Cold, refreshing, and entirely fruit based, the kids and I love this vegan smoothie for breakfast or an afternoon treat. The addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and maple syrup give it a distinctly sweet apple pie flavor, but without any of the baking or heavy ingredients of a real apple pie.

I recently read that 5.2 million annual deaths worldwide are attributed to a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables and that 42% of Americans don’t regularly consume produce. In addition 40% of American kids’ vegetable consumption comes predominantly from french fries.* These numbers are devastating, particularly because the Earth’s incredible variety of produce has so much culinary potential. Simple smoothies are a fast and delicious way to work in those necessary produce servings, and they appeal especially to kids.

This smoothie is great because I usually have all the ingredients on hand, even when I’m running low on groceries. And while apples are technically in season during the fall, we can get great apples and bananas pretty much all year. Although these fruits are common, they are loaded with nutrients, and the spices only improve the flavor and nutritional profile of this drink.

Apple Pie Smoothie -Makes 1 large (30oz.) or 2 small (16oz.)

Equipment:

• Blender

Ingredients:

• 2 apples, cored and chopped

• 1 1/2 frozen bananas, broken into chunks

• 1 cup water

• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

• Dash of ground nutmeg

• 1-2 tsp. maple syrup

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in the blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour into glasses and enjoy!

*Facts from Vegetables Unleashed: A Cookbook, pages 24-25

Smoothie recipe from Cleanse to Heal