Pumpkin Spice Collagen Smoothie

It’s Fall and that means one thing — squash & pumpkin season!

To the Native Americans, winter squash was such an essential part of the diet that they often buried it along with the dead to give them nourishment on their final journey.

Considered cooling in nature, squash is used by traditional Chinese medicine to detoxify, quench thirst, relieve irritability, alleviate skin lesions, remedy urination difficulty, and treat edema.

Winter squash is loaded with vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene). It is also a good source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, manganese, omega-3 fatty acids, copper, vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), and B9 (folate).

Beta-carotene, the most abundant nutrient in winter squash, has been found to have very powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Beta-carotene may help to prevent hardening of the arteries, protect against diabetic heart disease, reduce the risk of colon cancer, and reduce the severity of inflammatory conditions like asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Pumpkin Spice Collagen Smoothie

4-6 ice cubes
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup frozen cauliflower 
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (more as needed)
2 scoops collagen peptides 
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon

Add all ingredients to blender, process until smooth. Enjoy!