Healthy Pomegranate Autumn Smoothie

Here in Houston, it's always warm. Our winter season is about 3 weeks long and my husband hasn't owned a coat in 10 years. It's a blessing and a curse. The summers are always blazing, but the winters and falls allow you to wear anything you want for Halloween, because it's still 80 degrees. The mornings and evenings are getting crisper and less humid which is a sign the seasons are changing. I love autumn. I have lived in many places across the world and autumn is the most beautiful to me. I love the rich foods like pumpkin and butternut squash. I love adding caramel to foods and the fragrance of spices and apples. In September, it's still warm enough to have cold drinks opposed to hot chocolate.

Recently, I decided to do something I have never done before...buy a pomegranate and cut it open. I have eaten pomegranate dishes, dressings, and desserts at several restaurants. I rarely cook real meals, but I do make snacks, desserts, soups and sandwiches pretty often. Pomegranates always seemed like a "high maintenance" fruit. Knowing that fall is the season's for the big red babies, I grabbed two fruits for $4  at my local grocery store and bravely brought them home. Fearlessly, I decided to just cut it open and see what happens. What did I find?

About a hundred seeds.

So, I slowly pulled the piece of fruit apart and removed the seeds. I added a few ingredients listed below and blended with ice until cold and smooth. The results... fantastic! My three year old even liked it. The whole thing took about 7 minutes. Take that you $7 dollar for a smoothie! I made a large smoothie for less than $3. What a great way to kick off Autumn!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of coconut milk (I used Silk)
• Seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 1 banana
• Add 4-5 ice cubes

Put all ingredients in the blender. Blend until cold and smooth.

Makes 2 small smoothies or one large one.