Love to Laugh and Learn - Fun and interesting activities to do with the children in your life.

Yes, You Can Eat Raw Pumpkin! Try My Fall Harvest Fruit Salad

October 20, 2026 by Mama Carmody Leave a Comment

Fall Harvest Fruit Salad with raw pumpkin, apples, pear, grapes, lemon, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.

When my three-year-old, great-nephew decided he wanted to eat his pumpkin, I first had to find out whether you could actually eat raw pumpkin. It turns out, you can!

So, of course, we had to taste it. You can read all about our original raw pumpkin taste-test experiment in How to Eat a Pumpkin: A Lesson From a 3 Year Old.

We tried raw pumpkin plain and with several different seasonings. But once our little taste-testing experiment was over, I started wondering: What else could I do with raw pumpkin?

I started looking for recipes that used it that way. I searched and searched, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Almost everything I found called for cooked or pureed pumpkin.

That got me thinking. If pumpkin can be eaten raw, why not come up with a recipe that actually uses it raw?

Ingredients for Fall Harvest Fruit Salad including raw pumpkin, apples, pear, grapes, lemon, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.

Eating fruits and vegetables raw can preserve some nutrients that are sensitive to heat, although cooking has nutritional benefits too and can make some nutrients easier for our bodies to use. I just wanted another way to enjoy pumpkin in its fresh, uncooked form.

So I started looking around at the flavors of fall. Apples. Pears. Grapes. Brown sugar. Pumpkin pie spice. And Fall Harvest Fruit Salad was born.

Now, I have to admit something. When I originally created this fruit salad, I didn’t measure anything! I chopped up the fruit, sprinkled in some brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice, tossed it together and called it good. I’ve added measurements here so you can recreate it at home.

Fall Harvest Fruit Salad with Raw Pumpkin

Ingredients

1 cup raw pumpkin flesh, peeled and cut into small bite-size cubes

1 medium golden delicious apple, chopped

1 medium red apple, chopped

1 medium pear, chopped

1½ cups seedless red or purple grapes, halved or quartered

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 lemon wedge

Optional: ½ cup chopped pecans

Directions

Combine the pumpkin, apples, pear, and grapes in a large bowl.

Small pieces of raw pumpkin held in a hand to show the size for Fall Harvest Fruit Salad.

Mama Carmody Tip: Cut the raw pumpkin into smaller pieces than the apples and pear. Raw pumpkin is quite firm, so smaller pieces blend better with the softer fruit.

Squeeze the juice of the lemon wedge over the fruit.

Sprinkle with the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice and toss until the fruit is evenly coated.

Let sit for at least 10–15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend. For even more flavor, let it sit longer. The fruit will release a little juice, which should combine with the brown sugar and spice and give everything a light, sweet fall-flavored coating.

Optional: Mix in pecans for a little extra crunch. Leave them out for a nut-free version.

Taste it. If you’d like it sweeter or spicier, add a little more brown sugar (or a lot 😂) or another small sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

Makes about 5–6 cups, or roughly 6 servings.

Let the Kids Help

Children helping make fruit salad using kid-safe knives and cutting boards.

Fruit salad has been something my grandkids have helped me make for holiday meals for years. When they were younger, we used kid-safe knives so they could help cut up the fruit right along with me.

This is an easy recipe to get kids involved with, too. Depending on their age and abilities, they can help wash the fruit, measure ingredients, cut softer fruit with a kid-safe knife, add everything to the bowl, and stir it together.

And after all, this particular fruit salad exists because a curious three-year-old wanted to know if he could eat his raw pumpkin! Sometimes letting kids get involved in the kitchen leads us in directions we never expected.

A Little Curiosity Can Lead to Something Delicious

This fruit salad started with a three-year-old asking a question I never would have thought to ask: Can you eat a pumpkin?

Years later, I’m still experimenting with that answer! This Fall Harvest Fruit Salad has changed a little each time I’ve made it, and I think I’ve finally landed on the combination I like best.

So the next time you’re cutting into a pumpkin, don’t be afraid to taste a little piece before you cook it. You might just discover a new way to enjoy one of fall’s favorite foods.

And if you make the fruit salad, I’d love to hear what you think – especially if you make any changes of your own!

How To Eat A Pumpkin: A Lesson From a 3 Year Old

How to Eat a Pumpkin, Part 2

Pumpkins are Orange; and Other Learning Concepts

Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie

October 15, 2023 by Mama Carmody Leave a Comment

Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie: A Grandkids’ Creation for Zombie-Proof Brains!

