Pumpkin Walnut Cream Cheese

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Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 c pumpkin puree, no added flavor (you can substitute sweet potato puree)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 c walnuts, finely chopped

Rated: (5/5), based on 1 review

This tasty spread turns an ordinary bagel—a kid favorite that has little nutritional value—into a treat with an unexpected dose of veggie. It can also be spread on pancakes and waffles, between crackers for a snack, and on toast topped with apples for dessert. The possibilities are endless!

Submitted by:
Stacie Billis Stacie Billis is a family food writer & blogger at OneHungryMama.com. With two sons, she knows kids change the way we cook, but they don’t have to change how well we eat. Selfish? Sure, but it turns out that feeding kids the natural foods we love is the best way to inspire healthy habits for life.

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Make It:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly mixed and cream cheese is smooth. Serve or store in fridge for up to a week.

Notes: There is a lot of disagreement about when it’s safest to introduce tree nuts. Some pediatricians believe that you can feed nuts to children without a personal or family history of food allergies as early as 6 months. Others encourage parents to wait until 24 or 36 months. Talk to your pediatrician about what’s right for your child.

Clean It:

Pumpkin puree is a rare case of canned food that can be as good in recipes as the homemade version. The only problem is that most canned goods in the U.S. come in BPA-lined cans. If you’re able, cut a pumpkin into 2” wedges, drizzle with some oil and roast until cooked through. Put in a food processor and presto: guaranteed BPA-free pumpkin puree.

Green It:

Making your own pumpkin puree not only reduces waste and exposure to BPA, but also yields pumpkin seeds! You can clean and roast them for a healthy snack, save them to plant, or dry them to use in a project (homemade maracas, anyone?).

Make It Fun:

This kind of recipe, where mixing is the main work, is the easiest to involve children. Once you chop the walnuts, hand over the measuring cups and spoon. Don’t worry if their measurements are off—this is a forgiving recipe!