I’m sure you’re all aware of all the benefits of eating my leafy greens. They are loaded with amino acids (the building blocks of protein), minerals, vitamins, fiber & chlorophyll. They enhance digestion and give our bodies lots of enzymes to stay strong and healthy. And for all of these reasons, I try to include LOTS of leafy greens into my diet on a daily basis. Sometimes, however, it’s just hard to get motivated to eat a salad.
Which is why I love green smoothies! (a.k.a. Green Monsters)
I was first introduced to green smoothies when I read Victoria Boutenko’s book Green for Life. Her extensive research proved that adding one green smoothie to your day could result in numerous health benefits, including weight loss, increased immunity and reduced cravings. Plus, breaking down the greens using a blender makes their nutrients easier for our body to use!
Not to mention, they are SO easy to make:
Your green smoothie can be as simple or complex as you’d like it to be. For this particular one, I kept it ultra-simple: 1 banana, 2 cups spinach, 1 cup water, and 3 ice cubes. If you’re new to green smoothies, I recommend using a small amount of spinach to start, then gradually increase the amount, as you grow accustomed to the flavor.
Blend for about one minute, to make sure you really break down the greens:
Then pour into a pretty glass and enjoy! 
I enjoyed this particular smoothie at lunch yesterday. I almost always try to include a large salad at lunch, but yesterday I wasn’t feeling it. Normally my lunch-time salad looks like this:
I love eating green fruit salads– fruit piled on top of a huge bed of greens! You don’t even need dressing. Typically served in a big, yellow mixing bowl, ’cause that’s how I roll. (And it’s the only bowl I have big enough to hold all those greens!)
But when I’m just not in the mood for said salad, sometimes I’ll whip up a mini-Monster to have as my starter instead. I simply sip on this little guy while I’m whipping up the rest of my lunch! I call it a mini-Monster, because it’s much smaller than a green smoothie that I would have as a meal. I’ve been known to drink a huge, green smoothie as my breakfast, lunch OR dinner– but those are much larger to satisfy me for hours!
Here’s my favorite “meal time” smoothie recipe:
Basic Green smoothie:
2 cups spinach
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup frozen berries
1 banana (frozen or fresh)
1 tablespoon protein powder of choice (my fave is Sun Warrior)
juice of 1/2 lemon
dash of cinnamon
-Throw it all into a blender, and process until nice and smooth!
Personally, I love to eat these with a spoon and pretend it’s sorbet! It’s hard to believe these things are so healthy, when they taste so good!
For more green smoothie recipes: Check out the Green Monster Movement created by one of my new favorite bloggers, Angela!
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