Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
And if I don’t have a good breakfast I feel off for the day.
I really try to make a big batch of oatmeal on Sunday nights that I portion out for us for breakfast Monday-Thursday. Friday is breakfast day at work. It’s yummy, nutritious, and filling. But if I don’t get my act together and not make the oatmeal then it’s a quick grab and go breakfast sort of week. Or I run into the cafe in my office building and grab a bacon, egg, and cheese. Sure a bacon, egg and cheese is delightful but is something to have as an indulgence, not something I can have regularly since my waistband will get tighter and I’ll start to feel sluggish from the extra fats and sodium.
So I’m determined to eat better breakfasts. If I don’t feel like having oatmeal that week then I am going to have smoothies. yay smoothies!!
 
Smoothies are so good and good for you. Well, if you don’t do junk them up with sugary yogurts, or even ice cream. gasp!
And this Champions Green Detox Smoothie from Shockingly Delicious  the perfect kind of smoothie! I was enjoying browsing all the great recipes that Dorothy has shared on her fun blog to pick out a recipe for this month’s Secret Recipe Club post. I had picked out a fruity frozen cake but when I went back to get my grocery list I saw this smoothie and I just HAD to make it. I have been enjoying myself with all the pies that I’ve been making for my “A Year of Pie” Series (and thankfully still losing weight- yay breastfeeding!!) but I have to cut back on the sweets and start to eat a bit more healthy. Or at the very lease enjoy some healthy smoothies to off set the pies. ha!
Dorothy experienced the same thing after an indulgent weekend of visiting colleges with her daughter so she needed to reset things. I figured I needed to do the same so I whipped up this very smoothie.
The key to this is to boil the dates or they won’t break down. Do it. It’s simple and really works. I suggest that you actually prepare a few batches of the dates so that you will have them at the ready whenever you need to a little detox smoothie.
Enjoy this smoothie for breakfast. Or as a lunch or anytime you want.
It is just really delightful.
Champions Green Detox Smoothie
Makes 2 smoothies
Ingredients
- 3 pitted Medjool dates
- 4 leaves dinosaur kale, center rib removed and then cut into ribbons
- 1 overripe banana
- 6 ounces apple juice
- 2 clementines, skin removed and separated into segments
- Splash of vanilla extract (about 1/2Â teaspoon)
- 7-10 ice cubes
Process
- Dice the dates and then soak in boiling water for about 10 minutes.
- While dates are soaking, fill a large bowl with hottest water possible from the tap (or boil enough water for the dates and the kale and use that), and submerge the kale leaves. Allow them to soak while the dates are soaking. After 10 minutes, remove kale from hot water.
- When ready to make smoothie, add the drained dates, kale, banana, apple juice, tangerine segments, vanilla and 7 ice cubes to the blender container. Whirl on highest speed for 1-2 minutes, until everything is well combined, bright green and thick. Add a couple more ice cubes and whirl again if you like.
- Pour into 2 glasses and enjoy!
Sourced from Shockingly Delicious
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Check out all the other great Secret Recipe Club posts this month!
Check out my 2 years of Secret Recipe Club posts!!!!
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I love green smoothies. In fact I have one almost every morning. I typically use spinach instead of kale. They always make me feel so good to start the day!
All too often, I also run out of the house quickly and end up picking up a bacon egg and cheese sandwich somewhere. Delicious, but not so healthy. I like the idea of a smoothie for breakfast. This one sounds great! Great pick this month 🙂
Thanks for exploring my blog this month! I agree with you….I just feel better when I have a green smoothie, and this turns out to be particularly tasty!
I need to try a smoothie with kale in it. I’ve only had pan-fried kale and baked kale and I loved both, so I bet that it’d be amazing in smoothies. Plus I’m horrible about eating breakfast, so I really need to mix it up a bit! Great pick for today – happy reveal day!
Yum! I have become a fan of green smoothies over the last while and this one sounds delicious! Great SRC pick!
Interesting smoothie indeed, I usually can “imagine” what something tastes like from the ingredients, but this one is a tough one to “get” 😉 I might just have to make it, right? 😉
Beautiful color on that smoothie – happy reveal day! 🙂
Oooh… dates sounds good! I don’t think I’ve ever put dates in a smoothie, but I love the idea… perfect sweetener!
I have never made a smoothie like this before and I think it’s time I did!! Great SRC pick:) Lynn @ Turnips 2 Tangerines
This sounds amazing. I love a good green smoothie!! I’ve never heard of boiling the dates, but I’m going to try it! Great choice.
I love Dorothy’s blog. Great choice!
I love a good smoothie for breakfast, and this one looks particularly good – gorgeous colour. It’s not easy to get kale where I live, but I’m thinking spinach would be a good substitute.
I am actually drinking a green smoothie as I type! I’m trying to do some clean eating and having a smoothie for breakfast and lunch for a few days to detox, looks like I’ve got tomorrows!
I’ve got to try a green smoothie. I love everything in it, especially kale, but somehow I haven’t gotten motivated to make one. I need to make this one!
I am SO GLAD you mentioned the tip about pre-soaking the dates! I will be running a smoothie program at the local library, and one of the suggested recipes uses dates, with no mention of this little extra and what seems like kinda important step. Thank you thank you thank you!
a MUST do… says the person who first skipped this step once. it was a little chewy at the end. ha!
Can someone tell me if prunes would work as a substitute for dates?
I would think they would be a good substitute. They might still be gummy so steeping them might still be a good idea.
I feel the same way about breakfast – so important! This smoothie looks refreshing and is a great start to the day!
I’d love to start my day with this smoothie!