Today’s recipe is in response to a post over at Stellar Fashion & Fitness, in which Jen asked for tips to incorporate vegetables into her breakfast. Earlier this year, my friend Kristy turned me on to the Green Monster Smoothie, which has become one of my go-to breakfasts! I personally love fresh spinach, but if the idea of spinach for breakfast turns you off, fear not; the banana and almond butter really mask the taste of the spinach. Unlike a lot of other “quick” breakfast foods like cereal or toast, this smoothie actually keeps me full for quite a long time. This smoothie is a nutritional powerhouse, containing loads of vitamins, fiber, calcium, and protein.
How do you incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your breakfasts?
Ingredients*
- 3/4 cup skim milk
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
- crushed ice
Directions
- Place all ingredients in a blender.
- Blend until smooth. That’s it!
*This is the basic recipe, but it can be easily adapted to suit your tastes or needs with the following:
- Almond Milk: vegan alternative
- Yogurt: creamier and more filling
- Honey: a touch of sweetness
- Vanilla: a nice aroma and flavor
- Blueberries: antioxidants, and helps mask the spinach
- Flax seeds: omega-3 fatty acids
- Protein powder: more protein, of course!
Wow, not sure about this but I am going to give it a try!
It makes me feel so healthy when I have one of these… I think it’s right up your alley!
Looks delicious! I have to start using my blender again for such good and healthy treats as this
Thanks Scott! Yes, it’s worth getting out the blender (and having to wash it afterwards, haha)
Reblogged this on Out of the Crab Bucket and commented:
I just made this Monster Smoothie =) It was sweet, which surprised me because I always use a fruit juice instead of milk. And I always add yogurt. My son is the peanut butter smoothie guy I don’t think he adds the spinach though. Well I highly recommend this.
Glad you liked it! I’ve found that the ripeness of the banana really determines how sweet it’ll be.
OK Kavi. So now your catchy headline of Green Monster Smoothie has me traveling down another unique food trail with you. I’m going to try this and substitute the spinach for something else as I cannot eat spinach. You are a surprise a minute!
haha glad that it caught your eye! It’s nice to get a whole serving of vegetables out of the way that early in the morning
If you can’t have spinach, you could make it with kale. Kale has a slightly bitter taste, so I’d suggest using almond or rice milk (sweeter than dairy milk), and perhaps some honey as well.