Category Archives: Garden

Potato Tower!

Grow lots of potatoes is a small space with this tower method. It was super easy and fun. Continue reading

Kale Harvest and Storage

It is the middle of the growing season and time to harvest the kale. When I worked in public accounting we called tax season “harvest time!” I am happy to say this harvest is much more fun and healthier.

We’ve been eating it every morning for quite some time. We have kept the kale from flowering by cutting the center stems. This also helped to make the plants bushier, with lots of tender, small leaves. Continue reading

Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Green Protein Smoothie

Every morning I walk out my front door to kale!

What a difference a few weeks makes! The kale in my garden is growing like crazy. The kale is in the front.  There are three different varieties of curly kale.

Lettuce is under the wooden structure while sugar snap peas are growing up the chicken wire.  There are sweet onions growing to the left. In addition, carrots are behind the onions but they didn’t fit into the picture.

This garden receives morning shade and afternoon sun.

I started harvesting the bottom leaves on the kale plants because they were the biggest. This was a mistake.  I learned later that I needed to cut the center stem out before it started to flower (aka “bolt”).  By cutting out the top center, the kale plants are bushing out and creating new leaves and branches.  I will continue to cut the newer leaves before they flower.  I hope to be able to harvest through the summer.  I am going to start a new round of seeds that should be ready for harvest when these are done. I will plant them in another section of my yard.

I have several garden sections mixed with flowers.  With chickens free range in the back yard, I had to be creative in the front.  When my chickens were new, I had a batch of kale and lettuce starts to plant in my raised bed.  It was on the side of my house, an area connected to the back yard.  The next day I went to water my new seedlings and they were gone!  There was a couple chicken poops left as evidence to let me know who the thieves were.  I fenced the side yard garden away from the chickens now.  I don’t know what I was thinking.

So let me get back to the topic. You cannot deny that this is a delicious way to eat your greens.

Combine the following in your blender in the following order:

1 banana
8 oz water
1 tbl spoon powdered peanut butter
2 cups kale
6 ice cubes

Blend until all chunks are gone

Add 1 scoop chocolate protein powder

Blend until mixed

Enjoy!

 

People have asked me what protein powder I like. I have tried many. My favorite brand is GNC Pro Performance AMP Wheybolic Extreme 60 Original. I use the chocolate for this recipe and vanilla with my berry and tropical smoothies.  It is the smoothest and creamiest powder I have found.  I mix it in at the end of my blending process because it gets frothy if blended with frozen chunks.

Also, you have to try powdered peanut butter.  This was a game changer for my smoothies. It is all the taste and none of the fat.  There are even brands that include fax and chia seeds to make smoothie prep quick and easy.

Please try this recipe and let me know if you like it.

-Martha