green monster

There are only a few days left to enter the Tazo Zero Tea giveaway. Sweet new teas and a summer beach pack -- two ways to help kick off the summer!

No, I'm not talking about something hiding in your nose when you're sick, or that mysteriously hidden bush of poison ivy you didn't notice until you climbed right middle of it. Or that Jolly Green Guy hiding behind the packs of frozen vegetables in the supermarket. I'm talking about a smoothie that's called Green Monster because of spinach. Really, I think the name sticks no matter what edible green you use, and I've seen the use of kale and other stuff. So far I've just been using baby spinach because it's the easiest for me to get.

I believe that I first saw GM's on Caitlin's blog, Healthy Tipping Point, when she talked about how much she enjoyed them and the burst of energy she got after drinking it. Green is my favorite color, so i couldn't resist.

Now before you get all, "EWWWW, I hate spinach!" on me, let me tell you that if this is due to an unfortunate occurrence during your youth, it probably wasn't being served in an appetizing manner. (Yes, go ahead and blame your parents for this one.) Secondly, baby spinach has a less intense taste than regular spinach, and unless I'm using frozen (which I would NEVER do for this -- the point is to consume raw greens) all the raw spinach I eat is of the baby variety. I also suggest you make a shake using spinach. While there's a very faint taste, the sweetness from the fruits you add to the smoothie diminish the flavor. Also again, if you let the blender run for a while all the spinach is pretty pulverized and not noticeable.

Since warmer weather is fast approaching, I usually enjoy a smoothie post-run. I've been playing around with different add-ins, both fruit and liquid, and today I'll share with you the one that came out the best. Measurements are unfortunately not exact because I was just adding stuff as I felt like it.

P.S., I also call this my alternative shamrock shake. It's not minty at all, though I bet you could add some mint leaves and you'd be all set.

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green monster, take one
Recipe by Christina Provo

Makes two servings, or 3-4 smaller servings

ingredients ~
2 cups raw baby spinach
1 cup soy or almond milk (use vanilla flavored to hide the spinach taste if this is an issue)
1/2 cup water
a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt
1 unpeeled Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into chunks
1 banana, peeled
1 packet Stevia In the Raw

directions ~

1. Place spinach, milk, water, and yogurt in a blender. Cover lid and blend for thirty seconds. Add in apple and banana, cover, and let blend for a bit until smoothie looks even in texture and there are no discernible spinach leaf chunks. Finally, add stevia packet and blend to combine.


2. Pour into cups and enjoy.