Pumpkin, My Low-Carb Secret
Fall is around the corner and I always think of two foods. Cranberries and pumpkin. I make sure to stock up on fresh cranberries and freeze them, because I know they are not around for long. Well, unless you want to pay a fortune for a small fresh bag. ;) Don’t go stocking up on actual pumpkins, they would just take up way too much space. :P Today we’ll start with pumpkin since I have been making a recipe with it quite often on school days. Who would have known that pumpkin is so low in carbs? For the amount that I use in many of my recipes, a little goes such a long way. Now, I don’t expect you to use an actual pumpkin. I know I don’t have the time for that! :lol: Just be sure to buy canned pure pumpkin. Don’t mistake the pumpkin pie filling for pure pumpkin- it’s not the same. Here are the nutrition facts per 1/2 cup of Libby’s canned pumpkin. My first meal of the day calls for 6 egg whites with optional veggies and 40g oats and 35g of blueberries (sometimes 70g). The oats are easy to make since I can just throw them in the microwave and heat them up if I’m in a rush.
Now my eggs can be hit or miss because they take a little more time. So, if it comes down to me either cooking something for my kids or making my eggs, I’m sure you can guess who is getting their food and its not me. :lol: Because I find food prep so important I usually ‘baggie’ the ingredients for a few carbless pancake every week ‘just in case’ I need them. You never know when you will be crunched for time and need to swap out your chicken, egg whites, or even tuna for a protein pancake. I set aside 20g protein powder, stevia and 2g of sugar-free fat free pudding mix all in a baggie. This way when I get ready to make it, all I need to add is the 2 egg whites or in my case lately-the egg whites and pumpkin.
The great thing about these pancakes is that you can make them ahead of time in needed. I love mine fresh, but I have also taken them for PWO when I know I don’t have time to come home and make a protein shake. Low-Carb Pumpkin Pancakes 20g vanilla protein powder (I have used cinnamon roll before) 2 egg whites 40g canned pure pumpkin 2g sugar free fat-free cheesecake pudding mix (adds moisture) dash of cinnamon stevia or splenda (optional) Directions: Mix all ingredients together and pour onto hot skillet. Flip and serve. Nutritional Information: Calories: 136 Fat: 1.4 g Carbohydrate: 7.7 g Protein: 22.6 g So to make this work into my plan, I simply subtract about 5 grams of oats from my plan to make up for the added pumpkin. YUMMY!