Apple Pie Smoothie
Even though it’s close to 100 degrees, I can still feel a hint of fall in the air. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but I’m gonna roll with it 😉 That’s where this apple pie smoothie comes in–it’s a great way to enjoy fall flavors even when the weather hasn’t gotten on board with what the calendar says yet.
Even though the weather in Tucson is always a little late to the “it’s autumn now!” party, there are always fun events to look forward to that verify we’re inching closer to the holiday season. Some local options: fall festivals at schools (the school where my stepmom teaches has the best!), football games (we tailgate a little better than we play, haha), Dia de los Muertos (you can check out my awesome preggo skeleton face here), apple picking, Halloween events, and the pumpkin patch.
I’ve got my fall party pants on, even though it’s still scorching hot. I got a pumpkin latte the day we came back from Italy (which took away some of my sadness that it will be a long time until I have another real Italian espresso), and have been loading up on the seasonal fall produce.
We’ve been enjoying butternut squash fries, acorn squash soup,
and lots of apples and pears.
Since we picked so many at the apple orchard this past weekend, I was trying to get creative with our options so they wouldn’t go to waste. Crumbles and pies are always good, but since we had a surplus, there was only one logical recipe: homemade applesauce. Livi and I are notorious for eating an entire batch by ourselves, so I knew our beautiful bounty of apples wouldn’t go to waste.
The hardest part was peeling and chopping the apples:
I cut the slices a little more thickly, as they shrink while they’re cooking, and added them to the slow cooker along with 3 cinnamon sticks, a squeeze of lemon juice (any citrus works well), a drizzle of ghee and some brown sugar.
5 hours (on low) later:
(I let it go for 6 hours so the apples got even softer)
Homemade applesauce! You could smell the apples and cinnamon when we pulled into the garage, too– the house smells amazing.
Apple Pie Smoothie
Livi and I had huge bowls full with our lunch, and the next day, I decided to throw some into a smoothie for a pie-inspired treat:
Not a bad idea at all 🙂
Here’s the combo:
PrintApple Pie Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 C applesauce (homemade or store bought)
- 1/4 C oats or your favorite grain cereal (<-- like the "crust" of the smoothie)
- 1/2 C milk of choice
- 1 serving of your favorite vanilla protein powder
- Cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla
- A little brown sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients and enjoy 🙂
Another awesome fall smoothie is this pumpkin pie one <– a fave!
Homemade applesauce is also fantastic on yogurt and oats. Now if I could just figure out what to do with all these pears…
Hope you’re enjoying the afternoon!
xoxo
Gina
What’s something you look forward to each fall?
Favorite fall produce? I always look forward to butternut squash and my beloved b-nut squash and goat cheese lasagna.
Something to read:
–I died laughing at this one: Shopping at Whole Foods
–How restaurants get you to order unhealthy food
–Some awesome hill running workouts
-New models of the Garmin with color screens and new coaching features!
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I looooove cinnamon! So naturally fall is the perfect season to fulfill my love of all things cinnamon. I also love all of the squash varieties and slow cooking. It’s definitely fall like my neck of the woods! (Ohio) ~65 degrees today
Damn, girl.
What a great idea! Sounds delicious!
And since I also made a trip to the apple orchard this weekend, I’ve got plenty of apples sitting around waiting to be used!
I picked apples last weekend as well. We made a years worth of applesauce (not kidding, wish I was). Smoothie sounds like a great use of some of the mass amounts of applesauce I now have. Thanks!
I feel fall too, all the way here in GA! (: SO ready for this apple smoothie. Can’t wait.
This smoothie sounds delicious! So perfect for fall.
Homemade applesauce in smoothies! Brilliant!
Omg I’m dying laughing over that whole foods article link! Thanks for that. Needed the laugh 😉
What a yummy way to enjoy fall flavors! This is a must try. I’m a New England girl living down south so I am very much missing the turning of the seasons right now…I look forward to healthy comfort foods (SWEET POTATO and PUMPKINEVERYTHING), fall baking, fall sweaters and boots, the leaves changing, and that crisp, refreshing fall air. It’s the best season and good for the soul! Thanks for helping spread the fall lovin’!
Omg yum!
The Whole Foods article made me dye laughing. Whole Foods is my idea of heaven, but I never feel fancy enough to be there!
What a great smoothie idea! Love it!
Love apple pie season and this smoothie sounds delicious!
I am SO making this for breakfast tomorrow morning! 🙂
Looks delish!
This may be a a dumb question but is that 1/4 cup dry oats or cooked? I’m assuming dry…
dry 🙂
Hey Gina, I am doing the Awesome August workout and I am on the Sage video + ab burner day. When I click on the link, the only videos I can see are about 4 min long or less and I don’t see the ab burner video. Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks for your help!