Hey there, fellow smoothie enthusiasts! Today, I have a special treat for you – a delicious concoction that not only tantalizes your taste buds but also promises to fortify your brain against a zombie invasion. Yes, you read that right! Introducing the “Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie” – a wholesome creation dreamed up by my grandkids and me.

With its vibrant colors and a taste that screams “healthy indulgence,” the Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie is the perfect way to start your day. Whether you’re a kid or just a kid at heart, this brain-boosting blend will tickle your taste buds and get your mental gears turning.

Our Inspiration

Whipping up this Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie was an adventure inspired by my grandkids’ homeschool curriculum. Thanks to “Nutrition 101: Choose Life!“* (paid link), a book that taught them the best foods for extra brainpower, we’ve concocted a smoothie that not only nourishes your noggin but also fortifies it against any zombie invasion. Remember, a strong brain is your best defense against the undead – sip up and stay sharp, my friends!

Let’s dive into the secret recipe that will make you zombie-proof!

Click the photo to get a pdf of the Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie recipe. — Click the photo to get your
pdf copy of the recipe.

Ingredients:

The Green Defender – Spinach (1 cup)

Our first line of defense comes from this leafy green powerhouse. Spinach is packed with essential nutrients, like iron, vitamin K, and folate, which will help you stay sharp and focused.

Powerful Pineapple – Fresh or Frozen (1 cup)

These sweet chunks are like little bursts of sunshine in your smoothie. They’re your trusty pineapple grenades, exploding with tropical flavor to keep those zombies at bay.

Raw Locally Sourced Energy Boosting Honey (2 tablespoons)

The natural sugars in honey provide a quick energy boost to aid in the defeat of zombies.

Bone Strengthening Vanilla Greek Yogurt (½ cup)

Greek yogurt contains calcium, which is essential for maintaining strong bones and is essential for proper nerve cell communication. This is particularly important when battling zombies.

The Zesty Zing – One Whole Juice Orange

With a citrusy punch, the orange adds a burst of vitamin C to our smoothie. It’s like a shield against the zombie’s toxins! Don’t worry if you get a seed or two, they are nutritious too.

Lively Lime Juice (1 tablespoon)

The lime juice is your trusty sidekick, adding extra Vitamin C and a dash of zesty zing that’s like a swift kick to the undead taste buds. It’s the secret weapon to keep your smoothie sharp and zesty, just like your survival skills.

Avenging Avocado (¼ of small, soft one)

It’s a must to add this sheath building ingredient to strengthen the protective layer around the nerves in your brain. The avocado provides the smoothie with its creamy texture. It’s the green guardian of your blend, ensuring your smoothie is thick and satisfying, just like your triumph over the zombie menace.

A sprinkle of Zombie-Freezing Ice Cubes (for that chilling effect)

Instructions:

1. Load all the ingredients into a blender.

2. Blend until smooth and creamy, like a super-secret concoction for brainpower.

3. Pour your Zombie Zapper Smoothie into your favorite glass.

4. Sip, savor, and let the brain-boosting magic begin!

Have Fun

This smoothie is not just about its nutrients; it’s about the experience of creating something special with your grandkids. Together, we dreamt up this fantastic concoction, and every sip brings a smile to our faces, knowing we’ve crafted a delicious weapon against the zombie apocalypse.

So, why not give the Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie a try? Make it a fun family project, sip together, and maybe even create a game of zombie tag in the backyard. Who says staying healthy can’t be an adventure?

Remember, it’s not just about sipping a smoothie; it’s about sharing a bond with your loved ones and preparing for the unexpected, one delicious gulp at a time. Stay safe, stay healthy, and may your brains be forever zombie-proof with the Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie!

Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie, Final Taste Test

*Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

How to Eat a Pumpkin: A Lesson From a 3 Year Old

How to Eat a Pumpkin, Part 2

Pumpkins are Orange; and Other Learning Concepts

Learning Fun at Disney: The Importance of Imagination

September 10, 2020 by Mama Carmody Leave a Comment

Disney, the land (or world) of fun and imagination. It can also be a fun place to learn. Some of these learning ideas can be used in other settings such as home, at the store or at other amusement parks but some learning activities will be especially for Disney.

First, let’s discuss imagination. Some people may not understand how important it is but it is, oh, so important. Sometimes very intelligent people feel that they don’t need to use it. They feel using their imagination is childish.

Let’s look at the definition of imagination. According to Merriam-Webster, it is “the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality”. It is “a creation of the mind,” “fanciful or empty assumption”.

