This year, I was so excited for the arrival of fall that I had my pumpkin recipes lined up ready to go September 1st! It was hard to wait that long to begin.
Some people would say that is way too organized. But for me, it’s a necessity if those recipes are going to be made.
I must plan ahead when it comes to meals because cooking stresses me out. I am not a natural in the kitchen. I have to let inspiration lead me while I have the energy and desire to try something new.
Having new recipes and ingredients ready to go makes the whole cooking process easier and more fun for me. That way it’s pretty much guaranteed to come together, no matter what my mood is day of.
Plus planning turns it into an occasion. We’ve been looking forward to these recipes and the beginning of September for a couple weeks prior. We even got Grandma in on the pumpkin celebration at her house!
Simple Traditions to Celebrate the Seasons
Lately, I’ve been looking for everyday ways to embrace the current season. Enjoying certain foods in each one seems like a great idea for this!
I’ve also given a lot of thought to family traditions this year. I think it would be fun for Mr. O to grow up looking forward to certain recipes or foods signaling the beginning of a season.
It’s a simple way to make the transition between seasons special!
Searching for “Healthy” Versions of Recipes
We’re eating as clean as possible these days. I know terms like “diet” and “healthy” can mean different things to each person – I may share more of my thoughts on this in a future post.
For our family, clean eating means avoiding vegetable oils and sugar (especially refined added sugars). We eat whole foods, organic, grass fed, and locally grown or raised whenever possible.
Before fall this year, I needed to research cleaner versions of some of my favorite pumpkin recipes.
With that in mind, I switched my usual pumpkin cravings of sweets and treats for healthier options and even some savory combinations.
My new collection of pumpkin recipes consists of drink, breakfast, snack, and dinner ideas.
My Lineup of Pumpkin Recipes:
Pumpkin Smoothies
We kicked off our fall celebration September 1st with this pumpkin pie smoothie from All The Healthy Things!
My husband and I have been on a huge smoothie kick this summer. Neither one of us can eat ice cream in moderation and while it’s yummy in the moment, we always feel icky the next day.
Smoothies help us curb our desire for ice cream on hot summer nights. They’re a refreshing way to enjoy a “treat” after dinner. Plus it’s easy to sneak in some extra veggies. We’ve even come up with a recipe that’s more like a mint chocolate chip shake with hidden leafy greens!
With the September temperatures still hot, this pumpkin pie smoothie was the perfect start to the season!
We used whole milk rather than almond, left out the maple syrup and it was still delicious. The Greek yogurt made it taste more like pumpkin cheesecake than pumpkin pie. Which is even better in our book!
Pumpkin Cold Foam
I recently purchased a frother wand. I’m having a lot of fun playing around with different cold foams to top our iced coffees at home.
Pumpkin cold foam is the perfect thing to finish a cold pumpkin spice coffee with!
I completely guesstimate this recipe. A good starting point would be 1/8 to 1/4 cup of half and half, a tbsp of pumpkin puree, a dash of pumpkin pie spice and a dollop of maple syrup if you’d like it sweet.
Whisk together using the frother and watch the foam grow. Pour on top of your cold drink of choice and sip.
Pumpkin Oatmeal
I have two yummy pumpkin oatmeal recipes to share!
This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip one from Tried Tested and True uses the instant pot to make a basic oatmeal. Then you flavor it after. The link has 4 other oatmeal variations to try too – all of which sound delicious.
Sidenote: If you are new to using an Instant Pot and intimidated, I found Lisa’s youtube channel so helpful when I started cooking with mine. The instant pot has been a game changer in my life for meal prep and weeknight dinners!
The second oatmeal recipe I loved is a Creamy Pumpkin Oatmeal from Healthnut Nutrition. It’s made on the stovetop and lives up to its name! Mr. O especially is a fan of this one – for breakfast or even leftover for lunch!
Pumpkin Pancakes
Pumpkin pancakes are the best pancakes in my opinion! And I’m not sure what happened to the recipe that I used to make long ago. That right there is why I’m getting more organized with my go-to recipes and seasonal favorites!
