Four years ago, my parents gave me a Vitamix 5200 immersion blender for Christmas. Only problem was, I lived in a studio apartment by myself. I tried using it, but grew frustrated by an inability to scale down for one person. I cried inside every time I dumped excess down the drain, because my stomach could not handle ingesting every thing in the blender.
So, the Vitamix ended up in a storage unit when I left the studio for a group house, and then to another studio.
Fast-forward to this year, when I combined forces with my partner and her two kids, aged 15 and 11. The Vitamix emerged from storage to fulfill its destiny.
The issues we needed to solve: I needed to eat healthier after years of bachelor living; my partner needed to eat healthier after years of working in a hospital, which anyone who works in a hospital knows, is sadly lacking in employee wellness. And finally, the somewhat picky kids needed more fruits and vegetables in their lives.
After a few weeks of experimenting with the thing, we came up with this green smoothie that is a hit with three of the four of us. The youngest one is still hung up on texture, but we’re working on it. The rest of us can’t get enough of this.
The fun thing about this one is you can mix up the ingredients based on what you have on hand. The only constant is the ice and either spinach or kale. It always comes out delicious!
Our favorite version is the base recipe below, with variations and substitutions listed. In the case of the grapes, pineapple and greens, we don’t bother measuring…we definitely grab handfuls and eyeball it! But 1 cup is a good reference point.
Green Smoothie Recipe
| Ingredients 1 cup seedless grapes (green grapes give it a cool bright green color, red grapes an olive green color…flavor is the same) 1 orange, peeled and halved (or two tangerines, peeled and halved) 1 banana, peeled 1 carrot, peeled, cut in half 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple (can also use any frozen fruit medley you have in the freezer, such as pineapple/mango/strawberry, etc.) 2 cups chopped fresh kale or spinach 1 apple, cored, cut in quarters Handful of ice cubes Directions 1. Place the ingredients in the Vitamix in order listed. 2. Cover, set to Variable, Speed 1. 3. Turn on, and slowly move speed up to 10, before switching to high to finish the blend. Once blended, serve immediately or refrigerate. |
Like kale? Check out our braised kale and breakfast kale recipes!
Breakfast Kale Recipe
By now you know that we love kale. While kale makes an excellent dinner vegetable, did you know you can also eat it for breakfast or brunch?
This is a slightly more decadent, yet protein packed version of our braised kale recipe. We “brunch it up” with the addition of bacon and eggs, and a reduction of the broth.
After cracking the eggs onto the kale portions, cook at least until the whites are solid. After that, it’s up to your tastes on how done you like them. For less runny yolk, just leave in for a few more minutes.
The below recipe is for two; simply double it for a family of four.
Breakfast Bacon, Eggs & Kale Recipe
| Ingredients 2 slices of bacon 10 cups of fresh chopped kale 1/4 tsp garlic salt 1/2 cup chicken, beef or vegetable broth 2 eggs Smoked paprika Optional: grated parmesan or crumbled feta cheese Directions 1. Cook the bacon in a large, deep sauté pan until crisp; set aside to drain and cool. 2. Toss the kale in the pan with the bacon grease over medium heat until lightly coated, about 2-3 minutes. 3. Add the garlic salt and broth; stir to mix/coat, and cover. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. 4. Carefully separate the kale into separate, equal servings portions in the pan, and make a “nest” in the middle of each. 5. Crack an egg into each nest, and cover, simmering for about 5 additional minutes, or until the eggs have set to desired consistency. 6. Carefully remove the portions into serving bowls; top with a sprinkle of smoked paprika and if desired, parmesan or feta cheese. |