Pumpkin Smoothie

I am really good about making sure my kids get enough fruits and veggies in their diet. Really good. My own diet, not so much so. I often forget to eat lunch, instead snacking on junk later in the day. In an effort to combat the munchies and add in more good stuff, I have adopted a daily routine with my blender. I blend all the fruits and veggies, and in the spirit of the season I decided it was time to spice up my smoothies with pumpkin — voila a Pumpkin Smoothie.

Oh yes, it is that time of year when we pumpkin everything. And if you love pumpkin, this smoothie is another great excuse for pumpkin. A yummy way to add an extra banana, pumpkin and even fresh spinach into your diet. I love smoothies!

While some pumpkin drinks have a lot of added fat and calories, this Pumpkin Smoothie stays lean with skim milk and zero-calorie Sweet ‘N Low.

Pumpkin Smoothie

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 banana
• 2 packets Sweet ‘N Low
• Pinch of pumpkin pie spice (sub cinnamon)
• Handful of spinach (optional)

I like to use frozen fruit when I make my smoothies. I can never quite get the right consistency when I use ice cubes, they end up chunky. So to make a pumpkin smoothie I started by freezing pumpkin puree into an ice cube tray — one tablespoon per cube.

You could also freeze the banana in chunks, but another benefit to freezing pumpkin in ice cube trays is that you don’t need a whole can of pumpkin, so this allows you to have pumpkin for several smoothies. You can also save 1/4 cup of pumpkin in the fridge to make Pumpkin Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies — recipe coming soon!

When you are ready to make your smoothie blend pumpkin cubes, banana, milk, Sweet ‘N Low and spinach in the blender. (Although I almost always add a handful of spinach to smoothies I did not when I made my first pumpkin smoothie, shown. But for every one I have made since I added spinach. It does not change the taste, but adds some goodness.)

Sprinkle a pinch of pumpkin pie spice on top and enjoy. Yum! Who is ready for fall now?

Did you know Sweet’N Low partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters this summer? For every cup sampled on the #donthesitaste tour, Sweet’N Low will make a donation up to $49,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters to help support its vision to help all children achieve success in life. 

Although the tour is coming to a close, you can still enter the #donthesitaste photo sweepstakes! The grand prize is valued over $1,300! Check out the gallery and official rules here.