Halloween and Thanksgiving have come and gone and the Christmas tree is now up but I am still in a Pumpkin state of mind. On a recent cold Saturday morning I was craving something warm, sweet and creamy so I came up with this nourishing treat.

I had a couple of small pumpkins sitting on my kitchen counter so I cut them open and scooped out the seeds (yes I rinsed them and spread them on a silpat mat and baked them until crunchy in a 300F oven). I then put the pumpkins in a large pot of water and boiled them until soft.

I then scooped out a couple of cups of flesh and put that in my vitamix blender along with a very ripe banana, almond milk and pumpkin spice. I blended this all together on the warm soup setting fro several minutes. I made two large servings which I poured into mugs and topped with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice. It was delicious just like that but if you prefer sweeter drinks you could also blend in a medjool date.

Pumpkins are full of an important antioxidant beta-carotene which give them their bright orange color. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body and it may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer as well as protection against heart disease. 8 Impressive Benefits of Pumpkins