Pumpkin Protein Smoothie (Low Carb)

This is a delicious low carb pumpkin protein smoothie that is perfect for getting in that protein for your morning breakfast.

I’m not much of a breakfast person. I’m just not hungry in the morning. So on days that I’m going to the gym I try to make a protein smoothie to get me going. Since it is fall and pumpkin is in the air…well not literally but it is everywhere…I thought I’d concoct a Pumpkin Protein Smoothie.

Pumpkin Protein Smoothie Ingredients

The main ingredients are: unsweetened almond milk, vanilla protein powder, chia seeds, plain pumpkin, pumpkin spice & vanilla. I don’t like mine super sweet but you could easily add some stevia, Swerve or whatever sweetener you like. The vanilla protein powder has enough sweetness for me but you might want more.

Protein Powders

Here are two protein powders that I like and use a lot. Both can be found at Vitacost.com.  The first one is called ARO and has some nice stats: 1 scoop = 85 cal, 1.7g fat, 3 net carbs, 15g protein. It also has a lot of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. When I want a cleaner protein smoothie, I use Vitacost.com’s Brown Rice Protein Powder and it has the following stats: 60 cal, 1 g fat, 1 net carb, 11g protein. 

You can find this product at Vitacost.com by clicking here.

You can find this product at Vitacost.com by clicking here.

Pumpkin

It’s best to use plain, pure, canned pumpkin in this recipe … not pumpkin pie filling. Tip: I like to freeze my pumpkin puree in 2 Tablespoon increments. I always seem to have extra when I open a can of pumpkin for a recipe. So I put a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet, measure out 2 tablespoons per puck and freeze for an hour or two. Then I take the pucks off the wax paper and plop them into baggie to store in the  freezer. The frozen texture is great for smoothies, making it both thick and cold so you don’t have to use ice cubes.

My DH (a hockey player) calls them Pumpkin Pucks.

 Chia Seeds

I also like to add chia seeds to my smoothies because they add fiber and thickness. If you pulverize the seeds, they will start to thicken your smoothie like pudding.  Some other things I like to put in my smoothies are ground flax seeds, maca powder, Great Lakes gelatin, powder greens or fresh greens, ground nuts or nut butter, hemp seeds, and so on.

You can add anything you like your own smoothies, but here is my favorite right now, my Pumpkin Protein Smoothie.

Nutrition (approximately): 163 cal / 7g fat / 12.9g carbs / 6g fiber / 10.4g protein

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Pumpkin Protein Smoothie (Low Carb)

This is a delicious low carb smoothie that is perfect for getting in that protein for your morning breakfast.

Servings 1

Author Denise Wright (MyLifeCookbook.com)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup frozen pumpkin puree see Note
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 scoop Aro Whey Protein
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• sweetener optional

Instructions

1. Put everything in the blender and blend on high for 1 minute. The chia seeds really need to be blended to make the shake thick.
2. Note: I freeze my pumpkin puree in 2 Tablespoon increments. You don't have to freeze it but you might want to add a few ice cubes to make it thicker.