Kale-Spinach Smoothie
January is almost over, and I have yet to post the obligatory healthy green smoothie recipe. Bad blogger! Hopefully, some of you are still following your New Year’s resolutions.
I am proud and happy to say that I am still sticking to my annual New Year’s resolution to lose weight. Believe it or not, this smoothie is not allowed on the phase of the diet I’m in right now though it will be down the line. As with so many high-protein diets (which mine is), any fruits or vegetables with a high sugar content are off limits initially.
When my daughters were home over the school holiday break, I mentioned that I needed to find a smoothie recipe that would use up some kale I had lying around. Sara came to the rescue with a recipe she had found on the internet. We whipped up a couple of batches and thoroughly enjoyed our smoothies. I was out of flax oil, so I ground up some flax seeds instead. I happen to like all things nutty and seedy; but, if you don’t, stick to the flax oil. Ground flax seeds and flax oil are loaded with omega 3 which are essential fatty acids that the body cannot get on its own—only food sources can provide it. The health benefits of flax seed/oil are numerous.
I made a second batch but mixed things up a little. This time I used baby spinach and pineapple-flavored coconut water and liked it even better than the all-kale smoothie. I have a sneaking suspicion it was the pineapple-flavored coconut water that made the difference. When I can finally have bananas again—in moderation, of course—I think I’ll try the 50-50 kale spinach version.
This diet—oh, that four-letter word—has really put a crimp in my blogging. As you can imagine, no desserts are allowed—for a long while, I’m afraid. So, any desserts you see are going to be from my backlog. In the meantime, I’ve got a few diet-friendly recipes that I’ll pass along. But, if you’ve got a hankering for something sweet, you’ll just have to browse through the dessert archives.
Speaking of four-letter words, I am reminded of an old joke about a newlywed who talked to her mother after she had been back from her honeymoon for a few weeks. Her mother asked her how things were going. The young woman started crying.
“What’s wrong,” asked her mother anxiously.
Her daughter answered, “My husband keeps using four-letter words when he talks to me.”
Horrified, the mother asked what he was saying to her daughter.
“He keeps telling me that he wants me to ‘cook’, ‘wash’, and ‘iron’!” replied the daughter.
So, to that somewhat unpopular list, I am adding “diet.” I am just keeping in mind that “food” and “love” are also four-letter words. And lord knows, I do love food! Wish me luck…
One year ago: Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes with Chocolate Glaze, Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs
Two years ago: Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo
Kale-Spinach Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 large handful or roughly chopped kale or baby spinach or combination of each
- 1 frozen banana, cut into several pieces
- 1 cup pure unsweetened coconut water or unsweetened flavored coconut water
- 2 tbl. almond butter
- 1 tbl. flax oil or 1 tbl. flax seeds ground into powder
- 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
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Directions
Place all ingredients in a blender.
Purée until completely uniform and all the bits of green are puréed. Serve immediately.
Source: A recipe from yummly.com via my daughter Sara