Healthy Pumpkin Pie Smoothies

So on Saturday morning we're partnering with Kingstowne Pilates to offer Pumpkins & Pilates (alas, the even is already sold out).  There will be pilates, and there will be pumpkins, and the two may even combine.  And there will also be Healthy Pumpkin Pie Smoothies to replenish everyone when the class is over.  Now that is where I come in, because heaven knows the only thing I will have to do with the pilates portion is emitting un-ladylike amounts of sweat and losing the will to live after about 15 minutes.  Okay, let's be honest with ourselves...after about 5 minutes.  So when Pat Backe, the pilates master, and I were musing about how to incorporate pumpkins into this event, I said I could make some sort of healthy pumpkin smoothie.  The operative word was could.  Did I actually have a go-to recipe?  No.  Had I made a pumpkin pie smoothie before?  No.  Did I wait till almost the last minute to test out some recipes?  YES!  Thankfully, after a few key tweaks to the recipe I tried last night, tonight's re-do was a resounding success and I'm highly considering drinking the whole blender full myself and getting pumpkin wasted.

Now the great timing with this is that, SURPRISE...we're all getting pie pumpkins in the Crop Share tomorrow!  HUZZAH!  So you can either decorate with it for awhile, or tell Libby's to take a vacation and make your own pumpkin puree.  The Pioneer Woman has a wonderful and easy recipe for how to make your own pumpkin puree from pie pumpkins.  Plus, she gives tips for freezing so if you don't need to use all the puree now, you can hang onto it and start building your supply for all your Thanksgiving baking.

So won't you just impress the pants off your friends and family when you roll out these Healthy Pumpkin Pie Smoothies and you've made them with your OWN pumpkin puree!  Plus the local honey will give you a much needed allergy fighting boost if you're currently miserable.  And between the amount of anti-oxidants in the pumpkin and the wonderful number of vital nutrients and minerals in the black strap molasses, this smoothie is essentially a superfood in a glass!  Drink up!

Healthy Pumpkin Pie Smoothies

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree (put that Pie Pumpkin to good use and make your own puree!)
2 cups almond milk (I used unsweetened, vanilla Almond Breeze)
1 Tbsp raw, local honey
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp black strap molasses
1 banana, frozen and sliced  (peeling and slicing the banana first, before freezing, is helpful)
4 ice cubes

Easiest directions ever...put all items into blender.  Push "blend".  Watch blender blend.  Pour into a glass...or directly into your mouth.  Yes, you are drinking pumpkin pie.  Mmm, pie.

Makes about 4, 8 oz servings.  Basically, one liquid pie.  Again I say...mmm, pie.