Fall's Nutritional Superfood: Pumpkin + Recipe for Pumpkin Pesto Pasta

We all know that come October comes pumpkin everything -- from lattes to scones, to pies and bread. While it's tempting to indulge in these sweet treats, there are plenty of things you can do yourself with canned pumpkin at home without all those added sugars. Believe it or not,  pumpkin is extremely healthy, and versatile! It can be used for both sweet and savory dishes, and I personally love to use pumpkin in my dinners. I love this time of year not just because it indicates fall, because it gives me a fun autumn squash to spice up my cooking for a few months!

Why you should be eating pumpkin (besides from the fact that it tastes delicious)

• It's filled with vitamins, including A, C, E, beta carotene, potassium, and B vitamins including folates, niacin, and B6
• It's high in fiber (which means its going to keep you full, maintain a healthy weight, and help your digestive system)
• It's a great source of antioxidants

So what does this all mean? It's a low calorie, mood-boosting, good-for-your-skin-and-body vegetable that should be utilized while it's in season! 

As I said before, I love making pumpkin savory. It can be a good cheese substitute for macaroni and cheese, used in a risotto, even made into a savory bread. But, it can also be made sweet. I like to add it to my oatmeal in the morning with cinnamon or blended into a pumpkin pie smoothie. This time I chose to make it into a pasta, as I had a lot of extra basil and wanted to make a pesto. I totally came up with this recipe out of my head, and I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, but it tasted so much better than I could have imagined (and shout-out to my girls Vivian and Greer for cooking it with me!). You can always just make the pumpkin sauce or pesto on its own, but I think together they complemented each other just perfectly.

Pumpkin Pesto Pasta

(serves about 3)

Pasta: 3/4 lb brown rice pasta

For the Pesto:

2 cups basil
1 cup arugula
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 lemon (to juice)
2 large cloves of garlic
1/4 cup walnuts

For the Pumpkin Sauce:

3/4 can of pureed pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
A splash or two of white wine vinegar
1-2 large cloves of garlic
3/4 cup of onions, chopped


(Remember, all these measurements are estimates, feel free to play around to taste!)

1. Boil your water for the pasta. In the meantime, begin chopping your ingredients, but don't forget to add the pasta once the water is boiling and check on it when it's done, about 8 minutes.

2. Start chopping ingredients for the pesto. If you have a high quality blender like the Vitamix, then you can just throw everything in the blender and blend until smooth. If you don't have that amazing blender, then chop your ingredients so that it's easier to finely blend. If it's hard to get the ingredients smooth, try adding a little bit of olive oil as well as lemon.

3. Chop garlic and onions for the pumpkin sauce. Heat some olive oil over a pan, and add garlic and onions. Cook until onions are translucent, making sure to stir often so the garlic doesn't burn. Then add in the pumpkin puree and Greek yogurt, stirring until ingredients are mixed together and sauce is warm and thickened. Add a splash of white wine vinegar here and there both for flavor and consistency.

4. To serve, pour sauce over pasta and mix in. Add a spoonful of pesto on top, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped walnuts to taste.

What are your favorite pumpkin recipes? The options are endless, and I'll be sure to be making more pumpkin goodness as fall continues on!

Healthy Eating Goals + Coconut Curry Lentils with Kale

Hello my fellow foodies! Once again, there has been a bit of a delay in my posts, as my life is coming together in bits and pieces. I started my full time job, and I am moving tomorrow down to a new apartment in LA! I'm glad I finally have a moment to catch my breath and take some time to write.

I'm sure you all experience this, but when life gets busy, healthy eating habits can sometimes fall by the wayside. I always try to eat well, but it can be a lot easier to succumb to bad habits when you are on the go. I decided to make a list for myself of health eating patterns I need to better adapt in order to feel my best!

1. Eat more locally sourced produce
While I've mastered the art of organic, I really want to start eating more locally sourced produce from farmer's markets. Why? For starters, food loses nutrients the more it travels, so your grocery store produce isn't going to be at its healthiest after it has taken days to hit the shelves. Additionally, many times produce grown from local farms is actually organic, as many local farmers don't use pesticides or genetically modify their plants. The reason it's not properly labeled is because they can't shell out enough money to get the official USDA organic certification. Which leads me to my third point, support small agriculture!

2. Eat less at night
This is personally a really bad habit of mine, and I don't know if it's because my stomach has been accustomed to my patterns or what, but I am inevitably hungry late at night and always crave something heavy. This is something I really want to work on curbing, by eating fruit or not eating at all!

