Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Are you sick of turkey recipes yet?  Yeah, me neither.  How about pumpkin?!  Me?  Never!  I don't think I could ever, ever, neverever, get sick of pumpkin treats.  They are one of the best parts of the colder months.  My one gripe, however, is that if you're opening a can of pumpkin, you use like 1 cup for the recipe you're baking up, and inevitably you are left with an odd measure of excess pumpkin.  In my manic cleaning up rush, the pumpkin purée is usually just put into an old yogurt container, and crammed into my overstuffed freezer.  At one point I got into the habit of measuring the amount I was about to freeze, and writing it onto the container.  I can not always be counted on to be that organized, or have that much time on my hands!  

A new trick I have found for freezing pumpkin in an easy pre-measured method, is to freeze the pumpkin purée in an ice cube tray.  Are all ice cubes trays standard at 1 Tablespoon?...I highly doubt it, especially with all the new fangled designer models, shapes and whatnot's that are available.  My ice cube tray has exactly one Tablespoon cubes...measure yours and see!  You can remove the frozen pumpkin cubes, and put them into a freezer bag.  Or, pop them right into the blender, for this Pumpkin Pie Smoothie.  

Nothing could be a more perfect fall breakfast that this Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. It is literally like drinking a pumpkin pie...but in a much more healthy and acceptable way.  So. Friggin'. Good.

Psst...Here's my Pumpkin Pie Spice blend.  Just add all spices together into a jar, shake, and you're good to go!  Double it, triple it, keep in in your pantry.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1 frozen banana, broken into chunks

1/2 - 1 cup almond milk

2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup

2/3 cup pumpkin puree (canned, fresh, or roughly 10 froze pumpkin cubes)

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*

ice cubes (optional)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

Add all of the ingredients to the blender.  Blend on high for a few minutes or until smooth  

Scrape down the sides, or stir to help blender to mix larger chunks, if you have an old school beauty like me! Additional almond milk can be added to thin it out, or alternately, add ice cubes (calorie-free!) to thicken it up.

Enjoy!