Our little puppy Noodle, who we fondly refer to as “pumpkin”, has shed her puppy coat, noooo! And it’s all my fault! It was soft and thick, her body looked so round and voluptuous, just like a pumpkin. I warned her in the late summer that pumpkin harvesting season was on the way, and that if she wasn’t careful she’d get plucked and turned in to a spiced latte or muffin. A week later, her coat started coming out in droves. We could literally pick it off by the fistful. Perhaps she’s not fond of being named after so many different foods. Or maybe she was really afraid she’d get harvested as a pumpkin… we’ll never know!
Anyways, pumpkin season is now upon us, and Noodle has morphed from fluffy voluptuousness in to a gangly scronny teenager. She won’t go anywhere near the flavour of squash or pumpkin, though her big brother Suunto adores it. So do I! My pumpkin cravings come on hard at this time of year.
I’m training for OCR World Championships in a few weeks. Sessions are hard, often twice a day, and I’m always hungry! I’m trying to get all the healthy nutrients I need, and I came up with this recipe to both satiate my pumpkin spice cravings, and pre-fuel my training sessions or recover with them with some great carbs and protein.
Normally I make a berry smoothie for this, but I’ve switched it up, cuz ‘tis the season! My favourite thing about this pumpkin spice smoothie is that I can easily turn it in to overnight oats! I love to double the batch. I’ll drink half as a smoothie, topped with granola, for recovery. With the other half, I’ll just mix in some oats and additional coconut or oat milk, and have it for breakfast or after a training session the next day!
I’m currently using Ka’Chava as my protein. I like it because a serving has the necessary 25g of protein, and it’s packed with other nutrients, superfoods, immune and gut boosters, and all kinds of health benefits. I find it tastes really yummy, too! I’ve tried this with Gold Standard protein as well, and it was also delicious… use whatever your favourite brand of protein is.
Pumpkin Spice Smoothie/Overnight Oats
Serves: 1 large smoothie or 2 servings overnight oats
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/2 banana
1/3 cup plain full fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon maple extract
2/3 cup oat, almond or coconut milk, or milk of choice. I use unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon almond or pecan butter
1 scoop vanilla ka’chava or other favourite vanilla protein
Shot of espresso or instant coffee, optional!
Pecans and granola on top
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS FOR OVERNIGHT OATS
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp chia seeds
Another 1/3 cup of oat/almond/coconut milk or other milk of choice
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SMOOTHIE
Put all smoothie ingredients in to a blender. Blend and enjoy! I love to sprinkle my homemade pumpkin spice granola over top, for added crunch and deliciousness!
INSTRUCTIONS FOR OVERNIGHT OATS
Make the smoothie as per ingredients and instructions above
Transfer the smoothie to a large sealable tupperware container
Add the oats, chia seeds, and additional milk
Mix it all together, and allow to sit overnight or for 6+ hours until the oats have absorbed the liquid and become soft.
Enjoy! I also like to top this with pumpkin spice granola
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