Berry Patch Smoothie

One thing that I miss about living California (and Florida) is the fresh fruit. It seems like no matter what time of year it is, there's always something delicious in season! Here in Utah we grow lots of vegetables, especially during the summer and early fall, which is wonderful, but it's often difficult to find fresh berries! So when I'm scooting past the fruit in the grocery store and I see decent looking strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, I always grab them! I love eating them straight out of the container, using them in muffins or tossing them into smoothies. Yesterday morning I chose the later.

Smashed Pumpkin Smoothie

When I was in college one of my favorite things to drink for breakfast was the Pumpkin Smash from Jamba Juice. During the fall I probably had at least 3-4 a week! Let's just call it a guilty pleasure. Ok, so maybe it's not so guilty- these babies are loaded with non-fat vanilla fro-yo, low-fat vanilla yogurt, low-fat milk, and of course pumpkin pie filling (which has fiber, potassium, protein, and vitamin A). See, that's not so bad, right? Anyway, after moving to Florida and not living anywhere near a Jamba, I figured it was time to try and make my own. Guess what? It was pretty easy. The list of ingredients is a short one and all you need for prep is a blender and a chilled glass. That's it! Gather, combine, blend, pour, and in minutes you've got a delicious fall treat! Happy blending!

Smashed Pumpkin Smoothie

Ingredients

½ c. non-fat frozen vanilla yogurt (I used Häagen-Dazs)

½ c. low-fat vanilla yogurt

½ c. low-fat milk (I used 1%)

1 c. ice

¼ c. pumpkin pie filling

¹⁄₈ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

¹⁄₈ tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender, putting the heavier ones towards the top (ice, frozen yogurt etc.). Blend until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Pour into a chilled glass and enjoy!

NOTE: I used pumpkin pie filling instead of puree because it's much sweeter. If you plan on using puree, make sure you add at least 1 tbsp. of sugar or honey to it! Also if you don't want to use low fat everything- don't! It's up to you how "healthy" you make it :)

Life Made Simple Original Recipe | Makes 1 (16 oz) smoothie