This strawberry and orange smoothie is packed with kale to help kick any winter cold away.
I know what you’re thinking.
Another green smoothie…boring. But, before you click away let me say this.
I’m not a huge green smoothie person either. Swear. And I loved this one.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you I drink them all the time because “you totally don’t taste the spinach or kale.” That’s a lie. Anyone that says such things should not be trusted.
Yes, there’s kale in this smoothie.
But you better believe I blended the shiznit out of it so I wasn’t chewing on kale pieces with every sip.
AND, the strawberries and orange in this really steal the flavor show. I promise.
I used a blood orange because I still had 3/4 of one sitting in my fridge, but this would be fine (just a little sweeter) with a regular orange. However you want to get your vitamin C is fine with me.
Waking up yesterday morning, I really felt no better than the previous day. I hate when colds just linger. I always expect to be on the upswing by the third day but apparently this one wanted to hang around a little longer.
Not cool.
This smoothie was my attempt to really kick this cold in the butt and shove it out the door. I’ve been looking forward to this weekend since 9am on Monday morning so I refuse to let this cold keep me down.
Not sure if any of this is actually working but I‘m not going down without a fight!
Kale seemed like the perfect nutrient dense smoothie ingredient and strawberries and oranges just give it a tartness and tang that at least taste like they’re doing something to help my body fight off these germs.
And if I’m wrong, at least I drank something pretty tasty (and healthy!) in the meantime.
LOOKING FOR MORE SMOOTHIES TO TRY?
First, check out our comprehensive guide on how to make a smoothie for a simple methodology you can apply to any smoothie recipe.
Then, try one of these recipes too:
This roasted apricot green smoothie is another good cold fighting option that uses spinach instead of kale.
Another green smoothie that doesn’t have any leafy greens in it is this pineapple kiwi mint smoothie. Nothing but the tropics as far as taste goes in that one so if you’re squeamish about green smoothies, that’s the way to go.
On the other hand, if you want to go all out with the green theme, give this spirulina smoothie a try!
Cold Buster Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped strawberries
- 1 orange
- 2-3 large kale leaves, stem removed
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- handful of ice
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend well until smooth, at least 2 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Just made it, delicious. Thanks
Just found this recipe and it looks great. Your photography is awesome. Load up those ingredients and blend the shiznit out of them. LOL!
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve been looking for a cold busting smoothie. My 2-yo and I enjoyed it although I did have to alter it to what I had at home. To forgo the ice, I added frozen strawberries and used mango juice instead of almond milk as we’re allergic to nuts (no honey necessary). And for some added punch, a scoop of Rainbow Light protein enhancer with Spirulina.
I forgot to mention I shared the recipe on my blog!
Thanks for sharing the recipe…made it for myself and a friend who is sick and we loved it. I don’t mind green smoothies at all, I’m one of those people who enjoys them!
Tasty!
I used frozen cherries instead of ice. Yummy!
Thanks for your honest opinion. I totally agree with you that I can always taste the greens in green smoothies and I don’t really enjoy it. When I was on a raw food diet I forced down the green smoothies but now I make my own variation called a Green Thickie. I make these into a filling meal by adding in oats, seeds or nuts and dried fruit to sweeten it such as dates. I really love Green Thickies as I really can’t taste the greens in them at all.
I really hope the green smoothies helped with your cold and if you fancy giving Green Thickies a try, you can find some great recipes at: https://www.greenthickies.com/recipes
Many thanks
I still haven’t seen blood oranges in the store. I guess I need to look harder!
Believe it or not, it took this raw foodie a long, long time to warm up to green smoothies! I’m a lot more comfortable with them nowadays, and I do especially crave them in winter; whether that’s an instinctive urge to harness their cold-fighting properties, I’m not sure. Great recipe!!