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.
sue says
Am i reading that correctly 32G of Fat…I am trying to eat healthy and no low fat crap for me anymore…but 32 G at the start of the day???
Angela says
I would imagine most of that fat is from the coconut oil. It has a lot of fat in it. I too think that is too much fat so just don’t add the oil. 1 tbsp has about 14g.
Ellen says
Thank you for inspiring me. I never had a green smoothie before reading this post. I love them for lunch!! Even my kids like them. Thank you for introducing such a healthy thing to my family! Keep up the great information!!
Laura says
I love this smoothie! Instead of pure maple syrup I have been adding some honey for extra sweetness.
Davina Townsley says
for your kale strawberry smoothie would it be OK instead of the almond milk if I was to put in sugar free cranberry juice
Tammy says
It won’t be as creamy but any liquid you want to use would be fine.
Steven Clements says
I LOVE IT! I have to agree one must love kale at that amount/ratio. But Kale is my favorite green and quite the super food!
Shelli says
To make the kale less bitter, massage it in your hand. I just literally keep scrunching it up in my hand, tastes much better, I eat a lot of raw kale salads but this was how I was able to! Also, grind up some flax seeds & add to your smoothie. 2tblspns = 4g protein!
Jillian says
Thank you for sharing. I just made it (minus the banana and syrup) and I added blue berries. I also slightly melted the coconut oil to help with the consistency. I’m used to drinking green smoothies with spinach, but have been looking for a recipe to try kale. I like it!
Catherine says
Give Kale a chance. There are different variations of kale, with that comes differences in flavor. If you’re trying kale for the first time, take a piece and chew on it. Learn the taste of it. Then make a smoothie. The yucky taste could be the combination of items. You can change things to find your unique combination. I personally find spinach has a stronger taste than kale. I have come to like Tuscan kale and am seeking more varieties to try. Organic foods have a different flavor from the industrial grown foods. So before you cross off an ingredient ask yourself, was it organic, was it the only variety, did I taste the ingredient or combine it with something else, when you learn more about the food you will learn how to appreciate it more.
Zenobia says
Hi Can we use normal milk instead of almond milk? Or would coconut milk work?
Amanda says
My sister swears by Granny Smith apples. She says they will help reduce the kale taste in any smoothie.
Linda says
I am still struggling to lose weight. Isn’t that a lot of calories for breakfast?
Julie says
Sounds amazing & I’ve started ! Thanks! But where is the 32 g of fat coming from!?!
Samantha says
So the calories listed are for the entire recipe? When I enter the ingredients as listed it comes out 695 calories; 32 g fat; 96 carbs.
Tammy says
Yes it is. I just double checked my calculations and they seemed to be correct. I am using my fitness pal to calculate.
Samantha says
I used Sparkpeople but I also used 2 tsps for maple syrup and medium banana calculations. That may be the difference.
Karin says
Hi Tammy,
I made this, this morning. First green smoothie ever. I have to say I’m disappointed because I don’t like it. Kinda hard to get it down. The kale taste overwhelms it. Wondering if spinach would be better. Would love to see more smoothie combinations!
Tammy says
Hey there! If this is your first smoothie then I could see how the kale can be a bit overwhelming if you are not used to it. I would recommend easing your way into green smoothies with reducing the kale to what your are comfortable with. Then increase until you have the amount you would eventually like to get up to. Also try adding a little pure maple syrup. That adds a nice sweetness.
And yes spinach is milder. I just made a tropical smoothie with spinach and noticed quite a difference in taste. Maybe give that a try.
I will update this post to reflect these comments. Thanks so much for sharing.
Kim says
I’m only using spinach right now, there’s no taste in a smoothie. Can’t stand the bitterness of kale 🙁
Elythe says
I use spinach you can’t taste it. I can’t handle kale
Tricia says
Hi! I always couldn’t stand the bitterness of Kale either until I learned a trick. It sounds strange – but it works! Massage your Kale under warm running water in a colander until you see the Kale break down a bit. Then we do the salad spinner to remove all water so our smoothies aren’t watered down. And we don’t even taste the Kale. We even use it this way in salads just using Kale as the greens. I know it sounds strange – but try it – then I bet you’ll be spreading this trick, I hope, so more people can eat it! 🙂
nora zabowski says
So sorry to hear, but don’t give up, with the right combination, and there’s tons, you will love it! I just made one with a handful of kale, use a little less to start. Frozen mango, about 5-6 chunks, frozen pineapple 5-6 chunks, 1 carrot cut up, a couple of ‘Cutie’ oranges that needed to be eaten, peeled them and put in along with a piece of the peel with pith on it, has lots of vitamins. Added a tsp of wheat grass powder and about a cup of water and 6-7 ice cubes. At the last, I put a couple squirts of Organic Blue Agave.
Put water and ice cubes first, I have a Vitamix and you need the fluid on the bottom and it pulls down the solids. Blend on high for about 40 seconds. It tastes amazing and is VERY green when using just water and not milk, really pretty though and tastes amazing!
Jennifer says
How do you get the coconut oil to mix. Any time I have tried it solidifies when it’s cold so it just gathers on the side of my magic bullet container.
Lacey says
I have had the same issues. Would love some suggestions….
Cari Bayens says
Me too. I tried this recipe for the first time and had chunks of oil in my smoothie.
Stephanie says
I warm the coconut oil in the microwave for 30-40 seconds until it is liquid and when the smoothie is completely blended, I add it at the end, pouring it into the top hold of the lid of my blender while it mixing.
Clara says
You could also use spinach leaves. I sometimes throw in a stalk of celerly & a 1/4 of a cuke, and a sm slice of ginger.
Janis Jones says
Is Kale better than spinach? Also, what do you think of using low sodium v8 juice as the liquid? I tried it and you can’t tell it is in there.
nora zabowski says
You really need to switch up your greens, as too much kale is not good. Spinach works well, or Romaine, Collard greens, mustard greens give a little nip, like mustard does, dandelion greens are very healthy, bib lettuce, yada yada. Each green has their own set of nutrients. Also, don’t overuse the fruit, as you’re defeating the purpose. You can sweeten with a little Agave, which won’t spike your sugar, or add in a few Medool dates with pits removed. Don’t forget to sometimes add in a stalk of celery, or a carrot, and if you have fresh pineapple, use the middle core, it’s a powerful anti inflammatory. I like to throw in a teaspoon of powered wheat grass, much more palatable when mixed in a smoothie. Throw in some hemp seeds, or flax, or protein powder, it’s endless, enjoy!
Ann Marie says
Thanks for those tips with the Agave and adding the celery and carrots. Are these smoothies good for weight lose ?
Melissa says
Wow, I may have to give this a shot purely for the energy boost you say you feel. Do you attribute that to any one ingredient?
Gina says
You talk about using Greek yogurt, but I don’t see any in your actual recipe.
Tammy says
fixing that now. sorry. It is 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt.
Pat S says
Good for you! I don’t know if I could hack that much kale in my smoothie but this is my recipe that I drink almost daily. 1 banana, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup frozen kale, 6 oz plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup 1% milk. In the summer I freeze the bananas but it makes me too cold in the winter. 🙂
I’ve found I can purchase the kale fresh, run it through my NInja and freeze it ahead of time. Therefore, the 1/2 cup of kale is already chopped fine. I’ve never measured to see how much that is before processing.