Yes, sometimes imagination can be fanciful, seemingly silly and useless but think of the great things that have been accomplished and the wonderful inventions that have been created all because of someone’s “creation of the mind”.

My grandson and I recently flew on an airplane to Disney World. I am always in awe as the plane gathers speed. Then all of a sudden this big metal contraption lifts up, off the ground and we are flying above the houses and eventually above the clouds. What kind of an imagination must the Wright Brothers have had to believe that they could fly through the air like a bird? They didn’t simply give up and say, “There is no way we can ever do what a bird does.” No, they imagined the possibility of fight and then used their brains to figure out how to make this dream a reality.

This is what inventors do. They use their imagination to dream about some fanciful new gadget or way to travel. Then they use their brains and education to test and experiment with everyday items in new and different ways. The great imaginers of today will be the outstanding inventors of tomorrow.

Disneyland and Disney World are places full of imaginative activities but you can find an extra helping of imagination at Disney World Epcot. There you can enjoy a ride on Journey to Imagination with Figment. Figment is a little purple dinosaur. He is an adorable figment of some Imagineer. He helps you to learn how much fun and how important it is to imagine new and wonderful things.

Being smart and learning as much as you can are wonderful objectives but don’t forget to add in a large dose of imagination. You might come up with the next great invention because you were able to imagine it.

Figment of your imagination. — Use Your Imagination

When Do Children Start Learning

Learning Should Be Fun

Ready to Plan Your DisneyTrip?

We always have great family time and make special memories when we travel to Disney. Click here to purchase tickets and start making your special trip plans.

Learning Fun at Disney: Manners

May 23, 2023 by Mama Carmody Leave a Comment

I think learning should be fun. I can’t think of a more delightful place to learn than Disney!

Manners

Today, we are going to tackle manners. Using good manners is such an important attribute. Your child will have many opportunities to use their manners and to see manners exhibited while at Disney.

Please and Thank You

The first, in my book, is the simple, “please” and “thank you”. The cast members work hard and sometimes in less-than-ideal situations. It can be really hot or stormy and the cast members still have to be there to care for you. A simple thank you can add some joy to their day.

There will be many opportunities, during the day, to use your manners. One of my favorite times is mealtime.

“Will you please pass the salt?”

“Thank you for letting me get dessert.”

My family came from the south. We were taught to throw in a “please” or “thank you” when answering a question.

“Would you like tomatoes on your salad?”

“No, thank you.”

“Would you like ice cream for dessert?”

“Yes, please.”

The Napkin

Another manner, that is not so widely practiced, is the placing of your napkin. If it’s a restaurant with cloth napkins, we place them in our laps.

Did you know you can send a secret message to your server by where you place your napkin? (Of course, that is, if your server knows the code.) If you leave the table, but will be returning, place your napkin on your chair.

When you are totally finished with your meal, place your napkin on the table next to your plate. This lets the server know they can start taking away your dirty dishes and bring you the bill.

I hope this post on manners has been fun and has given you some ideas of how to use them. What other manners might you use, while on your trip? Don’t forget to continue using them when you get home.

Learning Fun at Disney: The Importance of Imagination

Ready to Plan Your Disney Trip?

We always have great family time and make special memories when we travel to Disney. Click here to purchase tickets and start making your special trip plans.

How to Eat A Pumpkin: A Lesson From a 3 Year Old

November 3, 2014 by Mama Carmody 13 Comments

How to Eat A Pumpkin: A Lesson From a 3 Year Old

How This All Started

From the time we took our 3 year old great-nephew to Stuckey Farm’s Harvest Festival, he has been obsessed with eating a pumpkin. It started as we were leaving the pumpkin patch. He asked if he could eat his pumpkin. We told him that he could make yummy things from his pumpkin, like pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread; but little did we know that this was NOT the end of this discussion.

Eating Raw Pumpkin?

Since he asked about eating his pumpkin a couple more times on the way home, I decided I should do a little research. I grew up with a garden in my backyard and we grew lots of fruits and vegetables. I have seen and eaten a lot of them raw, including peas and zucchini squash but I had never eaten a raw pumpkin. As a matter of fact, I had never eaten pumpkin in any form other than as some type of a dessert. I searched the internet for information and recipes. I did find out that it was safe to eat pumpkin raw but I didn’t have much luck in finding ways to cook it other than as an ingredient in a recipe.

