Frosty Pumpkin Seed Sweet Green Smoothie. Hydrate. Fuel-up. Chill.

This is a simple green smoothie recipe that is kind of perfect for the crazy busy Thanksgiving week ahead of us. This Pumpkinseed Sweet Green Smoothie has ingredients that will hydrate, fuel and calm you. And it tastes delicious, frosty, frothy and cravable. And I use a secret smoothie ingredient found in my 365 Vegan Smoothies book!..

Green Smoothie. The secret ingredient in this frosty smoothie is oranges. But not any oranges, frozen oranges! Frozen oranges are amazing in smoothies. I buy a giant bag, peel them, section into quarters, remove seeds when possible, and freeze them. They blend into frosty, sweet vitamin C-infused sweetness.

Healthy Blend. The greens in this smoothie contain loads of nutrients and fiber too. Full nutrient facts below recipe. The pumpkin seeds add minerals and healthy fats. They are rich in magnesium, which is a nutrient that can help during stressful times...

Leo Galland MD says, "When you are chronically stressed, you can become magnesium deficient even if you eat these foods regularly. The complex relationship between magnesium and stress explains why many of the patients I see require magnesium supplements, because even a nutritious diet does not correct their magnesium deficiency." - Magnesium: The Healthy Stress reliever

Thanksgiving. I know, I know. This is not a holiday table recipe. Everyone is running around the blogosphere posting amazing, beautiful Thanksgiving recipes right now. But to be honest guys, I cannot really get my head and heart into the Thanksgiving spirit this year. With all that has happened in the past week with Nelly I am just happy that I am motivated enough to be able to whip up some of my favorite comfort food recipes for dinner. Soothing, healing foods. Like this green smoothie! And things like...

Mac and cheese. A big bowl of Friday afternoon coconut oil popcorn. Pumpkin biscuits (kinda like sweet potato biscuits only using pumpkin) - perfect paired with chili! And plenty of pots of soothing soup. A big fancy feast just probably isn't happening this year. Simple. Easy. With my faves..

Stuffing. Sweet Potato Pockets. Sweet potatoes. Cranberry sauce and roasted veggies. Something green and salad-y too. And of course pumpkin pie. Boom. Done. Simple vegan Thanksgiving.

(But I promise I will post something for Thanksgiving this weekend! A big awesome round-up post is coming too.)

But for now, chug some green and just breathe. Green bliss. Ahhhh...

Frosty Pumpkin Seed Sweet Green Smoothie
vegan, serves 1-2

½ frozen banana
1 ½ frozen oranges (medium)
1 cup coconut water
2 tablespoon raw sprouted pumpkin seeds (or plain raw)
1 cup spinach or another favorite leafy green
pinch of fresh raw ginger, microplaned

topping: more pumpkin seeds please!

options:
- ½ avocado for added healthy fats and creamier texture
- splash of lemon juice (½ lemon squeezed)
- for added sweetness, toss in a handful of green grapes, 1 peeled kiwi, ½ a cored soft pear or a diced green apple (handful)
- for a super creamy smoothie, substitute almond milk for the coconut water

juicer version: If you have a juicer you can substitute the coconut water, ginger and leafy greens with 1 cup of sweet green juice (apple, celery, spinach, lemon, ginger)

To blend: To fully puree the the greens and orange you need to use a high speed blender and blend from low to very high speed. The high speed for a few seconds will really break up any bits of pumpkin seeds or leafy greens. High speed is a must for smooth green smoothies.