Continuing the theme of my post-vacation shape up, I went home and drank my veggies for lunch in the form of a Green Monster Spinach Smoothie!
Green Monster Spinach Smoothies are one of my top secret diet weapons, because although they’re packed with baby spinach, which make my skin, hair, nails, and overall self feel totally great, they do not taste healthy at all. I repeat, they do not taste healthy at all.
PLUS!
- Spinach is fat free, cholesterol free, low in calories, and very low in sodium
- Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A, C, K, iron, fiber, folate, and lutein
- Leutin is an antioxidant that promotes good eye health, and may help prevent cancer of the liver, ovaries, colon and prostate, and even dementia.
- Dole lab tests found spinach juice has twice the chlorophyl, eight times the calcium, six times the magnesium, 10 times the potassium, 15 times the vitamin C and 43 times the vitamin A of wheatgrass juice!
Are you convinced yet? Well channel your inner Popeye and get to blending already!
First add 1 sliced frozen banana, and 1 Tablespoon peanut butter in a blender. Tip: PEEL and SLICE your bananas before you freeze them.
Next add bulking agents for staying power, like protein-packed vanilla Greek yogurt, and creamy unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You could use any kind of milk you want – cow’s, rice, soy, etc.
PS I started calling cow’s milk, well, cow’s milk, after I stopped drinking it last year in favor of almond milk and it freaks. Ben. out. So hysterical.
Fill the blender the rest of the way up with baby spinach. I think I fit about 4 cups in there today!
Start the blender on “high blend” until everything’s mixed up, then switch it over to “liquify” to get the Green Monster velvety smooth.
Pure green gold!
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Green Monster Spinach Smoothie
Description
Green Monster Spinach Smoothie is packed with good-for-you ingredients — it's my favorite way to start the day!Â
Ingredients
- 1 frozen sliced banana
- 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
- 1/2 cup 0% Vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt
- 1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze (or other kind of milk)
- 4 cups baby spinach (or more, or less)
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
I almost feel guilty enjoying one of these babies, as it tastes like a sweet, indulgent ice cream shake. It’s perfect for breakfast, lunch or even a snack.
Try throwing in different kinds of greens, protein powder, and any frozen fruit or berry combo under the sun. The sky’s the limit with this ultra-healthy, not-healthy-tasting Green Monster Spinach Smoothie!
*Sources: Dole, WH Foods, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Kim 01.07.2012
Love this powerhouse smoothie!! Have been making this for a month now!! Really does make you feel like Popeye!! STRONG!!!
Ashley 01.07.2012
Could this be something made the night before and refridgerated for breakfast? I rarely have time @ 6:15 to make a healthy breakfast before I head in to work. Thanks!
Iowa Girl Eats 01.08.2012
I’ve never tried that, but someone else pointed out that they put everything in the blender the night before, then blend it up real quick in the morning. I leave around 6:15 for my work too, and I’m thinking about trying this idea for myself!
kelly t 01.08.2012
I drink spinach smoothies every morning and they don’t last longer than 45 min before they have been oxidized and change consistency and is gross. May be there is way around it?
Laura @ Mrs in the Making 01.08.2012
Yes – don’t blend then put in the fridge, assemble and put it in the fridge and then blend it in the morning. If your refrigerator is kept as cold as it should be, there’s pretty minimal thawing of the frozen parts, but it helps your blender have an easier time with the blending, in addition to being a time-saver. Alton Brown suggests always doing it this way. Especially when you make a smoothie that has a lot of frozen fruit, frozen fruit is really dense and hard for anything that isn’t a vitamix or blendtec to grind up sometimes. Hope you find a great way to do this!
And Kristin, thanks for sharing this! I can’t wait to try it. I have made several different types of green smoothies but this is different than my usual recipe so I’m psyched! I’m making it tomorrow morning :D
Rachel 01.07.2012
I just made it and it’s yummy! I did feel like there was a bit of a spinach aftertaste (my almond milk is just unsweeted, not vanilla), so I added some strawberry/banana greek yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla, and a small handful of blueberries (changed the color slightly, but since I didn’t use a lot it’s still pretty green).
Danielle s 01.07.2012
Bless you, Kristin! This recipe was just what I was searching for. Threw in frozen berries and a bit of honey, too on a second try since I was out of almond milk. Love, love love!
Rachel 01.07.2012
I also made this post-workout…delicious AND filling. Thanks for sharing!!
Julie 01.07.2012
Does the banana have to be frozen?
Iowa Girl Eats 01.07.2012
It doesn’t have to be, but it helps make it thick and cold. I’d throw in ice if your banana isn’t frozen!
Ellen 01.07.2012
Love this! Just whipped one up with vanilla coconut milk…will be sharing this recipe with friends!
