The Great Pumpkin Battle rages on and this time it is packed with nutrition. Smoothies are a work week staple in our house and perfect for using up fruits and vegetables that are past their prime and headed to the garbage soon.
Any time I have bananas getting a little too ripe I slice them up and pop them in the freezer so I can use them in smoothies. I love adding a little banana to give smoothies sweetness without adding sugar or artificial sweeteners. I also wanted to use up the remaining half can of pumpkin puree. I just could not let it go to waste. Remember the huge pumpkin shortage a couple years ago? Since that year I stock-pile enough pumpkin puree to get me through the holiday season. I like to be prepared so I am not making multiple trips to the store in a pinch…or something less crazy sounding than that.
Back to the smoothie…it is packed with enough protein and fiber to keep you satisfied all morning. Chia seeds are full of fiber and because they plump up when they hit moisture, you feel full longer. The amount of protein will vary greatly based on the type of protein powder you use. Give it a try for your morning kick start.
Pumpkin Spice Smoothie
Notes: If you use vanilla protein powder you can leave out the vanilla extract. Additionally, you can substitute coconut, soy, rice or regular milk for the almond milk.
Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
½ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup frozen banana slices
½ scoop protein powder
1 Tbsp chia seeds
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp vanilla
Instructions:
-Place items in blender and puree until smooth
The Ruby Kitchen 
This sounds great, I love how it’s tailored for the time of year. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!! Laura@Baking in Pyjamas
Pumpkin will add a new twist to my cacao-protein-berry smoothie! I’ll look into the chia seeds, too. Hmmm, wondering if it’s OK to use them along with the current seeds (name has slipped from the radar). Of all the ways I use to make food last and stretch a dollar, I can hardly believe it never occurred to me to cut up ripening bananas and freeze. My mama’s standby was banana bread – at the rate my bananas start heading south, I would never be making that much banana bread. Thank you for all of it!
Blissings,
~ Dena
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