Living in Sweden I sometimes find it hard to get my dark leafy greens in during the winter. All the vegetables look gray and tired, just like I do after a long-haul across the world. And most of our veggies are shipped on these 17 hour voyages from other lands – lands that have sunshine which is necessary to grow veggies, and happiness, ahem. But I digress.

When I first moved here I couldn’t find kale anywhere. I was panicked. I LOVE kale – it’s more than the food porn love I have for banana bread, or pizza, or pho – it’s a long-term relationship we are in. Kale and I are serious, committed, exclusive. So you can understand that when I moved here and couldn’t find my beloved I was heartbroken. Apparently Swede’s really only like to use kale during the winter holiday season. Four years ago when I first landed here, kale still wasn’t ‘big.‘ I searched high and low and could only find one variety during the holidays. But something has shifted and this hipster veg is now all over the place. Thank the green goddess! What I don’t understand is why it hasn’t been more popular. It’s a great winter vegetable, packed with vitamins, and I would imagine it would be easy to grow in these tough, short summer, conditions. But hey, I’m no farmer, not yet at least.

Now that kale and I are back together full time, I’m able to make my favorite green smoothies. This one I call ‘Mother’s Little Helper.’ Since being Mrs. Robinson is no longer couth and I don’t think the little dove would do well if her mamma were on sedatives and martinis all the time, I turn to my power smoothie to get me through my energy zapping mornings.

This smoothie is packed with goodness: kale, blueberries, banana, chia seeds (shocking I know!), cashew milk, and honey. Dang! It’s that good. The beauty of the chia seeds is the thickening effect they have on the smoothie. I leave my smoothies in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before consuming to let the chias expand.

Now you have zero excuses to not get those leafy greens into your diet. And here’s a pro tip: wash 2 big bunches of kale and break into pieces. Dry and place in a zip lock bag lined with paper towels. Store in refrigeration for up to a week. Now you don’t even have to deal with the kale – just throw it in. You can thank me later.

Kale and blueberry smoothie: 

Ingredients:

• 2 big handfuls (or cups) of washed kale
• 1 banana
• 3/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup cashew milk or other non-dairy milk of your choice
• 1 Tbs honey
• 2 Tbs chia seeds

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender. I find it best to put the blueberries and banana on bottom an then add the rest.

2. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!