Fall. Ode to fall: you are beautiful and colourful, not too hot and not too cold. Some of us like you because it’s a break from the heat, while others, not so much as it signals winter. Either way, you always tend to bring out wonderful recipes and some of our favourite holidays like Thanksgiving and Halloween. We can get a little warmer and heavier without feeling heavy. Squashes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, spices, stews, soups. The variety is endless. Put away your light salads and head on over to a bowl of chili.

And fall, oh beautiful fall, you’re so trendy and fashionable. Where are my black tights? My tall boots? My oversized sweaters? And how, oh how can we Pumpkin Spice Everything?

We feel like this pumpkin spice trend will never die. That’s a great thing, because pumpkin is incredibly nutritious; and pumpkin spice is packed with some of the best warming spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves – these in combination add a certain sweetness to whatever it is you are cooking, without adding a crazy amount of sugar. In our opinion, the pumpkin spice trend is something we can totally get on board with. So we’re here, bringing you 3 awesome facts about pumpkins, and 3 amazing pumpkin spice recipes that are simple to make, and will let you have your pumpkin spice craving without having to load the sugar in (ahem, yes Starbucks, I am talking about you!). And they are the perfect delicious and healthy snack or dessert for Halloween.

3 awesome facts about pumpkins:

• One letter – A. 1 cup cooked pumpkin contains a crazy amount of Vitamin A, like 200% of your daily recommendation, crazy! Vitamin A being one of those amazing fat soluble vitamins acts as an antioxidant, and is incredibly awesome for your eyesight and skin.
• Way more potassium then bananas. Want to rebalance your electrolytes after a hard workout? Bored of bananas? Then go ahead and reach for our Pumpkin Spice Muffin 1 cup cooked pumpkin contains 564mg potassium compared to a banana at 422mg.
• Those amazing little seeds. Don’t like the taste of pumpkin? Try for a handful of pumpkin seeds. You can toss them into trail mix, cereal, salads, soups etc. They are so versatile and so incredibly nutritious for you. Men’s health: pumpkin seeds are high in Zinc, which is a power nutrient for the prostate. Zinc also helps boost your immune system, and is just perfect for the winter months where everyone around you seems to have the sniffles. Pumpkin seeds are also high in tryptophan, an important amino acid for the production of serotonin – a wonderful mood booster!

Now, we’re talking about pumpkin and pumpkin seeds as a whole food, not a ‘let’s go to a coffee shop and get a pumpkin spice latte that has an insane amount of sugar and dairy in it. By all means, enjoy your pumpkin spiced latte, but if you are looking to kick your health up a notch and reduce your sugar intake we have some amazing recipes that will have you putting your latte down, and picking up these instead. Especially in the morning when you’re in need of something tasty in your hand, and something pumpkin spice on-the-go.

1. Blender Pumpkin Spice Muffins

These Blender Pumpkin Spice Muffins are not your regular sugar laced, heavy ones that leave you with a sugar crash a couple of hours later. They are packed with protein, sweetened without refined ingredients and pack a whole lot of fiber. You can enjoy them as an on-the-go breakfast or a hearty snack.

2. Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding

An extremely rich and delicious Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding, naturally sweetened with dates and rich in heart heathy omegas and fiber. Chia seeds, one of the superfoods on our list add the perfect texture and boost its nutritional density. We guarantee you will be making this again and again.

3. Pumpkin Spice Creamer

Ditch the bloat, transfat and heavy commercial creamers and enjoy this perfect Pumpkin Spice Creamer that will warm you up, keep your blood sugar balanced and add a kick to your morning coffee.