Blended Pumpkin Smoothie and Soup Recipes

Blended Pumpkin Smoothie and Soup Recipes

Pumpkin recipes abound during the end of year holidays. Usually in the form of pies, ice cream, flavored coffee and more.

Thought I would take you a few minutes to prepare a couple blender recipes. Hopefully none of your pumpkin goes to waste!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie 

Holiday Pumpkin Smoothie

Holiday Pumpkin Smoothie

 

  • 1 cup pumpkin purée, fresh (best option) or canned
  • 1 large ripe banana
  • 1 cup unsweetened soymilk or coconut milk beverage
  • 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
  • 1/2  to 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 to 1 cup ice 
Nutritional Info: 
Per Serving:160 calories 2.5g fat, 33g carbohydrate, 5g protein
 
Blend until smooth.
 
Pumpkin Soup 
Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Soup

  • 1 Cup Broth, MSG Free, Chicken or Vegetable
  • 1/4 Canned or Freshly Made Coconut Milk
  • 1 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree, fresh (best option) or Canned 
  • 1/2 Cup Onion
  • 1 1/2 Garlic Clove
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. Turbinado Sugar or Brown Sugar (or agave nectar)
  • 1/2 Tsp. Ground Nutmeg
  • Salt / Pepper to Taste
Nutritional Info: 
Per Serving:80 calories 3g fat, 14g carbohydrate, 2g protein
 
For best flavor saute onion and garlic before hand. Blend all elements until hot. (Add warm or hot water to speed up the process). 
 
The time, date and name of the new Blender Training program has been chosen and you are going to love it!
Details coming soon!
 
There is still time to ask me questions before the training begins!
 
 
The Healthy Benefits of Pears

The Healthy Benefits of Pears

Pears are in season! They are sweet, delicious and richly flavored pears offer the cPearsrunchiness of apples yet are as juicy as peaches and nectarines.

Pears are packed with health benefiting nutrients such as dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins, which are necessary for optimum health.

Pears are a good source of dietary fiber and regular eating of this fruit may offer protection against colon cancer. Most of the fiber in them is non soluble polysaccharide (NSP), which functions as a good bulk laxative in the gut. Additionally, the gritty fiber content binds to cancer-causing toxins and chemicals in the colon, protecting its mucous membrane from contact with these compounds.

In addition, pear fruit is one of the very low calorie fruits, provides 58 calories per 100g. Just a few sections a day in the diet can bring significant reduction in weight and blood LDL cholesterol levels.

They contain good quantities of vitamin C. Fresh fruits provide about 7% of RDA per 100 g.

They are moderate sources of antioxidant flavonoids phyto-nutrients such as beta-carotene, lutein and zea-xanthin. These compounds, along with vitamin C and A, help the body protected from harmful free radicals.

The fruit is a good source of minerals such as copper, iron, potassium, manganese and magnesium as well as B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6).

Although not well documented, pears are among the least allergenic of all fruits and are therefore recommended by health practitioners as a safe alternative in the preparation of food products for allergy sufferers.

Since several of the vitamins and minerals are concentrated in significant quantities just underneath the skin, pears should be eaten as a whole along with its skin to get maximum benefits. 

Here is a delicious recipe for a low-fat Pear and Spinach Salad.

This is a nice fall salad that makes use of wonderfully fragrant ripe pears. The hardest thing about making this pear and spinach salad is not eating the pears ahead of time. Feel free to add some slivered red onion or a half cup of sliced mushrooms or a tablespoon of crumbled feta cheese to this delicious salad to contrast the sweetness of the pears, raisins or cranberries.

 Ingredients:Pear and Spinach Salad photo 2

•1 10 ounce package baby spinach

•3 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and sliced

•1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

•1/4 cup chopped walnuts

•2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

•3 tbsp white wine vinegar

•1 tbsp lemon juice

•Pinch of Himalayan salt (optional)

 Preparation:

Wash and dry spinach and place in large bowl with pear slices. Sprinkle raisins and walnuts on top. Whisk oil, vinegar, lemon and salt and drizzle over salad.

Serves 4-6

Per Serving: Calories 164, Calories from Fat 46, Total Fat 5.2g (sat 0.5g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 39mg, Carbohydrate 26.6g, Fiber 3.8g, Protein 2.8g

Apricot Granola Bars

Apricot Granola Bars

Homemade Granola Bars For The Kids (Or You!)

