Up until about a month ago my breakfast consisted of steel cut oats, a breakfast burrito, or a couple eggs and toast. All three of those breakfast foods served me well in the morning and kept me quite satisfied until my 10:00am morning snack. However, I did not know what I was missing by not eating a veggie and fruit packed green smoothie every morning. I don’t want to sound overly dramatic but I feel like drinking these green smoothies have been life changing.
Let me explain.
First of all I know it is important to have a diet high in fruits and vegetables – we all know that. However, for some reason I struggled with this. It’s not that I don’t like fruits and vegetables because I do. It just I could not find a way to fit them into my lifestyle without it feeling like too much work. Don’t ask why it was too much work it just was. I did not want to have to think of a vegetable side every time I made dinner or remember my apple for lunch everyday. That might work for some of you but it was not working for me. Plus even if I did eat an apple a day and broccoli for dinner I wasn’t even close to getting the amount of fruits and vegetables I should be eating. So right off the bat drinking a green smoothie has caused me to double if not triple my daily fruit and vegetable intake.
With increasing my fruits and vegetables I started to see other health benefits. The most noticeable was my skin. I don’t want to be to TMI so I will just say this. Over the last couple years I have had some hormone fluctuations that at times wreaked havoc on my face. Honestly, there were months I swear you would think I was a teenager with the amount of acnen I had. It was awful. Within a week of drinking green smoothies my face started completely clearing up. It was amazing. And honestly if I did not experience it I would have never believe it. I also add 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil to my smoothies, which I think also plays a big part in keeping my skin nice. From the research I have done on coconut oil I have found it to be praised as quite the miracle food. One of the known benefits is the positive effect it has on reducing or eliminating acne. I think that is a whole other post in itself so I will save that for another time. But if you have acne issues I highly recommend looking into coconut oil.
The only drawback to coconut oil is the fat and calories – both are quite high. But please do not let that scare you off because the benefits you get from coconut oil outweigh any of the calories and fat. I have not seen any weight gain issues since starting to drink these and sometimes I add more coconut oil than the recipe calls for. I just take that in consideration when I am planning out the rest of my meals.
Another benefit to green smoothies is the amount of energy and clarity I feel in the morning and throughout the day. It’s kind of funny because I never really thought I lacked energy. However, within a week of drinking green smoothies I felt like a cloud lifted – a cloud I didn’t know existed.
I also find that I don’t drink as much coffee as I did before. As you know I am quite the coffee addict. Seriously, it is one of my last bad habits. But when I bring my green smoothie with me to work I just slurp on that instead of a caffeinated sugar filled coffee drink. This benefit was unexpected but nonetheless welcomed.
Those are just a few of the benefits I have noticed right away. I am sure there will be more and as they come about I will let you know.
Let me share my simple strawberry and kale smoothie recipe that I have been drinking for about 3 weeks. It is my goal to create different green smoothie recipes but this is the one I started off with and still use. Sometimes I switch it up by adding pineapple or berries but I always keep the base the same with kale, coconut oil, and plain greek yogurt.
One question I got when I posted this on facebook was “does it taste gross with the kale” or “can I taste the kale”. My answer to this is it does not taste gross at all. I think it taste great and would not drink it if it tasted bad. Second, I feel the taste of the fruit comes through more than the kale. If you are worried then just start off with a small amount of kale and work your way up to more. I started with about 1 cup of kale and now I use 2 cups and at times will shove even more in.
Last, this recipe makes about 3 cups of smoothie – it is big. I drink the whole thing for breakfast but you probably could split this into two servings. The nutritional information is for 1 big smoothie.
Let me know if you have any more questions about smoothies and I will try to answer them in a later post. Also, stay tuned because I will be getting creative with more smoothie recipes in the future.
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen strawberries
- 2 cups fresh kale
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 banana optional for sweetness
- 1 – 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup optional for sweetness
- water to reach consistency like.
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. If needed add water till you get the consistency you want.
Bonnie says
I made this recipe this morning for the first time. First time ever using kale too. I love it! I used 1 cup of kale and can’t taste it at all. I’ll use more tomorrow. I used a berry mixture of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. I used honey instead of syrup and added just a little peanut butter. It’s awesome!!!
Kim Ward says
Try using baby kale instead of regular kale the taste is milder and baby vegetables are more nutrients dense. Also, you can buy coconut oil in liquid form, got amazon.com and search, or your local health food stores 😀 I hope thus info is helpful.
Cheryl says
I love the green smoothies. I try to be dairy free most of the time. I use vanilla flavored vegetable protein powder that I buy at Sprouts with stevia. Adds 20 grams of protein. Almond milk or you can use green tea also whatever you like. I use a mixture of spinach and kale, banana, strawberries, blueberries or cherries. Whatever I happen to have on hand. whip it up and enjoy. This morning blast of protein keeps me going all morning. I don’t have time to measure out the fruits and veggies I use about a handful and that equals out to about half cup. Use about one cup of milk and 1 cup of juice or green tea.
Ny2CaliChris says
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I added coconut water to the mix before blending in my Ninja. I also put half a banana in which changed the taste considerably. (It’s pretty bland without it). Fruits are wonderful but they are also very high in sugar… so use in moderation! A half of a banana will do the trick… especially if it’s ripe. I also added Chia seeds which does nothing to the taste, but are loaded with antioxidants, fiber, protein and will aid in weight loss & energy. =D
Kelley says
I had my first kale smoothie this morning and was dreading it due to all the taste comments everywhere, I did not notice the taste at all however it was made with apple juice and a banana! Two cups of kale is what I used and it was not too much at all! My husband loved this and that in itself is unbelievable! Am going to try your recipe in the morning! For those having trouble with the taste of kale maybe it is the banana that cuts the taste?
Sarah says
Hey there! I made this smoothie this morning, modifying the quantities slightly to my taste, and found it delightful. Great recipe 🙂