I started losing weight in December 2008.  I had put on 25lbs in almost 2 years and felt disgusting.  I was losing at a slow pace but doing all the right things (working out with a trainer, following Weight Watchers).

In June (13lbs lost) I finally decided to try a GM as I’d seen them all over blogland.  I crammed as many healthy items as possible for the least amout of WW points/calories. I was instantly hooked!  I loved the feeling of putting so many healthy things into my body.  From there, I started eating much healthier food…focusing on nutrients versus calories (still keeping calories in mind though).

I then joined a 10k running clinic and learned that I need to properly fuel my body for runs…what I eat all day impacts my evening runs.  This further enhanced my healthy eating as I searched for superfoods, paid attention to the protein/fibre/fat/carb ratio, etc.  I stopped focusing on calories/points.

The weight literally dropped off me.  One day my jeans didn’t fit, the next time I tried them on they were baggy. I stopped weighing myself all the time, as I SAW and FELT my results.  Not to mention how blown away people were when they saw me.

I cannot believe how transformed my thinking is now…I laugh at 100 calorie packs as they are such a waste of calories and I plan my meals/snacks based on what foods will fill me up and are nutrious.

Today (November, almost 1 year later) I’m down at least 20lbs (probably more, but definitely lost a ton of inches), have given most of my clothes away, I am the healthiest I’ve ever been in my life, but still have those darn skinny jeans that still don’t look good on me!  I’ve got a ways to go, but this time, FINALLY, I know it’s for real, forever.  I am transformed.  And I owe it all to the Green Monster, as that’s what started my love for putting all things good into my body, and treating my body with the respect it deserves.

I got married exactly 2 weeks ago and while I wasn’t the thinnest I’ve ever been, I can’t stop looking at my photos as I’m so happy with how I look, and how I GLOW.

Now that my long-winded story is over, here’s my favourite GM recipe:

3/4 cup water
2 tbsp vanilla protein powder
1/2 scoop Ruth’s Hemp Maca E3
1.5 scoops Nu-Greens OR 1 scoop Amazing Grass berry flavour
1 tsp orange flavoured flax oil
1/2 frozen banana
2 frozen strawberries
1/4 c frozen blueberries
1 handful baby spinach OR dandylion leaves if I can find them!
1 handful kale
+ a side of 2 spirulina pills and 2 B12 vitamins

How often I’d pass by those little hairy brown fruits. But when the sign read “Organic Kiwi: 6 for $3.00” I couldn’t pass up the bargain.

Beneath the peel, I discovered green flesh, white pulp in the center, and small black (edible) seeds. Mmm, not bad. The taste reminded me of a mixture of banana, pineapple and strawberry, all rolled into one small fruit.

So I threw some into a smoothie I was making, and ooolala, this one’s a keeper.

3 handfuls of spinach (one pound bags on sale for $1.99 – score!)
1 kiwi
1 C pineapple
1 frozen banana
2 C filtered water

Hi! I absolutely love green monsters for breakfast. I also really love coffee in the morning, which led me to this amazing combo.  I work at starbucks, so its easy for me to experiment with everything they have there.  So this is what I came up with…instead of driving to get your Cafe Mocha or Cafe Vanilla Frapp every morning, why not stay at home and make yourself a good ol Cafe Monster.

Recipe:
1 cup non dairy milk (I use soy or almond)
2 handfulls spinach
1/2 a frozen banana
1 scoop Amazing Grass chocolate powder
1/2 packet of Starbucks Via (or a Tablespoon of ground coffee)

Ice

I have been making my own protein shake for months now and decided to morph it into a green monster. Additionally, I have been LOVING your blog and thought I had to try the Green Monster after hearing so much about it. So, lo and behold, I now make the following version of the Green Monster every morning and absolutely love it. It gives me a boost in energy, and I feel like I started my day on the right foot.

2 scoops Standard Process protein powder
1 scoop Amazing Grass superfood
1 teaspoon of of TJ’s almond butter
1 large handful of organic spinach
6-8 mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) from TJ’s mixed frozen berries
Ice

The finished product is a darker green/purple color, but the taste is magnificent. Thanks for giving me the courage to make this nutritious drink!

Now, I’ve made a lot of smoothies in my day. My typical recipe was a small can of chunked pineapple, a variety of frozen fruits, a container of lite vanilla yogurt, and enough orange juice to smooth it out. My problem with smoothies is that they are time consuming for me in the mornings and I lose patience – plus lite yogurt is full of all kinds of things bad. I’ve been reading about the Green Monster Movement (and see all kinds of people’s sites where they’ve had a green monster) and decided to try one tonight. I’m having another blah day. I had to come home from work at the midday to relieve my husband who was home with one sick kid. The other kid was fine yesterday and this morning, but ended up getting sent home as her fever went up again. My level of sadness and frustration about my kids not feeling well is killing me….and it’s just fever. Nothing you can do about it.

Except be peaceful.

And quiet.

And present.

And as healthy as we possibly can.

I kind of snacked through my day (but nothing horrible). I gave my kids leftovers for dinner and decided to try my hand at a Green Monster. It was delicious! Mine contained a huge handful of spinach, about a cup and a half of frozen fruit including strawberries, mangoes, and blueberries, the juice of half a lemon, a drizzle of agave nectar, and a cup of almond milk. I blended and blended, poured, drank, and it was delicious! It ended up being a bit more of a blue monster (sorry about the photo, I used my iPhone) but it was great. Filled me up, and made me feel really good about that choice I made for today. Thanks to ALL who have inspired me to do something different with my smoothie routine!

I have been drinking Green Monsters for a few weeks now (since I saw them on your blog) and I am in love. As a result, I have consumed more spinach in the past month than I have consumed in my entire life – seriously! Every morning I wake up craving a Green Monster and usually end up having another at night as well. Thanks for introducing me to this wonderful idea!
My favorite combination so far is:
1/2 c. Naked Juice Green Machine
1/2 c. vanilla Almond Breeze
1-2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 scoop of Amazing Grass Green SuperFood
1/2 scoop green apple-flavored whey protein powder
several ice cubes

Here H1N1 was going around, but, fortunately, all I had was a silly cold. Still, I needed to get past it quick so I was having Theraflu every night to bust out my symptoms. Drinking a whole glass of medicine-y liquid is boring, so one look at my Vitamix and I knew …. Thus the Cold Busting Green Monster was born!

Ingredients:
6 oz. hot water with one packed Lemon-lime Theraflu, dissolved
one pear
one thumb sized piece of ginger
one giant handful spinach

Guess what – two days later…my cold was gone!

Hello fellow Green Monster Drinkers!  I am a raw foodist (about 90%) who loves her green smoothies.  I have been vegan for quite sometime and raw for about 4 months.  I made these changes to overcome my own health challenges and loving the changes…  I love being vegan and loving being raw as well!
Here is my monster:

1 small banana (usually frozen)
Half of a medium Granny Smith Apple
2 huge handfuls of baby spinach
2 Kale leaves (opt)
1/2 of a small avocado
1/2 tsp of Vitamineral Green (superfood powder)