3 Healthy Recipes for Fall Smoothies

I love smoothies for breakfast, and I really, really love that the hubby makes them for me. But after three months of the same smoothie every morning (berry, avocado, ice, and protein powder) I could hardly look at the concoction. No more! Make the blueberries stop!

After (shamefully) pouring the whole glass down the sink a few times, it was time to take a break from the berries and switch things up for fall. That means trying tasty apples, pears and pumpkins. What’s great about fall fruits is that they make awesome pie-tasting smoothies. Perfect for people with a sweet tooth like me. We added a small amount of maple syrup but you can leave that out if you’re sugar detoxing.

Here are my three favorite fall smoothies – so far!

1. Oatmeal Pear Smoothie

The first time I made this recipe from Whole Living I didn’t realize it was meant to serve 4 until after I’d slurped down the whole thing. And even if I had known I doubt it would have stopped me. So I cut back the serving, switched up the buttermilk and eliminated the need to freeze the pears ahead of time. Because who would remember to do that?!

Oatmeal in smoothies is super filling, and the protein from almond butter and yogurt will keep you going all morning.

Ingredients

—1 large pear, seeded and chopped

—1/2 cup almond milk

—1/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

—1/4 cup rolled or quick-cooking oats

—1 cup ice cubes

—1/2 tbsp maple syrup

—1 tbsp almond butter

—1/2 tsp ginger, finely grated

—pinch cinnamon plus more for garnish

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend thoroughly, pour into a glass and sprinkle with cinnamon.

2. Power Pumpkin Seed Smoothie

Pumpkin seeds are a perfect snack so why not add it to a smoothie? With a bit of pumpkin of course. These little powerhouses are packed with magnesium, zinc, omega-3 fats and tryptophan.

This smoothie is not super sweet like a typical pumpkin spice latte. Which, in my book, is actually a good thing.

Ingredients

—1/4 cup vanilla yogurt

—1/4 cup pumpkin puree

—1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds raw

—1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

—1 tablespoon maple syrup

—1/4 cup almond milk

—1 cup ice

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend thoroughly, pour into a glass and sprinkle a few pumpkin seeds on top.

3. Apple Pie Chia Smoothie

Yes, this actually tastes like pie! For real. In fact, the first thing my hubby said was, ‘This tastes like apple pie.’ So drink this instead and save yourself a ton of calories. The chia seeds have plenty of fiber and protein to keep you full till lunch.

Ingredients

—1 apple cut into small pieces

—1 cup almond milk

—2 tbsp chia seeds

—1 tbsp maple syrup

—1/2 tsp vanilla extract

—1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg and salt

Instructions

Blend all ingredients until smooth; add ice if desired.

Photos by Ana Stanciu

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