newly planted curly and red kale 
and last years purple kale
both for smoothies and kale chips, steaming, sauteing and gorgeous garnish
Super food Kale Cucumber Smoothie
I feel 100% more energized after drinking these smoothies!!
My son Brandon, has been trying to convince me to drink these for months. He creates these concoctions for himself most mornings and is always nagging me to eat more vegetables. (what’s wrong with this picture?!)
I’ve dragged my feet on trying to make them because it seemed like too much work. Then he started making them for me on the days we worked together. They were so delicious, and I felt so energized after eating this raw, fresh super food that I started to crave them when he wasn’t there. Forcing me to make them for myself!
Now what I do to make things easier is chunk and freeze left over fruits and Kale. This cuts out washing and chopping each time (I said I was lazy) and substitutes the ice… not that I ever put ice in my smoothie, but lots of recipes suggest it. I generally cut up watermelon, bananas, pineapple and put each piece in a silicone muffin tin, then once it’s frozen or solid pop them into a zip lock. You won’t be happy if you cut up the fruit and throw it into the bag to freeze….soooo…. Kale is fine to throw in though, it doesn’t freeze into a lump.
Recipe
1 can pure coconut juice (costco) only ingredient coconut water!
optional: I add 1/4 cup bremners pure blueberry juice (wellbrook winery, delta and choices)
4 sprigs of kale taken off the stem (my dogs love the stem), make sure it’s clean at the store, it’s no fun to wash dirt out of curly kale leaves.
1 english cucumber, roughly chopped
1 tbsp chia seeds (amazon) for protein…you can add organic protein powder to it as well (costco in the states)
1 cup non fat yogurt (costco)
1″ knob of fresh ginger
2 tbsp liquid honey
Drop this all into a blender and liquefy!!!
Note: You can grow your own Kale in a window box and it will grow like a weed for at least 2 years.
You can grow your own cucumber from a hanging basket and freeze for your smoothie as well. …. buy the little plants to give yourself a head start, art knapps has good healthy plants
Use whatever fruit and vegetable you have on hand and adjust the flavors to suit your tastes
The truth about:
Kale is a Nutritional Powerhouse
One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K — and sulphur-containing phytonutrients.
Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.
Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when kale is cooked instead of raw.
Super-Rich in Vitamin K
Eating a diet rich in the powerful antioxidant vitamin K can reduce the overall risk of developing or dying from cancer, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vitamin K is abundant in kale but also found in parsley, spinach, collard greens, and animal products such as cheese.
Vitamin K is necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions, including normal blood clotting, antioxidant activity, and bone health.
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-kale
Cucumber (not a powerhouse superfood) but….
They surprisingly have a high amount of vitamin K, provides about 17 µg of this vitamin per 100 g. Vitamin-K has been found to have a potential role in bone strength by promoting osteotrophic (bone mass building) activity. It also has established role in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.It is a very good source of potassium, an important intracellular electrolyte. 100 g of cucumber provides 147 mg of potassium but only 2 mg of sodium. Potassium is a heart friendly electrolyte helps bring a reduction in total blood pressure and heart rates by countering effects of sodium.
Ginger
Ginger has been in use since ancient times for its anti-inflammatory, carminative, anti-flatulent, and anti-microbial properties. Total antioxidant strength measured in terms of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of ginger root is 14840 µmol TE/100 g.
Furthermore, the herb also contains a good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, copper, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/ginger-root.html
Coconut Water (there are 2 sides to everything including the benefits of coconut water!)
Low in calories, naturally fat- and cholesterol free, more potassium than four bananas, and super hydrating – these are just a few of the many benefits ascribed to America’s latest health craze: coconut water.
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/truth-about-coconut-water