I lived in Spain for a little while and one of my dearest friends made these muffins for me one afternoon. (She made them from a real pumpkin she had peeled and roasted!) They are not Spanish and were a welcome taste of home. Pumpkins are packed full of nutrition and well worth adding to your cooking. Click here to see nutritional information of pumpkin.

CARRIE'S PUMPKIN MUFFINS
(I add ground flax seed, cooked amaranth grain, use freshly ground whole wheat flour and substitute honey for the sugar to make them a bit more wholesome.)
1 2/3 cup of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of ground flax seed (optional)
3/4 cup of honey/sugar
1/2 cup of cooked amaranth grain (optional)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup of pumpkin
1/2 vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. of lemon peel, grated
1 cup of chopped pecans/chocolate chips

~Combine wet ingredients, including the amaranth and mix well. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl and mix. Add to the wet ingredients and mix just until stirred. Add nuts/chocolate chip and stir. Drop into greased muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Yield: about 12 muffins Enjoy!

Garlic! Garlic! Garlic!

Garlic is one of the most valuable and versatile foods on the planet. It is FULL of health benefits. Garlic is a natural anitoxidant, fungicide, lowers blood pressure, defends against allergies, helps regulate blood sugar, acts as a cold medication-exectorant and decongestant, fights ear infections, heals warts, controls asthma, heals ringworm, heals toothaches, boosts overall immunity....SO MANY THINGS! Check out one of my favorite garlic supplements on the "My Favorite Shaklee Products" link. I take garlic at any sign of a scratchy throat. I also try to cook with it as much as possible. I use a garlic press and add it to most main courses so that my kids eat it up too. My 8 year old loves dredging bread in garlic and olive oil. Not only does it taste heavenly but the health benefits are amazing (and he has no idea!) Have you ever roasted a whole bulb of garlic? Try this recipe Enjoy! By the way, drinking lemonade or a little lemon juice will get rid of your garlic breath! :) To remove the garlic smell on your fingers, rub them on a stainless steel spoon and the smell is gone!

Eat Pomegranates!

Health Benefits...
Pomegranates are rich in antioxidants, and may have more antioxidant properties than red wine or green tea. They are a source of folic acid (beneficial to pregnant women), potassium, niacin, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and are a rich source of fiber.
The pomegranate is the only one to contain the three major antioxidants: tannins, anthocyanins and ellagic acid. Antioxidants are what help to boost the body’s immune system. These high concentrations of antioxidants help to protect the body from the damaging effects of pollution, cancer diabetes and many other debilitating diseases.

They may take a little time to retrieve the seeds, but it is WAY worth it! Cut it in half crosswise and peel back the insides and pull out the seeds. My kids LOVE them and can't wait to get them in their mouths. They are a seasonal fruit but YOU CAN FREEZE the seeds! I went out and bought 10 of them when they were $1/piece this week to keep on hand. They are so good plain or I throw the seeds in a salad. Enjoy!

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