Pumpkin Oat Smoothie

People are having babies all around me. Precious little bundles of red, mushy skin smelling like something that could never be bottled, but everyone wants to try. Of course, I want to cook some love for all involved. Families that have added +1 to a family of seven and a +1 to a family of five = 14 mouths I get to feed with carefully planned recipes, hours of cutting and chopping behind my cutting board, and delivered right to their front door. Isn't that so Minnesota Nice? What to make? Oh! I'm so excited! 

When you're in the kitchen cooking for others (read: you don't want a hair or fingernail in the dish - ew! gross) you'll need to have a full stomach because I think that putting your finger in "to taste" for seasoning isn't really allowed. You have to use a spoon - and I hate that. Something about more dishes. 

This smoothie was inspired by a pin I saw on Pinterest. I tried the recipe as stated, but as usual, it was not how I would envision a pumpkin smoothie to taste. Not even close. The Pinterest recipe was watery and bland. Not cool. 

To crank it up a notch I added oats to thicken, vanilla and honey for some sweetness, and upped the banana to a whole banana versus the half banana in the original recipe. Who wants half of a banana hanging around?

This smoothie is thick, rich and healthy. A fantastic way to start your day, fill your tummy and get yourself cookin' in the kitchen! 

Printable Recipe Here

Pumpkin Oat Smoothie

yield: 1 16 oz. smoothie

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup whole oats

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 banana, peeled

1/2 cup almond milk

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

3-4 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Serve immediately in a tall glass.