Summer of Smoodies (or, blended kale, anyone?)

This spring we planted kale in our garden. This was first for us and I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I like the stuff. I'm also thrilled that this, so called cool weather plant, seems to not be aware of the heat or humidity and is happily providing me with new, young leaves for breakfast smoothies. Kale, you say? In a breakfast beverage? Yes, and let me tell you it ain't half bad. If I were more poetically gifted I'd write an ode to kale. How could I not love it after hearing my exceedingly picky four year old exclaim, "I love kale smoodies!" Whaaat? The kid who, as an infant, could smell green veggies hidden under his yogurt on the spoon before it even hit his mouth? The same kid who has refused most veggies, up until recently, and desired to live off Yobaby yogurt and Goldfish crackers (not that we let him, mind you). Yes, although in the spirit of full disclosure I have to admit that I think he's moved through that phase and is now much more daring in his food choices. Macaroni and cheese with brocolli, special chicken (salmon), coleslaw, hummus, fish oil capsules (yuck), etc. The other day, out of nowhere, he even requested carrot sticks. But I digress.

So perhaps all my excitement about kale is making you curious about how this smoothie thing works. There are lots of ideas and recipes out there (I'm so not even going to pretend that this is an original idea) but here's what we've tried and had success with. We've tried pineapple, mango and strawberries in addition to the fruit mentioned below. All are good.

A few cups of washed, torn kale, stems removed.
1/2-1 c. water, juice, yogurt or other liquid of your choice (I use water and coconut milk yogurt)
2 or 3 ripe bananas
1/2 or more c. fresh or frozen blueberries
dash vanilla
1-2 TBS. extra virgin coconut oil, optional
1-2 pastured raw eggs, optional

Blend kale with a small amount of liquid, add a little at a time until it begins to blend the leaves. Let blender run for a few minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides. Once kale is well blended (how smooth it gets will depend on the quality of your blender) add your fruit and vanilla and blend again. If it's too thick add more liquid. If you add the coconut oil and eggs chances are it will get really thick, think mayonnaise, and you'll need some additional liquid. Once it's well blended, pour into a glass, sip with a straw if desired, and exclaim, "I love kale smoodies!"



The chocolate kale smoothie alternative. Just add some cocoa powder to your bananas and blueberries. You may need additional sweetner (we like honey).



This obviously has no kale in it. Just your classic banana-strawberry smoothie (with extra EVCO and raw eggs, or course ;)