Seasonal Snacking

Healthy Hump Day Recipe

The crispness of Fall is in the air, and the fruits and vegetables in season are everywhere. Squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, grapes, cranberries, and so many more delicious items are as fresh as they will be all year, so if they are your favorites, now is the time to enjoy them! A very classic Fall activity is carving pumpkins, especially right before Halloween. With the kits you can purchase these days, some of the creations are absolutely amazing, and artists are finding a new blank canvas in a hollowed out pumpkin. In order to carve those creative designs, you first need to scrape all of the gunk and seeds out of the pumpkin. Some people just throw those yucky "pumpkin brains" away and completely bypass another very Fall festive activity- roasting pumpkin seeds! I hope this isn't you... In addition to being fun and resourceful, pumpkin seeds also provide great nutrition. 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds is a filling snack that rings in with less than 150 calories, and pumpkin seeds are also a great source of minerals like zinc, potassium, and calcium (to name a few). Pumpkins vary with how many seeds they will have, but you are more than likely to get a good few servings of this seasonal snack. Here is a sweet and savory recipe that I absolutely love. The amount of spices will vary depending on how many seeds your pumpkin has. Enjoy this recipe for the next month or so while pumpkins are still in season, otherwise it will be a whole year before they'll be in their prime again!

Sweet and Savory Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients
-pumpkin seeds
-water
-salt
-cinnamon

Directions
1. Pull as much of the pumpkin guts off of the seeds and place in a saucepan.
2. Fill the saucepan with enough water to reach the bottom of the top layer of seeds.
3. Add about 1tsp salt for every 1/2 cup of seeds into the saucepan.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and cook for 10min.
5. Preheat oven to 325.
6. Meanwhile, spray a cookie sheet with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle 1tsp salt evenly on the sheet.
7. Using a kitchen towel, dry off the seeds (they are sticky, so don't use a paper towel or the paper will stick).
8. Lay the seeds out evenly on the cookie sheet.
9. Sprinkle with 1tsp salt and 2tsp cinnamon and bake for 5min. Turn seeds over and bake for another 5min.

*Use as much or as little salt and cinnamon as you'd like, but remember to keep it healthy and not add too much salt!
*Some people do not enjoy the shell, but it is perfectly fine to eat and coated with sweet and salty goodness with this recipe!