This delicata squash smoothie bowl will have you feeling all the Fall feels, complete with Nuzest’s Clean Lean Pea Protein in Smooth Vanilla.
Last week I ditched the crisp Fall weather of New England & headed down to Florida to spend some time with my family & to celebrate my birthday with my mom (today is our bday!). Leading up to my trip, I prepped tons of frozen fruit & vegetables so that I would have everything on hand, while not wasting a thing. I had quite a lot of squashes in the fridge so whipped up a pot of delicata & butternut squash soup & prepped tons of delicata squash to use in smoothie bowls such as this one.
Before you go judging my squash smoothie bowl just wait! I too was extremely timid when it came to adding any type of vegetable to my smoothies & I actually never even attempted it until this summer. A ton of food bloggers are obsessed with adding frozen cauliflower to their smoothies…promising you can’t taste it…but oh I could. Couldn’t get past the taste or consistency. Even though I’m not the biggest fan of frozen cauli, if I find a blend that works & doesn’t taste like garbage, I will absolutely share.
If you haven’t checked out Lilsipper’s blog by now, you really should. She uses delicata squash in her daily smoothies & I have been dying to get my hands on them…like who am I…who talks about SQUASH like this. LOL!
Anyways.
I love eating seasonal fruits & vegetables. When the seasons change, our bodies will actually begin to crave warmer foods. If we feed & nourish our bodies with warm & rooted vegetables, we will have an easier time combatting seasonal colds, balancing hormones, & maintaining energy levels throughout the day.
With that said, I love squash (which is a warming vegetable), but haven’t tried delicata until recently because I couldn’t find it literally anywhere. Delicata squash is a winter squash & can usually be found at Trader Joe’s during the fall & winter months. I randomly stopped at my local fresh market in New Hampshire & sure enough…I finally found them…& even better, they were locally grown!
I sliced them in half & baked them in the oven at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes. After they cooled down, I removed the seeds with a spoon, cut them into half moons, diced them into small cubes, arranged them on a plate, & popped it into the freezer. I chose to keep the skins on because the skin is very thin & delicate, hence the name. But if you want to remove the skins before putting the cubes into the freezer, go right ahead. Delicata squash is the perfect add in vegetable to your smoothies because of how sweet it is! The smell is also divine!
Just a tip for when you are baking a squash, wash the skins, slice it in half, bake it up side down, & THEN remove the seeds with a fork or spoon. It makes the process SO much easier, than trying to scrape out every seed when the squash is still raw.
Another great thing about this smoothie bowl is the clean protein that I used. I used a Clean Lean Pea Protein from a brand called Nuzest! Nuzest is a fantastic brand know for their 100% European grown & processed Golden Peas used to make their clean protein powders that are both gluten free & vegan! If you too are vegan & have struggled to find a vegan protein powder that is truly clean, you definitely need to try Nuzest! That’s the main thing that attracted me to the brand in the first place!
Nuzest doesn’t contain any:
- Gluten
- Dairy
- Soy
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Fillers
- Additives
- Preservatives
- GMOs
In addition to that, Nuzest Clean Lean Protein is:
- Allergen free
- Paleo friendly
- High in protein
- Low in carbs
- Low in fat
Benefits of Clean Lean Protein:
- Promotes healthy weight management due to low levels of fat, sugar, & carbohydrates.
- Helps maintain healthy energy levels
- Assists the process of repairing the muscles & body tissue during post-exercise recovery
- Helps prevent the loss of muscle as our bodies age
- High in Glutamine, which is substantial for muscle recovery
- Easy to digest & absorb
- Tastes great & blends smoothly
- Has an alkaline advantage meaning it has a pH level of 7.8
- High in protein
- Contains all 9 essential amino acids
I really enjoy using my Nuzest protein powders – since updating this post (in 2020) my go-to Nuzest product is @lilsipper’s Probiotic Cacao Digestive Support Protein! It is UNREAL & is amazing if you struggle with any sort of IBS, bloat, or digestive issues, I highly, highly recommend! Be sure to check out my Chocolate Blueberry Smoothie Recipe featuring the Probiotic Cacao Protein! Feel free to use code MADI15 for 15% off anything from the Nuzest site!
Delicata Squash Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
Base of the Smoothie
- 1 cup Frozen Delicata Squash
- 1 cup Frozen Papaya
- 1/2 half Frozen Banana
- 1 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
- 2 tsp Organic Chia Seeds
- 1/2 cup Almond Milk
- 1 scoop Nuzest Vanilla Protein Powder
Instructions
-
Add the smoothie bowl base ingredients to a high speed blender. Blend on high, until the consistency becomes smooth.
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Add more almond milk or a dairy-free alternative if necessary, to achieve a thinner consistency.
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Scoop smoothie into a bowl & add desired toppings. For this bowl, I added gluten free granola, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cocao nibs, & half of a banana.
If you tried this Delicate Squash Smoothie Bowl, or any other recipe on the blog, let me know if you enjoyed it by leaving a comment or rating below!
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