Baby Kale, Banana and Pineapple Smoothie + 2 Bonus DOLE Smoothie Recipes

With each New Year, come those resolutions that we all make – right?  The typical list is to lose weight, work out more and eat better.  Those are all great and now the challenge is to stick to these goals and make them happen.  They say it takes at least 30 days to create a new habit and I also believe that you need to really commit to yourself that you are going to make that change and stick to it.  Like many, these are among the list of resolutions that I made for 2015.

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I was fortunate enough to connect with the kind folks at Dole to be an ambassador for 2015 to help spread the word about their amazing products and be part of their new year-long campaign – “Get up and Grow” for Americans to get up, get active and make healthier decisions.  I believe this goes hand in hand with my personal philosophies and honestly Dole makes some of the best products around and I can vouch 100% to the quality.

To kick off the New Year, they asked me to create and share a smoothie recipe with all of you.  Quite frankly, I was super excited and knew that I wanted to make a smoothie with kale.  Okay, as my hubby would say – I am slightly obsessed with kale.  I knew that the vivid green color would come alive along with adding terrific nutritional benefits since kale is high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C and calcium.  After doing a bit more research, I learned that kale has been found to contain a group of resins known as bile acid sequestrants, which have been shown to lower cholesterol and decrease the absorption of dietary fat.

To add to this tasty smoothie I wanted to use the marquee fruit Dole is known for – bananas along with pineapple.  Instead of milk, I used grapefruit juice to pull the whole smoothie together and the end result was impeccable.  Next time, I may play around with adding some greek yogurt and chia or flax seeds.  With such great Dole products, the possibilities are simply endless for a magnitude of unique smooth combinations. 

Baby Kale, Banana and Pineapple Smoothie

Makes 2

1 Cup Grapefruit Juice

4 Cups DOLE Power Up Greens Baby Kale, packed tightly

3 Cup DOLE Tropical Gold Pineapple or Dole Canned Pineapple with Syrup removed

2 Ripe DOLE Bananas, peeled and chopped

Add all ingredients to a blender and pulse until combined.  After pulsing, set on the highest setting to ensure all ingredients have been processed.  Split between two glasses and enjoy.

Bonus recipes - I wanted to share two additional recipes that were created at the kitchens of Dole and have not been published to the public yet, so you are getting a sneak peak to these divine smoothies. First is the Dole Tonic and the second is the Dole Running Man.  Enjoy!!

Dole Tonic

Makes 4 (8oz) Servings

2 cups diced DOLE^® Tropical Gold® Pineapple

3 DOLE^® Celery Stalks

1 DOLE^® Apple, quartered

1 small fennel bulb

3/4 cup DOLE^® Raspberries

1/2 cup DOLE^® Power Up Greens™ Baby Kale

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley            

1 lime, peeled

1-inch piece fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Press pineapple through juicer. Continue adding celery, apple, fennel, raspberries, salad blend, parsley, lime and ginger.  Serve.

Note:  Can use blender or food processor in place of juicer; add 1 cup water before blending fruits and vegetables.

Running Man

Prep:  10 min.  

Makes: 2 (8-oz.) servings

2 cups diced DOLE^® Tropical Gold^® Pineapple

1 cup DOLE^® Broccoli florets, steamed

1 medium cucumber with peel

1-inch piece fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric or 1/2-inch piece fresh turmeric

Press pineapple through juicer. Continue adding broccoli, cucumber, ginger and turmeric. Serve. 

Note: Can use blender or food processor in place of juicer; add 1 cup water before blending fruit and vegetables. 

***Disclosure:  This post was sponsored by DOLE and compensation was given to me.  All opinions are, as always, are my own.  Sponsored posts such as these help behind the scenes at Authentic Suburban Gourmet. Thank you for visiting and making my blog part of your day