparing healthy homemade dishes for my family.
So what are your favorite healthy pumpkin recipes?
