Repurposing Holiday Decorations into Wholesome Foods!

Thursday, January 10, 2013
Yep, it is that time of year to clean up and pack up all the holiday decorations. This year, instead of throwing out the pumpkins, my husband suggested we REUSE them! What a novel idea! Somehow I find it quite perfect that we are reusing, re-purposing and recycling our holiday pumpkins!

Pumpkins are a very healthy super food. The meat doesn't have to just be used for pumpkin pies. In fact, the meat of the pumpkin can be used in substitution of other squash, like butternut, in soups and stews. I did just that last night when we made a crockpot dinner of Spiced Pork with Pumpkin Squash (it called for butternut squash) and Sweet Potatoes. It was delicious!

Beyond stews and soups pumpkin can be used to make yummy muffins. One of my new favorite muffins to make is Pumpkin Muffins with Crystallized Ginger.....so good!

And let's not forget the pumpkin seeds! They are so good for us from being high in protein to being a good source of vitamin E and minerals like magnesium and copper which are so vital for our health. They are easy to home roast. They also keep for a number of weeks once roasted. An easy, quick and nutritious snack. As described by Dr. Oz, a handful is 83 calories.

So here's starting the New Year recycling our holiday decorations and feeling healthier and "greener" for it!

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