It is hard to believe that the 2-year anniversary of the Green Monster is coming up on January 20th!
In January 2009, I felt a huge void in my life. I was unhappy with my career and I was often up late at night until 3 or 4 in the morning worrying about work. I dragged all day long and I was turning into someone I didn’t recognize anymore. I started blending green vegetables in my blender after reading about Kris Carr’s green juices. While I didn’t have a juicer, I did have a blender, and I was excited to blend my green ‘juice’ any way that I could.
In my Story of the Green Monster post, I explained:
Determined to feel alive once again, I crammed the healthiest foods into my blender and I blended my little heart out. Of course, the first few attempts looked horrific and they tasted no better. But, I didn’t care. I drank every last drop of those green monsters before I made the long commute to work each morning. The green monster not only gave me energy, but it represented something much deeper than that- inner peace and self-love. I knew that the stress I had put myself through over the past few years was nothing short of damaging to every cell in my body. I created the Green Monsters as a way to take time out for my health. Even if I knew it was going to be a hellish day, drinking my Green Monster in the morning provided me with a sense of calm in my life.
This was one of my first concoctions:
No almond milk, just kale, an English cucumber, and baby carrots. lol. It was scary to say the least!
Thankfully, my Green Monsters have improved greatly since those initial days.
On January 26, 2009, I gave my two weeks notice at my job. It was a very, very bad week for me and I was at an all-time low in my life. I drank those green monsters every single morning despite everything going on. I imagined that I was Popeye with superhuman strength. And boy did I need it.
I still receive a lot of emails and tweets from people who have just tried their first green monster. Many people have challenged themselves to drink Green Monsters in 2011 and I’m always excited to hear about other’s experiences! The most frequent message I receive is, ‘I thought they looked so gross, but they actually taste so delicious! Now I am hooked.’
I am also asked a lot what my classic go-to recipe is so I thought it would be fun to do a post on my most frequently enjoyed Green Monster recipe.
This is a recipe that I keep coming back to again and again and it never fails me.
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Classic Green Monster Smoothie
Yield
2 cups (500 mL)
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
To this day, Green Monsters are one of my favourite drinks for glowing skin and increased energy. If you are newbie, feel free to start off with baby spinach since its taste is undetectable, but I encourage you to experiment with kale, romaine lettuce, or other leafy greens as well. Just be sure to use a sturdy high-speed blender that can handle the task of blending thick greens. If your blender is on the weaker side, stick with spinach as it blends more easily.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 mL) almond milk or other non-dairy milk
- 1 cup destemmed kale leaves or baby spinach
- 1 large ripe frozen banana, chopped into chunks
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) almond butter or peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds or ground flaxseed
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 scoop of your favourite protein powder (optional)
- 2 to 3 ice cubes
Directions
- Add all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
When I am feeling a little frisky, I love to add in some powders too! I keep Navitas Maca powder, Vega Shake & Go, and Amazing Grass Wheat Grass on hand whenever the budget allows.
Yesterday I added into the classic mix: 1 tsp Maca, 1 tbsp Vanilla Almond Shake & Go, and 1/2 scoop wheatgrass powder. It was my first time trying Vega Vanilla Almond and I thought it was pretty good, but I greatly prefer the Choc-O-lot flavour. I love making a Chocolate-Mint GM using Vega’s Choc-O-Lot and some fresh mint leaves.
Add your liquid in first. This just helps the blender do its job better.
Next add in your powders, chia seeds or ground flax, and your nut butter:
Now add the greens. I use two handfuls of whatever green I have on hand. I most often use spinach, but I also like to use red or green kale now that my Vita-Mix can handle it.
Finally, add the banana. The weight helps pack all the ingredients down!
Blend away until smooth!
I added in 2 large ice cubes and blended some more.
Pour into a glass and enjoy!
I love my Glass Dharma straw.
Mmm, this one is absolutely delicious. Creamy, sweet, smooth, and loaded with nutrients!
I’m always asked how I can drink smoothies during the cold winter months and my answer is easy:
I often drink Green Monsters following my workout when I am often craving something liquid and cold.
I’m also always asked if you can taste the spinach and the answer is no. =) Kale, on the other hand…YES (unless you make it super sweet to overpower the bitter quality of the kale).
Good to the last drop!
Other Mentionables:
1) Need more encouragement to eat your veggies? Check out this article: ‘Want a Golden Glow? Don’t Bother with a Suntan- Eat Your Greens Instead.’
2) My Winter 2011 training plan is now up on my Races page. I will be talking about this in more detail soon!
