That time of year again...

I love harvest time.  Our garden is relatively small, but we never have a shortage of pumpkins!  Yesterday we picked a bunch of them and I've been busy roasting them and making pumpkin puree to put in the freezer.  I love being able to pull a bag of puree out to use in whatever I'm making for the kids.  Of course, there are also all the "treats" you can make using pumpkin.  I got busy making muffins for the kids snacks using a (slightly altered) recipe from 'Deceptively Delicious', but not until after Chris, Nicolas and I enjoyed a Pumpkin Milkshake:

Here's the recipe I used (this amount makes two approx. 20 oz. milkshakes):

1 cup fresh pumpkin puree (made from roasted pumpkins)

1/2 banana (for creamy texture)

1/2 cup skim milk, soy or almond milk

3/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup Splenda (or other sweetener)

2 tablespoons of Soy Protein Powder, vanilla flavor

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1 1/2 cups ice

Place liquids in blender first, then add remainder of ingredients.  Pulse on low until it starts to get smooth and there are no ice chunks, then blend until desired consistency.  Garnish with light whipped cream.  Yum!

Here's the nutritional info for one 20 ounce serving:

120 calories

0 grams of Fat

9 grams of protein

23 carbs

If you don't have the vanilla soy protein powder, I would suggest substituting milk for the water.  For an even creamier, sweeter shake, try using light vanilla soy or almond milk!