Recipes: Pumped about pumpkin

With fall just around the corner and a slight chill in the air, I've become obsessed with pumpkin -- creating pumpkin smoothies and oatmeal. The recipes are very precise, but here they are.

Pumpkin Oatmeal

1/2 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup water
2 heaping spoonfuls of canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin, not the pie filling)
Sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice
Sprinkle of cinnamon
One apple diced (I used green. I peeled mine, but you don't have to.)

Mix the oats and water in a bowl. Microwave for 90 seconds. Add pumpkin and microwave for 30 seconds. Add pumpkin spice, cinnamon and apple. Microwave for 30 seconds.


Pumpkin Smoothie

In a blender, mix:
2 heaping spoonfuls of nonfat greek yogurt
Splash of vanilla
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice
1 heaping spoonful of canned pumpkin (not the pie filling, just plain pumpkin. I freeze it so I can scoop it out whenever I want it.)
About a teaspoon of brown sugar
1 banana (you can leave this out, but it does make it creamier)
Ice and skim milk (the amount really just depends on how thick you like and how much you want to end up with)