New Kale-Berry Smoothie

My regular morning smoothie recipe has changed enough to warrant an update.  Here is its current iteration.  I make it every day now, give Simran a little 4 oz glass worth, and Sameer and I each get a 16 oz glassful.  

Ingredients

1) 2 cup water

2) 1 tsp amla powder (because it's supposed to help lower cholesterol -- skip it if you want)

3) chunk of fresh or frozen ginger

4) 3 tbs ground flax seeds

4) 1/4 - 1/2 cup pineapple chunks (I buy canned pineapple in juice for this)

5) 1 banana, fresh or frozen

6) about a thumb size chunk of fresh or frozen turmeric root (because it's supposed to decrease inflammation in the body.  I haven't been to Patel Bros in ages, which is the only place I've ever found frozen turmeric, so I've learned that buying a few handfuls of fresh turmeric, washing it, cutting it into large chunks and putting it in a ziploc bag in the freezer is quick and easy -- don't bother peeling it)

 

7) 2 cups packed frozen kale (or dark leafy green of your choice.  If you wash and freeze them in advance, they have very little flavor, which is a good thing in a berry smoothie.  They taste much greener fresh.  It's not good.  Note:  Spinach has less flavor fresh, but it's high in oxalates, so I only use it when I have some that needs to be used up.  You can use whatever dark leafy greens you have, but when I'm shopping for smoothie ingredients, I just get green kale.)

8) 1/2 - 1 cup berries (strawberries, blueberries, pitted dark sweet cherries, bags of organic mixed berries from the freezer section, whatever I've got -- wild blueberries are my favorite for flavor and antioxidants)

Directions

1) Put all ingredients into a high-speed blender.  Blend until smooth.  Serve cold.