YAY! I Can Use Frozen Kale For Smoothies!

Trader Joe's has inexpensive frozen kale and spinach.
Their frozen mango chunks are fantastic, tastes like fresh mango!

"Green Smoothies: Frozen Veggies Better Than Fresh?

Okay, so now that I’m on the “eating clean” game, I’m trying to incorporate green smoothies into my diet. In the past, I found it difficult to be consistent as I HATE grocery shopping weekly to get fresh produce … and I never have enough time to do all the rinsing/washing/ peeling/de-stalking, etc. that is required. So, stuff inevitably spoils and has to be trashed (I HATE being wasteful of my money and food even more than I hate grocery shopping).

So, when someone suggested I use frozen veggies in my smoothies to eliminate the need for ice, I had an “Ah Ha” moment!! Forget not using ice. From what I’d read, frozen veggies might be even better than fresh!!

via LiveStrong.com

The nutrients of fresh vegetables begin to deteriorate from the instant they are harvested. Results from the Institute of Food Research presented in the NY Daily News reveals that fresh vegetables such as green beans lose 45 percent of their nutrients; broccoli and cauliflower, 25 percent; carrots, 10 percent; and peas up to 15 percent after 16 days of storage. With fresh vegetables, you never know how long it has been since they were picked and the amount of nutrients that were lost en route to the market unless you are buying from a local farmer. With vegetables that are frozen in their prime, you can savor most of the nutrients that were present at the time of freezing.

As much as I use frozen veggies to supplement my Lean Cuisines, I don’t know why I never thought to use them for smoothies! DUH!!!! I mean, they are frozen at the peak of ripeness, hence nutrient rich. They are already washed and cut. They can last for months in the freezer!! And most of the time, they cost far less than fresh produce!! How much more economical, quick and convenient can you get?!?!?

That being said, I picked up some frozen spinach (which I always keep in the freezer) and kale at the grocery store last week and whipped up the green smoothie above last Saturday! With protein, fiber, Omega-6, potassium and a variety of other vitamins and minerals, it was a perfect post-workout recovery meal!

SPINACH, KALE, BANANA, PROTEIN GREEN SMOOTHIE RECIPE

8 oz. water

6 oz. almond milk (30 cal)

1 lightly thawed frozen banana (100 cal)
(suggestion: PEEL first, then freeze! LOL!)

1/2 c. frozen spinach (15 cal)

1 c. frozen kale (25 cal)

1 tbsp flax seeds (47 cal)

1 scoop Nectar Strawberry Mousse Whey Protein (100 cal)

Total:  317 Calories

HEALTHY and DELICIOUS!! "

http://hairscapades.com/2013/03/18/green-smoothies-frozen-veggies-better-than-fresh/

NO NEED FOR ICE IF YOU USE FROZEN KALE:

KALE, PEACH & COCONUT SMOOTHIE

*makes 2 smoothies

• 1 cup frozen unsweetened peach slices (if you use fresh peaches, just add a couple ice cubes)
• 1 cup packed kale, torn into pieces and stems discarded
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 3/4 cup coconut water (may need a little more or less, depending
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• (you could also add a big scoop of greek yogurt or a glug of almond milk for added creaminess)

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend on high until very smooth. Pour into 2 glasses; serve with straws.

http://camillestyles.com/drinks/bottoms-up-peach-kale-coconut-smoothie/

Green Smoothie with Kale, Apple, Lemon, Honey Dew

Author: Angela Roberts

Recipe type: Beverage

Cuisine: Heathy

Serves: 2

Two Recipes for Green Smoothies with Kale & Spinach

Ingredients

• Ingredients for Smoothie Number 1
• 1 cup kale
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup honey dew melon
• 1 green apple
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds (optional)
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup ice cubes
• Ingredients for Smoothie Number 2
• 1 cup kale
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 frozen pear (slice before freezing)
• 1 cup chopped mango
• ½ orange (no seeds)
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds (optional)
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup ice

Instructions

1. Mix with together in Vitamix until smooth. You have options to add in flax seeds, the Vitamix protein powder (which is tasteless), avocado, banana, raw oats, nuts, etc.

http://spinachtiger.com/two-green-smoothie-recipes-using-kale-and-spinach/

The Ultimate Green Smoothie Formula 

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with green smoothies. They’re quick, easy, portable, delicious, and you can add a ridiculous amount of super-powered nutrients to each one. Plus, let’s all just admit that drinking something green gives you an excuse to feel smug in the best possible way, doesn’t it?

