We were at the store last night and I said to Toby, “I need to get some kale”. He demanded to know what I needed it for, as if I was going to sneak it into something and not tell him about it. Well, I guess I am guilty of trying that kind of thing once, or twice. But this time, my plan was to 1) explain the health benefits of kale, 2) make a smoothie that tasted like something other than kale, 3) ask him to taste just a small sip.
“Kale is a good source of vitamins A, B6, C, and K, iron, calcium, fiber, AND anti-cancer compounds,” I began. “Kale is full of nutrients with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits and it provides a healthy amount of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll helps to remove toxins from your body. Considering all of that, isn’t this worth a try?”
He actually liked it! His words… “It tastes fresh.” Let me know if you like it, too.
| Kale, Banana and Apple Smoothie |
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- 1½ cups curly green kale, stems removed
- 1 banana, frozen
- ½ apple, peeled, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1½ cups water
- ½ cup ice
- Combine kale, banana, apple and water in a blender and blend on high. Add ice and finish blending. Thin with a little more water, if needed, to reach desired consistency.
- EnJOY!
In an attempt to incorporate Kale into my diet, Smoothies have been my go-to choice. I have used many combinations of fruits with it and the results have been delicious. I’ve made a few salads with it, and even cooked it down, but the Smoothies are the only thing that I can get my husband to try. Not wanting to waste any Kale, I make up several blenders of smoothie mixture then freeze in ice trays for future use. Once they freeze, transfer into freezer bags. Then, when you’re ready for a smoothie, just take a few of the ‘cubes’ and blend with a little water or fruit juice. No waste, and minimal prep time when you want one!
Thanks for sharing a new combination of ingredients, will try it out tomorrow.
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I added carrots and some orange juice as well….delicious! Little pulpier than I’d like, but my blender isn’t the best and you can squeeze soo many nutrients into 1 smoothie.
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I’m drinking this smoothie now! Yum, my 4 year old even likes it.
But now I have alot of kale left over and heading out of town tomorrow. What ideas do you have to use the kale?
Thanks!
Angela
Hi, Angela -
How about a quick saute to use up the leftovers…
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and ground black pepper
Directions:
In a large pan with a lid, cook the kale with 2 Tbsp. of water over medium high heat until the leaves wilt. When the kale volume has reduced by 50%, uncover the pan and stir in the garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Continue to cook for a couple minutes more and season with salt and pepper.
I LOVE the fact that your four year old is drinking a kale smoothie! Fantastic!
Have a great day,
Mary
Thanks Mary! I’ll try the kale saute. I’ve always wanted to try this so now I will.
My little guy love to try new things and since it was green, his favorit color it was an easy sell.
PCC makes a really yummy winter green caesar salad. Since we are on the green topic I thought I’d see if you could come up with something. I tried it with a bag of winter greens/kale and a TJ dressing but the greens were a little tough. Do you need to blanch them greens first with salt for something like this?
Thanks Mary!
That gives us something to work on! I’ll see what Joy and I can come up with.
Margretta: The great thing about smoothies is that you can put lots of veggies into it and as long as you have a strong-tasting fruit (i.e. banana, berry, orange) it will just taste like the yummy fruit. Let me know how you like it. I hope you’ll become a fan.
Charlene: I’m so glad you are going to give it a try. I’m looking forward to hearing how it turns out for you!
This sounds really healthy and I’m going to try it out this weekend.
This actually looks really good! I’m not a smoothie fan, but think I might have to give it a try.