3 Square Meals - No More, No Less

I try not to snack. I lived in Denmark for a semester, and while I was there I lost a significant amount of weight. (A good thing for me!)

The thing is, I don't think it was necessarily because I was eating less or choosing healthier foods. I ate three meals a day - breakfast and dinner with my host family, and lunch at school. I always had plenty to eat, and would almost always take seconds at dinner. But I didn't snack.

So, in an effort to stay healthy, I've tried to continue eating just 2-3 square meals a day. If I do have a bite between meals, I try not to choose chips or candy, but something fresh, homemade, and mostly nutritious.

In this case, though, I couldn't avoid creating a snack recipe. Pumpkin seeds are the natural leftovers from pumpkin, so they're practically free. They're also fibrous, filling, and full of nutrients. Did I mention free?

Sugary Spiced Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

We continue the fall pumpkin series with a sweet version of oven-roasted pumpkin seeds. You can always substitute the sugar and spice for a bit of salt, and you could use butter or a different variety of oil. Experiment with different spices and see what you come up with!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Method:

2. Clean seeds and separate them from the pumpkin's guts.
4. Combine sugar, spices, seeds, and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Heat to boiling, then simmer until water has completely evaporated, leaving seeds covered with a sticky concoction.
6. Grease a small baking pan. Cook at 350 F for about 20-30 minutes, or until seeds are fully cooked. They should have a shiny coating and be crunchy to the tooth.

We enjoyed these seeds as a quick snack, and as a garnish on vegan coconut pumpkin soup. They lasted less than a day, but this recipe only made a small cup of seeds, so they didn't interfere much with my no snacking "rule."

More: Try the other recipes in our Anything-But-Pie Pumpkin Recipes series, like the Vegan Coconut Pumpkin Soup.