Is there really kale in my peanut butter kale smoothie? You bet sweet 6 lb, 8 oz Baby Jesus there is.
Although you might doubt it when you take the first sip, there is a whole cup of kale in this Peanut Butter Banana Kale Smoothie. “It’s in there.” With the X-Men Toad color, your eyes will confirm it. Although your taste buds will say, “holy crap, that’s good.”
The sweetness of the nut butter and banana mask any bitterness the kale contemplates bringing to the party, along with the sourness of the kefir. You get all those leafy green vitamins from the kale and digestive probiotics from the cultured milk without your taste buds ever knowing it. Total score.
Dairy or Dairy-free Kefir Loaded with Probiotics
Probiotics help the good bacteria in our digestive system keep pathogens, like yeast, in balance, making sure candida doesn’t run rampant in an over-sugared environment. Yeast loves sugar.
Naturally fermented foods, like kefir, sauerkraut, and cultured veggies, combat sugars from refined carbohydrates and sugar itself that knock our digestion out of balance.
We usually don’t eat enough cultured foods. Enter probiotic powders and supplements, like support beams for a building. I’m a big fan of the Vitality Greens Powder because is fermented algae – stuff that’s rich with vitamins and mineral (and food that I’m not likely to eat anyway, so why not swallow it back with my smoothie?).
You can use dairy or dairy-free kefir in this recipe. Both work great. My preferences are goat kefir or my homemade coconut kefir. Check out My Top Foods to Heal Leaky Gut to read why.
Nut Butter Kale Smoothie Recipe
Gluten-free, Grain-free, Low Glycemic, Refined Sugar-free, with Dairy-free and Vegan Options
Powerhouse Nut Butter Kale Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
Must-haves
- 1 banana OR 1 TBS chia seeds OR 1/4 cup oats
- 1 TBS nut butter almond, cashew, peanut, sunflower butter, any nut or seed butter
- 1 cup kale I prefer lightly steamed kale to it's easier to digest, but you can use raw
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plain unsweetened kefir (I prefer coconut, any will work)
- 1/2-3/4 cup water
Optional Add-Ins
- 1-2 scoops Greens Seaweed Powder
- 1-2 teaspoons probiotic powder
- 1 tsp flax oil
- 1 TBS chia seeds add an additional 1/4 cup of water if NOT replacing banana
- 1/4 cup oatmeal add an additional 1/4 cup of water if NOT replacing banana
- A handful of ice cubes if you like your smoothie cold
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend on high for at least a minute until smooth and creamy. Adjust water to desired thickness, especially if you add chia seeds and/or oats.
- Drink and enjoy!
Notes
What’s Up with the Optional Add-ins?
1-2 scoops Vitality Greens Probiotic Powder
- Made by Body Ecology
- Fermented super potent greens, like algae, spirulina
- Crazy high in a spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and probiotics to support digestive health and overall immune system
1-2 teaspoons probiotic powder
- Probiotics that come in powder form, so you can easily add them to drinks
- Many brands out there, I use New Chapter Probiotic Powder
- I usually buy it on Amazon
1 tbsp chia seeds
- APPETITE SUPPRESSANT: If you digest chia seeds well, adding 1-2 tbsp helps suppress your appetite
- They will be ground in the smoothie, making them easier to digest
- They will thicken the smoothie, add 1/4 -1/2 cup water if you are NOT using them as a banana replacer
- BANANA REPLACER: Chia seeds are a thickener and can be used to REPLACE banana if you don’t want banana in your smoothie
- NUTRIENTS: Packed with fiber and Omega 3’s (more than flax seed or salmon), you get added nutrition.
- GRAIN-FREE AND GLUTEN-FREE OPTION
1/4 cup oatmeal
- APPETITE SUPPRESSANT: Oatmeal burns slowly, like chia seeds will help you feel full and stave off hunger.
- They will thicken the smoothie, add 1/4 cup water if you are NOT using them as a banana replacer
- BANANA REPLACER: Oatmeal is a thickener and can be used to REPLACE banana if you don’t want banana in your smoothie
- NUTRIENTS: Full or fiber and protein.
- GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: There are gluten-free oats available, so if you are gluten-free, be sure to get them
Note: I like using a combination of chia seeds and oatmeal to replace banana with the kefir (also helps thicken) to thicken the smoothie to prevent the chia seeds from getting slimey.
A handful of ice cubes (if you like your smoothie cold)
- I like my drinks room temp, so they don’t slow down digestion. Many people like smoothies cold. Add a handful of ice cubes if you are one of them.
If you like this recipe…
Try my Body Rockin’ Berry Kale Smoothie Recipe!
And no, I don’t get anything to say I like these products. I truly use them because they work for me. If there comes a day they don’t, I’ll tell you that, too. 🙂
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