My favourite time of the year. Fall! What isn't there to love. All the beautiful warm cozy colours, the crisp, earthy scent in the air, harvest moons, and pumpkins. Authentic gratitude surfaces and everyone comes together to give thanks. No season brings so much comfort to one's soul.
One of my favourite parts of fall is pumpkin pie. A few years back a really good friend of mine, Candice, introduced me to a pumpkin pie smoothie. I was floored by the thought of pumpkin pie done in a healthy convenient quick way. Years later I have revamped the recipe and made a raw version. Raw pumpkin is a nutritionally-dense food. Its a good source of potassium too. 1-cup of pumpkin only has 30 calories and 0.12 grams of fat as well as 1.16 grams of protein and 7.54 grams of carbohydrates. Besides the potassium, pumpkin is best known for its vitamin A content. Vitamin A is, oh so important in the fall season. Vitamin A is an antioxidant, it helps protect cells from damage as you age. It is also essential for eye health because it helps you see at night. The vitamin A present in pumpkin can also keep your skin healthy and free from dryness, great for the dry Calgary weather. It can naturally boost your immune system, making it key in year-round cold and flu protection. Who knew raw pumpkin was so beneficial and delicious.
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
What you need:
- Half of a sugar pumpkin, peeled, scrapped and diced.
- 1 cup carrot juice ( I used fresh pressed but store bought is fine)
- 1 inch piece of vanilla, juiced with carrots or crapped and added
- 2 bananas (freeze before hand if you want a colder drink)
- small pinky-size (2 cm) of ginger root
- 1 1/2 cup almond milk or coconut milk
- 4-6 dates
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of ground cloves
- pinch of salt
The how to:
- Juice carrots and vanilla bean together to produce 1 cup of juice. 5-6 medium carrots usually does it. Tip: juice vanilla bean in between two carrots.
- Add all ingredients to high speed blender. I used the Vitamix
- Enjoy!!!!