Below, you’ll find my go-to formula for blending up a simple, nutrient-dense smoothie that even the laziest non-breakfast-eater will love. If you’re new to drinking your greens, start with sweeter, smoother fruits (like bananas) and then as your tastebuds acclimate and change (yep, that really happens) you can get greener and more adventurous.

Super easy, right??

One of my personal favorites is what I call the Cinnamon Apple Smoothie: unsweetened vanilla almond milk, spinach, apple, chia seeds, and cinnamon. I also love my Coconut & Banana Smoothie: unsweetened coconut milk, kale, frozen banana, raw cacao, coconut oil, flaxseed, and vegan vanilla protein powder.

But, honestly, the combinations are deliciously endless, and if you have a favorite of your own I’d love to hear about it! I’d also be happy to go into more detail about the ass-kicking health benefits of certain ingredients (chia seeds, for example, or spirulina) – so if that’s something you’d be interested in just let me know and I’ll get on it.

Happy Smoothie-ing!

http://www.lifelessbullshit.com/green-smoothie/

The Big List of Green Smoothies The method is basically the same for making all smoothies. Place all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Many "recipes" do not include ice, but ice would be a great addition to most any smoothie.   HGK's Pumpkin Pie Birthday Treat 1 frozen banana 2 big handfuls fresh spinach 3/4 cup pumpkin puree 2 smallish dates 1 cup nut milk of your choice 1 Tbsp ground flax seed 8 ice cubes a few shakes of cinnamon a few shakes of pumpkin pie spice   Tiffany’s 1 cup almond milk 2 cups fresh spinach 1/2 cup blueberries 1 frozen banana 1 T flax seed   Melissa’s 1/2 bag frozen spinach or big bunch frozen kale 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 tablespoon spirulina 1/4 cup blueberries 1 date Petra’s handful of kale, especially the stalks 4 stalks celery 1 cucumber 2 apples or one ruby red grapefruit or sometimes both Ginny’s This is my go-to breakfast smoothie, which is either from Engine 2 or the Whole Foods support documents for Engine 2: 1 frozen banana (key to making many smoothies is having a supply of PEELED frozen bananas in your freezer) 2 tablespoons almond butter (can also use peanut butter) 4 large leaves or equivalent of smaller leaves of kale (I use dinosaur kale, my favorite); take the rib out 8 oz. or to taste of soy milk or other veggie milk Sometimes I also throw in raspberries or strawberries. Yum! Patt’s 1c water  enough greens that when blended equals 2c (including water). 2c fruit. We like pineapple, banana, and whatever other fruit is around to go with whatever greens are available.  This makes a quart, great for one or two people for a day. Those are easy proportions to increase or decrease. Alexandria’s 3 cups of spinach 5 frozen whole strawberries 1 small kiwi or half a large kiwi 1/2 of mango handful of fresh mint 1/2 a frozen banana 1/2 cup of water squeeze of half a lemom **Usually when I have this particular smoothie I no longer eat any more fruit for the day and just concentrate on raw and cooked vegetables. Green almond bliss http://infinebalance.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/feeling-a-little-indulgent-lately/ 3/4 cups kale leaves, washed, stems removed and lightly packed 1 frozen banana 3/4 – 1 cup almond milk 3-4 ice cubes 1 Tbsp almond butter or other nut butter pinch / dash / shake of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg Green Dream Smoothie http://www.eaturveggies.com/green-dream-smoothie/ 2+ cups frozen, chopped greens such as collards, kale, or spinach 1/4 cup frozen, pineapple 1/2 frozen banana 1 golden apple 1 1/2 – 2 cups of water 1 Tbsp. of ground flax 1-2 medjool dates (de-seeded) – optional Monika’s spinach banana apple pineapple yoghurt (hopefully soy!) Sharon’s Tastes like a green banana milkshake!! 