Pineapple Kale Strawberry Smoothie

Since I have an abundance of kale in my house, I have been trying to find some interesting, delicious, and new ways to incorporate it into my food. So far I've used it in salads and burrito bowls, I've roasted it in the oven, and I've used it to make some very colorful pasta. What I really wanted to do was use it in a smoothie. Ever since I read that recipe on refinery 29 I haven't been able to get the idea of a kale smoothie out of my head. Unfortunately, today when I looked in my refrigerator I discovered that I was lacking in certain ingredients (seriously who has coconut oil lying around?) And after deciding to save the r29 smoothie for another day, I went hunting for a different kale smoothie recipe. This recipe was from a raw food site (http://rawfoodist.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/pineapple-kale-smoothie/) that I happened to find and it was not only but delicious but left me feeling incredibly healthy and content.

What I liked about this smoothie was that it didn't call for ice. I don't like my smoothies to be too icy!

I had pre-sliced pineapple

It called for two cups of kale.

Looking pretty in the blender

The recipe said that if I wanted to add sweetness, I could use apples. I like my smoothies to be sweet. So I did.

First I used the "food chop" option on my blender to make sure that my smoothie would be nice and smooth (no one likes the awkward chunky pieces).

Then I just blended.

I must admit, I sampled it and immediately thought "this could use some strawberries". So I quickly chopped some up and added them to my smoothie.

I love the colors.

The finished result! I added a strawberry garnish just for pizazz.

The smoothie was frothy and green and luscious. It was a little tart, wonderfully sweet, and highly refreshing for a pick me up in between meals.

Check back tomorrow for another post and happy weekend!