Here’s a delectable way to use up those pumpkin innards this Halloween!
It’s taken 34 years but I’ve finally decided to try planning dinners on a regular basis. I’ve always wandered the grocery store with a list of basics and then I grab whatever looks fresh and inspiring. Later in the week I find myself with 2 red peppers that don’t really go with anything. And this method leads to a lot of unnecessary impulse buying as well as a ridiculous grocery budget. It also hinders my ability to be creative with meals, which sounds counter-intuitive. But once I’m at home and deciding what to make it would help if I had all the ingredients for a recipe. The creativity comes in the planning.
I’ve been using ZipList (thanks to Lisa for the recommendation!), which makes adding recipes to my grocery list a breeze. If you’re not familiar with it, you can see an example of the ZipList recipe plugin on my site (check out the recipe below). You’ll notice above the recipe an option to save as well as print. If you create a ZipList account and save the recipe, you can go back at any time and automatically add the ingredients to your shopping list in the exact quantities you need. It also has a nice meal planning function and phone app. I wish I could convince all of my favorite food blogs to use this plugin! I’m now much more likely to make a recipe if I can save it to ZipList. I’ve recently found myself making quite a few dinners from Cookin’ Canuck, Skinnytaste and Simply Recipes. I highly recommend their recipes!
Do you meal plan? If so, do you find that it saves you money on groceries? Any tips for a beginner? I’m only planning 3 meals a week right now since I cook for two and many recipes make great leftovers. And to be honest, some nights all I want is cereal or a frozen pizza.
And now for the recipe, which was definitely not planned. I had a ton of fresh seeds leftover from a recent pumpkin canning extravaganza. And a ton of nervous energy during the storm. Behold, the final snack of Hurricane Sandy: Sriracha maple pumpkin seeds.
Sriracha Maple Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Toss the pumpkin seeds with the Sriracha and maple syrup and then spread evenly on a baking sheet.
- Sprinkle with salt.
- Roast for 20 minutes.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
Anna @ hiddenponies says
Yum, perfect snack food for any weather!
I used to meal plan regularly and enjoyed cooking much more when I did, and also was better at trying new recipes regularly, but it fizzled out…I found I needed to do two-three weeks at a time in order for it to save money since then I could buy larger portions of meat and things and plan multiple meals to use it that weren’t so close together I got sick of things. Good luck!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
Sriracha on pumpkin seeds? Uh yes please! I could seriously put Sriracha on anything and everything!
As for meal planning, I only cook on the weekends so I make about 6 dishes (some desserts, some main dishes) and I only buy ingredients for those planned out meals, except for various fruits and snacks. It’s definitely helpful with saving on groceries although if I don’t get to my 6 dishes as planned, there’s a lot of waste in that too because I can’t cook until the following week.
Roger Stowell says
The pictures look very good on the slate background. I had a wonderful piece of slate (3′ x 3′) which a client managed to pack up with the hired props and send back to England. I’ve never seen it again and these pictures are making me wish that I still had it:)
PS. I still receive a great deal of your comments even though I’m not ticking the box for follow up comments. Some glitch, I imagine.
Savory Simple says
That’s so weird! I wish I knew how to help. Have you tried looking in your subscription settings? You could also contact WP support or use the message boards, they’re pretty helpful.
Baker Street says
Sriracha on pumpkin seeds is such a brilliant idea! I absolutely love that first picture, Jen!
Kathryn says
We’ve started planning our meals in the last couple of weeks and have found that it helps us eat a much more varied diet rather than falling back on a small rotation of favourites. I think you need to have a bit of flexibility though for those nights when you really can’t be bothered to cook.
Heather (Where's the Beach) says
I used to be better about planning out meals. But I generally keep a well-stocked pantry and have sort of a standard go-to meal list. So that really helps. Those pumpkin seeds sound incredible. Definitely pinning this recipe!
sally @ sallys baking addiction says
simple yet very unique – this looks like my new favorite way to eat pumpkin seeds Jen! Spicy and maple – what a combination. I’m savin gthis recipe. PS: I LOVE these photos! I don’t meal plan, although I’m beginning to think I should. It makes life so much easier.
Joanne @ Fifteen Spatulas says
Sriracha and maple are two of my favorite things…ever! Love the combination here.
Valerie says
I don’t plan my meals either (fear of commitment?). I’d much rather eat brownies for brunch and nibble on a bowl full of these pumpkin maple seeds for dinner! :D Love pumpkin seeds!
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says
Oh girl, you’ve got my number on this one… sriracha and maple syrup?!? I NEED this….
Mai-Lis @ A Sunshiny Day says
These look AWESOME! I may have to dig into that little pumpkin that’s been sitting on our table, I had planned to make something with it but it looked so cute sitting there. I’m really bad at meal planning, I just buy stuff and hope I can figure it out. I should try that tool, maybe it will help me be more organized.
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel says
I make store lists, cook dinner every night (even weekends!), coupon clip and do the shopping for my family of 5. I’ve been doing it for over 7 years now and I love it! Start small and try organizing your lists by location in the store (frozen, fridge, meat, produce, etc) which helps. And on the backside of your grocery list, write what you’re going to be serving so you can flip back and forth in case something else strikes your fancy (like if you find yourself buying say, garlic bread and wonder “why is this in my cart?” you can flip over and see you’re making pasta–I forget sometimes lol).
BTW, these seeds look awesome!!
Erin | The Law Student's Wife says
I love sweet and spicy together. MMM, these look addictive.
Like you, I plan about 3 meals a week; however, I invariably end up impulse buying/cooking, because I will come across something random that strikes my fancy, and I must make it RIGHTTHISSECOND. Or I will go grocery shopping when hungry. Last week, this resulted in half a gallon of pumpkin ice cream and a box of gingersnaps. Whoops!
Ashley - Baker by Nature says
I am 100% certain we’ll be making these very soon! Can’t wait.
fabiola@notjustbaked says
By now you know I love me some spicy foods, so you pretty much are guaranteeing me making this.