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Healthier Pumpkin Spice Protein Shake

NJBC Eats: Homemade Protein Packed Pumpkin Frosty

By Karen Kelly, R.D. | October 20, 2023

Ah, the air is a little cooler, the leaves are starting to fall, and it’s that time of year when everything gets a sprinkle of pumpkin spice.! You may have caught wind of Wendy’s new Pumpkin Spice Frosty. However, this treat comes with a drawback- the small size has 330 calories, 8 grams of fat and over 50 grams of sugar! 

If you like pumpkin spice but want to enjoy it in a weight loss friendly way, a homemade frosty isn’t entirely too difficult -  all you’ll need is a blender or food processor and a few Fall ingredients. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsweetened milk of choice
  • 1 scoop Vanilla protein powder
  • Pumpkin puree 3 TBS
  • ½ cup frozen banana slices
  • ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice and cinnamon

I opted for unsweetened almond milk as my liquid of choice as it’s low in sugar and fat. Of course, I added a scoop of vanilla protein powder for an extra boost of protein to help keep us feeling fuller for much longer. Pumpkin puree is the star here adding that delicious Autumn flavor, pretty orange color and antioxidants. Frozen bananas will add fiber for good digestion and also helps to give our “frosty” the desired consistency. Finally a little cinnamon and pumpkin spice to balance everything out. 

Instructions:

  1. Blend all ingredients above. Garnish with some sugar free whipped cream.  

This homemade, weight loss friendly version has 319 calories, 0 grams of fat and only 13 grams of sugar. Plus it has 6 grams of fiber and at least 20-30 grams of protein (depending on the brand that you use). This is a delicious and well-balanced meal that you can enjoy for breakfast during the Fall season.  

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Karen Kelly, RD, is a registered dietitian at New Jersey Bariatric Center, a medical & surgical weight loss center with offices in Springfield, Somerville, Hoboken, East Brunswick, Sparta and Totowa, New Jersey. She provides pre-operative and post-operative nutritional counseling to New Jersey Bariatric Center’s Gastric Bypass, Gastric Sleeve, LAP-BAND (gastric band) and revision patients, in addition to dietary counseling for patients in our Medical Weight Loss program.
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