Post Work Out Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (*2 WW pts)

My Favorite Fall Food? Pumpkin Pie. Hands Down. No contest. But my waist line doesn't agree with too many serving of the tasty treat, so I had to come up with an alternative. Enter, Pumpkin Pie Smoothie.

I have lost more than 25 pounds in the last 6 months and so I am always looking for healthy treats; especially treats that are helpful post work out. I am totally satisfied with this smoothie. I heard about it through social media and did a search for recipes. After reading through and trying several, I decided to tweak them all a little to make a concoction that I like the best as well as had a ll the food benefits i was looking for.

Let me tell you why I used Plain Greek Yogurt. It is jam packed with protein. Greek Yogurt has 21g of protein Peanut Butter has 7g. You can use vanilla Greek yogurt (which is tasty) if you need a little extra flavor, just remember it has 22 sugars, which is kind of a lot. Or maybe you could just add a tsp or two of vanilla extract. Up to you, if sugar is a concern.

I also used a whole banana because if you eat a banana within the first 15 minutes of finishing your workout, instead of storing as fat, it will store as energy to be used later in the day. BONUS!

Next, I use Coconut Sugar instead of regular refined sugar. I don't like Splenda or Stevia, but you could use those. It just that there are so many health benefits associated with coconut. And coconut sugar tastes so good. AND, when being substituted for sugar it is a 1:1 ratio exchange. You could also use honey or agave nectar.

I use almond milk but coconut would be just as yummy.

And did you know that cinnamon is an antioxidant??? Okay, onto the recipe:

Post Work Out Pumpkin Pie Smoothie!
(See above text for substitutes and modifications)
Makes 2 8oz servings
1/2 Cup Canned Plain Pumpkin  (not pie)
1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 Cup Almond Milk
1 Ripe Banana
5-7 Ice Cubes
1/2 Tbl Coconut Sugar
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Blend and enjoy!!

Edit: My friend, Whitney pointed out to me that this is just *2 Weight Watchers Points a serving. You could drink the whole blender full for just 4 points!

 XOXO,
           Amy