3) Check out these 30 new Green Monster reader recipes on GMM.
Are you a smoothie or ‘Green Monster’ fan? What’s your favourite go-to recipe?
Diggin’ the classic! Great reminder that I need to make me one of this bad boys soon!
I drink a green monster several times a week! I usually add a banana, frozen mixed berries, spinach, and soy milk. LOVE! I credit these to keeping my iron levels high despite not eating meat. Hmmm…sounds like a good mid-morning snack… ;)
There’s something satisfying about putting greens into my smoothie that I can’t put into words, but it’s definitely there.
Generally I toss in a tablespoon of flax, a handful or two of greens (kind of limited seeing as organic doesn’t really exist in my town and kale is as foreign as it gets here), half of a frozen banana, some roasted squash for thickness, and then I pour in the almond or soy milk as I go along to get to a creamy, pea-soup like thickness. I prefer to eat my smoothies with a spoon rather than drinking them. ;)
I’ve never made a green monster but after hearing so much about it on here, I’d say its about time I give it a try :) I’m a HUGE fan of any kind of smoothie, so I’m sure I would love it. Thanks for promoting such healthy and GOOD recipes!
I love green monsters! Reading about yours over the summer got me interested, and I think I made one every single hot summer morning! They are the best!
These have changed the way I look at greens, literally! Chocolate green monster, anyone? Thanks for opening my mind, OSG!!
love,
cathy b. @ brightbakes
I love Green Monsters! I have them at least 4 times a week! :D People think I’m crazy but I’m addicted to them!
Me too Katy!! It truly is an addiction!
I didn’t actually know your full story behind the GM, but I have to say THANK YOU x100000 for introducing me to them! I start almost every day with one and they have made such a difference in my energy levels, overall health (and I think) my immune system. Oh, and they’re freakin delicious!! :)
How is your Vitamix SO clean?!?! Mine is…um…not so clear anymore. I swear I wash it everytime too.
I have that problem too….sometimes I use one of those scrubber pads + lots of dish soap and hot water to get it clear again!
Rinse it out…add water and soap and run it on medium (not too high or you will have lots of bubbles!)…gives it a nice pre-wash and shakes out all the bits and seeds that get caught around the blades!
When it gets really cloudy, I’ve heard you can totally clear it up by soaking it in OxiClean (I haven’t had to do it yet, but I would just add some with water, let it blend for a cycle, then let it sit overnight; Rinse in the morning). This tip came from my friend who bought an old, used juicer that was totally stained and really bad looking, but after soaking it for several days in a sink full of OxiClean and water, it looked as good as new!
I always almost weep at your story :)
I have made tons of green monsters, I mostly make them pink or purple haha so they are easier to drink for me.
x sabine
lol, ok so I’m not the only one… mine end up being purple thanks to blueberries ;)
I spent my entire 8am lecture dreaming of green monsters, dashed back to my dorm to make one, and sat down to enjoy it while checking to see if you had posted this morning yet…..I think we might be on the same brain wave this morning! especially since mine was a classic, with a TBSP of chocolate- peanut butter! i love being green <3
If it wasn’t for you, I would have never tried a Green Monster. That being said, thank goodness for you! (:
I cant wait to try these! Thank you so very much! Ill be stopping by the store on my way home from work. :)
Lately my life has been quite rough, so I’ve been having at least one green smoothie every day. Most of the time I have them first thing in the morning, and I notice a change in myself throughout the day for the better, and every day even better than the last!
Thank you for spreading the green smoothie love, I truly believe it’s something that can help ANYONE’S and EVERYONE’S health for the better (body and soul!), whether they need a pick-me-up or not:)
i am a huge green monster fan….i just started adding fresh mint to mine and love it. i actually just posted my fav all green smoothie yesterday…i can actually feel a difference when i don’t have it. it boosts my energy and mood!!
I like drinking green monsters as my ‘juice’ to go with an egg & cheese sandwich (since it has no veggies or fruit). Makes for a complete breakfast! :)
I always add spinach to my smoothies since I hate veggies so much. But my other must haves are frozen bananas and frozen cherries!
I just started drinking Green Monsters at the start of the new year. I had always *meant* to, but never got into the habit until now. I haven’t tried adding any nut butters to them, though I may have to try that soon. (I rec’d a 14 cup Cuisinart for Xmas and have been making nut butters like crazy since then!). :)
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This combo was actually my first green monster!! Definitely tasty :D
Well you’re persuasive! I am not going to try one of these, they don’t look half as scary as they sound, excited now! Thank you again for getting me to try something I would previously have avoided :-)