Warming Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Warm smoothies are a mood. We know what you're thinking: warm smoothies? But we don’t mean warm as in physically warm, we mean packed full of warming, nurturing ingredients.

Spices like ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and cardamom are known to help soothe and relieve GI issues, inflammation, and lower blood pressure (which can come in handy during the sometimes-stressful holiday season, right!?), and they pair perfectly with seasonal produce like pumpkin and squash. This smoothie will hit the GI spot! 

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 banana
• 1/3 cup frozen cauliflower
• 2 tbsp. Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. cardamom
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• About 1 inch of fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp. walnuts
• 1 tbsp. coconut
• 1 tbsp. milled flax and chia
• 1 cup vanilla almond milk
• Optional collagen peptides or vanilla protein powder
• Optional black sesame seeds for topping

Instructions

1. Quick note about the frozen cauliflower: It's one of my favorite ice substitutions. It adds nutrients while not watering the smoothie down like ice would. My favorite way to go about preparing it is buying a whole cauliflower head, rinsing and dicing it, and then freezing it in a Stasher bag. The soft silicone bag allows you to easily break up the tiny-riced pieces so they don’t stick together when freezing.
   
   
2. Toss all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until everything is thoroughly combined.
3. Pour into a glass and top with more coconut, walnuts, and black sesame seeds. Enjoy! 

This recipe was developed Mara Davanzati, the goddess of energy food and holistic wellness. Connect Mara on Instagram at @nourish.sankalpa!