Pumpkin Banana Smoothies

I have proclaimed that Fridays are now called 'Smoothie Fridays'. It's a no-school day for the kids, so I have the time and energy to fix something for breakfast that requires a little extra effort. They love the novelty, and I love the break from our breakfast rut. 

I have some extra canned pumpkin from all the pumpkin bread I haven't made, so this helps use it up.

RECIPE: Pumpkin Banana Smoothies  (adapted from this Cooking Light magazine recipe)

Serves: 2 kids and 1 adult

Time: 10 minutes

CAN KIDS HELP? Yes. They can help measure and turn on the blender with supervision.

1 sliced banana, frozen

3/4 cup canned pumpkin, chilled

1 cup vanilla greek yogurt

1/2 cup crushed ice

1/3 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

dash of ground cloves

1/2 tablespoon Nutella (optional)
Colored sprinkles (optional)
Whipped cream (optional)

The day before:

I forgot to do this step once and the smoothie was not thick enough.

Open the pumpkin, transfer to container with lid. Put in the refrigerator. Slice up the banana, put in a baggie, freeze overnight.

To prepare smoothie:

Put all ingredients in the blender. Blend until smooth. For an extra treat, include the Nutella. You'll taste just a hint of chocolate in the smoothie. Garnish with sprinkles and whipped cream if desired.

How did the kids do?

BEFORE:

My daughter's cup is on the left, my son's is on the right. Note that I added some sprinkles and whipped cream just for fun.

AFTER:

Yep--Smoothie Friday is a big hit around here. They also had some toast to round out the meal.