Sweet and au naturel

My morning started with this newbie.

IMG_3369

To me, “Au Naturel”…is the classy way of saying “hippie food”…so clearly this was right up my alley. 

IMG_3370IMG_3371

Like the rest of Udi’s products, this granola is gluten free.  It also happens to be dairy free, soy free, nut free, and egg free (it’s is not vegan because it contains honey).

IMG_3372

The only ingredients are certified gluten free oats, wildflower honey and canola oil.  That’s it!  THREE ingredients.  No wonder they call it Au Naturel…

IMG_3374

I packed myself a tupperware full of granola to add to my (unpictured) plain greek yogurt for my work breakfast. 

The flavor was simple, but good.  It had that signature crunch that tasted toasted, and not the least bit stale.  I like my granola crunchy because then it has the ability to be used for many things.  If you want to soak it in milk, it can soften up like oats and be enjoyed like cereal, but if you want to eat it with greek yogurt or add it into a trail mix, it’s definitely better to have a more crunchy consistency.  What’s your favorite way to eat granola?

IMG_3376

The rest of my pre-packed eats included an apple, carrots, and big salad…plus an unpictured tub of hummus and (aforementioned) greek yogurt

IMG_3377

Love me a kale-face salad.  It had kale, avocado, bell peppers, carrots, and dried cranberries.

IMG_3378

Que grande!

Work was work, nothing too thrilling about it, but I am so excited to officially be done with orientation.  Starting next week I will be nursing for real.  For real for real.  Having patients.  Finally!  Yesssss. 

I got home from work in the afternoon, so I made use of my Udi’s gluten free granola – this time jazzing it up with carob chips, raisins, and salty roasted nuts

IMG_3380

Trail mix at it’s finest.  I refilled this tupperware more than once ;)  It was too tasty!  As a result, I was not remotely hungry once dinnertime rolled around.  Instead of making a meal, I decided to make a smoothie.  Not just an ordinary smoothie though.  A tofu & protein powder based treat that was so delicious, it could have passed as dessert, but was still nutrient dense enough to pass as dinner. 

IMG_3385IMG_3386

I know there are many pumpkin recipes going around the blog world right now (with everything from baked goods, to lattes, to hearty entrees), so I’m sure my inspiration came from many of them.  But in terms of following a recipe, I just winged it based on what I had on-hand.  In the end it tasted JUST like pumpkin pie, so I will show you exactly what I put in.

IMG_3388

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

  • 1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used So Delicious coconut milk)
  • 1/2 block (6 oz.) silken tofu (I used Mori-Nu light)
  • 3/4 cup (~1/2 can) pumpkin puree (I used Libby’s)
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s)
  • 1 serving vanilla protein powder of choice (I used Vega vanilla chai)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (I used a lot more)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla (I used ~4 drops of NuNaturals vanilla stevia)
  • sweetener of choice* (I used ~2 tbsp agave nectar because I like things sweeeeeeeet)
  • 1/2 cup ice cubes

*optional depending on how sweet you want your pie smoothie

IMG_3389IMG_3390

Blend away.

IMG_3395

It was eerie how similar to actual pumpkin pie this tasted.  Even Kyle was blown away, and he’s a pie fiend.  He also said it was perfect if you have a sweet tooth (guilty!). 

IMG_3393

This smoothie recipe may cause me to buy stock in Libby’s.  I’m going to be having this every day from now until I can’t find anymore canned pumpkin. 

IMG_3394

Mmmmmm.

Before I sign off to enjoy the gorgeous weather goin on right now, I want to be sure you all click this link to vote for my girl Kailey…she’s the diva of all divas and 100% deserves this job.  So go to the site and help her win the opportunity to do what she loves (while getting a paycheck).

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Comments (16)

  1. Freckled Foodie

    i’m loving pumpkin pie smoothies! even when i don’t have time to whip one together with my blender, unsweet almond breeze, sugar free caramel syrup + cinnamon & nutmeg with pumpkin mixed in with a spoon is JUST as delicious!

    happy friday!

    xo.

  2. Gena

    Glad you’re on the pumpkin smoothie bandwagon! So freakin good.

  3. Bonnie

    Mmmm! Sounds good. I make a bangin’ Pumpkin Smoothie and add a little ground flax seed. The flax seems to give it a little of the “crust” taste of pumpkin pie. Sooo Good!

  4. Angeline

    Pumpkin and coconut sound so good together! I think I’ll add a wee bit of So Delicious Coconut milk creamer, too. Can’t wait to try this smoothie for breakfast tomorrow!

  5. Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine

    That does sound like it would be amazing!! I’ve been all about mixing protein powder with pumpkin lately, so I can’t imagine how good it would be with the extra ingredients as well!

  6. julie

    haha for the record i’ve been TOTALLY cutting my baby bell peppers the same way you did for the piz! i hadn’t realized how easy it was until i saw someone else do it haha and then i was like duuuuuh!

    i love crunchy things in yogurt so i’d for sure be on the granola in my yogurt like white on rice 😉

  7. lady bug beauty

    What a crazy way to use pumpkin!

    Can you tell I am not American? We only eat pumpkin with meat and veggies…(nope we don’t even do pumpkin pie) I get the feeling I am sooooo missing something down here in sunny New Zealand.

  8. Laura

    Sounds yummy but would have liked to have read that you used better quality ingredients.
    Organic is always best. Mainstream company names (Libby’s, Hershey’s) make me cringe. lol
    I definitely will make this, though. Thanks! =)

  9. Pingback: The November Issue « hungry hungry hippie

  10. Pingback: New scheduling « hungry hungry hippie

  11. Pingback: The quick and (not) dirty « hungry hungry hippie

  12. Pingback: If you build it… « hungry hungry hippie

  13. Pingback: Confucius says « hungry hungry hippie

  14. Minerva

    I just made this smoothie for a preyoga snack. It is deeeeelicious! Thanks for sharing!

  15. Elise (Post author)

    yeah! glad you liked 🙂

  16. Pingback: “You can’t do x,y,z as a vegan”

Comments are closed.