1/2 to 1 banana frozen organic spinach with or without swiss chard stuffing the blender full 1 cup of Silk light vanilla soymilk Chris-anna’s so bright, fresh and delicious! love it!!!! spinach kale or swiss chard celery parsley 1/2 apple (sweet, not tart) almond milk ice Christie’s Here's a good one I use for dinner sometimes because it does not contain fruit (except for the dates), but still tastes great: spinach kale chard carrot half a stalk of celery ice vanilla almond milk 3-4 dates dash of cinnamon 2 Tbs. hemp seeds 1 Tbs. flax chunk of cucumber Cindy’s favorite standard 1/2 - 1 banana (frozen) 1/2 pink grapefruit 2 big leaves of kale, or a huge handful 1-2 cups of water handful of ice cubes Cindy’s #2: 1/2 cup fresh pineapple with a little of the juice handful of baby carrots an apple or pear or portion thereof handful of kale (2 leaves) ice and water to blend Ellani’s Who needs sweetener when you have banana and fruit?!!! banana almond milk (pure, not sweetened) or soy milk frozen spinach frozen fruit (blueberries are great) hemp protein powder flax seeds    Alyssa’s (Everyday Maven) 8 oz non-dairy milk (usually unsweetened almond, soy, or hemp) a dash green stevia powder a dash vanilla extract 1 T flax oil huge handful kale or spinach 4 to 5 frozen strawberries or blueberries 1/2 frozen or fresh banana 4 to 5 ice cubes Elysa’s Keeps Me Happy from 9 am to 4 pm Smoothie handful of ginger mint from my garden handful of rose geranium leaves from my garden 2 carrots 1/2 lemon with skin 1/2 cup frozen black grapes 1/2 frozen banana frozen mixed berries, about 1 cup frozen mango, about 1 cup 1 Tbsp green tea powder (matcha) or 2 Tbsp green tea 1 Tbsp whole flax 1 scoop protein powder or a cup of cooked beans 1 tsp bee pollen approx 1 cup water frozen spinach to reach top of Blendtec regular container (about 1.5 cups?) blend until thick smoothie texture (2 rounds of "whole juice" in Blendtec) Michelle’s Husband's Favorite 1/2 cantaloupe- We often freeze cantaloupe in chunks when it is at a good price, and use if for smoothies whenever we want them. 1/2 banana Greens. I usually use kale and baby spinach. I usually use about 2 ounces greens in my husband's smoothie and 3-5 ounces greens in my smoothie. Add ice and water to create consistency you like. Jen’s “I started getting concerned about the amount of non-organic collards that I was eating. I recently started buying fresh bunches of organic collards & pureeing them in the vitamixer then freezing small portions for use.  1 bunch of collards is just under 1 lb, plus 1 cup water purees into 6 round 1/2 cup ziploc containers.” 1 banana 1 scoop protein powder 2 TBSP flax or chia seeds 2-4 TBSP Steel Cut Oats 2-3 cups fresh organic baby spinach or frozen collard greens 1 packet stevia Jen’s More a Juice Than a Smoothie watermelon lettuce peeled cucumber Sandy’s Go-to Smoothie: banana grapefruit mixed berries or just strawberries LOTS and LOTS of greens usually spinach or kale or a combination of both 1 tbsp ground flax seed Jen’s Green Power Smoothie http://virtuallyveganmama.com/2011/09/green-power-smoothie.html Yield: 2 servings 2 cups baby spinach, washed 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped 1 banana 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy vanilla milk of choice 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice 1 cup 100% pure coconut water 2 tbsp flax, hemp or chia seeds Don’s 4 cups frozen kale 1 frozen banana 1 cup ice a few almonds a teaspoon of ground chia seeds enough cold water to blend kale, banana, ice, nuts and chia seeds Deseree Likes to Keep it Simple Smoothie Banana Huge handful of spinach Almond Milk Jessica’s 1 banana 1 C almond milk 1 T ground flax seed large handful