{Summer Smoothies} Kale Pineapple Protein Smoothie

Kale Pineapple Protein Smoothie served in an old salsa jar

Felt like a quick smoothie this morning. I'm learning to make smaller smoothies. For some reason in the past I always ended up making them HUGE and I couldn't finish them. This little 16 oz. smoothie is just enough! And I love that it fits perfectly in my old salsa jar! I also use earth-friendly glass straws by Glass Dharma... love them!

I did a lot of baking yesterday and even though I didn't eat a lot of it (took it to a gluten free support group meeting), I was really feeling the need to down a few greens today. Kale is one of my favorite smoothie greens. It is SO healthy and you don't taste it at all. My new second favorite ingredient in smoothies is pineapple. It's very sweet and replaces the need for any stevia, honey, or dates!

What are your favorite smoothie ingredients?

Kale Pineapple Protein Smoothie
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, eggs, and soy
Printer-friendly recipe

2 stalks kale, remove the stems
2 rings pineapple + a little juice
half a banana
1 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons vanilla hemp protein powder
1 packet Emergen-C, mixed in about 1/3 c. water
6 pieces ice
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup additional water, if needed

Toss all in a high-powered blender (I use a refurbished Vitamix) and blend on high for about a minute. I generally blend twice just to make sure it's really smooth. Pour into a favorite glass and serve!