We are slowly moving in to Fall, and this Pumpkin Banana Smoothie is a great way to cross over the Fall Season. You will love this smoothie, Whether you drink this for breakfast or have it as post or pre-workout. It’s packed with good stuff, protein for the Greek yogurt and both banana and pumpkin contains powerful antioxidant, not to mention calcium from milk.

I had a mission to make 6 recipes from 1 can of pumpkin pie filling, a so far this is the 5 recipe, I have one more to go. You see, that’s the waiting of small batch, but get to try different things without being overwhelmed so I get to enjoy it better. Imagine, 6 recipes from 1 can of pumpkin pie filling, that’s crazy! In few weeks to come you’ll see what I came out with, a lot of them are small batch recipes, some are single serving and some are for two and one is for 4 – 5 people. 

Today I am sharing with you a single serving easy smoothie, Pumpkin Banana Smoothie, yum! I have to admit I was really skeptical about this at first. I was thinking what it would taste like, pumpkin smoothie? Really? But you know what, the moment I took a sip on it, I smiled and said “success”! I love it. Surprisingly, the pumpkin did not have a strong taste maybe because I did not add any fall spices except for cinnamon. That’s because I am not a fan of strong fall spices. But if you are, you can easily add some all spice, or maybe a pinch of nutmeg or whatever fall spices you have. I honestly like it the way it is, it was like those cake with vegetable in it. You don’t taste the vegetable but it added a nice creamy texture. Just like this one, I bet if I did tell my fried this have pumpkin, they won’t even be able to tell, except maybe it the color. But color could be anything. 

What are the ingredients to make Pumpkin Banana Smoothie? 

• Milk – any milk will work. I used regular full cream milk
• Frozen Banana – it is very important to have the banana frozen for a nice smooth slightly thick consistency 
• Pumpkin Pie Filling – for pumpkin flavoring, plus it also adds to the creamy texture of the smoothie. 
• Greek Yogurt – I like using frozen yogurt for thicker consistency but if you don’t have one or do not have time to wait for it to freeze, you can use the Greek yogurt as is. 
• Sweetener – for sweetness. I used regular white sugar.
• Cinnamon – just a pinch or more if you like a strong cinnamon flavor
• Vanilla Extract – for flavoring
• Fall spices – optional. Since I used pumpkin pie filling which already have spices in it, I did not add anything else. But if you like a string flavor, you can add all spice or nutmeg along with cinnamon.
  
• Whipped Cream (optional) – You can use homemade or store-bought.

How do you make Pumpkin Banana Yogurt Smoothie?

This is no different from other smoothie. Simply add all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. You can add the milk gradually so that you can adjust it to your preference. You can have it thick or thinner but just simply controlling the amount of liquid. You can also use other sweeter like honey or any plant based sweetener. Add gradually and adjusts as each type of sweetener requires different measurement.

Do’s and Don’t of Making Breakfast Smoothie

Breakfast smoothie are great grab and go quick breakfast option, until you get the chance to sit down and eat proper breakfast. It can be as delicious and nutritious as any solid breakfast food, but it is also easy to sabotage it and turn it into a high calorie sugar loaded breakfast drink. To avoid getting to that route, here are some tips to get a delicious and nutritious breakfast smoothie. After all, what is the point of having a breakfast smoothie when what you are getting is a high sugar loaded breakfast drink?

Measure it out

It is so easy to get carried away and just throw everything in the blender, right? I’m guilty of that too. But although that is probably the fastest and easiest way to make smoothie, that could also be dangerous as you might end up with a breakfast drink that has more calories and even less healthy than a normal solid breakfast. Measuring the ingredients also give you a consistent and delicious and most of all nutritious smoothie.

DON’T: Throw everything into the blender.

DO: Measure your ingredients. Best way and efficient way to do this to have them in packs and keep it in the freezer or refrigerator until ready to use. This way, you only must measure the liquid and sweetener when you out it in the blender.

Think about liquid

There are variety of choices when it comes to the kind of liquid that you can use for smoothie. The addition of liquid is very important in making smoothie as it helps blend the ingredients easily. If you care about drinking a healthier smoothie that is not loaded with sugar, then use low calorie, reduced sugar or sugar free liquid. Fruit juices are usually high in sugar, unless you can find sugar free one.

DON’T: Add fruit juice.

DO: Use Greek yogurt or coconut milk or almond milk or even coconut water

Play with protein

Looking for ways to get more protein in your smoothie? Although there are tons of protein powder available for smoothie, using an ingredient with natural protein is still the best way to go. I do not have anything against protein powder, but for me natural is always the best way if you can go that way. Aim for a protein intake in your breakfast smoothie of about 15 to 30 grams, depending on your size and activity level.

DON’T: Pour in protein powder.

DO: Try nut butters, flax seeds, or tofu.

Too much fruit

If you are drinking smoothie for a healthy option snack or meal, do not go overboard with using too much fruit. Use a balance choice of fruits, about 1.5 cups of fruit per smoothie. And go for options that are high in fiber and antioxidants, such as berries rather than fruits that are high in sugar.

DON’T:  Use less high sugar fruits

DO: Use high fiber and antioxidants fruits

Go green

Feeling like going green? If you are one of those people who like green smoothie, then go for it. But since green leafy vegetables tend to be bitter, try to use a milder green leafy vegetable and a mix of different others. Kale is not the only one that you can use, using a stronger green vegetable will most likely drive you to add more sweetener to remove the bitter taste. mix and match, and do not be restricted to one type of vegetable.

DON’T: Reach straight for kale.

DO: Start with spinach.

Source: www.cookinglight.com 

This post is NOT to encourage anyone to make smoothie as meal replacement. Make and drink your smoothie according to your preference and health condition. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Pumpkin Pie Filling
• 1 Large Frozen Banana
• 3 tbsp Frozen Greek Yogurt
• 1 tbsp Sugar ( or any sweetener of your choice)
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/8 tsp Cinnamon 
• 2 tbsp Whipped Cream (optional)

Instruction:

Pour the milk in the blender, then add vanilla extract, cinnamon, sugar, yogurt, banana  and pumpkin pie filling.  Blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer in a glass and dust top with cinnamon, add sliced banana and doll-up of whipped cream (optional)

Makes 2 cups

Nutritional Information

Nutritional Information was calculated using Veryfitwell Recipe Calorie and Nutrition Calculator. For details about Nutritional Information in this website, please read the Disclaimer page

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This time around I am sharing with you the recent recipe that I updated, Peach and Mango Crisp. Fresh and sweet Peach and Mango topped with crunchy crisp topping and baked until bubbling, I cannot get enough of this Peach and Mango Crisp. Check it out. GET THE FULL RECIPE. Thank You for visiting my website. Please don’t forget to click the “Like” button below if you like this recipe. Lastly, did you know that I have a YouTube Channel? Please support my channel by clicking on the “Subscribe” button in my video and the “Bell” icon to get notification of new videos.

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