Heavenly Pumpkin Pie smoothie

Dairy free pumpkin pie smoothie!

Probably the best part of Fall is pumpkins!  I love pumpkin pie, cakes, bread, muffins, cookies, cheesecake...you name it, if it has pumpkin in it, I love it.

Since I've been trying to make healthier meals (and snacks) for my family and have been incorporating smoothies into our daily diet, I had to try to make the perfect pumpkin smoothie.  After several attempts, I think I came up with one that meets all of my high standards...in other words, it has to taste good  :)

A note first -
Opening a large can of pumpkin puree for one smoothie leaves a lot of pumpkin to left to deal with.  Ice cube trays solve the problem.  Each little compartment holds a scant tablespoon of product (in this case, pumpkin puree) and two trays will hold an entire can of pumpkin.  Freezing the cubes, transferring them to freezer bags and using only what you need is so convenient.

Heavenly Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
1/2 c. pumpkin puree (or 5-6 frozen pumpkin cubes)
1/2 apple, cut into chunks
2 bananas, cut into chunks (preferably frozen)
a handful of almonds (I used raw...probably about 1/4 c.)
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 to 1 c. water
Blend everything in your heavy duty blender until smooth and creamy.  It truly is heavenly!