Vanilla Pumpkin Protein Smoothie

Tired of peanut butter banana smoothies? Or maybe you just don't want to cook steel cut oats. No worries. I've built this heart-healthy vanilla pumpkin protein smoothie that's ideal for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or after that hard core sprint workout.

Pumpkin is a squash you may have noshed on come Thanksgiving or had a taste of in a latte when you think nobody is looking, but did you know that it is super good for you? Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A to keep your skin and eyes healthy.

Pumpkin is also a storehouse for B vitamins, copper, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. It also has this cool antioxidant, Zea-xanthin that protects your eyes from UV rays! What!?! Can I say Uh-May-ZING.

You can whip this smoothie up in a jiffy. You can also double the recipe and save it in the fridge in mason jars for go-to meals on hurried days. 

Recipe
Ingredients

• ​12 oz water
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
• ¾ cup of pureed pumpkin, canned is okay
• 1 tbsp of chopped almonds
• 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed
• ½ cup of uncooked old-fashioned rolled oats
• Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
• Ice as needed
  

Directions
1. Blend.
2. Drink.

Nutrition Information:
535 calories
60 g protein
13 g fat
45 g carbs
​13 g fiber 

Note:
**You can swap the water for soy or almond milk
**Try adding pumpkin pie spice to this smoothie for an extra kick
**Split this into smaller cups to make half-servings