Pumpkin Smoothie Bowls

I don't understand smoothie bowls. Is it just a smoothie in a bowl? Really? That seems messy. But at the same time, I do tend to eat my smoothies out of a shaker with a spoon. So maybe putting them into a bowl will be prettier and more effective.

Regardless of if you put this in a cup or a bowl or pour it straight into your mouth, it's officially pumpkin season!! I absolutely had a pumpkin spice latte in my hand at 9am on September 1st but figured it needed to get a little more official before starting the influx of pumpkin recipes that happens every fall. And apples, definitely apple recipes.

 

While pumpkin-everything is a big deal in America, I've found it's not as common in the UK. Canned pumpkin was in the America international foods section of the grocery store! And is more expensive so am using sparingly. I used pumpkin for this smoothie recipe and then made pumpkin muffins to spread the good word of pumpkin-everything.

Almond milk, vanilla protein powder, canned pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg are blended together in a blender. This makes a nice orange color, very pumpkiny, but I then added avocado to thicken it up. I also usually add spinach so it turned out a little green.

Poured into a bowl, I added a row of walnuts and chia seeds. From my Instagram research, it's apparently the cool thing to do to line up your toppings like a rainbow of flavor. For actually eating it though, I mixed it all together.

And it really wasn't that strange! The thickness of the shake and the crunch of the walnuts made it feel more like something you would eat out of a bowl.

Recipe

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup non-dairy milk
• 2 scoops vanilla protein (I prefer Arbonne plant protein)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• Walnuts, chia seeds for topping (optional)

1. Blend everything but the walnuts and chia seeds in a blender until smooth.
2. Pour into a bowl
3. Top with walnuts and chia seeds (or other nuts and seeds). If you're on the go or don't want to eat a smoothie out of a bowl, you can add the chia seeds and other add-ins straight to the blender.