Pure Pumpkin!

We have something to confess (other than the fact that we are deeply depressed over the Patriots' Superbowl loss):

We're obsessed with canned pumpkin (yes, we know, we need to "get a life")! Last Friday, at the ridiculously early hour of 7:00 AM, Liz decided to create a new recipe and test it out on her boys. As you can only imagine, weekday mornings are insane when kids have to be dragged out of bed, fed breakfast, and reminded to brush their teeth. But that didn't stop Liz from working on a new recipe for pumpkin pancakes. Her motivation for the new recipe was twofold: she had some leftover canned pumpkin in the freezer that she was itching to use up, and her friend, Barbara (also a mother of two boys), was looking for a way to make her basic pancake batter more nutritious. Anyway, here's what Liz came up with (more on Janice's obsession in a moment):

Pumpkin Pancakes
Makes 4 to 5 Servings (about 14 pancakes total)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large omega-3 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cups 1%lowfat milk
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 teaspoons canola oil

Whisk together the flours, flaxseed, sugar, chocolate chips, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Set aside. Whisk together the eggs, milk, and pumpkin in a separate bowl until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.

Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Pour the batter onto the hot skillet using a 1/4-cup measuring cup, forming 4-inch cakes. Cook until bubbles begin to appear on the surface of the pancakes and the bottoms turn golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown, an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter.

Nutrition Information:
320 calories, 10g fat (2.5g saturated, 1g omega-3 fats), 400mg sodium, 46g carbohydrate, 4g fiber; 11g protein; 80% vitamin A; 25% calcium; 15% iron


Now back to Janice. The day before Liz whipped up her new pumpkin pancake recipe, Janice was busy giving our Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe a mini makeover. Instead of adding 2 bananas (1 cup mashed), she substituted with 1 cup pure pumpkin puree. The result was two dozen moist and incredibly flavorful mini muffins. Here's Janice's recipe (by the way, you can easily freeze leftover pumpkin in zip-top plastic bags).

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 24 Mini Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
2 large omega-3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup 1% lowfat milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat 24 mini muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Whisk together the flours, ground flaxseed, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Combine the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl and stir until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and cool an additional 5 minutes before serving. When making 12 full-size muffins, bake for 20 to 23 minutes.

Nutritional Information per 2 Muffins:
220 calories, 11g fat (2g saturated, 1g omega-3), 135mg sodium, 28g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 4g protein, 60% vitamin A

Breakfast: Better Late Than Never!

Now that school is out (or almost out for our kids), your alarm clock may be taking a much-needed summer siesta. If sleeping late means you and your crew are skipping breakfast and grabbing a mid-morning donut on your way to camp or the beach, consider making our Chocolaty Pumpkin Bars instead! Packed with nutrient-rich ingredients like pumpkin and pecans, this delicious "belated breakfast" treat will keep you fueled until lunchtime rolls around.

Get the recipe and watch our video clip of Chocolaty Pumpkin Bars at: http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com/flash/tvChocolatyPumpkinBars.html

Canned Pumpkin: More than Pie

The other night, after speaking to one of our local Mothers of Twins groups, we left with a new and deliciously sneaky baking idea: add canned pumpkin to replace some of the butter or oil. People often use applesauce but canned pumpkin makes even better sense -- it's loaded with immune-boosting vitamin A, fiber, and hey, it's a vegetable! With idea in hand, Liz cruised by her neighborhood Trader Joe's and grabbed a box of chocolate brownie mix. Though it called for two eggs and a stick of butter – equivalent to 1/2 cup -- we tweaked things a bit. Here's our makeover:
- Switch from regular eggs to omega-3 eggs
- Replace the stick of butter with 1/4 cup heart-healthy canola oil AND 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
- Add two tablespoons ground flaxseed (for even more omega-3)

Initially, we planned to use 1/4 cup pumpkin but couldn't resist the temptation to add more (after all, we're dietitians ... so cut us some slack). To compensate for the extra 1/4 cup of liquid, we baked the brownies for a few additional minutes. Bear in mind that brownie and cake mixes vary, so you may need to experiment a bit. Our sense is that anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup pumpkin puree will do the “trick.”

Now for the great part: The results were terrific. The brownies were rich and chocolaty and no one detected the pumpkin or the flaxseed. Who knew you could get 20% of your daily vitamin A in one small brownie by adding a little pumpkin.

TIP: Place half-cup portions of leftover pumpkin in small plastic resealable bags and freeze.