Avocado Kale Smoothie

This avocado kale smoothie is inspired by the green smoothie from Los Angeles’ Gjusta Bakery.

I’m back from my short but super sweet weekend at Disney World.  I was there this past weekend to participate in the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  It was a 13.1 mile run from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom and back to Epcot.  After a long run like that, my body craves smoothies and juices.

This avocado kale smoothie was inspired by this green smoothie I tried from Gjusta Bakery.  While it tasted amazing, it was also pretty pricey.

I was a bit shocked to pay $7 for an 8oz smoothie.  Although I really enjoyed it, my wallet did cry a little when I paid.

Avocado Banana Kale Smoothie

After three trials and errors I found the perfect combination of avocado, kale and banana that resembles Gjusta’s version.  

And the best part, for about the same price, you can easily make a week’s worth of avocado kale smoothies at home!

I’m a big fan of green smoothies. (See: tropical green smoothie, miss green smoothie, and happy green monster.)  It’s an excellent way to incorporate extra greens into your diet without much effort.

Avocado

Avocados can do no wrong. They add the perfect creamy, buttery texture to this smooth.

There are hundreds of varieties of avocado. Most of the avocados commercially available are the Hass variety (from California)

Coconut Water

All my green smoothies start with coconut water.  Coconut water is the perfect base because it’s super hydrating and it has a very clean and subtle taste.

Frozen Bananas

To thicken the smoothie without the use of ice (which is really hard to crush in a blender and eventually waters down the flavors of the smoothie), I used frozen bananas.

Frozen bananas are magical… you’ve heard of the one ingredient banana ice cream, right?

Baby Kale

While raw kale isn’t very pleasant on its own, once you blend it with rich creamy avocado and sweet ripe bananas, it tastes really good!

Like the same suggests, baby kale are the leaves of young kale. Baby kale has the texture of spinach, meaning you don’t have to remove the center stems.

Baby kale is becoming quite popular. You can find it in many boxed green mixes at the market.

Lime Juice

I also added a little fresh squeezed lime juice to brighten up the flavors.

Don’t omit the lime juice. This smoothie needs that pop of brightness.

Technically this recipe serves 2, but I can easily finish the entire batch to myself.  It’s that refreshing and delicious!