Fruit and Kale Smoothie

So after making my Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana, my sister’s sister in law told me that she has used kale in smoothies before.  I had some left over and thought I’d definitely try!  

Okay, so half of my ingredients came from my Bountiful Basket.  I knew there was no way I’d get out of sharing my smoothie so I made extra for C and H to have some.  (R had already headed off to school.)  I used…

1 small Ataulfo Mango

3/4 cup chopped  Curly Kale

1 cup strawberry yogurt (vanilla works great too!)

1 small banana

1-1/2 cups frozen strawberries

2 cups apple juice (or really any juice you’d like to use for your base)

Blend those all together until smooth.  If you find out it’s not thick enough, blend in some crushed ice.

There it is in all it’s yummy glory!  I was worried about the kale being over powering, but it wasn’t!  It was nice and mild.  I’ve heard that Dinosaur Kale has a sweeter taste than the Curly Kale which might be even better for smoothies!

Kale has some pretty awesome benefits which makes it even more appealing to use!

~Kale is very effective at reducing the risk of lung, bladder, colon, breast and ovarian cancer.

~Helps prevent a number of cardiovascular ailments.

~It’s rich in Vitamin C which helps against Inflammatory Polyarthritis, a type of RA.

~It has a high calcium content…who doesn’t need more calcium?

~It helps maintain a normal blood sugar level, so if you suffer from diabetes this can be a real benefit.

~It helps in the general strengthening of the immune system.

There is one drawback to kale that if you over consume, it can cause certain ailments.

So the bottom line is…It’s great to incorporate into your meals, but don’t eat too much of it. 🙂

I asked the boys how they liked the smoothie.  They were too busy sucking it down to answer! 🙂

My sweet little boys!  Do you have any favorite smoothie recipes?  If so, don’t be shy!  Share them with us!

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