As a registered dietitian I really like to experiment with food and be creative. Sometimes I like to create my own recipes. I am usually inspired by other recipes and I try to figure out how I can create a similar recipe but with specific ingredient that are beneficial to athletes. I was on pinterest a while back and pinned a recipe for a pumpkin pie smoothie. I only glanced at the recipe and thought that it was a great idea, so I set out to create my own version of pumpkin pie shake specifically for recovery. I made this a few times before I came up with the perfect recipe.
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie:
1 very ripe banana
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
4 ounces of vanilla Greek yogurt
2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I prefer whey protein)
2 teaspoons of maple syrup (I always use real Vermont maple syrup in my recipes)
About 1 cup of coconut/almond milk (use more or less for desired consistency)
1/2 teaspoon or nutmeg and 1 teaspoon on cinnamon (or about 1-1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice)
Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. There are approximately 2 servings in this recipe.
RD recommendation: Make this recipe immediately after a long workout even before you take a shower. The optimal recovery time is within 30 minutes aftera workout so make this shake and enjoy while you stretch.
This recipe contains the following beneficial nutrients for muscle recovery and repair:
Pumpkin: Pumpkins are full of immune enhancing nutrients including beta-carotene, vitamin C, Vitamin E, and magnesium. In addition, pumpkins contain potassium, which is an important electrolyte that can be depleted during periods of heavy sweating. Pumpkin also contains carbohydrates to help replete glycogen stores.
Banana: Banana’s also contain beneficial nutrients including vitamin C and potassium. Banana does have carbohydrate which will also aid in the repletion of glycogen stores.
Greek yogurt: Yogurt contains beneficial probiotics which are extremely important for gut health. Greek yogurt has twice as many grams of protein than regular yogurt. Yogurt contains calcium for bone health. If you use a 2% yogurt there may be an added benefit. Some studies indicate that the conjugated linoleic acid in milk fat may improve body composition.
Whey protein powder: Contains amino acids which aid in muscle repair and recovery. Protein is especially beneficial after long endurance workouts or strength training sessions.
Cinnamon/Nutmeg: These spices have anti-inflammatory properties.
*Remember, many of these nutrients work symbiotically to aid in recovery and you may not get the some results by using sing nutrient supplementation.
