Nectarine, Banana and Kale Green Smoothie

I am so pleased to be bringing you this smoothie recipe, it hits all the nigh notes for me.

I find that the trio of tangy nectarine, creamy banana and iron rich kale really satisfying, with a great balance in flavor. Which is funny because the smoothie is basically a balance of four things, 1 of each…..

1 ripe nectarine
1 banana
1 large kale leaf
1 cup water

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Yummy

Sometimes when making a smoothie that has greens in it and fruit, it can feel like you are too much on one side. Either it is dominated by the greens, or by the fruit. Too much greens will give the smoothie a bitter taste. Too much fruit will make it quite sweet. This 1,1,1,1 ratio seems to be the golden one when it comes to a nectarine and kale smoothie. : )

There is actually another ingredient in this smoothie. Shhh it’s a secret.  It is 4 teaspoons of melted coconut oil, and gives the smoothie a lovely creaminess. It also keeps you full for longer and can help you to shed weight!

A few big tablespoons of coconut oil is my absolute favorite smoothie ingredient. Not only does it make almost any smoothie taste yummy, but I really like that it can make a smoothie keep you full for longer. Nothing worse than going to the effort of making a smoothie, and then one hour later ending up with a bag of chips in your hands because you have used up all the energy in it.

Why Coconut Oil Can Help You to Lose Weight

Ok, ok, I know.  Can coconut oil really help you to lose weight?

I have done some research on this ,delving into the published studies, and yes, it would seem that coconut oil can help one to ‘effortlessly’ lose a little weight, while keeping you feeling full, and topped up with energy.

The reason for this is that coconut oil is made up of healthy saturated fats, and these can be difficult for the body to store as fat cells. These fats only require a 3 step process by the body to be broken down and converted to energy, as opposed to the 27 steps required by many other plant based oils.

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society – 

“The primary fatty acid of coconut oil is lauric acid, which is present at approximately 45–53 %. Detailed studies have shown that the majority of ingested lauric acid is transported directly to the liver where it is directly converted to energy and other metabolites rather than being stored as fat.”

Interestingly, 30 grams of coconut oil per day (a perfect amount to put in one’s smoothies!) in one human trial, were consumed by obese subjects for 4 weeks, and reduced waist circumference by 2.86 cm, or 1.1 inches was recorded.

Coconut Oil Can also Immediately Improve Mental Clarity

Not only does coconut oil help you to stay fuller for longer, assist in potential weight loss or decreased weight maintenance, but it also fuels your brain! After being metabolized in the liver, the lauric acid can make it way straight to the brain and be used as an energy source for it. Here is a study on how and why this is.

Considering that dieting and running on nutrient rich but low calorie dense smoothies often can come with hunger pangs, energy slumps and brain fog – coconut oil is really the perfect smoothie add in. Not to mention that it makes almost all smoothies taste really good!

So, let’s get to the recipe…..

Nectarine, Banana and Kale Green Smoothie

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Serves: 1-2 Prep Time: 10 mintues Cooking Time: 0 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ripe nectarine
• 1 banana
• 1 large kale leaf
• 1 cup water
• 4 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Instructions

1. De-rib the kale leaf. If your kale leaves are on the small side, you can use two. Peel the banana and de-pip the nectarine.
2. If you have not done so already, melt the coconut oil. This is very important to do, because if you put it in while it is still in a solid state, you will get very fine ‘bits’ of coconut oil in your smoothie! Not so nice. Of course if it is hot where you are and the coconut oil is already in liquid form, then melting is not neccesary.
3. Combine all ingredients and blend until the smoothie is smooth. Kale is quite fibrous, so if you do not blend it well there will still be shreds of fibre in the smoothie. You want to process those away to nothing so that the smoothie is creamy and, well smooth! : )
4. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!

Nectarine, Banana and Kale Green Smoothie was last modified: November 30th, 2017 by Daniela Klein

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Notes

If you like your smoothies really cold, then you can freeze the banana and nectarine beforehand, and chill the jug of made smoothie for 30 minutes or more before drinking.