THE (not so) GREEN MONSTER

I have been to so many blogs and read about 'the green monster'.  I've seen mention of it on Twitter.  It's famous.  (and I'm so not talking baseball)  I had to know more about it.  What is a green monster?  And why are so many people obsessed with them?  Well, come to find out....just in case someone else is in the dark like I was....the infamous green monster is a smoothie type drink.  A very healthy smoothie.  Don't stop reading, this is actually fascinating.  People DRINK spinach or kale.  KALE.  SPINACH. in a smoothie.  VOMIT.  Or so I thought.  However, the more I heard, and the more I read, I knew I was going to have to try this green monster mess.  Because...if there is actually an easy way to consume green, leafy vegetables, I need to know what it is.  My body needs more veggies.  I know this.  I try to eat them.  But it's hard for me, always has been.  I could tell you stories of the wars that went on at my dinner table b/c I didn't want to eat my vegetables as a baby/toddler/child.  And unfortunately this followed me as a young adult/middle age adult.  OMG.  Am I considered middle aged?  ugh.  That's a discussion for another time.  Focus.  Green monsters.  Vegetables you drink.  I shudder.

So...I go out and buy some spinach, get out my trusty (dusty) blender, and make a concoction to see if what people are saying is true.  That a Green Monster...a healthy drink...actually tastes good.  I give it a whirl with these ingredients.

I threw in a handful of spinach, a cup of homemade yogurt, 1/2 cup blueberries, a tablespoon of flax seed, a handful of oats and 1/2 - 1 cup of milk.  I did not add any of the watermelon lurking in the background.  Oh, and a half of frozen banana (not pictured).  In other words, about every healthy thing I had in the house.

My first thought was....uh...it's not green.  Then I read somewhere that if you add blueberries, it will not be that vibrant green I've seen on other blogs (duh!).  Which is probably a good thing.

I sprinkled a little cinnamon on top, b/c I figured, it couldn't hurt.  I was getting ready to drink spinach.  Did I mention that I don't like vegetables all that much?

And yes, I drank it all.  AND....wait for it....I liked it.  I liked it.   I really did.  I was stunned that I did not throw up it tasted pretty good.  Obviously, it did not taste like spinach.  It tasted like a blueberry banana smoothie.  with some chunky pieces..my extra hearty oats did not blend too well.

So, as is my nature, I've experimented with the ingredients.  That's the good thing about this...you add pretty much whatever you want!  Nuts/seeds/protein/fruit, it's your choice.  The only constant I saw in any of the 'recipes' was the spinach or kale.  I have not been brave enough to try kale.  I've had a smoothie everyday for the past week, everyday a little different.  I've made them with protein powder, chocolate (yes, you know I had to go there), more banana, less banana, apples, etc.  Today, I found the perfect "Green" (aka Purple) Monster for me....

2 cups spinach

1 cup plain yogurt with Stevia

1/2 cup skim milk

1 cup blueberries

handful of walnuts

T. flax seed

YUM!!!  It was really, really good!  And I feel good.  I'm getting all these super foods packed with vitamins and antioxidants.  I'm getting more fruits and veggies in my system.  My mother was shocked when I told her.  I'm surprised my body has not gone into shock at having all this healthiness shoved into it at one time.  AND - my 7 yr old tried my monster today and liked it!  Mr. Terrible Two had some the other day and liked it as well.  I am very excited to get some extra veggies into the kids this way too.  But don't take my word for it, go try it for yourself.  If you haven't tried it before, you will be pleasantly surprised.  Trust me.  The self-proclaimed Queen of Chocolate would not steer you wrong.  Speaking of, I wonder if I should throw some pretzel M&M's in there?  Kidding (maybe).

Let me know if you do try it out, or if you have in the past.  What do you put in yours? 

I'm linking up this post with Life As Mom, Mom-Spot.com