Pumpkin Pie Green Smoothie

Some of you may be aware that I've been on a green smoothie kick as of late.  The truth is:  I'm a terrible vegetable-eater.  I like my food to taste delicious, and veggies that aren't totally dressed up (which sometimes takes some creativity and effort) just don't appeal to me. 

But I like V-8 juice. 

And I like smoothies.

So clearly, getting my veggies in a liquid manner seems to work for me.  And so I've been doing the green smoothie thing. 

Today, I also decided to work on getting rid of some of the (copious amounts of) pureed squash we have hanging around our house.  I'm not complaining about this, as I love having all this stuff at my fingertips for making breads and pies, etc.  It's just that I recognize I need to actually use it ;).  We got squash from our own garden last summer, and we also got a 20-pound winter squash from my in-laws.  Ergo, we have lots of pureed squash in our freezers.

So today I decided to pinterest some pumpkin smoothie recipes.  And lo and behold, I found one that was a green smoothie as well!  So I had to try it.  Even if it isn't fall ;).  I found the original recipe here.  But below is how I adapted it to my personal tastes (and what I had on hand).

PUMPKIN PIE GREEN SMOOTHIE
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
sprinkle of cloves
sprinkle of nutmeg
1 ripe banana
3 small handfuls fresh baby spinach (probably about 3 cups, loosely packed)
1 tablespoon honey (ours was raw, since we got it from Jeremy's brother who has bee hives)

Add ingredients to blender (I suggest putting everything in but spinach and banana.  Then add the spinach on top and then the banana to weigh it down).  Blend on high (or smoothie setting) a couple minutes until well-blended and smooth.


This wasn't as sweet as some of the green smoothies I've made (like I said, my vegetables have to taste good...).  That's why I added honey initially, because the banana wasn't sweet enough for me.  But once I added the honey, I really liked it -- even though it still wasn't as sweet as other smoothies I've made which have more fruits.  And Lynnaea liked it a lot too.  She came back for more 3 times!  So I say it's a win :). 

Also, the recipe above makes about 3 cups, so cut it back as needed.  I just wanted to make sure there was plenty to go around ;). 

So yep, I used up some squash...  Got in some spinach...  It's all good :)!

Brownie Batter Milkshake

I found this recipe on Pinterest a long time ago.  As in 2 years ago ;).  But until now, I never had brownie mix that I was willing to open and only use a portion of.  But because I now keep THRIVE Fudge Brownie mix in my cupboard for my single-serve brownie snack-attacks...  Well, I actually now have opened brownie mix in the cupboard.

So, obviously I used THRIVE product in mine.  So that's the recipe I'm posting.  However, you can use any dry brownie mix -- as is shown by the original recipe in the link up there...

THRIVE Brownie Batter Milkshake
1 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cups THRIVE Fudge Brownie Mix

Place all ingredients in blender and blend well until smooth.  Drizzle with chocolate syrup and garnish with brownie bits (both optional).  Enjoy!!


It was creamy and delicious.  The only thing with mine was I didn't blend it sufficiently.  I still had some big bits of vanilla ice cream.  But that's because my toddler had just gone to bed, and I was trying not to make a ton of noise with the blender ;).  Hahaha.


Anyway, it's good stuff if you just feel a hankerin' for something that is totally a calorie splurge :).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

(Sometimes Blogger annoys me when it doesn't load my pictures right...)

I love chocolate.

With peanut butter.

I love bananas.

With peanut butter.

And chocolate.

So this was pretty much the perfect recipe.  Especially for summer time.

I found this recipe a long time ago on Pinterest.  I've used it often.  Especially when I have frozen bananas.  Because I only like them so ripe...  Once they get really ripe and brown-spotty...  Yuck.  I just have to slice them up and freeze them before they get to that point.

Anyway, this is a link to a recipe similar to the original one I found.  The original one I found disappeared one day.  And this one helped me to remember it after I hadn't made it in a while.  And now I'll record how I have it memorized, just in case I forget it again :).  (My version is a little different... but it works for me, so I keep doing it this way :)).

1 large ripe banana, sliced and frozen
1 cup of milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until bananas are well blended.  The frozen bananas will make it sort of slushy/Frosty consistency -- at least for a little while.

I make mine in a pint-sized mason jar.  Narrow-mouth ones generally fit the blender's bottom stuff.  So I just turn it upside down and blend -- then drink from the jar.  Saves me from having to use the big blender when this is perfect for one:  me.  Well, and my munchkin.  I happen to like her enough to share ;).

This is bomb.  And made with plain basic ingredients.  Many reasons to like it :).  And, in case you were wondering, I'm keeping it.  And plan to make it again and again and again...

Avena Drink

Yesterday was the last -- and hottest -- day of our yucky hot stretch (this time).  I'm predicting a hot summer, based on two hot stretches in May. 

So I decided it would be nice to have a cold, refreshing treat in the evening (when the house is the least comfortable).  And since I was browsing through Pinterest and my "liquid yumminess" pins...   I decided making Avena was a great solution!

I actually hunted down this drink online after going to a Mexican place for dinner with my sweetie one night and drinking Horchata.  It reminded me of Avena, which I'd had in 2008 when I was visiting Panama with my dad.  We stopped at a gas station and I purchased a little milk carton of Avena (I think it was Borden brand, but I could be wrong).  I couldn't remember ever drinking it when I was living in Panama years before, but when I tasted it in 2008...  Oh my goodness!  So delicious! 

So I searched online to see if I could find a recipe.  And I hit pay dirt!!!  True, it's not quite as wonderful as the stuff I got in Panama.  But it's close -- and the best I can do.  So it makes me happy :).

And I figured I'd share it, my personal tips, and the link with the original recipe!  And a picture, of course.

 

½ cup old fashioned oatmeal
4 cups milk

1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick

Pinch ground cloves
3 ½ tablespoons sugar

 

Place the water, milk and oatmeal in a medium pot over medium heat and cook about 15 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon.

Add the cinnamon stick, ground cloves and sugar and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 more minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool.

Place the oatmeal mixture in a plastic container and refrigerate for a least 3 hours.

Discard the cinnamon stick and place the mixture in a blender and blend for 2 minutes. Add more water if you like a thinner consistency.

Serve cold.

 

Personal Notes:  I never have cinnamon sticks, so I just use ground cinnamon and leave it in and blend it in.  I use 1 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons.  This last time, I didn't put as much cinnamon in, and I wished I'd added more (I tend to not measure, so I sprinkled a little shy...).  I think it's better to let it sit overnight (though yesterday I didn't), because it definitely thickens it more.