All-Natural, Protein-Rich Smoothies & How to Eat Your (Hidden) Greens

One of my friends is a holistic nutritionist and recently ran a 30-day smoothie challenge on her fb page. Shout out to @KarinRHN! She lives in a converted schoolhouse, goes on wildfood foraging adventures, and grows her own heritage vegetables. Needless to say, she’s living a holistic foodie’s dream. I normally just eat cereal for breakfast (works for my IBS issues, I’ve found), but her gorgeous pictures of smoothies, and her delicious sounding recipes inspired me to create my own smoothie.

I also came across some dried kale powder in Bulk Barn last week and thought it would be the perfect addition to a smoothie. I ignored the additive-rich protein powder in the bin beside it, and went for the pure stuff: 100% dried kale. I put it on my kitchen counter to remind me to make smoothies for breakfast.

So smoothies were on my mind. And then I came across a recipe on Buzzfeed last week, that talked about adding almond butter to smoothies, and I thought, huh, I’ve got peanut butter…I wonder if that works?

Let me tell you, it does! Read on for the super-easy, super-DELICIOUS recipe!

Invisible Kale Smoothie

• 1 tbsp. peanut butter (all natural, chunky)
• 1/3 c. frozen Ontario strawberries
• 1/3 c. frozen blueberries
• 1/2 c. ice cubes
• 1 c. Greek yoghurt, vanilla
• 1 generous tsp. dried kale powder
• 2 tsp. ground flax seeds (ground, so you can digest them)
• optional topping: homemade chocolate granola

Blend all ingredients together. And…done! If it’s a bit thick, you can add in a bit of milk, but I like mine thick so I rarely add that in.

What’s awesome about this recipe is that the Greek Yoghurt and peanut butter make it high in protein, the ground flax seed gives it a dose of omega-fatty acids, and the frozen fruit and kale powder gives you a generous dose of fruits and veggies. Basically, it couldn’t get any healthier!

And it tastes soooo good! Fruity, creamy, and with a hint of peanutty goodness! Mmm…I know what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow!

Next Post: Peanut Butter Cups or Grind-Your-Own Garam Malasa? Choices, choices!