No-Protein-Powder Pumpkin Spice Protein Shake

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Always has been - how could it not be? The weather is cool and perfect for taking walks with the baby, the leaves are gorgeous, plus you have Halloween AND MY BIRTHDAY! Summer's great and all, but I LIVE for this time of year. So when the daily Pumpkin Spice Latte posts started popping up on Facebook, it made me WAYYYY jealous!!! But in sticking with my clean eating routine, I wouldn't dare order one for fear of the effect that the extra calories and sugar would have on reaching my goals. So I got to work on a healthy alternative, and it turned out pretty dang good, if I do say so myself!

It's really easy, requires no Protein Powder, and tastes *AWESOME*! Just add:

~1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
~1/2 cup 100% Pure Pumpkin in a can (Make sure it's not Pumpkin Pie Mix - they ARE different!)
~1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
~ Cinnamon to taste
~Stevia (or your choice of sweetener) to taste
~Ground Nutmeg to taste

Throw it together in a blender and microwave it for 1-1 1/2 minutes. (You could add ice and make it a frozen shake, just reduce the amount of almond milk you use by about half - I personally like it hot though - my way of saying  "In-Your-Face" to all the Pumpkin Spice Latte Drinkers!) For a little added flare I drizzled some Walden Farms calorie free Caramel Syrup on top.

Here are the nutritional facts for mine - you can customize it however you like and just plug it into MyFitnessPal. If you are not a big fan of cottage cheese, you can substitute it for Greek Yogurt or Vanilla Whey Protein Powder. You can also use a pre-mixed Pumpkin Pie Spice (these are just what I had in the house!) if you prefer.

Sometime this week I'm hoping to take Little Girl apple picking, so perhaps next week I will have some fun, healthy apple recipes to share! Wish me luck! In the meantime, hope you enjoy your Pumpkin Spice Protein Shake!  :)