Kale gives this smoothie a fresh green color. Together with other ingredients like oranges and chia seeds, it lives up to its name. Try this healthy reboot!
Preparation – optional
Remove the skin from the pineapple (or mango) and cut the fruit into small chunks. Freeze the fruit until you are ready to prepare the smoothie.
The authors recommend freezing either the mango or the pineapple. Since there is a larger amount of pineapple than mango, you may want to freeze the pineapple for an extra nice cold smoothie. This step is optional, so we have not included the time required for this step in the total preparation time for the recipe. You can also prepare the fruit the day before and freeze it overnight.
For the smoothie
Wash and remove the stems from the kale and then blend with the water and oranges until the mixture is smooth.
The original recipe lists 70 g of kale without stems for two servings. We have adjusted the quantity of the other ingredients to ensure that you will have enough kale.
If you have not prepared the pineapple (mango) in advance, remove the peel from the fruit and cut into chunks. Add the chia seeds and fruit chunks to the smoothie.
Blend all the ingredients until smooth. Serve the Reboot with Kale in an attractive glass.
You can also chill the smoothie before serving if you didn’t use frozen fruit. However, it tastes best when served immediately.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
Kale gives this smoothie a fresh green color. Together with other ingredients like oranges and chia seeds, it lives up to its name. Try this healthy reboot!
Chilled smoothie: The authors recommend using frozen pineapple (or mango) for a nice cold smoothie. We did not include freezing time in the total preparation time since we consider this to be an optional step. You can also freeze the fruit overnight or chill the smoothie after you prepare it.
Chia seeds: Native to Mexico, chia seeds are a gluten-free pseudo-grain (they do not actually belong to the grain family). They are a rich source of calcium, iron, soluble fiber, antioxidants including phenolic acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids—especially the essential acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). When properly dried, whole chia seeds can be stored for years.
The best way for our body to access the nutrients in chia seeds is by eating ground seeds. Grinding the chia seeds exposes certain nutrients to oxidation which, along with their high fat content, causes ground chia seeds to quickly turn rancid. Whole chia seeds are an excellent source of fiber as one third of the total seed volume consists of nonsoluble fiber. When soaked in water, chia seeds will absorb 9 to 12 times their weight in liquid and develop a gelatinous coating.
Not much is known yet about the side effects of eating large quantities of chia seeds. These may include blood-thinning effects. One possible advantage to eating chia seeds, their ability to bind acids and toxins in the body and then eliminate them, has not been fully substantiated. Their ability to absorb large quantities of liquid promotes a feeling of fullness, but can also cause constipation. Consequently, a 2013 decision made by the European Commission recommended an intake of no more than 15 g of chia seeds a day.
While the level of nutrients in chia seeds and the impact on the digestive system are comparable with flaxseeds, they can be stored for a longer period and can be used in more ways because of their neutral flavor and ability to absorb liquids.
Kale: Kale is a fast-growing plant in the cabbage family. It can be found throughout the world, and like cauliflower originated from wild cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.). This hearty winter vegetable contains high levels of vitamin C. Kale provides a broad variety of nutrients including many vitamins, fiber, and phytonutrients. This smoothie recipe uses raw kale, which has more nutritional value than cooked kale. Most cooking processes destroy heat-sensitive vitamins, which remain available in raw kale.
Tips
Purchasing and storing kale: The leaves should be crisp and dark green. Wilted or dry leaves are usually yellowish. When kept in the refrigerator, fresh kale will retain most of its nutrients for up to five days. Kale freezes well if it is blanched first and placed in plastic bags or freezer-safe containers.
Purchasing and storing mangoes: Color is not always the determining factor when selecting mangoes. Ripe mangoes smell sweet and their skin gives to light pressure. Mangoes are climacteric fruits and will continue ripening after being picked. To ripen mangoes, put them in a paper bag or wrap them in newspaper and leave them at room temperature. Check them occasionally until they are ripe. You can speed up the ripening process by putting fruit that releases ethylene gas, like ripe apples, tomatoes, or pears, in with your mangoes. Mangoes are sensitive to cold temperature; to prevent flavor loss, it is best not to store them in the refrigerator.
Alternate preparation
Canned pineapple: If you don’t have fresh pineapple available, you can use canned pineapple, but it can hardly be compared with the fresh product in terms of quality. Canned pineapple often undergoes heat processing and contains added citric acid or sugar to improve the shelf life.
