Green Monster

Thank you so much for all the tempeh help! I am excited to try the recipes everyone suggested, and I am not going to let tempeh win the battle over me. 🙂

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If you are a part of the healthy living blog world, you know about the Green Monster Movement! Delicious spinach smoothies filled with a powerful punch of veggies before 8 a.m.!

If you have never tried a spinach smoothie, you are probably thinking that sounds like the most awful thing ever!

But like your mom always said, “you’ve gotta try it before you knock it.”

Here are the steps to creating a Green Monster that will leave you saying, “there’s spinach in there?”

Ingredients:

– milk or milk substitute (almond milk pairs well with the almond butter)

– spinach (and lots of it!) (Some people will use kale, but I haven’t tried it myself.)

– frozen banana (A frozen banana makes it taste way better. Tip: peel the banana before freezing! Also, if this is your first time trying a Green Monster, use a whole banana to mask more of the spinach flavor.)

– almond butter (optional, but highly recommended if it is your first time making it)

– vanilla extract (not pictured, but once again highly recommended)

– other optional ingredients: chia seeds, ground flax, other fruit (strawberries, blueberries), protein powder, fresh ginger, instant coffee granules

Two optional ingredients that I have recently been adding to my Green Monsters (not together though!):

– fresh ginger

and instant coffee!

They really kick up the flavor and put a new twist on a traditional Green Monster!

To make a Green Monster:

Start by combining the milk, banana slices, almond butter, vanilla extract, and any of the other optional ingredients together in a blender.

Blend on high speed until everything is pureed.

Then add your spinach. Seriously add 2-3 large handfuls of it!

Just fill up the blender!
Then puree until smooth and creamy!

Green Monster

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk

1/2 – 1 frozen banana

2 -3 large handfuls of fresh spinach

1 tablespoon almond butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional ingredients:

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1 -2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

1/8 -1/4 teaspoon instant coffee

Directions

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Enjoy! (And you will!!)

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Workout

I ran a quick 4 miles before work this morning.

I thought about going more, but I wanted to keep it short and sweet before my long run tomorrow.

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Questions

If you have had a Green Monster before, was your first experience a success?

Do you have other “secret”/”special” ingredients you add to your Green Monsters?