Apple Pie Smoothie

‘Tis the season of apples and pumpkins and cranberries, oh my! And one of my favorite times of the year!

Apples are readily available right now and they don’t get any fresher when you get them from your local orchard or even pick them yourself!

Oh. My. Goodness.

A freshly picked apple has such a special crispness and snap when you bite into it and you can smell all the juicy, sweet goodness right through the skin, and the flavor is unbelievable, no matter the variety. Store-bought apples can be a year old at the time of purchase and pale miserably in comparison, especially at this time of year.

Mother Nature is simply a-mazing and knows how to take care of us, if we would only give her a chance. Remember the saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor away? Well, they knew what they were talking about way back before processed everything. Try eating natural, whole foods for just one day and see how you feel.

I am a big fan of eating seasonally, and have been enjoying beets in everything from smoothies to salads almost daily. I absolutely love them! Now that the season is changing, I am leaning towards all things, apple, cranberry and pumpkin. I hope you love my Apple Pie Smoothie as much as I do!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almond milk (or any plant-based milk) or water
  • 2 medium apples, cored and rough chopped
  • 4 medjool dates
  • 1/3 cup rolled oats (gluten-free if preferred)
  • 2 tablespoons almond butter
    (sub cashew, walnut, sunflower seed, macadamia butter)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • A pinch of nutmeg
  • A pinch of sea salt (optional)

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients into your blender. Blend until creamy and smooth.
  • Pour into your favorite glass and top with coconut whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
  • Serve and Enjoy!

Options

Make your own nut or seed butters! Just add any nut or seed to your food processor and process until smooth and creamy.

You can add whole nuts or seeds directly to your smoothie. Keep in mind, it will have a grainier texture. Depending on your blender, it may not break down nuts and seeds completely, so watch out for those chunky pieces!

I am not a fan of Peanut butter in smoothies but lots of people love it. For me, it overwhelms the other flavors so I don’t use it much in mine, but it does pair well in chocolate based smoothies.

To get a creamy consistency without adding nut, seeds or butters, Chia seeds can be used to thicken any smoothie. Start by adding 1 tsp at a time until you get the desire consistency. Keep in mind, chia seeds need a few minutes in contact with liquid to bulk up, so go slowly!

Adding 1 Tablespoon of Hemp seeds or flax seeds is a great way to add protein, fat and fiber to whole foods. Hemp seeds do not add too much flavor, whereas flax adds quite a bit more flavor.

This recipe is inspired by Melissa Huggins who is also a raw food blogger.

A Little Fun Apple Lore

  • Keeping the stem on the apple will help it keep longer
  • Humidity keeps apples from shriveling
  • Apples were brought over with English settlers in the 1600s
  • Only crabapples are native to North America
  • Apples are an antioxidant rich whole food, fat and cholesterol-free, low in calories, good source of fiber and vitamin C
  • A bushel of apples weighs between 42-48 pounds
  • Johnny Appleseed’s real name was John Chapman. He was born in 1774 near Leominster, MA
  • Americans eat about 45 pounds of apples per year
  • 61% of US apple crops are eaten as whole apples; 39% are processed apple products, with 21% of that being apple juice
  • Apples can be grown in all 50 states
  • Apples can be eaten raw, cooked, canned or frozen
  • It takes approximately 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider
  • Apples for baking: Cortland, Jonathan, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady