PUMPKIN SEASON: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Some people say “fall” while others like to call it “autumn”.  Well, because I always associate everything with food - I call it “pumpkin season”!

Living in central Florida, we don’t experience the change of seasons like most parts of the United States.  It stays warm here most of the year, however, around the end of September and beginning of October, the weather does change and become less humid and the temperatures are more mild.  When discussing seasons, Floridians can often be heard saying we have “summer and a cooler summer”! However, most of my childhood was spent in Virginia so I grew up experiencing the change of seasons and I have great memories of playing in the mounds of leaves my dad raked into piles in the yard.  And as I grew into adulthood my favorite fashion season has always been the fall because I have always loved wearing boots and scarves.

With my granddaughter and the
"lumpy" pumpkin.

Of course, as I said before, I associate everything with food!   Some of my most fond memories are of meals my parents cooked growing up, of good times I’ve had with friends over dinner, or traveling somewhere and experiencing the cuisine of the region.  So of course when thinking of the fall or autumn season, I think of pumpkins and then of course, everything I’ve ever eaten that has pumpkin in it!

My oldest granddaughter at the
pumpkin patch in Alabama.  Yes, she
loves pumpkins, too!

Before I go on, I'd like to share this story about a good friend of mine named Jane (her name has actually been changed for her protection).  We’ve been friends for about 15 years ever since we worked together.  We have been on several vacations together over the years, I’ve held her babies when they were teeny-tiny munchkins, we live close to each other so we have keys to each others’ houses and I consider her to be a good and close friend.  Jane supposedly has this amazing secret family recipe for Pumpkin Cookies that are so incredible people call them “legendary”!  However, I have come to the conclusion that they are more of a tall tale because I have yet to taste a single morsel of these infamous Pumpkin Cookies.  I now believe she only bakes the cookies for people she doesn’t really like (because remember, we are good friends, at least in my mind) or I must have made them up in a fantasy involving pumpkin baked goods.  If you haven't figured it out yet, I continually tease my friend about these cookies and will continue to do so until I taste them!

Anyway, because I’ve been obsessing about those Pumpkin Cookies and haven’t found a recipe the looks like what I remember Jane describing them to be like, I decided to divert my attention to other pumpkin recipes and created a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie!  And this recipe is too good NOT to share!  This smoothie is so delicious and reminds me so much of pumpkin pie that I may opt for this as my breakfast on Thanksgiving morning!  

PUMPKIN PIE SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

1/2 cup  Organic Pumpkin Pie Mix (or 2 cubes frozen)*see tip

1/3            Frozen Banana

4               Dates *see tip

1 cup        Almond milk (or milk of choice)

1/2 cup     Cold water

1 scoop    Vanilla Protein Powder OR 3 oz Vanilla Yogurt *see tip

1 tsp          Maple Syrup (optional)

pinch         Pumpkin Pie Spice

6               Ice Cubes

Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Mix all ingredients in blender.  (I used my NutriBullet.)  If you like, you can sprinkle additional pumpkin pie spice on smoothie.

*Tip:  I froze my pumpkin pie mix in ice cube trays ahead of time, then just popped two cubes out when I was ready to make my smoothie.  This isn’t necessary, but I find that you won’t need to use as much ice if you freeze the pumpkin.

*Tip:  Soak dates in water for at least 30 minutes.   Simply place dates in bowl and cover with water.  I actually just have dates in a plastic container in the refrigerator.  so they’re ready for use whenever I need them.  I got this tip from Chocolate Covered Katie, a vegan dessert blogger I follow.  Here’s a link to her website if you want to follow her.  She has really great dessert recipes that are both tasty AND healthy!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/

*Tip:  If you don’t want to go out and buy pumpkin pie spice, you can just use cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. 
*Tip: If you are using vanilla yogurt in your smoothie, you may need to use less liquid (milk) and add more ice, depending on how you like the consistency of your smoothie.  Use your favorite yogurt, but I encourage you to use one that is not full of artificial ingredients.  I like So Delicious Vanilla because it's dairy free and really is "so delicious"!

Keep dates soaked in water in plastic container so they're
ready to use and freeze pumpkin in ice cubes trays then
store in plastic storage bags in the freezer.

I like So Delicious Vanilla yogurt because
it's dairy free and vegan.  

I hope you enjoy this smoothie recipe.  According to the Book of Donna, if you like pumpkin, this is like having pumpkin pie in the form of a delicious and healthy smoothie!  What’s your favorite pumpkin recipe?  Do you have a friend who has a secret family recipe they’ve never shared that you’re dying to get your hands on?