You’ll see all the ladies carrying these glasses full of green/purple pulp, all over the elementary school drop-off. The giveaway is the napkin we carry in the other hand, to wipe off the inevitable green/purple mustache that accompanies this smoothie. We’re the moms that are a decade or two older than all the other moms, and this smoothie helps us keep up. Now, even the men are asking for the recipe, men like my husband who say, “That shake helps me bike 20 percent faster.” Before you read further, you must know that this smoothie tastes delicious. We like our smoothie.
We’re drinking kale shakes. Kale. A vegetable loaded with vitamins, with a taste that surprisingly gets erased in the presence of fruit. I promise.
Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable. Kale, as with broccoli, contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced RAW!!!), a chemical believed to have potent anti-cancer properties. It’s a powerful antioxidant. Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium.
You can certainly buy all of those powered greens at the health food store, for big bucks, or you can get fresh greens, much more cheaply, with a fresh bag of kale. Kale. You can’t taste it. I promise.
The recipe came from a friend, who has a 90-year-old grandmother who drinks this every morning. “She looks great, and she’s full of energy.” How does she do it? She “fills the blender cup all way to the top with greens.” No skimping. There is no “recipe,” simply fill your immersion blender with whatever fruit you have on hand. Some options:
- Whole peeled orange (for juice),
- frozen or fresh berries,
- banana,
- some moms swear by mangoes,
- melon,
- nuts (For protein. We’re skipping dairy in this shake, as kale has the calcium covered.)
- Ground flax seed. Optional, buy why not?
- Kale.
You really cannot taste the kale. (Did I say that already?) After a few gulps, you’ve had your greens for the day.
Some other good add-ons would be salva seeds (chia!), almond flour, nut milk, nut butter, and chocolate syrup.
I think I could definitely use this as I am one of those decade older moms who is definitely feeling my age!
Your immersion blender sure looks lovely, what kind is it? I gave my old, cheap power horse to a friend and got a shiny new thing which is not living up to my expectations.
I love those ideas — especially the chocolate. We can always mix it up…. variety.
I use my immersion blender for everything — especially soup, and it makes some awesome whipped cream. It was under $50. By Cusinart: Cuisinart CSB-77 Smart Stick Hand Blender with Whisk and Chopper Attachments
Thanks! I’ll have to check it out. My favorite smoothie flavor, which will definitely derail you off the straight and narrow, is banana, chocolate, peanut butter.
Hi
Looks good. Would love to try, do you have more of a recipe? You know one cup of kale, etc.
Thanks!
So there is there not other liquid in this? The blender gets all that ruffage down to a liquid?
Katie, I just wing it, with whatever I can find. But, I did a search and came up with a couple of recipes. You can of course, add nuts, etc to these, but these helps give you a general idea on the proportions. Here’s the first one:
Put 1 banana, 2 cups chopped kale, 1/2 cup berries 1-2 tbsp flaxseeds (optional) and 1/2 cup brown rice milk into a blender and blend.
Here’s the second:
* 2 stalks of kale
* 4-5 chunks of frozen mango (from Trader Joe’s)
* 1 small banana
* 1 cup OJ
* 1 dash cinnamon
Nicole,
Yes, my immersion blender gets everything down to a liquid — and does a great job of chopping the nuts too. I do not add juice — just the whole orange gives me enough juice so that I can drink it. (I never have juice in the house. Juice + 4boys= spills!) However, as these recipes above, juice would make a nice addition. S
Pingback: How Long Before School Starts Again? — Susiej
Pingback: No Soggy Greens: Pulverize Them — Susiej
Pingback: Breakfast — Susiej
Pingback: My Pantry Is Growing — Susiej