Apricot Granola Bars

Apricot Granola Bars

Apricot Granola Bars

 The ultimate satisfaction is when I make something nutritious for my kids and they gobble it up and ask for more. I knew this would be a winner just by looking at the recipe; my kids were standing in front of the oven waiting for these babies to come out. I got the original recipe from Vanilla & Spice. I didn’t change much either, just the type of fruit I used , type of salt, and type of sweetener. These bars are chewy, crunchy, and sweet. Oh and they make the house smell divine!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. raw almonds

1/4 c. dates, chopped

1/4 c. dried apricots (make sure there’s no sugar or sulfur added)

1 c. quick oats

2 tbsp. dry millet

1/4 c. mixed seeds (half pumpkin and half sunflower-unsalted)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. pink himalayan salt

2 tbsp. ground flax seed

1/2 c. almond butter

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. honey (optional)*

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare an 8 x 8 pan by lining with parchment paper. Place almonds, dates, and apricots in a food processor until roughly chopped). Transfer to a bowl and add oats, millet, seeds, cinnamon, salt, and flax. Use a whisk to mix thoroughly. Place almond butter and mashed bananas together in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for 15 more seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and honey. Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until evenly coated. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press down firmly with spatula. Bake for 22-27 minutes, until edges are brown and top is firm to the touch. Cool completely, then slice into 8 bars.

*If I was making these for myself, I would leave the honey out to make them less sweet. Macros below include the recipe WITH the honey.

Macros per bar: 285k cals, 15.9g fat (1.1g sat, 3.2g poly, 6.1g mono), 31.7g carbs (6.9g fiber, 12.5g sugar), 8.3g protein, 62.2mg sodium, 205.2mg potassium

References:

Vanilla & Spice – Healthy Treats and Vegetarian Eats

Fadi Malouf – Nutritionist and Personal Trainer

 

 

Blueberry Mango Smoothie

Blueberry Mango Smoothie

Drink Your Fruits and Veggies

Blueberry Mango Smoothie

Blueberry Mango Smoothie

Blueberry Mango Smoothie

I can’t believe I let the whole summer go by without posting a smoothie recipe. What was I thinking?! Well, better late than never. This one is worth the wait. There’s lots of fruit and veggies in this drink; along with healthy fats, anti-inflammatory and detox properties, and an energy boost. It’s so refreshing too. I’ve had one three days in a row and honestly, its been the highlight of my day. You might say I need to get a life if this drink is the highlight of my day or you may just need to try it yourself and see if it doesn’t have the same effect on you. For real, do it. Now.

Ingredients:

1 c. unsweetened almond milk

1 c. kale, chopped and packed

2 c. spinach, packed

2 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 lemon, peeled

1.5 c frozen blueberries

1 c. frozen mango chunks

15 g raw ginger

1/4 avocado

Preparation:

Using your food processor or blender (I have a Ninja), begin by adding the almond milk and the greens. Blend until liquid. Continue adding ingredients and blending along the way until you’ve added everything. Be sure not to overheat your machine; stop every little bit to give your machine a break and to scrape the sides. This makes two servings and looks even more appetizing in an adorable mason jar. Drink one immediately and share the other with a friend. Or do like I do, and save it for later by stashing it in the back of the refrigerator where nobody else will find it.

Macros per one out of two servings: 170k cals, 6.2g fat (.7g sat, .6g poly, 2.1g mono), 33.5g carbs (8.9g fiber, 19.2g sugar), 4.4g protein, 132.1mg sodium, 659.8mg potassium

References:

Fadi Malouf – Nutritionist and Personal Trainer

 

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Low-Calorie And Quick Salad

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

 Have you noticed a theme yet? If its quick and easy and if it can be turned into a salad, I’m all over it. Another salad creation here that’s perfect for summertime. And this is probably the easiest one yet, because some of the ingredients (dare I say it?) are canned. I don’t normally use canned ingredients, but sometimes you’re just in a hurry and its better than nothing (also better than falling prey to a fast food place). I just look for the no sodium/low sodium version of whatever it is I need. A lot of canned items have a ton of added salt. Why let someone else determine how you season your food? If its beans, I rinse really well before using. Enough about that, though, here’s your dinner for tonight and get ready for lots of pictures.

Ingredients:

1 medium tomato, chopped

5 mini cucumbers (or 1 regular), sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium avocado, chopped

1/2 of a small red onion, diced

1 container of low sodium albacore tuna

1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 tsp. evoo

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

dash of black pepper

1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation:

In a bowl, mix together tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, avocado, and red onion.

chickpea_salad_1 chickpea_salad_2 chickpea_salad_3

 

Add the tuna and garbanzo beans. Stir to combine. Then drizzle with evoo and balsamic vinegar. Add pepper and toss to coat.

chickpea_salad_5 

Finally, top with cilantro and you’re done! Enjoy!

chickpea_salad_6

 

Macros per one out of four servings: 233k cals, 9.3g fat (1.1g sat, .9g poly, 5g mono), 29.9g carbs (9.4g fiber, 5.5g sugar), 16g protein, 12.5mg cholesterol, 357.4mg sodium, 478.3mg potassium

References:

Tania Funduk – Food and Fitness Guru

Fadi Malouf – Nutritionist and Personal Trainer

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