So good, you’ll want to make more than one at a time!

I know pumpkin season is winding down so I’m a little late with this (but hey, girl has been busy).  Sometimes you want something that tastes like it’s bad for you, but isn’t.  This smoothie will hit that spot. The best part is that it’s dairy free, gluten free and there’s no added sugar or chemicals in it.

For once, I resisted the urge to put 10 cups of vegetables in my blender to make a nutritious snack.  It was difficult. I found my hand reaching for the refrigerator door to grab some greens! But I resisted! Sometimes I forget that there are foods that are good for you that aren’t vegetables. Haha.

This smoothie is absolutely delicious! And you can enjoy it guilt free.  No pumpkin flavored bullcrap chemicals – we’re using real pumpkin here so you can get a huge dose of vitamin A and fiber.  Real spices (did you know that cloves have one of the highest polyphenol content of any food or spice?  Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant) and fresh ginger (great for belly discomfort and a potent anti-inflammatory). The only sweetener in it is banana.  It’s a decent source of potassium and iron too!

I like to drink it warm but it’s delicious cold too!

Makes 1 (about 12 oz) serving

Ingredients
1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree
1/4 cup organic coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 banana
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 inch chunk of fresh ginger root
optional: 1 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
optional: sprinkle of sea salt

Directions
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined.  You can drink this smoothie cold or hot.  I like to let the blender run for another minute or two until the smoothie is warm.  There’s only a few grams of protein in this one, so feel free to add a few more tbsp of pumpkin seeds to give this more staying power (make it a meal).  You also can omit the seeds entirely if you don’t like them or don’t have any on hand – it will still taste fine without them.

Serve immediately or someone else will drink it on you.