It's a Pumpkin Muffin Kind of Morning!

Here’s a terrific breakfast treat that’s sure to be a hit on any Fall morning. These Pumpkin Muffins taste and smell sinfully delicious, but the truth is, they’re good enough to be a part of a healthy, whole-grain diet because, believe it or not, they are only 159 calories each!

1½ cups white whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1 cup canned pumpkin

½ cup honey

3 tablespoons canola oil

½ cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, pumpkin, honey, and oil, until well blended. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir just until mixed. Fold in the raisins, and ladle the batter into the paper liners. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Enjoy!

For more tasty recipes that'll keep you healthy as a horse, check out our bestselling book, Grow Younger, Live Longer. It's got tons of tips and tricks that'll keep you young, healthy, and happy for years to come. You can even try it out for FREE with our Free Preview!

4 Smashing Recipes (Starring Pumpkin)

Boo! Get ready for the spookiest time of the year—that’s right; Halloween is almost here. And what says “Happy Halloween” better than pumpkin, especially when it's on your plate!

Earlier, we covered how to prep and cook a pumpkin. If you missed it, head over to Jerry Baker Home, Health, and Garden on Facebook. (And while you’re there, don’t forget to like, follow, and share our page, too!)

Now that your pumpkin is out of the oven and pureed, you can pop it into containers and freeze it for later use, or you can enjoy it right away in one of these four tasty and amazing ways:

• Savory Pumpkin Mash: Stir your mashed pumpkin with a little margarine, ground cinnamon, and skim milk, and eat it instead of plain old mashed potatoes. It goes perfectly with grilled poultry!
• Sweet Pumpkin Puree: Sprinkle your pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie spice and chopped toasted pecans. Serve it with pork tenderloin for a delicious Fall dinner.
• Pumpkin Pot Roast: Add a little salt and pepper to your pureed pumpkin, then pour it over lean pot roast like a gravy. So easy, so quick, and so yummy.
• Berry Good Pumpkin Bowl: Season a bowl of warm pumpkin with ground ginger, and stir in some raisins or dried cranberries. Top with slices of baked chicken, and dig in!

Don’t worry, we’re not done yet—we’ve also got the best pumpkin seed recipe ever! These tiny treats are the perfect snack to munch on this season. And they’re also a good, concentrated source of zinc, a critical virus-fighter! Here’s how to make ‘em:

• The Tastiest Toasted Pumpkin Seeds: Separate the seeds from any remaining pumpkin pulp by running them under water. Then, spread the seeds out on a cooking sheet in a single layer. Coat them with non-stick cooking spray, and sprinkle them lightly with salt (or garlic salt, if you’d like). Bake at 325°F for about 25 minutes or so, until toasted. Then gobble ‘em up!

We hope you enjoy these Fall Favorites! And for more tummy tempting ideas that’ll keep you in the pink of health, check out our bestselling book, Homemade Health. You can even try it FREE for 21 days with our Free Preview!

Pumpkin—for a limited time only? No way!

There have been lots of ads in the paper and signs in the coffee shop for pumpkin-flavored drinks and snacks. These days you can buy cereal, yogurt, bagels, and popcorn that are enhanced with spicy pumpkin flavor. You can even munch on pumpkin spice flavored chips! (Not sure about that one…and pumpkin-flavored vodka? Yuck!) And all of them urge you to buy them NOW! because they’re only available for a limited time.

Don’t be fooled, folks. Pumpkins — fresh and canned — can be purchased year-round. And the taste of the real deal beats the powders and syrups you’ll find in your beloved pumpkin spice latte, hands down!

Pick up a fresh pumpkin at the farmers’ market this weekend, and then serve it as a side dish for Sunday dinner. Here’s how:

1. Choose a pumpkin that’s small, flat, and red-orange.
2. When you get home, place the washed pumpkin on a sturdy cutting board, and cut it in half with a large, sharp knife.
3. Scoop out the seeds and set them aside to toast later.
4. Cut your pumpkin into chunks and put the pieces on a well-greased baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for an hour. Scrape the pulp from the shell, then toss ‘em into your food processor to puree.

Now you’re ready to enjoy your pumpkin in these smashing ways:

Make mashed pumpkin. Warm pureed pumpkin with a little margarine, ground cinnamon, and skim milk. Serve like mashed sweet potatoes.

Serve saucy pumpkin. Add a little salt and pepper to pureed pumpkin, then use as “gravy” with lean pot roast.

Choose chunky pumpkin. Reheat pumpkin chunks in the microwave. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice and chopped toasted pecans. Serve as a side dish with pork tenderloin.

Slurp soupy pumpkin. Stir pumpkin chunks into canned soup for a flavor and nutrient boost.

Savor smooth pumpkin. Take the shortcut. Get your pumpkin from a can. Season with ground ginger, stir in some raisins or dried cherries, and microwave until warm. It’s great with baked chicken.