The Green Monster | lifeworthsharing 01.07.2012
[…] have read about “Green Monster” smoothies on many healthy blogs, but when Iowa Girl Eats posted color-electric photos and swore they taste like a “sweet indulgent ice cream […]
Anna 01.07.2012
Just tried this for lunch and it was DELICIOUS! Thanks!
Jean 01.07.2012
I just made the Green Monster Spinach Smoothie and really love it. What a great way to get your spinach and enjoy the taste!
I be will be adding this to my quick and easy lunch options.
Thank you!
Vicki Bruce 01.07.2012
Green monsters have been a family favorite of ours for a couple of years. We add a spoonful of ground flax and when my daughter was pregnant with twins and having trouble gaining weight (I know … who has trouble gaining weight when they are pregnant) we added powdered protein mix. Hint … peel bananas before freezing. We also substitue frozen peaches, strawberries, mangos, etc. Be aware if you use blueberries it will turn your green monster black … still tastes great just doesn’t look to appetizing.
Ashley 01.07.2012
So yummy! Just made this for my post workout with some vanilla protein powder. I also did 3/4 unsweetened vanilla almond milk and 1/4 chocolate almond milk from Trader Joes!
Donna 01.07.2012
Do you happen to know the fat and carbs content so I can figure the Weight Watchers points on this? Thanks! It’s very tasty!
Margge 01.10.2012
You could put all the ingredients into the recipe builder thingy on WW to find put the points. I love that tool!
Dawn 01.07.2012
Thanks for the awesome recipe! Just wondering, can you suggest any dairy-free substitutions for the Greek yogurt?
Iowa Girl Eats 01.07.2012
You actually don’t *need* to have the yogurt. I just add it in there for the additional protein and thickness. I would throw in a handful of ice to replace it!
Leora 01.08.2012
Dawn…I can’t do dairy either. I drink coconut milk (lighter flavor than soy to me) and it worked fine. My recipe goes as follows: 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 cup parsley, 1 tsp honey, 2+cups spinach, 1 banana, 1tb peanut butter and a handful of ice and I skipped yogurt completely since I’m working on lowering the calories for it while boosting the good for you parts. My next step is to see if I can omit the peanut butter (not a big fan) and see how it turns out!
Alicia 01.06.2012
I work in an ice cream shop and it is soooo tempting to eat shakes all the time. This would be the perfect substitute for me to try! Thanks so much for the recipe! I would definantly have to bring my own though because they wouldn’t have the spinach there for me :) I was skeptical at the very beginning because of how green the shake was. After reading the first two ingredients, all my worries went out the window. Bananas and peanut butter? Oh yea!
Smoothie Addict 01.06.2012
Oh – ha ha! Well, we peel them before we freeze them, but we haven’t found a need to slice them.
Liz 01.06.2012
Any idea how many weight watchers point this would be?
Molly Wrolstad 01.07.2012
It is 10 points.
Paulina 01.23.2012
Good to know I can totally substitute this for my usual breakfast.
Smoothie Addict 01.06.2012
Definitely going to try this! But curious why you say to cut the banana in slices before freezing…”or you’ll be sorry”? We freeze bananas all the time for smoothies & have never found any reason to be “sorry” for not cutting into slices. Perhaps it’s because we have a Vita-Mix???
Iowa Girl Eats 01.06.2012
Removing the peel from a frozen banana is near impossible. :)
Dallas 01.08.2012
To peel frozen bananas, just run them under lukewarm water for about a minute. Then you can literally squeeze the banana out of the peel. Ta-da!
Sherry Lochner 01.10.2012
I love making Spinach Smoothies. I microwave my banana for a minute before adding, open and it slides right out of the peel. :)
Alyssa 01.06.2012
I’ve never been a shake drinker, but I think I may need to with my heavy work and school schedule looming ahead. And this shake has so many of my favorite things: peanut butter, Greek yogurt, and almond milk!
Ceebs 01.06.2012
This was sooo good! I mixed up ingredients a bit, but thanks so much for the tip on the spinach! Delish AND green!
Jessica 01.07.2012
Can you taste the spinach in this or no?
Looks good if I can get past the spinach part. Hehe.
Iowa Girl Eats 01.07.2012
No you really can’t at all!
elizabeth 01.08.2012
Not at all, it almost tastes like dessert….a good for you milkshake!!
Nell 01.08.2012
The only time I ever tasted the spinach is when I saved part for later and was in frig overnight
SSS 01.09.2012
I am wondering how long and much you can drink of this stuff. Can you have it everyday.. Can you have it as a protein drink..
i drink about 52 oz of green goddess bolthouse drink a day and wondering how this compares to that.
will you be able to see a difference right away or will it take a couple of days to see a difference..
Things to consider..
I am a fairly healthy person and I drink 50-70 oz of water a day and eat good fruits and vegetables with protein..
thanks for reply..
SSS