I know I said it last Monday but I once again want to wish you all a very happy October. I am so excited that it’s finally here. Because that means cold weather wardrobes can come out of retirement and that Christmas is that much closer. A little bit early to be thinking about that, I know, but still. And because it’s October, that means that the pumpkin spice love is in full swing, so Happy Pumpkin Spice Season also!

To my surprise, I find myself kind of following the trend of putting pumpkin spice in everything (in a way). Every month there is one produce that I seem to heavily focus on in every aspect of my cooking. Cold or hot. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. It doesn’t matter. I try to involve it in every way possible. Last month was apples and this month I am really falling into the annual trap of using pumpkins for all of my recipes.

And not only in my food, but pumpkins come up in festivals and activities that I do all month-long. Do any of you have any fun plans for pumpkin related activities this season? I know it is kind of early to begin thinking about this but I already have two festivals on my calendar to go to this month alone.

I discovered this Smoothie while I was still in undergrad and I had it almost every single day in the fall. It was so easy to make, really filling and was just a delicious way to incorporate the beloved pumpkins into my food. Plus it was a lot more difficult to make anything cooked when all I had was a communal kitchen.

Because of the drop in temperatures to more fall weather, I’ve switched a lot of my food over to more soups and warm kinds of food. But even if it means wrapping myself up in a blanket while I eat it, even sub-zero temperatures can not stop me from having my daily smoothie.

The amount of times I’ve sat in front of a fire in sweatpants with a jacket on because I am drinking a smoothie is far more than it should be.

With this smoothie, you can either have it as a smoothie bowl or just a regular drinkable smoothie. But either way I have it, I always like to add toppings to it. I am one of those people who truly eats with her eyes first, and if something is pretty, I enjoy it that much more. Plus it makes the smoothie look more festive and when you include a little something extra to the top of it. Some of my favorite toppings include:

Granola

Graham Crackers

Walnuts

Coconut Whip Cream

Pumpkin Spice

Maple Syrup

Or all the above.

I know I talk a lot about the ‘dreaded pumpkin spice season’ but even though I don’t like a lot of the pumpkin spice products that come out at this time of year, I still like the spices if they are mixed in the right thing and do not overpower all the other flavors. 

This smoothie has this perfect balance that is just enough to give your smoothie a bit more flavor, but not too much that you feel as though you poured the pumpkin spice directly into your mouth.

After you first crack open the can of pumpkin, there are two ways to store it. You can either put the pumpkin into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge or you can portion it out and store it in the freezer (like I do) so it is ready to grab and go. As always, if you use the frozen pumpkin for this recipe it will make a much thicker smoothie, while the fridge one will make for a creamier one.

If you do choose to keep it in the fridge, even though it is in an airtight container, the pumpkin will go bad. So keep an eye on it and do not let it get pushed to the back of the fridge until next pumpkin spice season.

Are there any other pumpkin dishes that you enjoy making? I definitely will be making more this season and I would love to have as many ideas as possible so feel free to send me a message or leave a comment and I will try to find a way to incorporate any ideas I get before the first snow storm hits.

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