Is there anything better than relaxing with a great book in the summer?
Yup! Indulging in both a fun beach read and a delicious smoothie. With Kale, My Ex, and Other Things to Toss in a Blender, you can do both! Escape into the story of two best friends trying to cleanse a broken heart (and making a pile of cash with their new food truck), and drink your way through these four easy-to-make smoothies.
Soul Cleanser (Chapter 7)
- Handful of baby spinach
- Handful of Swiss chard or kale (remove the stems)
- 2/3 cup rice milk
- 1/2–3/4 cup diced frozen mango
Kale, My Ex, and Other Things to Toss in a Blender is all about cleansing a broken heart, and the Soul Cleanser will definitely make you feel like you’re getting a healthy dose of greens to help cleanse your diet! Just be sure to blend the greens and milk first to get them really smooth. Then add mango to taste. If you like your smoothies sweeter, definitely go for the 3/4 cup of mango!
Pearfect (Chapter 19)
- 1 pear, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp honey, or more to taste
- Extra coconut milk or a little water as needed while blending
The Pearfect is perfect for a DIY spa day! This smoothie is a creamier, more fiber-filled version of the cucumber water spas serve to keep you hydrated. It’s light and refreshing and not too sweet. If you want to indulge your sweet tooth, add more honey!
Mind Trick (Chapter 24)
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats soaked in 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries soaked in 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Trick your mind into thinking you’re indulging in a rich, creamy milkshake with the Mind Trick! The ingredients might sound a little nutty—and the flaxseed makes it taste that way!—but they combine to make a treat that tastes a bit like cran-vanilla milkshake. Oatmeal is a great way to thicken up a smoothie and give it that milkshake-like texture. Just be sure to soak both the oats and the cranberries in milk for at least an hour to help the ingredients blend smoothly. With fiber from the oats to keep you full longer and the omega-3s you get from the flaxseed, this smoothie is a great breakfast!
Nuts About You (Chapter 34)
- 1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt
- 1–2 tbsp cocoa powder or your favorite chocolate protein powder
- 1–2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2/3 cup vanilla almond milk
You’ll be nuts about this peanut butter cup in a glass! It’s a lighter version of a chocolate peanut butter milkshake! Smoothies are always fun to experiment with, and for this one we suggest playing with the ratio of chocolate to peanut butter depending on which you love most! Or mix in some frozen banana slices for extra sweetness. Or try some (presoaked) oatmeal to make it an even thicker shake. You can really go nuts with this one!
