Cool Green Smoothie (Kale, Pineapple, Banana & Spirulina)

Cool Green Smoothie (Day 4 – Green)

This recipe is part of a series of colorful smoothie posts to celebrate Pride month.

Day 4 was an absolute scorcher in the Silicon Valley. The outside temps clocked in at 103 degrees Fahrenheit; which meant our home felt closer to an uncomfortable, stick-to-everything-you-touch, slowly smoldering furnace.

Needless to say, today’s smoothie had to be a cold one. Like an arctic blast cold. And it had to be green.

If you’re like me, and a MAD FAN of green smoothies, you probably have a go-to combination that you can throw together in your sleep. Mine goes something like this: kale+apple+banana+ginger+water.

But, today was different. Today, I wanted something light, tropical, crisp and ice-cold.

So, I went with frozen kale, frozen pineapple, banana, spirulina, and with what felt like a bucket of ice.

And, it was fabulous. This smoothie was simple and invigorating: like diving headfirst into an alpine lake at the peak of summer. It was mind-numbingly cold, exhilarating and the perfect boost for the rest of the evening. And full of anti-inflammatory benefits!

Recipe super-powers:

Can I get a kale yeah?! Okay people, you either love kale or you don’t. If you love kale, you’re well aware of its benefits – and chances are, you eat it more for the flavor (gasp!) and less for its stunning nutritional profile. If you don’t love kale – well, it is not too late to switch sides. Let’s check out what kale’s got in store for ya.

As part of the cruciferous family, kale has a somewhat bitter and peppery bite shared by veggies from the same family (like broccoli, cabbage, mustard greens and Brussels sprouts). Like others from its family, kale packs a serious nutritious punch. First of all, not only does it contain more than 70% of our daily vitamin C requirement; but it is also a remarkable source of vitamins A, manganese and copper. It also contains powerful antioxidants (especially carotenoids and flavonoids) as well as anti-inflammatory vitamins like vitamin K. Further, kale has significant cholesterol-lowering abilities and boosts the body’s natural detoxification process. Finally, kale has significant anticancer properties, thanks to its “glucosinolates” which encourage the liver to break down and excrete toxic metabolites from the body.

Above all, kale can be eaten in a myriad of ways and snuck into all kinds of foods from smoothies to salads to stews. So if this was not enough to lure you into the kale-loving camp, I’ve got more recipes to convert you!