Refreshing Pumpkin Smoothie
Green Smoothie/ Green Thickie
Sometimes we can start indulging too quickly in stodgy pumpkin pie cakes and puddings and feel the need for something more refreshing. This pumpkin smoothie is perfect for satisfying autumnal cravings for all things orange as well as giving us a citrus infused refreshing kick.
Benefits of pumpkin
Pumpkins are extremely low in calories and fat. Did you know that one cup of raw chopped pumpkin only has about 25 calories? That means you can throw pumpkin into your smoothie to your hearts content and not have to worry about overdoing the calories.
Pumpkin is also nice and sweet which means we’ll probably not need to use as much sweetener in this recipe.
Pumpkins are rich in antioxidants, high in fiber and a great source of vitamins. Pumpkin seeds are extremely nutrient dense. If you want to know how to perfectly roast your pumpkin seeds, Oh She Glows has a great tutorial.
Can you eat raw pumpkin?
Yes you can eat raw pumpkin and you can eat raw pumpkin seeds. I find raw pumpkin seeds a bit chewy though so I don’t enjoy them raw. The best type of pumpkin to eat raw is a ‘pie pumpkin’. If you are going to eat raw pumpkin it is much better to blend it to use in a smoothie or a pie as it’s harder to digest eaten as it is.
** Please note that this post may contain affiliate links which means that I can receive a small payment if you make a purchase through my links.
I was planning on using my pumpkin raw for this recipe but when I opened it up, it was green inside and very hard so I didn’t really fancy adding it raw. Also it was very tough to slice the skin off so I thought it would be much easier to bake it too.
Orange juice and pumpkin smoothie
If you want to bake your pumpkin, you can put in whole or halved straight into the oven on a baking tray. Cook at 350 F for 45-60 minutes. It will then be very easy to peel the skin off (wait for it to cool first) and scoop the seeds out. If you have a high speed blender, you can add the seeds to your smoothie too.
This smoothie is very spicy, not too sweet and very refreshing due to the cup of orange juice. Use your citrus squeezer to quickly juice 1 cup of orange juice. (This squeezer will work for limes, lemons and orange quarters). Adjust the spices and sweetener (raisins) to suit your own tastes.
[tweetherder]This orange juice & pumpkin smoothie is a refreshing break from all the stodgy autumnal recipes.[/tweetherder]
Other News: Challenge Testimonials
Well the first public 7 day Green Thickies Challenge has come to an end. I’ve already heard some great success stories that have arisen from this challenge. I’m going to start sharing some inspiring testimonials, probably on a weekly basis. So I’m asking for your help. Do you have an inspiring story to share with me? I’d love to hear any stories about how green smoothies or green thickies have helped you improve your health or lose some weight. If you’d love to see your story published, then please share it with me, either by my contact form, or by emailing me at GreenThickies AT gmail.com . It doesn’t matter if your story is short, I can always post 2 stories together.
Would this be something you would be interested in reading more of?
Orange Juice and Pumpkin Smoothie (Green Smoothie / Green Thickie)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Water If you are drinking this straight away substitute one cup of water for ice
- 1 Cup of freshly squeezed Orange juice
- 1 Cup Spinach tightly packed or 2 cups loosely packed. (Or any other mild greens)
- 1/4 Cup Raisins or any other dried fruit which can also be pre-soaked for a smoother blend
- 1 Cup link Oats one cup of Quinoa Or 1 Cup of Sweet Potato
- 2 cups Pumpkin raw or cooked, chopped.
- 2 Bananas
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Allspice or mixed spice
- Pinch of Cloves
Instructions
- Blend the ingredients in the order listed. Blend the greens and liquid first and then blend the rest of the ingredients. This creates more space in your blender. Add more water if required to thin it out. Substitute any of the ingredients for whatever you already have. If your smoothie is too warm, you can cool it down in the fridge or freeze some of your ingredients before blending.
- NOTE: The calories shown are for half of the ingredients listed as this smoothie serves 2. If you want less calories add less oats.
Notes
Gluten free (Use GF Oats or Quinoa), raw (Use raw oats/quinoa), vegetarian, vegan, dairy free, egg free, sugar free, wheat free, soya free (don’t use soya milk), salt free, nut free (replace nuts with any plain seeds)* If you want to check if you can drink green thickies on your special diet please read this first. This will suggest some substitutions so you can still enjoy Green Thickies with ingredients you can tolerate.
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CCU says
Congrats my friend, I have given you The Lovely Blog award
Check it out here: http://gobakeyourself.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/quick-easy/
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Aww that’s so kind of you CCU. I’ll do a post or a series of posts that lend themselves to answering 7 questions about myself and will be nominating some bloggers too.
Gabby @ the veggie nook says
I clearly have been on a binge of reading your blog ;) Love this one again, you are so creative when it comes to smoothies!! I need some of your creativity in my life!
Hope you are doing well my dear and happy belated Canadian Thanksgiving :)
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Aww thank you. It’s hard to think of different smoothie recipes all the time so I have some books and read blogs for inspiration. After my baby was born I lived off the same green thickie for 6 months, and when I’m busy creativity doesn’t come naturally to me! Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you too!
Abby says
wow this sounds so good! I’m just getting into green smoothies, I’ll have to try this. Found you from Michelle’s Tasty Creations :)
Jessica says
Sounds divine, as usual! I keep coming across great pumpkin smoothie recipes, it’s time I tried one! I’ll post about it if I get to it! Thanks for sharing at Meatless Monday!!
Miz Helen says
Thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a great weekend and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Diane Balch says
I love the combination idea of oj and pumpkin. Thanks for sharing this on foodie friday.
April @ The 21st Century Housewife says
I didn’t realise you could eat pumpkin raw or that it had so few calories! This smoothie sounds delicious.
kristy @ Gastronomical Sovereignty says
i am always looking for new ways to eat pumpkin. it’s just so good. SO good! :)
thank you for sharing with us at the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up! I hope to see you again with week with more seasonal & fresh/whole food posts :) xo, kristy
Amanda says
We have lots of frozen pumpkin right now! I would have never thought of putting it in a smoothie with orange juice though. Think it would be ok with fresh apple juice? Orange hurts my tummy. Thanks for sharing on Natural Living Monday! I am excited to see what you have going on this week.
Heather @Gluten-Free Cat says
Are you kidding me? Pumpkin in a green smoothie? LOVE it!!! I’d like to invite you to link up to Raw Foods Thursdays. This would be the perfect recipe to share!
Michelle says
Wow, this sounds like a great combination of flavors. Thanks so much for linking up to Creative Thursday. Can’t wait to see what you share this week! Have a wonderful week.
Michelle
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma) says
Love it! Got it tweeted and pinned!
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