Much has been said about kale (including referring to it as “the new beef”) and with good reason.  The benefits are plentiful.  These include: low calorie, high fiber, zero fat, high in vitamins A, C, K, and iron, and it’s full of powerful antioxidants.  But there really are only so many ways you can spin a kale salad, kale chips, steamed kale.  It all winds up tasting very much the way it began… like kale.

If you’ve grown a bit tired of this green powerhouse, and have found yourself pushing it around you plate (ahh the way we once all did with peas), it’s time to try something a little out of the ordinary.

Blended.

A kale smoothie is a great for a morning boost or after-noon/post-workout snack.  Apple juice, peach, and banana are all favorable ingredients to balance out the underlying bitterness of raw kale.   A sweet purple or a red kale can also help sweeten up the smoothie as well.

I’m partial, in all my smoothies, to a frozen banana.  The texture quality is unbeatable.

 

Ingredients

6 ounces apple juice
4 slices fresh or frozen peach (about 1 medium peach)
2 cups raw kale, stems removed and chopped finely
1 frozen banana

OR if you are feeling citrusy

Ingredients

1 orange, peeled

4 slices fresh or frozen peach (about 1 medium peach)

2 cups raw kale, stems removed and chopped finely,

1 frozen banana

½ cup Greek yogurt
Blend. Drink. Feel reinvigorated.

A smoothie never hurt anyone.  Kale tossed in, even better.

-Arianna Schioldager