Ode to the Pumpkin: Banana Pumpkin Smoothie

Photo courtesy of Rachel

Happy Monday to all & Happy Anniversary to Dave and Me! 

If you just read the title to this post and thought, "Sick." Stop it right now.  I mean it.  This recipe has been taste tested by me and 3 kiddos, all without complaints.  One little girl even said, "Mmm, we should have this every pumpkin year."  Yes, it's actually pretty good, and a great way to squeeze a vegetable into your breakfast.   

Frozen banana gives this pumpkin smoothie a thick texture; chilling the pumpkin ensures the smoothie stays cold when you blend it. Add in yogurt and orange juice and you have a breakfast beverage with 740 milligrams of potassium per serving.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

INGREDIENTS

• 1  cup  low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 3/4  cup  canned pumpkin, chilled
• 1/2  cup  ice cubes
• 1/3  cup  fresh orange juice
• 1  tablespoon  brown sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1  ripe banana, sliced and frozen
• Dash of ground cinnamon (optional)

WHAT TO DO

Combine yogurt and next 8 ingredients (through banana) in a blender, and process until smooth. Garnish with dash of ground cinnamon, if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 218 (9% from fat)

Fat: 2.2g (sat 1.1g,mono 0.5g,poly 0.1g)

Protein: 8.4g

Carbohydrate: 44.5g

Fiber: 5.5g

Cholesterol: 6mg

Iron: 1.2mg

Sodium: 87mg

Calcium: 243mg

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light, APRIL 2005