I couldn’t believe it when I found out: there are so many nutritional benefits to eating or drinking pumpkin!
Keep in mind, I’m talking about real, whole-food, pumpkin - not a PSL from you-know-where. BUT the fun fact is, this humble squash is a gold-mine of healthy fiber, vitamins, minerals and energy-giving, gut-healing goodness!
Even knowing this, our family has never been huge pumpkin fans ( as I know many of you are - YAY!)
So finding this recipe about 10 years ago (and as usual, making a few of our own simple tweaks to perfect it for us) helped us add in this nutritional powerhouse in a more realistic, family-friendly way!
It’s always fun to make during the holidays, of course (traditions and all that) but this delicious, easy smoothie is an smart meal any day of the year! And with the convenience of 100% pure canned pumpkin available year-round, it’s simple to do.
Scroll down after the recipe to see what pumpkin can do nutritionally for your body and health…but for now…
Here’s how to make it:
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Ingredients
3/4 cup Pumpkin Puree (canned is fine… Just check to make sure it’s 100% pure pumpkin!)
1 frozen or fresh banana
1 cup Almond Milk (or any other plant or nut milk)
2 tsp Pure Maple Syrup (or more, to taste)
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Sprinkle: cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup Ice
Optional: 1 Tbsp Ground flaxseed or Chia Seeds
We don’t always include the seeds on this particular smoothie, only because pumpkin is already a mild diuretic - and that goes both ways. If you need to go, it’ll help you go, if you need to stop going, it’ll help with that, too!
Instructions
Blend all ingredients together in a blender or bullet for about 2 minutes or until desired smoothness.
Fun tip: We like to squirt a bit of canned whipped cream on ours, and sprinkle a dash of cinnamon on top for that luxurious visual and taste appeal!
Tip: For room temp smoothie (many prefer this in the colder months) just use room temp banana and no or less ice. For that frozen goodness some of us crave all year long, add that frozen banana and a handful of ice.
After you try this bright orange yumminess at home, be sure and post your pics on our Facebook page FRESH Start for Health!
What pumpkin brings your health…
Vitamins and Minerals:
Vitamin K: 49% of the RDI
Vitamin C: 19% of the RDI
Potassium: 16% of the RDI
Copper, manganese and riboflavin: 11% of the RDI
Vitamin E: 10% of the RDI
Iron: 8% of the RDI
Folate: 6% of the RDI
Niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and thiamin: 5% of the RDI
RDI = Recommended Dietary Intake
This is a fantastic amount of the necessary nutrients your body needs everyday!
Pumpkin is nutrient-dense - lots of nutrition, little bit of calorie load. And it also delivers high fiber (the kind that your body can use to the max - helping your gut heal itself and remove harmful waste!)
It’s high in beta-carotene, a VERY useful antioxidant that we often don’t get enough of. Beta-carotene actively helps our body fight off infection and disease, including viruses, bacterial infections, cancer, diabetes and heart disease!
There’s so much more goodness in this food-jewel than what I can put here. Just promise me you’ll try this smoothie, even if, like me, you haven’t really been a big pumpkin lover before now.
I believe you’ll find yourself going in for that next sip, as surprised as I was, to really like it!
