Cranberry Pumpkin Smoothie

I conceded early defeat in my annual battle against the utility bill when I turned on our heat this past weekend. Usually, I like to play a game called “how long can we go without turning the heat on,” and last year I made it to November. October just seems like a ridiculous time to need a heater – yes there is snow in the mountains, but we were running the A/C less than a month ago! But I realized last year when November’s gas bill totaled all of $10.75 that I needn’t have held out so long. Pretty sure I would have payed $10.75 to not be so cold when getting out of the shower any morning last October!

So why an October smoothie? Well, to be frank, although I crave a hot breakfast in the cooler months, a meal of hot coffee + hot granola makes me break out in a sweat, heat or no heat. The only solution is to take off my fuzzy bathrobe and eat breakfast in my undies, which can get awkward now that our kitchen table is RIGHT ACROSS from our neighbors’ window. I think we’ll be sticking to smoothies for a while so I can enjoy my breakfast without flashing the nice couple next door.

I also happen to have about two dozen frozen bananas in a Ziploc in my freezer. I’ve mentioned Nate’s banana preferences before – no green, no go – and sometimes I just can’t manage to consume all the remaining bananas in the bunch that have dared to develop a single brown spot. Into the freezer they go. I always mean to whip up some banana bread, but in terms of gradually chipping away at the ever-icier frozen banana supply, smoothies are the way to go.

The fall flavors in this particular smoothie go perfectly with a hot mug of French press coffee. Natural sweetness comes from the cranberries, banana and dates and it becomes thick and creamy with the addition of Greek yogurt. I love Greek yogurt in my smoothies, but you can omit it to make it vegan. As you can see, this smoothie is spoonable. If you prefer to drink your smoothie, just add some more almond milk!

My preferred smoothie-eating method is to alternate a spoonful of smoothie with a sip of coffee. {Sigh} Perfect fall morning.

Cranberry Pumpkin Smoothie

 

Print

Hands-on time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Author: Erica

Yields: 2 smoothies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup canned pureed pumpkin, refrigerated
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (or your favorite yogurt)
• 1/2 cup almond milk (or more if you prefer a thinner smoothie)
• 1 cup frozen cranberries
• 1 banana, frozen and sliced
• 2 dates, pitted and chopped
• 2 Tbsp almond butter
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• handful crushed ice, if desired
• any desired toppings (granola, pepitas, dried cranberries, etc.)

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to your blender or food processor. Process until smooth, pausing once or twice to scrape down the sides and break up any chunks of frozen fruit.
2. Pour into two bowls or glasses. Serve immediately with desired toppings. Enjoy!

3.2.2124