I decided it was time for some experimenting with pumpkin. My niece, Nicole, dropped Jeremiah off with his pumpkins; the one he picked with us and one for us to carve into a jack-o-lantern. She informed me that he was still very interested and excited about eating his pumpkin. She said she even caught him, one day, sitting in the kitchen floor, on top of his jack-o-lantern pumpkin, with a fork in his hand and his small pumpkin sitting in front of him. When she asked him what he was doing he told her he was going to eat his pumpkin. She was able to convince him to wait.

How to Eat a Pumpkin: scooping out pumpkin "guts" — How to Eat a Pumpkin: scooping out pumpkin “guts”

Preparing the Pumpkin

Since Jeremiah was so interested in eating his pumpkin I didn’t want to buy canned pumpkin for our recipes. I wanted him to experience actually eating his pumpkin. So the first thing we needed to do was make pumpkin puree. I found instructions on The Pioneer Woman: Homemade Pumpkin Puree. (My daughter swears by this site.) I cut the pumpkin in half and he helped me scoop out the seeds and “guts”. We started out using spoons but found out our hands did a better job. We saved the seeds to roast later.

I had purchased an inexpensive child’s pumpkin carving set at the Dollar Tree. It had a safety knife in it. This way Jeremiah was able to help me cut up the pumpkin into pieces. It was a pretty flimsy knife. I’m going to have to find something better for him to use in the future. We got the pumpkin all cut up and onto a lined cookie sheet so we could pop it in the oven to roast.

Our Experiment with Raw Pumpkin

How to Eat a Pumpkin: eating raw pumpkin

While cutting up the pumpkin for roasting we did a little experiment. We tried eating the raw pumpkin. First, we each had a taste of just the plain, raw pumpkin. We both thought it was kind of tasteless. It wasn’t bad but there wasn’t anything special about it either. I thought it resembled raw zucchini. We then tried it with some salt. It was better with salt. Our next taste test was with cinnamon and sugar. Jeremiah really liked it this way and ate several pieces. I thought the experiment was over but Jeremiah wanted to try one more thing. He wanted to try it with cinnamon, sugar and salt. I can’t say I was overly excited about this one but in the true act of experimentation, I knew we should give it a try. Neither of us was very impressed with that taste, but at least we tried it.

Jeremiah and I discussed our little experiment and our findings. He decided that his favorite way to eat raw pumpkin was with cinnamon and sugar and mine was with salt.

How to Eat a Pumpkin: fresh from the farm

My Hypothesis

I’m still not quite sure where Jeremiah got the extreme interest in eating his pumpkin. By the time children are three years old, they usually associate a pumpkin with Halloween and carving a jack-o-lantern but Jeremiah never mentioned that to us. All he ever talked about was eating his pumpkin. After doing a lot of thinking, I came up with a theory. Whenever we go pick apples, we pick them right off the tree and even eat some while we are picking. I believe that since we went to the pumpkin patch and picked the fresh pumpkin off the vine, Jeremiah thought was should be able to just eat it like we did the apples. Of course this is just a theory because only God understands the workings of a three year old boy’s mind.

Don’t miss my next post: How to Eat a Pumpkin, Part 2

How to Eat a Pumpkin, Part 2
Pumpkins are Orange; and Other Learning Concepts

Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie

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Yes, You Can Eat Raw Pumpkin! Try My Fall Harvest Fruit Salad

Fall Harvest Fruit Salad with Raw Pumpkin

Ingredients

Directions

Let the Kids Help

A Little Curiosity Can Lead to Something Delicious

Related Posts

Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie

Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie: A Grandkids’ Creation for Zombie-Proof Brains!

Our Inspiration

Ingredients:

The Green Defender – Spinach (1 cup)

Powerful Pineapple – Fresh or Frozen (1 cup)

Raw Locally Sourced Energy Boosting Honey (2 tablespoons)

Bone Strengthening Vanilla Greek Yogurt (½ cup)

The Zesty Zing – One Whole Juice Orange

Lively Lime Juice (1 tablespoon)

Avenging Avocado (¼ of small, soft one)

A sprinkle of Zombie-Freezing Ice Cubes (for that chilling effect)

Instructions:

Have Fun

Related Posts

Learning Fun at Disney: The Importance of Imagination

Related Posts

Ready to Plan Your DisneyTrip?

Learning Fun at Disney: Manners

Manners

Please and Thank You

The Napkin

Related Posts

Ready to Plan Your Disney Trip?

How to Eat A Pumpkin: A Lesson From a 3 Year Old

How to Eat A Pumpkin: A Lesson From a 3 Year Old

How This All Started

Eating Raw Pumpkin?

Preparing the Pumpkin

Our Experiment with Raw Pumpkin

My Hypothesis

Related Posts