Blueberry Kale Smoothie With Banana

This blueberry kale smoothie with banana is the perfect way to get in your fruit and vegetable servings for the day. Did you know that only 1 in 10 Americans get the recommended serving of 2 fruits and 3 vegetables per day? If a fruit or vegetable serving is roughly equal to a cup, then this blueberry kale smoothie with banana, strawberries, and a Honeycrisp apple gives you more than half of your daily recommended intake.

This smoothie is vegan, made in 5 minutes, and toddler-friendly. I know a recipe is good when my toddler asks for seconds and thirds. This is my preferred way of sneaking fruits and vegetables into my toddler's day.

I have made this kale smoothie with a banana about 6 times now, tweaking it each time until it's perfect and foolproof. The variation of strawberries, blueberries, a Honeycrisp apple, and kale makes this smoothie sweet and slightly tart.

Ingredients You'll Need:

• Frozen banana: I freeze my own bananas. Peel the banana and split it into quarters. Add the banana chunks to a freezer-friendly bag. Stick in the freezer for up to 4 months. If the banana changes to a brown color in the freezer, then the freezer isn't cold enough to store the banana. Or the freezer has dropped the temperature and the banana has bruised. I don't like to use frozen brown bananas.
• Frozen strawberries and blueberries: I have found organic frozen strawberries and blueberries to be cheaper than fresh strawberries and blueberries. If there is a sale for fresh strawberries or blueberries, then I buy a ton and freeze them myself. I really like the frozen 365 strawberries and blueberries from WholeFoods.
• Honeycrisp apple: Technically you can use any type of apple, but my favorite apple is Honeycrisp because of its sweetness.
• Kale: You can use prewashed and chopped kale in the bag at the grocery store or prepare the kale yourself. I include the stems of the kale leaves. Spinach can be substituted for kale.
• Natural sweetener: I recommend using a combination of Medjool dates and honey, however, you can use one or the other.
• Water: Just plain water over here, nothing special. Almond milk, oat milk, or soymilk are good substitutes for water if preferred.
• Optional: You can add some flaxseeds, almonds, cashews, or vanilla protein powder.

Tips and Tricks

1. Use a Vitamix blender. I have not found any other blender that is in the same playing field as a Vitamix blender. I highly recommend getting a Vitamix blender because it's great for all kinds of smoothies, like this pomegranate smoothie, hummus, homemade tahini, baby food, blender pancakes, soups, and smooth and creamy almond milk. Basically what I'm saying is that you will use this blender for all sorts of things.
2. Use a frozen banana. The frozen banana is crucial to the success of this smoothie because it makes this smoothie creamy without the addition of milk.
3. Use frozen strawberries and blueberries. I prefer using frozen over fresh strawberries and blueberries because they last a long time in the freezer. Also, I don't have to add ice to my smoothie which was a great solution when living overseas without an icemaker.
4. Don't add ice. If you use frozen fruits, you don't need to use ice to make the smoothie cold. If you add ice, the smoothie might feel a bit watered down.
5. Sweeten the smoothie with a natural sweetener. My favorite sweetener is to use pitted dates. My second favorite sweetener is honey. You can add as little or as much as you want of a natural sweetener.

Using Frozen Fruit For Smoothies

One of the easiest ways to have a smoothie on hand at all times is to have frozen fruit readily available. I always have frozen blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, pomegranate arils, bananas, and blackberries in my freezer. I keep the fruits separated in bags, so I can mix and match whenever I make the smoothie.

• Berries: I prefer to buy my berries already frozen from the grocery store.
• Pomegranate arils: During pomegranate season, I mass peel several pomegranates then freeze the arils.
• Bananas: I freeze the bananas once they are slightly over-ripened. Peel the banana and split it into quarters. Add the banana to a freezer-friendly storage bag.

Is It Ok To Put Raw Kale In A Smoothie?

Yes! The raw kale will blend into the smoothie adding vitamins and nutrients. It's not recommended to use cooked kale in this smoothie.

What Is A Substitute For Kale?

Baby spinach is a good substitute for kale for this smoothie because it has a mild taste and it's packed full of nutrients.

Some Other Vitamix Smoothies

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