I’m not going to lie, I’m about 1 kale leaf away from turning into a Green Monster.
We have a serious overgrowth issue going on in the garden.
Meet MONSTER kale…just in time for Halloween…
Flashback to May 2011:
Madness.
The peppers continue to grow even despite this cool and rainy weather!
As well as the cucumbers and onions.
Eric likes to surprise me by picking colossal garbage bags full of kale and leaving them on the kitchen counter. “Look what I picked for you!!!”
I don’t have the heart to tell him I’m about to hurl at the sight of kale right now. All I could think about was that I had to eat all of it.
“This will be great for freezing, thank you!”
I quickly stuff the bag of kale into the freezer, heaving my body weight against the door so it would shut.
The door pops open, exploding with kale. This could be an issue.
While the kale waits for me to love it again, I’ve been experimenting with some other greens in my smoothies. Greens I’m not sick of at the moment.
Like Parsley.
Much like my Cherry Basil smoothie, adding fresh parsley into my smoothie was also a fun twist! Fresh herbs are said to be detoxifying & cleansing for the body and are brimming with antioxidants, making them a great addition to any smoothie.
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Herbal Green Monster
This fresh tasting Green Monster packs in detoxifying lemon juice, wheatgrass powder, and parsley while lightly sweetened with fruit. Add some protein powder and/or nut butter to make a meal out of it. If you aren’t a parsley fan, I suggest trying my Cherry Basil smoothie which is also good. You can also start by using a smaller amount of herbs and then use spinach or kale to top it up.
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
- 1 cup packed fresh parsley, big stems removed
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (or ground flax)
- 1 very ripe pear (or use a banana)
- 1/2 frozen banana (optional)
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice (add leftover juice to water or tea)
- 1 tsp wheatgrass powder (optional)
- 1 serving Protein powder and/or nut butter (optional)
- 2-3 ice cubes (it’s best very cold)
1. Add all ingredients (starting with the almond milk) into a blender and blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy!
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Going, going, going….gone.
Even though it’s Fall outside, nothing beats starting the day with greens.
Just have a hot tea on hand…
I’ve been drinking herbal tea this week after finding out that the tannins in caffeinated tea could be irritating my stomach lining. I cut down my caffeinated tea to just 1 or 2 cups a day now.
After two days of withdrawal headaches, I’m now feeling really good!
Thanks for the great discussion going on in the My Journey To Naturopathy post. Very interesting to read about your experiences!
What a great combination..I love green monsters..probably have 1 tonight for dinner with some Friday night treats! :)
Happy Friday!:)
Angela, where do you get your herbamare? is it available at bulk barn?
Costco :)
Not sure about BB…
Send the Kale my way! I would LOVE to have some fresh greens in my plate! :)
I love kale in a green monster…yum!
I give you major props for sucking down 1 c of parsley! You go girl!
And it feels like just yesterday that it was May and I remember your gardening post so well! Wow, what a crazy few months it’s been for me as I think back to May and I’m sure for you, too. Time just flies!
Good for you for reducing your caffeinated tea consumption if you think the tannins are to blame…you’re a better woman than me. I seriously need my caffeine :)
I wish I could try kale once in my life! Hard to believe, I know, but I couldn’t find any kale here in Switzerland. :'( Please send me your leftover kale! ;)
I’m so going to try this! I always end up throwing away half of a bunch of parsley when I buy it for a recipe so this will be a nice way to not be wasteful!
Kale has been on my to-try list now for while. I heard in a Weight Watcher meeting that kale chips are awesome!
So I’ll have to try THIS green monster too, but my comment is about your pumpkin pie smoothie… I just made it….. I died. SO GOOD! :-)
Glad you like it! I ‘m making one today :)
In looks beautiful in Canada! I really miss living up North b/c I loved seeing the leaves change color. Oh well, I’ll live vicariously through you! :-)
I didn’t know you could freeze kale. Or maybe never thought about it. Does it get mushy like spinach or is the texture more or less similar after defrosting. BTW, I’m having a b-day party tomorrow and I’m going to feed 10 people with your recipes :) I’m on a mission to convince my family that vegans don’t live on lettuce and sprouts alone ;)
I don’t think it gets mushy, but I don’t tend to defrost it (I use it straight from the freezer into Green Monsters)
I still have to try a green monster. They sound so good.
Kale in your garden? I’m so jealous. I recently “discovered” kale, and am currently obsessed. I’m pretty sure I’ll make myself sick of it in the next year. Or two.
Awwww, you GM looks so tasty and sooo healthy!!
I just read over your naturopath appointment post and I laughed out loud. I haven’t seen a GP in YEARS…I only go to ND’s if needed :) My body always tells me whats wrong ;) LOL
xxoo
Health in a glass! Love it.
Well, while I can understand your kale overload, I am a bit jealous since there is none in our garden.
I haven’t been able to get through all of my greens lately, I eat a ton and put them in my green monsters, but still have some spoil. A friend of mine told me that she blends her greens up with a little bit of water and puts them in some ice cube trays. Her greens are ready for when she makes for her green monsters.
Great idea :)
Your photo inspired me to make a green monster this morning before a marathon day of work and helping a friend get ready for her wedding. I could feel all that green goodness powering me though the day!
woot!! you go girl :)
This may come as a strange question at this time…but what was the first step you made to healthier eating. I have tried green monsters and actually do love them…but I still have a hard time eating healthy. I find that “healthy” foods are hard to come by and confusing to cook with…how can I get from here to there?!
For me it was tiny baby steps at a time that eventually added up into a big change. I try to take things 1 day at a time or 1 meal at a time. This was especially helpful when I beat binge eating. I tried to be careful not to overwhelm myself. I think this is a good approach when facing a big change.
You can read about my journey in my road to health series found on this page: http://ohsheglows.com/hot/
Goodluck!
Hi Angela,
Can’t wait to try your Green Monster! Thank you for your suggestion of baby steps and one day at a time regarding changing my lifestyle and eating habits. I’ve been a member of Sparks.com
for two weeks or so and I’m very impressed with the site and the encouragement I am getting.
I’m a writer on a book signing tour for my new women’s romance/suspense Without Consent and I find I’m eating out frequently. Now by planning on the food tracker before I start my day I am able to follow my program much better. I’ve taken off two pounds while on this tour of driving to six states.
Congrats Virginia! Eating on the road can be really challenging to maintain one’s weight let alone lose weight. Goodluck with everything!
Oh, I’m trying to be sympathetic but I can’t! I can almost NEVER find kale in Canberra, and the one time I did, it cost $5 for a tiny, tiny bunch. So thank you for the alternate smoothie, though my inability to eat kale is for entirely different reasons to yours!