Luckily, Ashley (over at A Seed For the Soul) passed this recipe along to me. It’s Four Ingredient Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes from Slender Kitchen. Looks so simple and delicious! I can’t wait to try these for a cozy fall weekend breakfast.
Pumpkin Granola Balls
After testing a few different recipes, these Pumpkin Chip Energy Bites from Clean and Delicious are my favorite! I love having a container of these in the fridge for an easy snack. They never last very long though!
This recipe is so simple to make! No special equipment necessary.
There’s also a lot of flexibility with several different add-ins you could try such as pecans or dried cranberries rather than chocolate chips. I try to cut the maple syrup I add by half as well with these.
I’m still looking for a good energy ball recipe that uses dates and my food processor. This Pumpkin Spice Energy Bites recipe from Clean Eating Kitchen is still in my lineup to try this fall!
Creamy Pumpkin Coconut Soup
This is the only pumpkin dinner I’ve made so far and it was also my only fail.
The recipe I tried wound up not being for us. It called for garlic, shallot, and ginger. The flavors just didn’t combine right and it was way too overpowering for our taste buds.
Does anyone have a favorite pumpkin soup recipe to recommend?
Pumpkin Alfredo
I have two different pumpkin pasta recipes I can’t wait to try!
This Easy Pumpkin Alfredo from The Toasted Pine Nut sounds so yummy and simple. I’m saving it for when the pasta cravings hit this fall!
The other recipe is a keto one. Though we don’t follow a ketogenic diet, I love any recipe that sneaks in some extra veggies. I often substitute zucchini or carrot spirals for pasta noodles. Lately we’ve been switching cauliflower rice for white or brown rice too.
This Keto Pumpkin Alfredo from KetoFocus looks delicious as well as easy to make!
Another Sidenote: If you’re interested in learning more about keto or are curious about keto recipes, KetoFocus has a great youtube channel full of information and inspiration!
Can you tell I’ve been watching a lot of cooking channels this summer to get a little more creative and motivated in the kitchen?
Turkey and Pumpkin Chili
We love chili in the fall and winter! Our favorite is a sweet potato three bean chili. We make it in huge batches so we always have some stored in the freezer for easy meals.
This fall I’m excited to try a pumpkin take on chili. This Instant Pot Ground Turkey and Pumpkin Chili from Six Sisters Stuff sounds absolutely perfect! Plus it’s a bonus to find another recipe to make using my instant pot.
Six Sisters Stuff was another great youtube find for me! Both the channel and the website has loads of instant pot recipes for beginners and tons of easy weeknight meals.
While I haven’t gotten into it yet, they also share videos about freezer meal prep and recipes. That’s one thing I really miss from our move – our deep freezer! We might be able to squeeze a stand up one into this kitchen one day.
Pumpkin Dump Cake
Ok, this one isn’t healthy since it uses a ready to go cake mix. But my grandma loved dump cake and this year I wanted to do something to remember her on her birthday so I attempted a pumpkin dump cake.
It came out delicious but also a little more like a coffee cake so I’d make it in an 8×8 pan next time.
If you’re curious to try it, here’s the recipe I created from memory of her fruit dump cakes:
- a box of spice cake mix
- a 15 oz can of pumpkin
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 stick of butter (melted and drizzled over the top)
Bake in a greased baking dish at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. It is done when a toothpick or knife comes out clean.
Past Favorite Pumpkin Recipes:
What are your favorite fall recipes? Are you a pumpkin lover? An apple taster? Or does some other flavor scream autumn to you?
3 responses to “My Lineup of Pumpkin Recipes to Celebrate Fall”
[…] a ton of pumpkin and apple […]
Dang girl! This is pumpkin spice EVERYTHING! Looking forward to trying those pancakes and I’m also going to hit you up on Grammy’s dump cake! Delish! I’m looking forward to all the fall goodies! 😍
Yay! Let me know how it turns out for you. I’m glad you’re – FINALLY – hopping on this fall train!