How To Eat Pumpkin For Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Without Getting Sick Of It.

Once fall rolls in pumpkin’s the it-food and I couldn’t be happier! This soft and savory flavor is great in pies and lattes, however those aren’t the healthiest of choices. I thought this year I would change things up and whip up pumpkin-flavored dishes for all three meals of the day, but in a healthy way! That’s right, you can have fall’s favorite flavor all day long with these three healthy RAD recipes. I promise you won’t get sick of pumpkin this year!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Done Right (And Light)

When Starbucks rolls out their Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins all I want to do is body roll, tootsie roll and every other kind of roll you can think of. They’re so good. Speaking of rolls, this delicious delight is not really waist-friendly. So, yeah, I had to reinvent them by throwing in some fiber richness (whole wheat flour) and by cutting the calories by 33 percent (hello Neufchâtel). Enjoy!

For The Muffins:

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

½ cup honey

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

½ cup plain low fat Greek yogurt

1 15 ounce pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon coconut oil

For The Cream Cheese Topping

8 ounces Neufchâtel, softened

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin cups with nonstick spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt and honey. Add the pumpkin puree and the coconut oil.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Batter will be thick.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup almost to the top.

To prepare the cream cheese topping stir together cream cheese, honey, and vanilla. Drop 1 tablespoon onto the top of each muffin.

Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of one of the muffins comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes.

Pumped Up Pumpkin Salad Dressing

I’ve been making my own salad dressings all year long, however this pumpkin flavored salad topper though?! So good. It’s easy to make, so grab yourself a jar, toss these RAD ingredients in and toss up a salad that you will fall in love with this fall.

For The Salad:

2 cups spring mix

1 Tablespoon chopped walnuts

1 Tablespoon dried cranberries

1/2 oz goat cheese

Toss all the above. Makes 1 serving.

For The Dressing:

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

3 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried minced onion

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon plain Greek Yogurt

Put all ingredients in a jar. Seal tight and then shake vigorously to blend.  Refrigerate a few hours before using.  Makes 1 cup of dressing.

Perfect Pumpkin Parmesan Pasta

Pumpkin soup is grand, but beauties this comfort food in healthy disguise is truly everything. Hearty yet heart friendly, this 20 minute meal is guaranteed to reap a harvest for your tastebuds. I may have to jar this yummy sauce up and freeze it for the days I’m sure to be craving pumpkin.

1 pound whole wheat linguine

1 tablespoon olive oil (divided)

2 small shallots, diced

1 medium bunch of Swiss chard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 15 ounce pumpkin puree

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock

1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

In a saucepan sauté shallots in 1/2 of the olive oil for about 7 minutes. Add the salt. Pour in the pumpkin puree, coconut, and vegetable stock.

In a separate pan cook Swiss chard (leaves only, cut into ribbons) with the remaining 1/2 of olive oil for about 5-7 minutes.

Stir the mixture well over medium heat until smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan until just melted and add the cooked Swiss chard at the end (or on top). Serve with cooked whole wheat linguine.

Robbie Ann Darby (RAD Experience) is a professional FitGirl, Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer in NYC. Follow her sweaty life on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more fun health and fitness tips!