Refreshing Greens

I start almost every morning with a green smoothie. Typically in the winter months, I opt for a heartier, non-dairy milk based smoothie... but, this smoothie has been part of the daily routine for many months now. And I'm still not tired of it!

I posted earlier about a green smoothie recipe that is in ed&bv. This one is slightly different, though has many of the same ingredients. The first of which is kale! As I mentioned before, other greens like spinach and chard are very healthy, but the iron and calcium are not nearly as well absorbed. With kale, our bodies can suck up that calcium and iron!! My favorite kale to use is black kale, sometimes called dinosaur kale (since the leaves have a rather reptilian resemblance!), but you can use any variety of kale you like.

Remove the leaves from the stalks. I do this by holding the stalk in one hand, and running my fingers along each side of the stalk to strip it. Add the leafy greens to the bottom of your blender (I use this KitchenAid), and discard the stalks. The other ingredients I regularly use are fresh pineapple, frozen mango, and frozen banana. I buy 1-2 fresh pineapples a week and when ripe, remove peel and cut in chunks and store refrigerated in an airtight container for daily smoothies. The pineapple brightens the flavor and gives a tropical tang, and the mango and banana lend sweetness to the mix - and also a creamy texture. I've been using frozen mangoes, since it makes for quick smoothie prep, and the frozen fruit helps the texture. As for the frozen bananas, I always have ziploc baggies of sliced overripe bananas in the freezer - buy a swack of nanners and get your freezer stocked up!

All you need to do is load in those fruits on top of the kale, and then add a small amount of water to get the blending going - start with a little and then add more if needed. You'll quickly determine how much you'll need each time. Sometimes I add fresh orange juice (one or two oranges) into the blender - particularly if I don't have much pineapple left. Also, typically I add about 1/2 tsp of spirulina powder (for 2 decent size smoothies). Sometimes I add extra spirulina, though not much more since the taste can be overpowering, personally. But, if you enjoy the taste - add more - it's very good for you!

Give the lot a good whiz, until it is smoooooth. You can also use a handblender, as you see in my previous post, though it requires a little more assistance from you! So, if you have a good blender, put it to work! And, then, enjoy your refreshing greens (your body will thank you)!