As the days become shorter, the air a little cooler, and the leaves change colors; you know what that means — Fall Pumpkin Spice spirit is here!

Of course, all the pumpkin muffins, pies, and lattes are tasty, but they’re not very nutritious, and in most cases loaded with sugar. Project Best Life is here to help you get your pumpkin spice fix with this healthy pumpkin smoothie. Garnish with some cinnamon or whipped cream or take it to go as a quick breakfast on your way to work and get into the fall season, guilt-free. 

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie:

Ingredients for two servings:

1/2 cup of ice
1/2 cup of canned pumpkin
1 cup almond milk or skim milk
1/2 cup greek yogurt
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 banana
1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg, allspice or pumpkin pie spice 

Preparation:

1. Start by adding about a cup of ice to your blender. 
2. Add 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin. This should be about half of an 8-ounce can, and make sure you are using PURE pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. You can, of course, use a real pumpkin if you have one available, but avoid using any seeds.
3. Add a cup of skim or your choice of non-dairy milk, along with 1/2 a cup of plain greek yogurt. 
4. Add vanilla and pure maple syrup to sweeten things up. 
5. Cut and peel half of a medium-sized banana to add flavor to complement the pumpkin and help thicken up the smoothie. If you’re a fan of banana flavoring, go ahead add the whole thing. 
6. Top it off a pinch of pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg or allspice will work as well. 
7. Hold the top on the blender and blend until the ice is fully crushed and everything is mixed together. 
8. Pour into a glass and top with cinnamon or whipped cream and enjoy!