It’s the first Friday of Fall, so you know what that means?! We are jumping on the PUMPKIN train! Are you mamas excited about fall and everything that comes with it? It’s always bitter sweet for me. I’m sad to say goodbye to summer, but every new season brings something to look forward to. What I love about Fall is everything cozy and…everything pumpkin! The smell and flavour of pumpkin spice makes me so happy 🙂 Do you love pumpkin? If not, give us a chance to convince you!

 Why We love Pumpkin for mom & Baby

1.     It’s a flavour we love and often don’t get much of during other times of the year (but we should!)

2.     It’s packed with nutrients! Did you know a ½ cup of canned pure pumpkin contains:

–      100% of your daily requirements of VITAMIN A– This is an essential fat-soluble vitamin that is important for eye health and immunity.

–      8 % of your daily requirements of IRON– This makes pumpkin a great food to add to your baby’s meals and snacks because it will boost the amount of iron they get in a day. Remember baby’s iron needs increase significantly at 6 months.

–      16% of your daily requirements of FIBRE– That’s means ½ cup of canned pumpkin is a good source of fibre which important for digestive health.

3.     Like a lot of other foods we talk about and love, canned pumpkin is versatile, convenient, and easy to use. We love that you can buy it and have it in your pantry waiting for you when you need it. It so easy to quickly add to things like soup, stew, chili, mac & cheese, muffins, pancakes, homemade granola bars, energy balls, etc. The list goes on and on! It’s also great and super easy to serve to baby as is on a loaded spoon, on strips of toast, or stirred into iron fortified infant cereal, yogurt, and smoothies.

Now that you understand our love for all things pumpkin, check out these two easy recipes that use this fall beauty!

Instant Pot (or Slow Cooker) Pumpkin Chili

 Ingredients:

–      1lb extra lean ground beef

–      1 cup chopped onion (I used frozen)

–      2-3 cloves minced garlic

–      2 cups no salt added broth

–      2 bags frozen mixed bean blend or 2 540ml cans of beans of your choice (rinse thoroughly before adding to pot)

–      2 cups canned pure pumpkin puree (make sure the only ingredient is pumpkin)

–      1 796ml can of no salt added diced tomatoes

–      2 cups chopped peppers

–      1 tbsp chili powder

–      1 tbsp cocoa powder

–      1 tbsp cumin

–      1 tbsp oregano

–      Pepper to taste

–      Salt to taste – add to your portion once cooking is complete and you have taken out baby’s portion

 Directions for Instant Pot:

1.     Sauté beef, onions, and garlic, until onions are translucent and beef browns.

2.     Add spices, broth, and remaining ingredients

3.     Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Let pressure naturally release

4.     Top with avocado, cheese and enjoy!

Directions for Slow Cooker:

1.     Sauté beef, garlic, and onions in a pan. Add to slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

How to use the rest of the pumpkin

If you use a 796ml can of pumpkin puree to make the chili, you will have 1 cup of pumpkin left. We can’t stand when recipes use only a portion of the can! Then you are left wondering what to do with the rest of it. Too often it gets put in a container, pushed to the back of the fridge, and forgotten about 🙁 We are not going to do that to you! So with the leftover pumpkin you can either save it and give it to your baby in the ways we mentioned above, or you can make these nutrient packed Pumpkin Pie Lactation Energy Balls! We like to make a big batch, freeze them, and pull out a couple whenever we are in a need of a quick nutritious snack!

Pumpkin Pie Lactation Energy Balls

Ingredients:

–      2 ½ cups rolled oats

–      ½ cup almond flour (or oat flour if you don’t have almond flour on hand)

–      ½ cup ground flaxseed

–      6 tbsp brewer’s yeast

–      ¼ cup chia seeds

–      1 cup pumpkin puree

–      1 cup almond butter

–      1 tbsp vanilla

–      ½ tsp salt

–      2 tbsp cinnamon

–      2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

–      1/3 cup maple syrup

–      ¼ cup mini chocolate chips (optional, but definitely recommended!)

Directions:

1.     Mix all ingredients together. If mixture is too sticky, add in more oats.

2.     Roll into balls and refrigerate for 15 minutes before eating.

3.     Freeze leftovers for later.