While visiting my parents last weekend I discovered a sad truth.  Not all Whole Foods have smoothie bars.  Not a surprise, I’m guessing, to those of you who didn’t realize any Whole Foods have smoothie bars, but a disappointment to me who depends on a Farmer’s Garden Smoothie to transform the checkout line from frustration station to my own personal happy hour.

 

Luckily, it’s the world’s easiest smoothie to recreate at home. If you’ve been hesitant to try green smoothies (like our Organic Green Smoothie), this is a great first step because it has all the health benefits of a green smoothie plus the familiar creamy sweetness of a strawberry/banana blend.  Strawberries are beautiful now, but using frozen fruit keeps the smoothie even colder, so the recipe is just as good out-of-season as in.  I also like to peel and freeze ripe bananas so I have them for this smoothie (or banana bread).

Question–where do you stand on protein powder?  I had been anti for a long while but I’m coming around to it now after experiencing one too many post-smoothie energy crashes. One scoop of vanilla whey protein rounds out the flavor, adds creaminess and keeps me energized until lunch.  I finally stopped filching from my husband’s protein jars and bought my own, which makes it official.  I’m a fan.

Enjoy!

xoxosl

 

Farmer’s Garden Smoothie

adapted from Whole Foods smoothie bar

Makes 2

Ingredients

1 small bunch kale, washed and finely chopped

1 small handful spinach, finely chopped

1 medium banana, cut into chunks

4 strawberries, cut into chunks

1 cup orange juice

1 small handful frozen blueberries or raspberries, about 4-5 berries (optional)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth.  Kale refuses most blitzing efforts so be patient and keep pulsing until it is puréed enough for your taste.

Enjoy immediately.

xoxosl