The Tropical Kale Smoothie You Need to Start 2024 Healthy

By: Lauran Bell

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How do you start your morning? To be honest, my weekday mornings before school drop-off are a tornado like blur. There is definitely coffee involved and not a Tropical Kale Smoothie in sight. I have one goal: Get my child out of the door dressed, fed, and ready for her day on time.

If you are a green smoothie drinking morning person, then you’re already winning. I’m, however, not a morning person. If you’re like me, then there isn’t any time to make a healthy drink before drop-off. You may not be willing to spare 10 minutes to make a smoothie in the morning, but you will most likely find 10 minutes somewhere in your week. Who says smoothies are for morning people?

This Tropical Kale Smoothie is loaded with fruits and veggies, so no matter what time of day it is, you’ll feel good knowing that you did something to benefit your health and wellbeing. With its fruity coconut flavor, it’s the closest thing to a virgin piña colada, but instead of cream of coconut, it’s made with coconut almond milk, it’s green, and healthy for you.

Why Make This Tropical Kale Smoothie?

You’ll Get Your Leafy Greens:

• Kale or Spinach: Kale is one of the most nutritious greens that you can eat. Because kale is high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, it’s been labeled by the contemporary food and health industry as a “superfood.” To some people, however, raw kale is difficult to digest. ” […] some of these nutrients are wrapped inside fibrous cell walls, which means your gut has to work harder to absorb them”(Verywell Health). https://www.verywellhealth.com/raw-or-cooked-kale-8409188#:~:text=Kale%20is%20a%20nutrient%2Ddense,can%20reduce%20its%20antioxidant%20content
• If kale is hard on your stomach, substitute it for spinach in this smoothie. Spinach is easier to digest for most people, but it is also another one of the most nutrient rich greens.

You’ll Get Your Fruits:

• Pineapple: Not only is pineapple full of vitamin C, which we all know we need to help bolster our immune system during the cold season, it also contains bromelain, a digestive enzyme. “While the impact of bromelain on kale digestion may not be as significant as its effect on proteins, some people find that consuming pineapple or its juice alongside fibrous vegetable like kale can contribute to easier digestion” (OpenAI). Who knew that kale and pineapple were a good match, and in this smoothie, they taste surprisingly delicious together.

• Banana: High in potassium, bananas can bolster heart health by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. The two bananas in this recipe not only sweeten the smoothie naturally, but also give you a double potassium boost.

You’ll Get Your Protein:

• Peanut Butter: The protein in peanut butter will give you energy and help you feel full. Is peanut butter healthy? There is a running debate about this in our family. It’s high in calories (this smoothie recipe only calls for 2 tbsp.) but also contains protein, nutrients, and some healthy fats . For this drink, I recommend using natural peanut butter and reading the labels for more of a health benefit.

All For a Balanced Diet:

It’s not that easy with everything on the to-do list to get all of the fruits and veggies that you need each day for a healthy diet. This smoothie only takes 10 minutes worth of effort and gets the job done!

This Kale Smoothie Looks and Feels Healthy but Tastes Tropical & Creamy

You really can’t taste the kale, or spinach, if you’re using spinach as a substitute. The pineapple adds a bright flavor to the creamy coconut almond milk, peanut butter, and banana base. The honey adds sweetness, and the peanut butter gives it another layer of flavor and thickens the drink so that it feels more substantial.

• Coconut Almond Milk: The coconut almond milk adds coconut without it being overpowering. Almond milk is generally low in calories and is dairy and lactose free. The coconut almond milk brand that I used, Califia, has 45 calories in 1 cup.

• Honey: This smoothie has a naturally sweet flavor. Honey is highly caloric, but I’d rather get the calories from a sweetener that has other health properties. It has vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, even more so if it’s raw or unfiltered.

Tropical Kale Smoothie List of Ingredients:

There are only 6 ingredients in this smoothie:

• Kale or Spinach
• Pineapple
• Banana
• Peanut Butter
• Coconut Almond Milk
• Honey

Final Notes:

• KALE PREP & STORAGE: Massage the kale so that it’s easier to digest and is more flavorful. Store any extra kale (with long stems) in a vase full of water. This will help it last longer.
• BLENDER TECHNIQUE: According to Simply Recipes, if you put the easier to blend ingredients in the blender first, like liquid, and then add the harder to chop ingredients, like greens, then frozen fruit, you will be able to blend your smoothie more efficiently with less possible damage to your blender. https://www.simplyrecipes.com/vitamix-smoothie-tip-8430829
• LEAFY GREENS ARE IN SEASON: Eating greens in season, or, even better, picked fresh from the garden, increases the nutrient content of the greens. They’ll also taste more flavorful.
• IF YOU LIKE THIS HEALTHY DRINK, TRY: Our recipe for Sweet or Spicy Lemon Froth Tea & our Sweet or Spicy Lemon Slushy recipe.
• FUN FAMILY ACTIVITY: This smoothie recipe is great to make with kids because it’s easy. I have found that chopping the kale or spinach beforehand (or buying it already chopped) makes this recipe easier and more fun to do with kids.

DISCLAIMER: All of the information on this blog is for the purpose of general information only and does not take the place of medical advice from your doctor.

Make This Tropical Kale Smoothie an Act of Self-Care

Parents do so much to help their kids get the nutrition that they need, but sometimes we forget that it’s important to take care of ourselves also. We know that self-care, both physically and mentally, is important, but we don’t always know how to go about it or how to fit it in. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a serious coffee drinker, and I’m definitely not going to give that up any time soon. I am, however, going to make some changes and take my own advice. I may never be a morning person, but I’m going to start being a green smoothie drinking person, especially if they keep coming out creamy and tropical tasting.

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