If you indulged a bit much over the holidays like I know I did, a green smoothie is the perfect way to kick start your day in a healthy way! 
Kale is a superfood and has become pretty popular lately. I’d say that’s a good thing, though, as anything that gets people eating healthier is a winner in my book.
I’ve been making green smoothies for awhile now, but have always chosen spinach since it has a milder taste. Then I did a little reading and learned that switching up your greens is actually recommended to prevent alkaloid buildup. You can read about it here, if you’re interested. I decided it was time to try some new greens, and kale has been my ingredient of choice ever since! 
This is my favorite smoothie, and I make it a few times a week for breakfast. I like to chop up some bananas and keep them in the freezer to use for smoothies because they make them nice and cold, and also lend a creamy texture. Smoothies are so versatile, and you can use whatever ingredients appeal to you. Sometimes I use coconut water in place of the orange juice, or throw in some pineapple instead of the apple. It’s all up to you! And the orange juice does a great job of masking the kale if you’re concerned about its taste!
For a single serving, I use about half of a chopped apple and half of a banana. I have a little three year old to help eat the leftover pieces, but you can always double the amount of ingredients and just enjoy a larger smoothie without any waste.
Just add the fruit with a few big leaves of kale (I remove the ribs and stems,) and about 1/2 cup of orange juice to your blender. If your banana is fresh and not frozen, you might also want to add a handful of ice to make it nice and cold.
Blend until smooth and grab a fun straw to drink all that healthy goodness up with! Straws always make beverages more enjoyable, right?
If you’re new to green smoothies, give them a try. I was apprehensive at first, too, but now I love them! They are delicious, and such an easy way to get healthy, whole foods into your diet. My three year old loves them, too!
Enjoy! I hope you all are having a fabulous start to your New Year!
Looks great! I love banana in smoothies! Makes it sweet and creamy
I love bananas in smoothies, too! Most of my favorites have bananas in them.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Bethany!
This looks amazing! I’m always looking for easy ways to work greens/vegetables into my diet. Can’t wait to try it out. Pinning
*Visiting from Nifty Thrifty Things Nifty Thrifty Sunday Link Up*
Hi Katrina! I like to drink my greens, easy and yummy.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Thanks for posting this at the Saturday Night Fever link party. Hope to see you back on Saturday!
Hi Pamela! I definitely plan on coming back.
I’m a smoothie addict– I drink one every morning– pinning for later use and I would love for you to come and share this at That’s Fresh Friday today! http://bit.ly/1eWGgTL
Girl, I love smoothies too! I’ll go check out your link-up, thanks for stopping by!
Simple, but good and healthy! I love healthy smoothies, and your recipe sounds great!
Thanks so much, Jodee!
I have to admit that I’ve never tried a kale smoothie, but I do love smoothies with bananas in them, so maybe I should give your recipe a try.
I found you on Freedom Fridays link party, and I’m glad I did. I’m in the middle of a banana themed link party on my website and hope you’ll come link this up for my readers.
http://futureexpat.com/2014/01/required-ingredient-bananas/
Hi Karen! I was a little unsure of kale at first too, but I really love it now! I bet you will, too.
I dropped by your link party and linked up. Thanks for the invite!
Hi Ashlyn,
Your little guy is just adorable! I love the Kale, Apple and Banana combination for your smoothie, I want to give it a try. Thank you so much for helping us celebrate Three Years at Full Plate Thursday. Have a great week and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Thank you!!
My friend gave me a bag of kale that was about to expire, so I tossed it in the freezer, and have been using it in smoothies. It was my first time trying kale, and I didn’t notice any flavor..but maybe because I make all my smoothies with orange juice, lol. I haven’t tried adding apple yet though. That sounds like a good combo.
Haha, yes, the orange juice definitely helps with any funny flavors! I use it a lot, too.
I’m totally with you–I was a little apprehensive about green smoothies at first but they really do taste good! I’ve never made one with all kale before so I’ll have to try this one! Pinning for later!
Thanks Carrie! Once you try the kale and use it a few times you’ll really like it!
Thanks for sharing…I will try it tomorrow morning!
Blessings from México!!!
Hope you enjoyed it, Claudia! Thanks so much for visiting!
And Mexican food is my absolute favorite! We don’t have any good, authentic places here in Hawaii, though.
