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Pumpkin Recipes: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Recipes

 

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love the way the leaves turn the landscape into a brilliant patchwork quilt, the nights turn cooler, and Winter squash, leafy greens and root veggies take center stage on the dinner table. Pumpkins are much more than a porch decoration. They are one of my favorite Winter squashes. The smaller pie or sugar pumpkins are the ones to buy to make a cheap and easy DIY pumpkin puree. I bought a pie pumpkin that will make 3 to 4 cans worth of puree for the same price as 1 can!

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38 Easter Dinner Recipe Ideas

This is the year to dress up your Easter dinner with fresh local flavors. It’s about time you put your mark on your family’s traditions.

Don’t forget that brunch or breakfast is a perfect time for a get together too. It can be easier to throw together than a proper sit down dinner.

Appetizers

If your friend and family gatherings are anything like mine, it’s best to have a few nibbles in case you end up waiting on that one person who always seem to be running later.

You can also make a buffet of salads, spreads, and breads and have that as your main event. That way people can wonder in and out as the festivities go on.

Spring Panzanella Salad
Hand dyed Easter Eggs (some with unexpected natural dyes)
Thai Son-in-law Eggs
Green Garlic Pesto (use as spread or salad dressing)
Muhammara (tomato walnut spread)
Roasted Beet Salad with Horseradish Cream
Spinach Soup with an Egg
Green Easter Sauce/Dip
Roasted Spiced Chickpea Kale Salad
Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus

Main Courses

Most people like to plan around a protein or main course. Here are a few new twists that shout Spring, but aren’t your traditional ham. Some are even extra good for you too!

Spinach Feta Pie
Chickpea Herb Frittata
Beet Scotch Eggs (vegetarian)
Chicken with Almonds and Honey
Pomegranate Glazed Grilled Chicken
Lamb Tangine

Pomegranate Rye Glaze for Ham, Tofu or Other Protein
Artichoke Lasagna (in French but can select translation in English)
Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas (substitute the freshest Spring veggies you can get your hands on)

Side Dishes

You can make alight meal out of side dishes with a lovely fresh salad.I like to keep the hot dishes warm in slow cookers on a buffet or counter.

Middle Eastern Okra Stew
Vanilla Glazed Baby Carrots
Roasted Asparagus Rolled in Ham
Steamed Artichokes with Creamy Dipping Sauce
Butternut Squash Chickpea and Raisin Couscous
Middle Eastern Spinach with Yogurt
Brussels Sprouts with Garlic, Onion, and Bacon

Desserts

Your kids may be full of Easter candy, but you’ll at least need one dessert that the grown ups like too. Plus you deserve a treat after hiding all those Easter eggs.

Cadbury Creme Eggs Cupcakes
Date Walnut Bliss Balls
White Peaches in Rosewater Syrup
Gluten-free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese Muffins Baked Served in Parchment Bunny Cubes
Chocolate Raspberry Alaska

Still Feel Overwhelmed?

You can mix and match from above, but if you just aren’t getting into the planning mode here are a few sites that give you a complete dinner start to finish. It’s easy and certain to delight your guests!

Epicurious Do Ahead Easter Dinner
Cooking Light Easter Dinner
A Very Martha Easter Dinner

Food Network Easter Breakfast Menu

Easter Dinner Recipes

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Good For You Snacks that even Picky Eaters Will Love

 

The key to healthy snacking is always being prepared. Incorporate snacks into your weekly menu planning, and you’ll be ahead of the game all week.

Keep it Simple

Sometimes the best snack is the easiest one. Pick one or two nights a week to make your own snack packs. Organic baby carrots go great with dips. I like to portion them out into small re-closable bags, or other containers.

If you have more than one child you can even let each one decorate a box to hold their snacks in the fridge. It makes snack time more exciting for them, and can help eliminate confusion at snack time. Plus, older kids can just reach into the fridge and get their own snack.

Cut up celery, green pepper strips, apples, pears, and other fresh produce that your kids like. If your child has trouble with fresh produce, try making art with the cut up fruit and veggies. The Disney site has great ideas to make faces, flowers, even snow pea flying fish.

Don’t forget the traditional ants on a log. Peanut butter filled celery sticks topped with raisins or craisins.

Make yogurt parfaits by layering fresh, or thawed frozen, fruit in between vanilla yogurt. Girls especially love colored yogurts that you can make by pureeing fruit into vanilla yogurt. Store in a container, or in cool tall non-breakable glasses covered with some plastic wrap.

Bake extra sweet potatoes over the weekend, then warm them up during the week. Topped with a little brown sugar and cinnamon creates a nutritious snack that tastes just like dessert.

Dips

Dipping is always fun, plus you can pack extra nutrients in dips your little ones already love. Try adding roasted red pepper or spinach into your hummus. Use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream to get some probiotics in your family the easy way.

Carrot Hummus
Beet Hummus
Black Bean Dip
Red Pepper Walnut Dip
Greek Yogurt and Cottage Cheese Dip
Eggplant Dip
Peanut Butter Yogurt Fruit Dip

Smoothies

Smoothies are great for days that you have as little as 10 minutes to throw a few things into a blender. I keep frozen fruit on my weekly shopping list, so I can make a smoothie on a moments notice. Don’t forget that a frozen banana thrown in the blender by itself makes a great faux ice cream too!

Blueberry Smoothie
Protein punch smoothie
Dr. Oz’s breakfast smoothie
Chocolate smoothie

A sweet frozen drink is the perfect place to sneak in some spinach or avocado. Name it after your kid’s favorite green cartoon character and you’ll have a hit.

Raspberry avocado smoothie
Broccoli smoothie
Spinach smoothie

Sandwiches

Pump up the typical peanut butter and jelly. One way to freshen it is to add slices of apples, pears, or bananas. Another way is to use waffles instead of bread

Use tortillas instead of bread to make roll-up sandwiches that you can cut into pinwheels. Parents magazine has a great recipe for one using fresh pear slices and cheese

Whole wheat English muffins are another way to add whole grains to snack time. One of my favs is to make pizzas with them by topping with pizza sauce and shredded cheese. Sneak extra vitamins into your pizza sauce by pureeing some spinach or Swiss chard into it for a potassium punch.

Sweet Potato Avocado Sandwich
Pita PBJ
Turkey Black Bean Tortilla Wraps
Green Monster Wrap
More Sandwich Ideas

Creative Baking

When you have time, bake double batches of healthy recipes and freeze individual servings that you can thaw out the night before in the refrigerator. Remember that you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour in any recipe to make it healthier

Sneaker-Doodle Cookies
Whole Grain White Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies
PBJ Muffins
Spinach Crackers
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars

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Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

Salad lives a double life. When it’s being good it fills us up so we eat fewer calories at dinner, while adding a vitamin punch in every bite. Dark greens like spinach add extra nutrition, and you can even sneak some shredded Swiss chard or kale in for extra potassium. It’s the perfect vitamin and mineral dense food. No one doubts the extra punch of vitamins (and slight feeling of smugness) that you get when eating this virtuous treat. All salads start off as a healthy shopping trip that’s stored in your crisper drawer.

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Summer Smoothies

When the weather gets too hot to cook, switch your breakfast to a frosty, good-for-you smoothie. It’s also a perfect afternoon snack that’s even good for you!

One of the benefits of smoothies is all the nutrition that you can pack into one. Best of all, without yours kids noticing. Greens may seem like an unexpected addition to your smoothies, but they add many nutrients to your day. Imagine getting your child to actually ask for something that contains kale, chard, or spinach!

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