kale smoothie Archives - Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Miss G and I continue to start most of our days with a big green smoothie each, and I must say, we’re loving it. It’s become a morning routine for us… Grae retrieves the blender and fresh produce, I grab the freezer ingredients and chop things up, she puts everything into the blender, and together we enjoy our mason jars of green goodness.

I really shouldn’t even say this, but we’ve managed to make it through the season of sickness, with friends and playmates all around us dealing with endless bouts of flu and colds, without getting sick once (*knock on wood*). And I have to say, I think these vitamin/nutrient-packed immune boosters may just have had something to do with it.

Here’s our newest favourite…

Lime Refresher Green Smoothie

1 banana, fresh or frozen
1/2 an apple
1/2 a pear
1/2 cup of frozen mango
1 large lime, peeled
3 stalks of kale, stems removed
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
1 – 1.5 cups of cold water, depending on desired consistency

Blend on low until everything is combined, then blend on high for an additional 45 seconds. Serves two (plus a wee one if you’re willing to share a little).

Enjoy!

♥

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I know that green smoothies may seem a little trendy with all of the New Year’s resolutions happening right now, but the truth is that they’re really easy, really healthy, and pretty much a fool-proof way to start your day.

Grae and I have been making green smoothies for a long while now (and even made one with all green ingredients for last year’s St. Patrick’s Day), but I decided I’d make a habit of making one each morning after slipping into a routine of skipping breakfast for the last couple of months of 2012. So far, we’ve pretty much started each day of the New Year with a green smoothie of some sort (we often just add a couple of giant handfuls of kale or spinach to this trusty standby), but this particular one has quickly become our very favourite.

Here’s the lineup of ingredients… Some cold water, several ice cubes, pure orange juice (or better yet – a fresh squeezed orange), half an apple, a pear, a banana, and a few kale leaves.

To get started, peel the banana, chop up the pear, and peel and chop the apple (as long as you don’t mind some added texture, feel free to leave the apple peel on).

Now pop those things into the blender {while sneaking a few bites of course}.

Next, remove the stems from the kale.

And add it to the blender along with the orange juice, water, and ice cubes.

This part isn’t necessary and certainly doesn’t change the flavour, but we always add a big scoop of chia seeds to our smoothies. The nutritional benefits of chia are amazing and it keeps your smoothie from separating if you store extras in the fridge overnight. Bonus!

Next, blend everything up. We normally start on a low setting until the ingredients are combined, then crank it up and let it blend a while longer so that it doesn’t feel as though you’re drinking a salad. ☺

(If you really don’t like the idea of drinking leaves and want your smoothie to be as smooth as possible, blend just your liquids and leafy greens first, then add in the other ingredients afterwards.)

Now pour into cups and enjoy!