Got Pumpkin Leftovers From The Holidays? Make A Pumpkin Chai Green Smoothie!

After the pies, cakes, pancakes, and breads of the pumpkin filled holiday season are baked, there may be a few cans or boxes of organic pumpkin puree containers still sitting in your pantry. No worries! You can use them before their expiration date by making yourself a healthy smoothie! Pumpkin is quite nutritious and is a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B-6, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. Being a green smoothie it is filled with a boat-load of even more nutrients and super-foods as well. No pretty orange colored froo-froo whipped cream photos of a sugar laden mess with this real food Pumpkin Chai Green Smoothie. We deal in nutrient dense foods here at The Queens Table and we are keeping it real, healthy ... and green. This is your morning liquid salad after all! A Pumpkin Chai green smoothie is super yummy and smelly good! Give yourself a bit of soothing heavenly aromatherapy with this spicy green smoothie that will remind you of pumpkin pie!

When it comes to the canned or boxed pumpkin, be sure not to use that standard old processed foods canned pie mix pumpkin with those extra ingredients that must be cooked. Use the straight up "pumpkin only" cans and boxes to add to your healthy green smoothie. Hopefully the leftover pumpkin is organic. 

Healthy Pumpkin Chai Green Smoothie

6 - 8 oz organic pumpkin puree

1 cup organic coconut milk or almond milk

1 TB Ceylon cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg 

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp allspice

1-2 tsp vanilla extract

1 TB maple syrup or 1 Tb palm sugar

4-5 Romaine lettuce leaves (or handful of salad greens or

small handful baby spinach leaves)

1/2 cucumber peeled

2 Tb hemp seeds

1 Tb chia seeds

2 TB fresh ground flax powder

1-2 bananas

pumpkin seeds

Optional

small handful dandelion greens

pea sprouts

alfalfa sprouts
1 kiwi

2 pitted soaked Medjool dates

Gather together your sweet aromatic spices and mix together. As with any smoothie it is about what fresh greens you have on hand, go ahead and use kale or chard if that is what you have in the fridge. Since pumpkin is not a strong flavor I decided to use lettuce and cucumber since they are mild tasting and would not overpower the pumpkin. Always be fearless, creative, and play with your ingredients! It's all good! Wash your greens and produce. Add the liquid ingredients first to your high powered blender, then add everything else. Blend till mixed well. Taste for any needed adjustment to spices. What reminds you of spiced chai and pumpkin pie? Then put more of that spice in your mix! It's your creation! 

Serve your pumpkin chai smoothie in a mug instead of the usual tall glass to give it that old fashioned spiced chai tea feel. I think you will definitely be getting a green mustache and licking your lips after drinking this one! Perhaps a big spoon may be needed to enjoy this creamy green smoothie mixture as well. Okay, okay, add fresh whipped topping if you must!

I garnished my thick and nutrient rich cup-o-smoothie with cinnamon and pumpkin seeds. 

After emptying those pumpkin containers from your pantry say goodbye to this sweet squash until next fall... when pumpkin madness will be in season again! Yum!