Are you one of those people who is pumpkin crazy?
I didn’t think I was, but maybe I am. The more I read about pumpkin and the more I try using it in cooking and baking, the more I like it. And I definitely LOVE the way it makes my house smell.
Nutritionally, pumpkin is packed with Vitamin A. For someone like me with not so good vision and not so good skin, eating a wide variety of foods that contain Vitamin A is important to my diet. While I like carrots as much as the next person, I love autumn’s offerings of pumpkin and butternut and acorn squash to give my palette some change.
Pumpkin is also a good source of potassium, important in any diet but especially to people who exercise at high-intensity regularly. As with most vegetables, it is very low calories while packing a nutritionally-rich punch.
But why am I blogging about pumpkin?
A few weeks ago, I remembered at the last minute that I was supposed to bring a treat to my boys’ school as part of a teacher appreciation luncheon. I opened up the pantry for inspiration, and I saw a box of Duncan Hines Spice cake mix and a can of pureed pumpkin at the top of my pantry. I bought them a few months ago after seeing a recipe (if you can call it that) on Pinterest— just mix the puree into the cake mix, put into muffin tins, and bake for a vegan low-cal, low-fat treat.
I was skeptical. But good thing I was skeptical, otherwise I would have tried this “recipe” months ago and then not had a quick & easy treat to make for the luncheon. I digress…..
As the muffins were baking, all three of my kids and my husband stopped what they were doing to ask what the glorious smell was. And when the muffins came out of the oven, they clamored for a sample.
The verdict?
“Delicious!” “Best Muffin Ever!” “Yuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmm!”
So, pumpkin lovers, bake on.
