Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Since the air grew colder and fresh produce has become more expensive in our neck of the woods, most mornings the boys and I enjoy a smoothie for our mid-morning snack. This time of the year I find that frozen fruit from Target and Costco is less expensive than fresh produce, and just as (or more) nutritious than the overpriced, out of season berries at the co-op. So, in the winter we rely on bags of frozen fruit smoothies for quick on-the-go snacks.

Last week, after finding organic pumpkin at Costco for less than $1 per can, I decided to change up our usual smoothie routine and made Pumpkin Pie Smoothies. They are so delicious and perfectly seasonal. Seriously, who needs a pumpkin spice latte when you can have a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie?

Matthew loved this smoothie so much that he asked if I had added vanilla ice cream to the blender!

Being that we have been enjoying many smoothies in the Peters household as of late, I thought that it was perfect timing when Williams-Sonoma contacted me about their upcoming Smoothie Week. The theme this week is Not Your Typical Smoothie. Williams Sonoma is encouraging us to experiment with smoothie ingredients, techniques and combinations that we haven’t had previously.

What are some of the strangest smoothie ingredients you have heard of people using or have tried yourself?

Last week when I was catching up on the Inspired to Action podcast, one of the guests said that she uses chicken stock ice cubes in her smoothies (she uses the first batch of chicken stock for savory recipes, but cooks the bones a second time to make a more mild stock and uses that in her smoothies). So, one day last week I added 1/3 cup of homemade chicken stock to our Pumpkin Pie Smoothies. The results? The boys drank it without noticing anything was different.

Another day we had 1/4 cup leftover raw sauerkraut juice that I added to our smoothie and the boys didn’t notice that, either! This recipe is seriously that good!