• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workouts
      • Best Whey Protein
    • Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Machines
    • Certifications
      • ISSA Review
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Healthy Eating

3 Protein-Packed Recipes for Pumpkin Lovers

Now that summer is at an end, the stores are full of not-so-healthy pumpkin-spiced products. Here are three better options.

Nicole DeMicco

Written by Nicole DeMicco Last updated on September 11, 2015

Can you believe it is September already? Where did the summer go? As a Jersey girl, I try to spend as much time outdoors as possible in the summertime, while the sun is warm and the days are long. Now that summer is coming to an end, have you noticed the stores are gearing up for fall with pumpkin-spiced everything? They even have M&Ms this year!

Pumpkin Treats: Not in My Macros

While I admittedly am a basic white girl who loves to face a crisp fall day with Ugg boots, a flannel shirt, and a pumpkin-flavored treat, I am trying to keep the sweets under control this year. (Let’s just say I have gracefully transitioned from bodybuilder to strongman competitor by eating everything in sight.)

Did you know that a 16oz Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks has 380 calories, 14g fat, 52g carbohydrates, 14g of protein, and 50g of sugar? Yikes! Prefer a baked treat? A pumpkin muffin from Dunkin’ Donuts has 550 Calories, 24 g fat, 78g carbohydrates, 41g sugar, and 7g protein. Does that fit in your macros? It doesn’t fit in mine!

Here are three protein packed, pumpkin-filled recipes to suppress your sweet tooth and ease you into fall while keeping your nutrition on track, so you can save room for those Oktoberfest beers.

1. Pumpkin-Spiced Latte Protein Shake

(Because basic bitches need gains, too.)

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz milk
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 Tbsp pumpkin
  • 8 oz coffee – chilled
  • Sweetener of choice – optional, I left it out, but I don’t like super sweet beverages

Method:

  1. Brew 8 oz of coffee (leave it black). Place in refrigerator to cool.
  2. Combine chilled coffee, milk, protein powder, pumpkin, and pumpkin spice in a blender.
  3. Sweeten to taste.

2. Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal

A protein-packed version of a cozy breakfast staple, spiced up for fall.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup steel cut oats (I use quick-cook steel cut oats from Trader Joe’s)
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ cup liquid egg whites
  • ⅓ cup pumpkin
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ cup mix-ins (raisins, nuts, chocolate chips, or whatever your heart desires!)
  • Sweetener of choice (I used about ½ a tsp of maple syrup)
  1. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil, stir in oats, and reduce to a simmer for 5-7 minutes. This may vary if you are using long cook steel cut oats, or you can use regular oatmeal if that’s what you have on hand. Just follow the directions on the box.
  2. In the last minute of simmering, gradually stir in liquid egg whites. Don’t dump them all in at once, or you’ll wind up with scrambled eggs!
  3. Once combined, remove from heat.
  4. Stir in pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and sweetener, if desired. I drizzled about ½ teaspoon of maple syrup on mine.
  5. Fold in mix-ins of choice (I used ¼ cup raisins).

3. Casein Pudding Parfait

pumpkin, pumpkin spice, protein, recipes, fall recipes

A fall-inspired, nutrient-dense dessert to curb your pie cravings!

Ingredients:

For pudding layer:

  • 1 scoop chocolate casein protein
  • ½ cup water

Pumpkin crème layer:

  • ½ cup vanilla yogurt
  • 2 Tbsp canned pumpkin
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Toppings:

  • Nuts, granola, chocolate chips, dried or fresh fruit

Method

  1. Place 1 scoop casein protein in a bowl. Gradually add water and stir until pudding consistency.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, canned pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice 3. Layer pudding and yogurt in a bowl, top with nuts, fruit, or granola (check out my super easy granola recipe here.)

More Like This:

  • Pumpkin Party: The Surprising Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds
  • Paleo Chocolate Pumpkin Cake Recipe
  • 3 Delicious Holiday Chia Seed-Based Puddings
  • New on Breaking Muscle Today
Nicole DeMicco

About Nicole DeMicco

Nicole DeMicco is a food lover and blogger with a passion for health and fitness. While her cooking is not always the healthiest, it is guaranteed to be delicious and, more often than not, with bacon and fried eggs involved. When it comes to exercise, she has a bit of ADD, competing in bodybuilding, powerlifting, local functional fitness competitions, marathons, Olympic weightlifting, and her newest love - strongman.

She is a certified Personal Trainer though NASM, CrossFit Level 1, USA-Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach, and TRX certified instructor.

When Nicole is not in the gym picking up heavy things, she can usually be found drinking tea, reading, and cuddling with her cat, Slayer. Check out her healthy recipes, traveling adventures, workout advice and fitness motivation on her blog, Dinosaurs and Deadlifts.

View All Articles

Recommended Articles

carrotcr
Mash for GAINZ: 4 Simple Recipes for Performance
eggwithlemonricotta
The Keto Diet: Basted Egg with Lemon Ricotta
loxstuffedavocadosheadline
A Free Keto Diet Recipe Book: Lox Stuffed Avocados and More
parmesancrustedwalleyeheadline
Eating Well As We Age: Parmesan Crusted Walleye

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

Strongman Legend Hafthor Björnsson Receives International Sports Hall of Fame Induction

Iain Valliere Believes the 212 Division Should No Longer Exist in Bodybuilding

Ryan Terry Diagrams His Ambitious 1,874-Calorie Mass-Building Protein Shake

Andrew Jacked’s Trainer Thinks His “Best” Will Come at 2023 Arnold Classic

Latest Reviews

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

Best Whey Proteins for Packing on Muscle, Shredding Down, Meal Replacement, and More

Best Pre-Workouts for Building Muscle, Running, Taste, and More

Best Home Gym Machines

Best Home Gym Machines

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2023 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About