I’d give anything for some good salsa and posole!
This is such a pretty smoothie! You are absolutely right that straws make everything better. I have snuck spinach in my kids’ smoothies, but I haven’t been so bold as to serve them a bright green one. It’s high time to try!
Thanks so much, Andi! They might really like it! I’m always sneaking greens into my little guy’s smoothies. He’s a picky eater; gotta get those veggies in one way or another.
Hope you’re having a great weekend and I’m looking forward to your great party tonight! 
Do you find your frozen chopped bananas with a different taste? what about color? I love banana smoothies but I cant never take them out to school because they always turn brown
Hi Cinthya! I haven’t really noticed much of a taste difference once they are frozen, though they do seem to look a little different and smell a little different. But since I blend them up with kale or spinach, the smoothie usually takes on a green color, so I haven’t ever seen them turn brown. If you add berries, or other ingredients, a lot of the time they will take on those other colors.
This sounds great! I’ve pinned and will be giving this a try for sure. I never knew you had to rotate greens. Do you switch out the Kale for Spinach every so often?
Hi Sondra! Sorry for such a late reply, I hadn’t seen some of these comments until now!! Just wanted to answer your question and say that yes I do switch out the kale every now and then. But If I have spinach and want to make a smoothie with it, I’ll usually just use one of the other recipes on my site that I make exclusively with spinach. With this one I tend to prefer the kale.
That’s a great drink recipe! And very simple with few ingredients – those are my favorites. The less ingredients the better!!
Have a great one Ashlyn! -Iva
LOVE this. I’ve never met a green smoothie I didn’t like. I’m making this one Right.Now.
Want another great breakfast smoothie recipe? 1/4 cup of rolled oats, any kind of berries, half a banana, a packet of stevia, a little bit of lemon rind (if you like sour), and ground flax seed.
Blend it all together and enjoy the goodness!
Stopping by from SITS. <3
I keep wanting to try a green smoothie, just to see what it tastes like. I’ve got great ingredients at home. No kale, but I’ve got spinach. I may just have to do it this afternoon!
YEA! I love when kids drink green smoothies, too! My little ones drink them up with me almost every night – and I just recently got my husband on board! Rockin the green smoothie love! Great post!
Looks awesome! Can’t wait to try it!
This looks so yummy and healthy! Something for me to try for breakfast. Happy SITS Day!
Great site! I always love a good green smoothie recipe!
I have been thinking about trying a green smoothie, and this recipe looks like one I would like! Thank you. You have a beautiful blog. Happy SITS day!
Wow. I’d never even heard of alkaloid buildup. Good to know! Thanks for sharing your recipe. Happy SITS day, too!
Happy SITS day! I just bought kale yesterday, I might give this a try tomorrow morning!
Looks delicious! Just wondering if you peel the apple first?
Hi Anna! Sorry for the VERY late reply, I hadn’t seen some of the new comments on this post! To answer your question, no, I do not peel the apple. You certainly could if you would like to, but if you have a decent blender, it should blend it up well enough that there will be no trace of it. And I think the peel might be nutritious? Maybe? Not positive, but I’m thinking so! 😉
I love smoothies! When I first glanced at your apple, I thought, “Wow. She IS good.” Then I saw you used one of those cutter thingies. lol And what a great way to get veggies in the little ones, too. It’s nice to meet you, Ashlyn! Happy Belated SITS Day! ~Topaz
I love your blog!! I just found it today when looking up yummy kale recipes. I have so much kale growing in the garden that I don’t even know what to do with it all, and I have to admit that it really isn’t my favorite tasting green (I definitely started growing it for the nutritional value and the nutritional value alone). I can’t wait to try out this smoothie, though! Apples and bananas are my favorite so I know I’m going to love this one. All of your recipes look so delicious, I’m going Pin-happy on your blog right now, which is also my way of saving the recipes so I can cook them up later
xo,
Amanda
Thanks so much for your sweet words, Amanda, and for pinning! I know how you feel about kale. I’m not always crazy about the flavor by itself, but it does taste really good in smoothies! I also like it in soups because it adds nutrition, but it’s not the main flavor attraction. 😉 Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you love this smoothie as much as I do!
Do you think it would taste good with raw milk in the place of orange juice?
I’ve never tried raw milk before, so I’m not positive how it would taste. Let me know if you give it a try!