Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Green (Monster) Smoothies

In the morning, you would typically see the color orange, black or white in your glass or cup. But, have you ever thought of having something green in your glass when you wake up? Me neither! Until this past week that is!

I have recently joined the Green Monster Movement after much reluctance. Now I am hooked!

What's in a green monster? Well, there is always some type of green- most people use spinach, but you can also use kale. Add some fruit- whatever type you like! Then, some milk- cow's, almond, soy, rice, hemp. Anything you please- it is your monster. Then, blend it all up and voila! Your own personalized monster!

I've seen a lot of bloggers talk about and picture their green smoothies for their readers to see along with the recipes. I always thought "that can't taste good". It is green and kinda chunky! Bleck! But then, I started thinking- it is a really good source of fruits and veggies for the day. Also, it is very low in calories and fat. A great breakfast for lasting energy or after workout snack.

I decided to psych my taste buds up to take one on. If I had too, I would plug my nose and down it as fast as possible while reminding myself that it was really good for me!

I went out and bought my regular giant bag of spinach, frozen fruit, and milk- all things that I just happened to be out of.

I laid out my tools- the Magic Bullet- which is perfect because it already comes with smoothie cups. I added 2 huge handfuls of raw spinach (stems and all), a mix of frozen strawberries, mangoes, and peaches, and a cup of skim milk.
Before
Blend, blend, blend, blend! And you get this...
After 
And now you are ready to enjoy!
Canadian GM Pride!
To my surprise, I am in love with them! It has a very fresh quality to it. You can taste the green- like fresh cut grass almost. But it is also sweet from the fruit. It is a perfect summer breakfast- cold, light, and refreshing.

If you like fruits and veg then this is a definite must try for you. But, if you are a person who needs to choke them down because you know they are good for you... you may want to skip this (I'm looking at you Mister).

Give it a try, let me know what you think and we can swap recipes! 

Rating: 

7 comments:

  1. I like this one: 1 orange, handful of spinach, squirt of agave, handful of ice and grind away! Another one is called "Chunky Monkey" and that is
    1 banana
    1 cup fresh spinach
    1/3 cup light vanilla yogurt
    1 Tbs. Peanut Butter
    1 cup crushed ice
    Directions: Grind it away too!

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  2. I LOVE LOVE LOVE green monsters. I never measure, so I'll just share my usual ingredients: spinach, almond milk, some kind of frozen fruit (usually blackberries, but I like strawberries as well; also I sometimes add fruits that aren't frozen, but I always have some sort of frozen kind so it makes the smoothie nice and cold), protein powder and ground flaxseed. Sometimes add plain or vanilla yogurt, too. It seems I tend to add just about whatever I have on hand, lol. I have added peanut butter too, but it adds too many calories because I usually have a smoothie as a snack rather than a meal. ENJOY!!!

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  3. Everyday breakfast for me! Love these little bad boys! ;)

    Megan
    mommyminded.blogspot.com

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  4. Yay! This reminds me that I have spinach in my fridge just for GMs... time to make one! Thanks for the reminder. :-)

    I almost always make the "virgin green monster" with almond milk, spinach, a banana, some flaxseed, and a couple of ice cubes. YUM.

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  5. I LOVE these smoothies and have one almost every morning. Try putting a banana in there. I am a little curious about yours being kinda chunky or how you can taste a grassy taste. When I make mine, its really smooth and I can't taste the spinach at all. Maybe you need to blend it more? I blend it in stages, putting things in one by one, with ice at the end so it stays smooth. Just my 2 cents!

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  7. I never had heard of such a thing, so thanks for the great info!

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