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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:
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No almond milk, just kale, an English cucumber, and baby carrots. lol. It was scary to say the least!
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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](https://ohsheglows.com/gs_images/2016/03/20160118-App-Smoothies-02165-1-768x768.jpg)
Classic Green Monster Smoothie
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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)![IMG_8942 IMG_8942](/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_8942_thumb.jpg)
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.
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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.
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Next add in your powders, chia seeds or ground flax, and your nut butter:
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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.
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Finally, add the banana. The weight helps pack all the ingredients down!
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Blend away until smooth!
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I added in 2 large ice cubes and blended some more.
Pour into a glass and enjoy!
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I love my Glass Dharma straw.
Mmm, this one is absolutely delicious. Creamy, sweet, smooth, and loaded with nutrients!
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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.
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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!
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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?
I feel like your version of ‘green monsters’ have been around….forever! And it’s only been 2 years. I think webster’s dictionary should carve out a special place for your name right next to those 2 words…that is an Angela-ism :)
Green smoothies, shakes, drinks, whatever we call it…it’s all good to me! Right around the time you were coining the term Green Monster, I was making baby food in my Vita for Skylar..she was about 1 year old or so…and she and I both ate our Green Monsters that way :)
I LOVE green monsters!
My favourite recipe usually turns out greenish with a tinge of blue/brown, depending, but here goes:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond milk, or water
1/2 cup frozen berries
2 handfuls organic spinach
1 slice lemon or lime, peel included
1 tbsp ground flax
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 scoop Progressive Veggie Greens
1 scoop Progressive Phyto Berries (if available)
1-3 Ice cubes
Blend into a delicious GM!!
I love green monsters. I used to drink one every day in the summer, but now can’t even think about it because it’s so cold!!!
Love green monsters and love the idea of the chocolate mint…
That’s pretty much how I make my 2 year old’s green smoothies. I knew she loved pb+banana in her smoothies so one day I added some greens and sure enough she loved it. Sometimes I add berries too but then it turns a gross army green color. :-)
I’ve stopped drinking these since it got cold in Alberta but this post has made me want to start again. I know that I don’t get enough veggies in my diet, & these tasted so good. I’ll be picking up the ingredients this weekend :)
Just so you know…Green Monsters changed breakfast for me! And a lot of people I know! I tell everyone about them and I’ve convinced almost everyone in my family to give them a try.
yum! i tried my FIRST green monster this week & did a post about it! i love putting toppings on them too. my favorite topping is melted coconut butter that makes a hard shell on top. it’s perfect for eating with a spoon. :)
I love Green Monsters! I am so grateful to have stumbled upon this blog last year because I pretty much had a Green Monster every hot summer morning. So amazing.
I recently started a new blog, and I’ve definitely mentioned the Green Monster on it: http://kind-vegan.tumblr.com/
Peace!
CONGRATULATIONS on coming up to the 2nd anniversary of leaving your stressful and unhappy job, angela! that is a milestone to celebrate!
i was a teacher for three years, and left the profession because it just was not me. i remember well the free heart i felt as i walked away on the last day!
so happy for you that you can now pursue your passions. let’s raise a green monster in a toast! :)
I love my green monsters, and I am happy to say YOU inspired me to try putting spinach in my smoothies! Now I hardly ever go without it, and I always feel so energized and strong after drinking one. Thanks for starting a healthy revolution… oh, and that recipe looks amazing. :D
xo
I love my green monsters, and I am happy to say YOU inspired me to try putting spinach in my smoothies! Now I hardly ever go without it, and I always feel so energized and strong after drinking one. Thanks for starting a healthy revolution… oh, and that recipe looks amazing. :D
xo
Does anyone else love the fact that Angela said “frisky” in relation to adding ingredients to her green monster . . . BAHAHAHA – sorry for the ribbing Angela – that’s the sign of a true health enthusiast ;)
haha nerd alert (me)
Thanks for this recipe :) I’m going to attempt to make my very first Green Monster tomorrow morning! Can’t wait.
I love green monsters :) I wish I could drink them during class, but my water bottle is see-through LOL And I find that I can’t taste kale when I put it in! I guess it depends on how much you use
Ooo I shoulda gone for the classic this morning. I’ve been drinking Green Monsters for about a year now (thanks to you lovely) but I still occasionally stumble upon some really unpalatable combinations. Don’t try cabbage, people. On the bright side, veggies NEVER go bad at my house anymore!
Here are my faves:
Post-workout recovery GM
1 scoop Vega Sport Performance Protein (vanilla)
1 tsp MacaSure powder
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, sliced
1 pear, quartered and seeded
1 sm zucchini, chopped
1/2 stalk celery, sliced
3 large kale leaves, destemmed
2 c. filtered ice water
Blended Salad GM (savoury, like raw soup)
1 sm zucchini or cucumber, chopped
2 ripe field tomatoes, quartered
1 sm red, yellow or orange bell pepper
1/2 ripe avocado
1/2 stalk celery, sliced
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 clove garlic, deveined
1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger, sliced
Large handful fresh parsley and/or cilantro
2-3 leaves Romaine lettuce and/or kale (destemmed)
1 tsp white miso
1-2 tsp Bragg liquid aminos
Small squeeze fresh lime juice
Hot sauce or pepper to taste
Additional fresh or dried herbs to taste
1 1/2 cups warm filtered water
I love this post. I am so inspired to start my own green monster journey in 2011. I will definitely be coming back for recipes : )
I have to say I have not yet come up with a combo I can really like, I do keep trying though.
I love green monsters! I actually enjoy putting kale into them and don’t taste much of the bitterness. I like to add cinnamon to mine.
One thing I like to do with green monsters is chill them in the freezer for an hour or two. This usually hardens the surface and thickens the liquid underneath, making it fun to dig in with a spoon!