Perfect Pairings

By Erin Downing – February 1, 2017
Photography by Weston Carls

Finding the right flavor pairing is the perfect way to eat or drink your vegetables without tasting them. You can add cups of kale to a smoothie and barely taste the leafy green veggie—the trick is loading up the blender with ingredients that will complement each other.  

The Kale Kreation​

This is a great smoothie packed with healthy fats, carbs, and protein. Apples and almond butter are known to be a great pair but adding kale and banana creates a nice creamy texture.  

8 oz. vanilla almond milk (Substitute unsweetened almond milk for less sugar)
1 scoop almond butter
2 cups of kale
½ of a frozen apple
1 frozen banana 

To prepare, load your blender with the liquid, nut butter, and kale, then add your frozen fruit. 

Frozen Fruit Pro Tip:

Peel your ripe banana and break it up into 3 pieces and put in a plastic bag to freeze. You can also do this with the apple—smaller pieces tend to blend easier.

 

The Chocolate Almond

This is a great protein shake and meal replacement. You can’t taste the spinach, so why not throw in a couple of cups to get a serving of vegetables? We like to use almond butter for this protein smoothie, but peanut butter is delicious, too. Chocolate almond milk pairs really well with banana and blueberries to give it a dessert-like taste. 

8 oz. chocolate almond milk
1 scoop nut butter
1 scoop chocolate protein
2 cups spinach
1 frozen banana
½ cup frozen blueberries

To prepare, load the blender with liquid, nut butter, spinach, then frozen fruit. 

Protein Pro Tip:

When picking out protein powders, try to pick a clean protein with no added sugar. (Vega Sport is an in-house favorite.) Certain dairy-based proteins, like whey protein, will double the volume when adding it—you might want to have an extra cup handy, or use less of the ingredients from the recipe.


The Healthy Hulk

This is a great smoothie/juice to kickstart your morning. We like to use water to cut the sugar in half, but you can always use a juice of your liking. When using water in your smoothies, it’s great to add something with a kick, like ginger. The ginger pairs really well with the orange juice to create a nice tangy punch.

5 oz orange juice
4 oz water
½ banana
½ cup frozen strawberries
2 cups spinach
1 piece of fresh ginger

To prepare, load the blender with liquid, spinach, ginger, and then the frozen fruit

Ginger Root Pro Tip:

When you are shopping for ginger, break apart a piece in the store to see if it is good—look for a yellowish color. When you peel ginger, it is easiest to use the thin edge of a spoon.

 

 
 

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