Got Pumpkin Leftovers From The Holidays? Make A Pumpkin Chai Green Smoothie!

After the pies, cakes, pancakes, and breads of the pumpkin filled holiday season are baked, there may be a few cans or boxes of organic pumpkin puree containers still sitting in your pantry. No worries! You can use them before their expiration date by making yourself a healthy smoothie! Pumpkin is quite nutritious and is a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B-6, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. Being a green smoothie it is filled with a boat-load of even more nutrients and super-foods as well. No pretty orange colored froo-froo whipped cream photos of a sugar laden mess with this real food Pumpkin Chai Green Smoothie. We deal in nutrient dense foods here at The Queens Table and we are keeping it real, healthy ... and green. This is your morning liquid salad after all! A Pumpkin Chai green smoothie is super yummy and smelly good! Give yourself a bit of soothing heavenly aromatherapy with this spicy green smoothie that will remind you of pumpkin pie!

When it comes to the canned or boxed pumpkin, be sure not to use that standard old processed foods canned pie mix pumpkin with those extra ingredients that must be cooked. Use the straight up "pumpkin only" cans and boxes to add to your healthy green smoothie. Hopefully the leftover pumpkin is organic. 

Healthy Pumpkin Chai Green Smoothie

6 - 8 oz organic pumpkin puree

1 cup organic coconut milk or almond milk

1 TB Ceylon cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg 

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp allspice

1-2 tsp vanilla extract

1 TB maple syrup or 1 Tb palm sugar

4-5 Romaine lettuce leaves (or handful of salad greens or

small handful baby spinach leaves)

1/2 cucumber peeled

2 Tb hemp seeds

1 Tb chia seeds

2 TB fresh ground flax powder

1-2 bananas

pumpkin seeds

Optional

small handful dandelion greens

pea sprouts

alfalfa sprouts
1 kiwi

2 pitted soaked Medjool dates

Gather together your sweet aromatic spices and mix together. As with any smoothie it is about what fresh greens you have on hand, go ahead and use kale or chard if that is what you have in the fridge. Since pumpkin is not a strong flavor I decided to use lettuce and cucumber since they are mild tasting and would not overpower the pumpkin. Always be fearless, creative, and play with your ingredients! It's all good! Wash your greens and produce. Add the liquid ingredients first to your high powered blender, then add everything else. Blend till mixed well. Taste for any needed adjustment to spices. What reminds you of spiced chai and pumpkin pie? Then put more of that spice in your mix! It's your creation! 

Serve your pumpkin chai smoothie in a mug instead of the usual tall glass to give it that old fashioned spiced chai tea feel. I think you will definitely be getting a green mustache and licking your lips after drinking this one! Perhaps a big spoon may be needed to enjoy this creamy green smoothie mixture as well. Okay, okay, add fresh whipped topping if you must!

I garnished my thick and nutrient rich cup-o-smoothie with cinnamon and pumpkin seeds. 

After emptying those pumpkin containers from your pantry say goodbye to this sweet squash until next fall... when pumpkin madness will be in season again! Yum!

Date Nut Balls! Easy Treats For Last Minute Holiday Sweets And Parties!

It's party season for the next week or two! Here is a simple recipe loaded with delectable sweetness. Bite sized treats looking like baby snow balls, they're perfect for any winter get together! Do you see my edible fruit/veggie tree sitting on the buffet table behind the snowy date nut ball pyramid in the photo above? You can find that very popular colorful edible tree post here along with simple instructions. Both of these dessert recipes are fun to make, and to eat! Mmmm I can't wait!!! Let's do this nut ball thing!

The kitchen equipment required to mix the date nut ball mixture is a food processor, or a high speed blender, as a regular blender will not handle the gooey sticky dates. Remember to soak your nuts of choice the night before you make these date nut balls, and you are ready to begin. If you do forget, then soak the nuts six hours before you make this easy yummy dessert. I did not soak the cashews, as they do not respond well to soaking.  

You can use any other soaked nuts you prefer, and if you use only two kinds of nuts that is fine too. For example you could use walnuts and macadamia nuts if that is what you have in your pantry. As long as you use 3 parts nuts/seeds to 2 parts dates, your mix will turn out okay. Everyone loved the combination I put together for the date nut balls in my recipe below. You know I had to add superfoods to this raw vegan dessert. These date nut balls will look just beautiful on your holiday buffet table!

Easy Date Nut Balls

3oz Hazelnuts

3oz Cashews

6oz Almonds

6oz Walnuts

1 oz pumpkin or sunflower seeds

1 TB Hemp seeds

2 TB ground flax seed

2 cups Medjool dates that have been soaked 30 minutes

Coconut flakes

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Rinse your pre-soaked nuts and drain off the water. Remember I did not soak the cashews. Carefully pit your dates! You don't want to throw away the entire mixture because you missed one! Place your pitted dates into a bowl and just cover the dates with spring water. Let dates sit in bowl for 30 minutes while you get the nut and seed mixture together. Get out your food processor or Vita Mix blender, and gather all of your ingredients together. Add the nuts, seeds, cinnamon, and vanilla into the food processor. I used the S blade. You could add 2 TB of the coconut flakes in with the nuts and seeds if you like, although this is optional.

Then add 1/2 of your soaked and carefully pitted dates. Pulse all into a medium grainy texture. At this point add the remainder of the dates to the food processor. I also added about 2 TBS of the sweet water liquid from the date bowl into the food processor. If your mixture gums up around the blade, stop the machine and move the mix around. Pulse till medium grain again. Any ingredients can be adjusted to create the right texture. Transfer from food processor into a bowl and mix well. 

Form into small balls and roll in coconut flakes to coat the outside. You can see from the photo we made half of the balls small, and half of the date nut balls larger. Three small balls are about 100 calories, so don't over eat these very sweet treats! You can store them covered in the fridge for up to two weeks. Honestly these wont last longer than a few days! Enjoy! Everyone else will!

It just would not be a complete holiday date nut ball recipe without sharing one of our favorite seasonal traditions... watching the classic 'Delicious Dish Schweddy Balls' video. Slip on into your crazy Christmas sweater and giggle along with this funny skit while it is still available online. How Alec and the girls remain serious while delivering these lines is a mystery! Click on the link right now to view, as it's not always easy to find. You will be LOL to this old SNL!




Don't rely on Pete! Get yourself a festive sack! Date nut balls are great for holiday food gifts! Super easy to make! Good times!!! And wayyyyy better than rice and tap water for Santa. Our food lifestyle does not wreak havoc on the digestive system 'cause we be eatin' good in the neighborhood! Season's Eatings to All! And to all a good night!

Our Free Terressentials Non-Toxic Product Giveaway Winners Are Announced!!!

Hello everyone! I am back online after a required medical time out, due to my recently having two successful cataract surgeries on my eyes. My hubby has given me sparkling vision for Christmas! So... now it is time to let the ladies who won the Terressentials Giveaway on this blog, which ended on December 12th, know that they are the winners! Yes, I decided to give away a runner up prize too! According to the Random Number generator here are the winners:

Winner of the full size 'Terressentials Left Coast Lemon Body Wash' is Elaine Ross!

Winner of sampler size 'Terressentials body creams and lip protector' is Mary Crenson!

Congratulations and a big thank you to both ladies, for your continued interest in the information we provide at The Queen's Table blog. I will contact you both to make the arrangements to get you your free Terressentials products! Now that I am healed and rested I will be back to posting recipes along with food and health related topics. Rock on and enjoy the holidays everyone!