Pumpkin Smoothie

We’re trying out some new fall recipes.  I had more time on my hands in the morning while the boys went camping and my little girl actually slept until 8am.  After Oktoberfest in the morning and swimming in the afternoon, I would think she would be tired!

The apple cider donuts did not work out well.  I put them under “Pinterest Fails” on my board, but people keep pinning my fail board recipes.  So, I deleted the board.  Weird.

Well, this smoothie is actually good even with the low amounts of sugar.  I try to get the sugar as low as possible for obvious reasons and this did the trick.  I was surprised.  It tastes like a pumpkin pie through a straw without the crust.  If you want crust, try throwing in well… crust, or maybe some honey graham crackers.

**If you don’t have maple extract (which is also a wonderful addition to cinnamon roll icing!), you could use real maple syrup instead of the honey.

Pumpkin Smoothie
yield 2 servings or 1 large serving

1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (pumpkin puree)
1/2 banana
2 Tb. rolled (old-fashioned) oats
1/2 Tb. honey
1/16 tsp. maple extract**  No more than 1 drop!  It is really strong!
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
pinch allspice
whipped cream on top and a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg

1.  Place everything in the blender except the whipped cream.  Top with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg.

If you want this more like a cold smoothie, try putting the canned pumpkin in some ice cube trays and freeze overnight.  Then, you will have a colder smoothie.

Recipe adapted from Healthful Pursuit