Pumpkin Pie Smoothie, My Way

We all know you can throw pretty much anything into a blender with some ice and call it a smoothie.  I'm sure everyone has their particular preferences- thick or thin, made with milk or juice, sweet or... salty (ew?).  As for me, I prefer thick smoothies, and taste-wise, I like them to go along with the seasons. 

Since the beginning of fall, I've been enjoying Pumpkin Pie Smoothies.  I'm not sure who thought up this idea, but I certainly can't take credit for it.  Below is just what works best for me.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
I use frozen pumpkin and unfrozen banana because it creates the best texture in my blender, which is strong enough to crush ice but it's definitely no Vita-Mix.  The unfrozen banana helps to gel the whole thing together without watering down the texture.  Also, I never measure the spices or the almond milk when I make my own so these are my best estimations.
Ingredients

5- 6 pumpkin ice cubes, see "Preparation"
4- 5 ice cubes
1/2 a banana, sliced (does not need to be frozen)
~ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch cloves, nutmeg, and allspice
1/2 a scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)
~ 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk, more as needed

Preparation
Pumpkin Ice Cubes:
At least a few hours before you want to make your smoothie, scoop canned pumpkin into a clean ice cube tray filling each cube 2/3 of the way up. Smooth out the top and add a very thin layer of almond milk to the top (don't worry if it doesn't cover the pumpkin perfectly). Place in the freezer until frozen.

Smoothie:
Pop out desired amount of pumpkin ice cubes and dump them into the blender along with the regular ice cubes. Blend on "Ice Crush" or highest setting until contents resemble a Sno-Cone-like mixture, about 1 minute depending on the strength of your blender (the sound will likely be unpleasant).

Scrape down the sides and add in the banana, spices, and protein powder, if using. Pour about 1/4- 1/3 cup almond milk on top and blend on medium-high scraping the sides as necessary. If the mixture isn't blending well, add a bit more almond milk and try again; I always heir on the side of less milk first because once it gets too watery, all is lost on your quest for a thick smoothie.

Pulse and blend until mixture is uniform but still thick. Pour into a glass and enjoy with a straw and a spoon. I like to add a layer of granola in the middle and top the whole thing with a bit more cinnamon.

Creamy Sweet Basil Smoothie

Hello, summer! That's what this smoothie tastes like, summer.  The weather in St. Louis is getting to be in the 80's nearly every day and while I do love my sun (hah, I wrote "son" at first... now that's scary), I could do without the humidity.  I really hate humidity but, this smoothie makes it tolerable; it's light and refreshing enough to cure the worst heat-induced discontent.  It's also a great way to use up extra fresh herbs.  I don't like buying fresh herbs because, for one thing, they're expensive, and for another, I usually only need a tablespoon or so, which means that a fair amount ends up going to waste.  Now, while I don't think a parsley or chive smoothie would be nearly as enjoyable (or even palatable), summer means basil and lots of it.  Don't let it go to waste!

Creamy Sweet Basil Smoothie
You can definitely tailor the amounts and ingredients of this to your taste.  Smoothies are flexible and the flavor of basil is strong enough to come through the fruit.  You can even add a little spinach for more green power! 
Serves 1

Ingredients
1/2 cup non-fat greek yogurt or skyr [I used Siggi's Orange Ginger skyr]
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 large bunch fresh basil (about 15-20 leaves)
1/2 a frozen banana
4 chunks of frozen honeydew or mango [this time I used honeydew]
1/4 of an avocado [I actually have avocado chunks, which I've frozen, so I used those, but I realize that not everyone does this...]
3 ice cubes
juice of half an orange or lemon (optional)
extra basil to garnish (optional)

Preparation
Toss all ingredients into your blender and blend on high until the mixture is uniform. If you're blender isn't top-notch (and mine definitely isn't) you'll probably have to stop and take the top off a few times to mix around the ingredients yourself and scrape the sides. If it still doesn't blend up nicely try adding extra liquid (either more coconut milk or water, your choice) a tablespoon at a time.