Heart Healthy Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

After weight loss surgery we find ourselves enjoying (or hating) protein shakes and smoothies as part of our high protein diet. Smoothie recipes are fairly common in magazines and on the Internet and many recipes are full of nutrients that support good health. To increase the protein content in a smoothie we can add a scoop or more of our favorite protein powder. In this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Smoothie shared by the American Heart Association one scoop of protein powder would add approximately 16 grams of protein to the 11 grams provided in the basic recipe. And doesn't this sound delicious with the fall pumpkins in full harvest right now?

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie
199 Calories
106 mg Sodium
$1.63 Per Serving

This American Simple Cooking with Heart recipe is the taste of pumpkin pie in a glass, with fewer calories.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup fat-free, plain yogurt
1/3 cup skim milk
2 Tbsp. rolled oats
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3-4 ice cubes

Directions:
1. Into a blender, add pumpkin, yogurt, milk, oats, honey, pumpkin pie spice, and ice cubes.
2. Blend until smooth and frothy, about 1 minute. Pour into a glass and serve.

Nutritional Analysis Per serving:
199 Calories, 38g carbohydrate, 6g dietary fiber, 11g protein, 1.5 grams fat.

Additional Tips: 
Cooking Tip: Keeping the can of pumpkin in the fridge before using isn’t necessary, but helps make a colder smoothie.

Keep it Healthy: Make sure to buy 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling or mix, which looks similar but can have added sugar.

Tip: Plain nonfat Greek yogurt, which has more of a tangy taste as well as more protein, can be substituted for the light plain yogurt.

Kaye's Tips: 
Add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to ingredients and blend well.

Substitute almond milk or soy milk for the skim milk, this will lower the carbohydrates and sugar that are in dairy milk in the form of lactose.

Add honey to taste (or artificial sweetener if preferred) after the smoothie is blended, putting in the smallest amount to achieve your preferred sweetness.

Freeze left-over pumpkin puree in 1-tablespoon cubes and add frozen to smoothie for an extra cold and thick beverage.

For more heart healthy recipes visit: American Simple Cooking with Heart