Pumpkin Muffins and Smoothies

I was planning to do a crock pot lasagna recipe yesterday, but my 11 yr old suddenly appeared before me covered with spots and it kinda threw off the timing of my day. (We're hoping it's viral and will pass this weekend, otherwise we have to go and see the dr face to face- as opposed to on the phone.) Anyway, I ran out of time for my 5 hour lasagna and so we had other things- including pumpkin muffins and smoothies.

I had left-over pumpkin in the fridge, so I made the Pumpkin Muffins I've shared here before from Cooking Light. I forgot to put the brown sugar mixture on the top of them. argh! They were still good, but the sugary crust on the top is, of course, my favourite.

The smoothie was a new recipe from The Most Decadent Diet. Last night I made her Banana Colada Smoothie. Here is the recipe:

Banana Colada Smoothie

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks or tidbits
1/2 small ripe banana
1/4 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup fat-free, artificially sweetened vanilla yogurt

Place all of the ingredients in the jar of a blender with ice-crushing ability. Make sure the lid is on tight. Use the “purée” or “ice crush” setting to blend the ingredients until they are relatively smooth. Then, blend on the “liquefy” or “high speed” setting for a few seconds, until completely smooth. Transfer to a glass and serve immediately.

MAKES 14 OUNCES; 1 SERVING OR 2 PORTIONS Each 1-Decadent-Disk portion (about 7 ounces) has: 104 calories, 3 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates, 2 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 35 mg sodium

Each 2-Decadent-Disk serving (about 14 ounces) has: 209 calories, 5 g protein, 41 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 71 mg sodium

The smoothie was REALLY good. We all liked it, though the rest of the family didn't like the pineapple "texture" in the drink. side note: I didn't have frozen pineapple, but found a can of crushed in my cupboard. I opened it and put it in a bowl and then left it in the freezer for a bit. Frozen, non-canned stuff would have been better, I'm sure.

Anyway, I LOVE pina coladas, so the texture didn't bother me- har- and I had the 2 Decadent- Disk serving- with a splash of rum added to glass number two, since it was Saturday night and all. ;)

Today I redid the smoothie for lunch using frozen strawberries instead and the family liked that even more. I think I liked them both equally. I didn't add rum today, in case you're wondering... ;)