3. Eat more Fruit
On that note, I just need to eat more fruit in general! I used to have the HUGEST sweet tooth.. it was pretty insane (ask my friends who knew me when I was younger). I wanted candy all the time. It wasn't until my sophomore year of college that I kicked the habit, and now I rarely crave sweets, if ever. Unless, that is, I start eating sweets and become addicted again (ahem, I'm looking at you Sara the enabler). I think part of my reluctance to eat a lot of fruit is that I don't want to jump on the sugar bandwagon again. But, fruit is essential and full of nutrients, and it tastes good, so I have no excuse!

4. Eat less cheese
This one is a big one for me. Cheese is my chocolate, my guilty pleasure. I seriously love cheese. But it's fatty. And through experimentation with my own body, I've come to notice that cheese doesn't make me feel that great and makes me bloated (I suspect a slight intolerance). So I've really tried to cut down on it, and I have been pretty successful, but I'm still working.

5. Get tested for allergies
While I don't suspect I have any deathly allergies, I would like to go to an allergist and see what isn't working with my body to function optimally. Food allergies can be subtle, and they can create lethargy and bad moods, among other things (and who wants that?). I only want to put things in my body that are going to make me feel good.


Everyone's list should be individual, but it's always great to what others need to do for themselves--And I would love to hear yours!

Now onto the food...This recipe is super easy, vegetarian, and really healthy! I love working with different ethnic flavors, and it's especially fun to incorporate coconut into savory dishes (especially when they're spicy!). This dish can be enjoyed plain, or over rice, quinoa, or any other grain.

Coconut Curry Lentils with Kale

Ingredients (estimates, as always):

• 1/2 cup pre-cooked lentils
• 1/4 white onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup kale
• 1 tbsp extra virgin, unrefined coconut oil
• 1-2 tsp curry powder
• A splash of marinara sauce
• 1-2 squirts of Sriracha
• A scoop of Greek yogurt

1. Chop your onions and garlic. Heat coconut oil over pan on medium heat, and add onions and garlic. When they're almost cooked (onions starting to turn translucent), add kale and toss until wilted.

2. With the heat on low, add the marinara sauce, Greek yogurt, curry powder, and Sriracha, and mix in with the rest of ingredients. Then add the lentils, and stir until mixture is heated. 

Eat away! 

5 Quick and Easy Summer Treats

When I think summer, I think of sun, outdoor activities and light foods. It can be tempting to buy meals out, but there are so many quick, simple and healthy fresh summer foods that you can make yourself. Here are five very nutritious summer recipes that are a breeze!

1. Kelp Noodle Bowl

Great for a delicious macronutrient-filled lunch. Low in carbs and fat! 

*Kelp Noodles
*Avocado
*Lemon
*Kale
*Hemp Seed

Mix mashed avocado and kale with kelp noodles. Top with squeezed lemon and hemp seed.

What you're getting: More than 70 minerals and 20 amino acids, calcium, folic acid, Vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants, potassium, healthy fats, protein.



Hint: If you're in a mad search for kelp noodles, I would check your local Whole Foods.




2. Strawberry-Mint Lemonade
Get your fix of a summery drink without all the added cane sugar! Plus, mint provides a lot of extra health benefits.

*Strawberries
*Fresh Mint
*Squeezed Lemon
*Water
*Stevia/Agave Syrup

Blend a couple of strawberries, a few sprigs of fresh mint, one or two squeezed lemons, and about a cup of water in a blender. Taste to adjust if it's too sour, watery etc. Add sweetener as desired (I used one packet of Stevia and a splash of agave).

What you're getting: Vitamin C, antioxidants, toxin eliminator

3. Mexican Pizza

No need to run to Taco Bell with this dish!

*Tortilla
*Tomato Sauce
*Tomatoes
*Green and White Onion
*Beans
*Cheese

Top a tortilla with ingredients, starting with tomato sauce and cheese. Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for about 7-10 minutes.

What you're getting: Lots of vitamins, potassium, fiber, calcium, protein.

4. Avocado Egg Salad

Make egg salad low fat by taking out mayo and replacing it with avocado and Greek yogurt.

*Hard Boiled Egg

*Avocado
*Greek Yogurt
*Cilantro
*Lemon

What you're getting: Protein, healthy fats, calcium, Vitamin C, choline, magnesium, iron

5. Greek Salad

You can't go wrong with a simple Greek salad!

*Cucumbers

*Red Onion

*Tomatoes
*Dill

*Non fat Feta Cheese

*Lemon

*Olive Oil

What you're getting: Lots of vegetables, which means lots of vitamins, healthy fat, calcium,






Also, don't forget to check out Kale Me Maybe on Instagram and Pinterest!