Smoothie Cups

It's a sad day when I have to pull all of the plants out of my garden. I always go through a period of mourning as I tear out the roots of the plants that have nourished my family for so long. I love knowing the whole story of the food I feed my family and there is something nourishing about growing something from a tiny seed to something that will later feed my whole family for several meals. The harvest of my garden signals an end to that season, a move toward once again relying on the grocery store to provide all of our fresh produce. Sometimes it is a full month before I can stomach a store-bought tomato or carrot. Sitting there in the produce section, they seem so dull and lifeless compared to the still warm, slightly irregularly-shaped, beautifully colored vegetables and fruits I pull fresh from my garden. To reduce the sadness, I have tried several different ways to preserve the goodness that comes from the garden. Most of it involves the freezer. Here is a recipe I came across just this fall as I was pondering what I could possibly do with the baskets full of kale and rainbow chard I just harvested. While this recipe itself is great, I am excited about the possibilities of modifications that could make use of whatever you have on hand for a quick, easy smoothie any time.

I always use silicone muffin cups. They are re-usable and things just pop right out. 

Smoothie Cups-Slightly adapted from Muffin Tin Mania

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 avocado
• 5 to 6 large kale (or chard, spinach, etc.) leaves
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
• 1 large banana
• 3 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 2 tablespoons honey*
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

Place all the items in a blender container and blend until smooth. If it is hard to blend, you can add a little more water, but the final result should be rather thick.

Divide the mixture into muffin cups (about 10), and freeze about 4 hours or until solid.

Unmold smoothie cups, place in a freezer bag or container, and return to freezer until ready to use. If you used metal muffin tins and are having trouble unmolding the frozen cups, try placing the bottom of the muffin tin in warm water for several seconds, being careful not to thaw the contents.

Any time you need a quick smoothie, add 1 cup of liquid (I usually use water), one smoothie cup, and one cup of frozen fruit (I love cherries, but anything will work), and blend until smooth. For most blenders, it will be a good idea to cut the smoothie cup into quarters before blending. It also blends a lot better if you allow the frozen fruit and smoothie cup to sit out for about 15 minutes.

*On one of the batches, I forgot the honey. It really tasted just fine, especially because I add one cup of fruit. I think it's good either way.