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:

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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!

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!