Oh that looks really good! I would never have thought of putting applesauce in a smoothie! Today was so chilly it really felt like fall was here. Fifty degrees this morning when I left the house at 6:45 am!
That article had me in tears!! I needed a good laugh, thanks for sharing.
The smoothie and applesauce look delicious! I can’t wait to make them 🙂
Try pear butter!
Try pear butter!
I am so happy you shared this I have been craving real home made apple sauce I just bought a slow cooker too so this will be perfect! Thank you for sharing 🙂 love + shine Court star
you can also make pear sauce, same thing as apple just with pears, I’ve always wanted to make it myself!
I would do something similar to the apple sauce with your pears. Pears, ginger and cardamom in the crockpot would be so yummy!
I just made a huge batch of apple sauce on Monday and this sounds like an amazing way to enjoy it. I bet adding some vanilla whey protein would also work great. Thanks Gina for sharing this healthy treat!
I LOOOOVE applesauce, my favorite way to eat is to top my eggy oats with it and add some yogurt! So delicious.
I can recommend to bake the pears in the oven (just cut them in halves, sprinkle with cinnamon and vanilla) and then eat them warm with protein chocolate sauce on top (protein powder, unsweetened cacao powder, stevia, water) . Heaven.
how do you make your eggy oats? ive heard of but never tried eggs with oats…
This smoothie sounds delicious! 🙂
An apple and pear crisp would be good!!
Stop it with that Whole Foods article! Thanks for posting!
This doesn’t totally relate to the post, but the smoothie has protein powder in it so I’m going to ask…is protein powder (Sunwarrior-classic vanilla) safe to consume if you’re TTC or pregnant? I thought it was fine until I saw a disclaimer on the iherb website where I was going to order more from and it scared me:
Warnings
As with any nutritional supplement, you should consult your physician before beginning a dietary regimen containing this product. Keep out of the reach of children. If you are nursing, pregnant, or considering pregnancy, you should consult your healthcare professional prior to using this product. This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.
Any thoughts??
Thanks Gina!
That warning is also only on the vanilla, not the chocolate which I previously had….so confusing!
We make pear butter to slather on well, everything from bread to rolls to cinnamon tortilla chips or to use instead of applesauce in recipes, it just cooks overnight in slow cooker, delicious.
I am apple and pear overloaded as well. Fresh apples are finally coming to the stores here in Wisconsin and my dad’s pear trees were so overloaded that he gave me 2 big paper grocery bags full the other week (and it’s just me in the house). Pear-cinnamon sauce will be made this weekend! I’ve been throwing spinach, two small apples, cinnamon, ice, and a 1/2 cup milk (+ a little water) into the Vitamix lately – tastes like fresh apple cider but way healthier! 😀 I’m waiting for my dad’s apples to be ready in a week or two to go with him to get them pressed, there is NOTHING better than drinking apple cider straight off of the press! And of course, making applesauce with the leftover apples. I just hate the peeling!
Oh, and I had a friend announce her pregnancy last fall on Halloween by wearing that same pregnant skeleton shirt. We all kind of though she was joking! 🙂
I just bought butternut squash this week without knowing what I was going to do with it. Definitely making fries! Thanks, lady 🙂
I really need to get some mason smoothie jars. They are just SO cute!!! I think I’d love to make some applesauce after the farmers’ market on Saturday!
That looks amazing!! And thank u for that Huffpost article, I died while sitting at Au Bon Pain xD
Freeze chunks of ripe pear and use in smoothies. Delicious!
I had never considered making homemade apple sauce before…now I think I’m going to have to try it out!!
Pear sauce! It’s delicious
Yum! I love desserts in smoothie form (that are healthy too)!
I made the applesauce last night JUST so I could make the smoothie today. It was awesome to wake up and have homemade apple sauce with breakfast and then a smoothie for snack. It was delicious!
awesome!! 🙂
Pear Sauce!!!
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/easy-pear-sauce/
I have been wanting to make my own apple sauce, but I didn’t want to peel a billion apples. Love this recipe & will 100% be trying the smoothie too! Thanks! PS: Got Solibeat in the mail today, it’s going to be my workout for tomorrow!
I am all about pumpkin, butternut squash, and kabocha squash! Cannot get enough of all the squash this month. Like you, Houston is still pretty warm and the AC is still on, and we’re still reaching high 80’s, but it is nice to be incorporating some fall flavors into my normal routine. I’ve been adding 1/2 apple to my pumpkin pie smoothie and it is DELISH!