Tuesday, January 13, 2015

The Incredible Hulk aka Kale Ginger Apple Smoothie


I started making these kale ginger apple smoothies last summer, after having one at a juice cart in SE Portland. They called their smoothie The Incredible Hulk. It was insanely good (for being green), and my (at the time) 7-year-old loved the smoothie as much as I did.

The only problem was that it was kinda pricey, being close to $5 a pop. Consistent with the cart's SE Portland location,  the ingredients were organic, from local farms, which helps explain the spendy price tag.

Totally obsessed with the idea that I could make a similar smoothie (also from organic, local produce, of course), for less than $5, I reviewed a bunch of different recipes on the internet. After many smoothies, I came up with this recipe that I now make all the time. I have sometimes served it as a replacement for veggies and beverages at mealtimes, so I don't feel as badly about serviding something like pizza.

Kale Ginger Apple Smoothie

In a blender, crush:

1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and rough chopped
3-4 ice cubes

Add:
1/2 banana
1/2 apple, cored and rough chopped
2 handfuls chopped kale (roughly 1.5-2 cups loosely packed; I buy mine in a bag which makes the process way faster)
8 oz apple cider

Blend until smooth. Yields about 16-20 ounces, or 2 servings. According to my My Fitness Pal app, the total calories is 257.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

WIP Wednesday - More Goose in the Pond blocks

It's been a long time since I participated in WIP Wednesday, so I'm super happy to have something to contribute.

These are the latest two blocks for my Goose in the Pond quilt. The first two blocks, along with a link to the PDF instructions for making up the 15-inch block, can be found here.