spinach or kale and then the variables - depends what's in the kitchen!Just one additional fruit - maybe a peach maybe some frozen mango chunks maybe fresh or frozen berries This One is Delicious- Just Ask My 3-year-old! 1 cup spinach 1 cup kale 1 cup seedless green grapes 1 bartlett pear 1 orange 1 banana 1 tsp. chia seeds 1/2 cup water 2 cups ice Motivated Mama’s Kale Spinach Wheat germ Flax seeds Banana Pear Pineapple tidbits Frozen mango chunks Splash of calcium and vit-D fortified O.J. Blitz’s 1 orange (skin & pith removed) 1/2 lemon (skin pith removed) Handful spinach/kale/other leafy Sprig parsley &/ mint Handful frozen mixed berries 1 tbsp ground seeds (linseed, sunflower, almond, pumpkin) Icecubes 4-6 Optional: 1 or 2 pieces of crystalized or naked ginger, or a shake of dried ginger or fav spice. Healthy Girl’s Standard Handful of fresh spinach Handful of kale 1 small cucumber, ends removed, cut into chunks 1 orange, thick skin cut off just until white pith appears, cut into large chunks 1 small apple 1 large handful red grapes, with or without seeds 7-10 ice cubes Water or almond milk to achieve desired consistency Optional: Handful of fresh parsley Healthy Girl’s Superfantastic Grasshopper Smoothie 1 1/2 small or 1 large banana, frozen, cut into large chunks 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk 2 large dates, pitted about 7 ice cubes 3/4 cup frozen spinach 1 Tbsp flax meal (aka ground flaxseed) a drip of peppermint extract-be careful, you can always add more once you taste it! Dr. Fuhrman's Waldorf Blended Salad serves 1 1/2 cup pomegranate juice 1 apple, peeled and cored (I left the skin on) 1/4 cup walnuts 3 cups compacted collard greens and/or kale 1 cup compacted lettuce 1/4 cup water or ice cubes (I used a lot of ice cubes) HGK’s Chai Green Smoothie serves 1 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed 1 small frozen banana, broken into chunks 1 large pitted date big handful rough chopped celery big handful fresh parsley giant handful fresh spinach leaves 1 tsp chai spice blend (below) 7 ice cubes Chai Spice Mix (yields about 1/3 cup spice mix) 2 tbsp. ground ginger 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon 2 tsp. ground cloves 2 1/2 tbsp. ground cardamom 2 tsp. nutmeg 2 tsp. allspice 1/2 tsp. white pepper (I used black pepper because that's what I had) HGK’s Super Green Smoothie serves 1 hungry person  1 small cucumber, cut into chunks 1 fresh pear, cut off it's core OR large handful of seedless grapes 1 small frozen banana, broken into chunks 2 large stalks celery, cut into large chunks 1 large date, pit removed 1 handful fresh spinach 1 handful fresh or frozen kale 5 ice cubes water--not too much HGK’s Very Verdant Smoothie serves one 1 small apple, cut into large chunks 1 small frozen banana, broken into chunks 1/4-1/3 ripe avocado 1 very large handful fresh spinach 1 handful alfalfa sprouts 1/2 cup water 6 ice cubes HGK’s Rejuvination Green Smoothie 1 small apple, removed from core 1 medium frozen banana, broken into chunks 1 cup frozen spinach 1/4 avocado 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 8 ice cubes Hayley’s Power Smoothie 1.5 cups rice milk (that's all I had at the time but of course almond milk will work too) 1 banana 1 cup frozen blueberries 1 cup frozen strawberries generous handful of kale 1Tbs. chia seeds   Laura's (of Laura Finds Balance) It's good with either the berries, berry protein powder, or both. large handful spinach or kale 1 frozen banana (frozen when very very ripe) 1/3 cup frozen berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and/or cherries) 4-5 raw brazil nuts (I'm using these for selenium!) sometimes: half scoop of Vega berry protein powder water   https://sites.google.com/site/hgkprintablerecipes/the-big-list-of-green-smoothies