I guess you could say I had lost my mojo. I lost my spark both physically and emotionally. I was drowsy all the time, I wasn’t interested in getting out to do things, and my skin and hair were as lackluster as my attitude. For someone who is usually high energy, I felt like a different person. It took me a while to do something about it, unfortunately. But the green monsters were among my first steps.

After reading about green monsters on OSG and checking out the GMM website, I figured it couldn’t hurt. Well, I got hooked. They were feel good smoothies that nourished me inside and out. It was just the push I needed to get back on my game and start seeking information on what had been bringing me down the last few months.

My current favorite: banana, handful of spinach, cup of almond milk, one scoop of chocolate Amazing Grass, a spoonful of Maca powder, and a scoop of peanut butter. (Also posted here on my website: http://www.keepinthepace.com/?p=1315 ). Thank you!

You are simply fantastic! I was glad I ponied up and finally tried this out.

I posted about this awesomeness here: http://livefortherun.com/2010/05/21/get-your-green-monster-on/

Yesterday I attempted a first. Heard of a green monster? No, not the wall at Fenway. It’s a spinach smoothie. Gasp! I can picture my mom rolling those eyes now. Seemed easy enough, few ingredients and a simple game of ‘will it blend’.

For my “Virgin Green Monster” I used:
2 handfuls of spinach
1 banana
1/4 cup berries
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Ice & Water

Verdict, it was my first so it’s only up from here, right? Clearly my green monster was not feeling well as it has a darker shade of purple, complements of Trader Joes’s blend o’ berries. Our very own Nutritioneer had the “are you HIGH, Claire” look on his face for sure. But in the end, I got a “not bad…too much cinnamon.” Blerg.

Applause and kudos to Oh She Glows because oh she pretty much rocks and has started an entire Green Monster Movement. Thus she was the inspiration for me even knowing what these monsters were about.

Growing up, I was the kid who never wore shoes, intentionally splashed through puddles and constantly had dirt under her fingernails.

Fortunate for me, this was perfectly fueled by the fact that my family lived near and extensive area of wetlands. In the summers I attended a nature camp and, when I was lucky, my dad would even take me on “frog hunting” trips.

I didn’t mind getting a little swamp water in my shoes. In fact, I even relished it.

In time I’ve learned to clean up a bit, but I still maintain a passion for an occasional dosage of mud.

However, for as much as I loved the murky, green waters of my childhood, I never thought that same descriptor could be used in talking about good food.

The legendary “Green Monster” has been sighted on many a blogs. Although many of my trusted sources raved about the drink, I was still hesitant.

Last week, fueled by a little nostalgia for the swamp-wading days of my youth and fueled a lot by the awesome sale my grocery store was having on spinach, I decided it was now or never: I was going to have a Green Monster sighting of my own.

After one quickly blended batch of spinach, bananas, peanut butter and almond milk, I was hooked.

After a few days of making a pretty standard version of the GM, I was willing to venture into swampy territory of my own by making a different version.

Limey Green Monster

Ingredients:

   * 4 ice cubes
   * 3/4 C unsweetened almond milk
   * 1/2 frozen banana
   * 3 large handfuls spinach
   * 1 T PB
   * 1 small fat-free lime flavored yogurt
   * Toppings: Fresh fruit, dried fruit, granola, cereal, etc.

Directions:

   * Combine ice, milk and banana in a blender. Thoroughly crush.
   * Add in spinach and continue blending, stopping to stir occasionally.
   * Add PB and lime yogurt. Blend to desired consistency.
   * Pour into glass or bowl, top with add-ins and enjoy.

I topped my Green Monster with pineapple, blueberries and a leftover chai carrot cupcake. In addition to a Green Monster spotting, there were also hungry cats and bunnies on the prowl.

Every morning I can’t decide between VOO or a green monster for breakfast! I usually ending having one for brekkie then one for lunch or snack.  I’ve experimented with all different greens, fruit, powders, and seeds and I love most of what I’ve made!

The GM I had for lunch today was:
1 cup water
1/2 a frozen mango
2 really small bananas
handful of blueberries (I added the other banana and BB because the smoothie was not good yet)
1/4 tsp Maca powder
1/2 tsp Bee Pollen, chlorella, wheat grass, and barley mixture
quick pour of Maple syrup (grade B) and vanilla extract
1 TB Matcha green tea powder

One day when I couldn’t decide whether I wanted a green smoothie or cereal for breakfast, I decided to combine the two! This green-monster-in-a-bowl sure is ugly but so good! Sometimes I’ll top it with uncooked oats instead of cereal and let it soak for a few minutes. My boyfriend used to think I was nuts but he’s gotten used to it : )

A typical mix:

*half a frozen banana
*1 cup kefir or yogurt
*1 big handful baby spinach or kale
*a few strawberries
*vanilla protein powder (on days I know I’ll need the extra fuel)
*cheerios or uncooked oats for topping

I’m always on the search for fresh new recipes to make and enjoy, especially for breakfast, or pre/post workout. After stumbling across the Green Monster, I’ve been putting my creativity to the test, adding this and that to my Green Monsters. What I’ve come with are refreshing, vitamin packed, delicious drinks that always make me feel up and ready to go! One of my most recent experiments is pretty clean and simple:

-about 1 cup of frozen spinach (or 1 1/2 of unfrozen)
-1/2 banana
-1 peach
-a splash of almond milk (or any other milk)
-lots of ice!
blend it all up, place in a pretty glass, and halve 4 sweet strawberries to put in glass.
The end result isn’t too sweet, so eat with a muffin! Or any other breakfast pastry =]

I’ve always loved smoothies and Spinach and when I heard about the Green Monster smoothies is on the Weight Watchers site (I’m currently trying to lose 100+ pounds) I thought that this might be a filling and nutritious addition to my daily routine.

Here are my 2 favorite recipes:

1 frozen banana
5-6 frozen or fresh strawberries
2 handfuls or cups of fresh Spinach
1 Tbs ground Flax seeds
1 Tbs wheat germ
3 sprigs Fresh Mint
1 scoop Soy Protein Powder
1 cup skim milk

I loved the taste, could taste the banana and strawberries with a hint of the fresh mint.

2 handfuls or cups fresh Spinach
2 scoops Soy Protein Powder
large handful frozen mixed berries (blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries)
couple of dashes of Pure Peppermint Extract
1 Tbs wheat germ
1 cup skim milk
1 packet Stevia

This was a last minute decision tonight to make a Green Monster, was out of bananas, had no fresh mint and forgot the Flax. I found it needed the Stevia to sweeten things a little for me.

I, like so many others, was really skeptical about trying the green monster.  But I did and it was delicious!  I also tried a chocolate cherry bomb green monster — and my kids (whoare 6 and 8) even scarfed that one down!

My variation stems from my love of Tazo Zen green tea and the fact that I wanted to get some protein into my green monster.  I don’t usually have protein powders in my house and was having a hard time finding some in stores.  So, I started adding some cottage cheese and making green tea ice cubes!  So, here it is:

Greener Green Monster

2-3 c raw spinach
1/4 c low fat cottage cheese
1 T flax
1 c almond milk
1 small frozen banana
5 or 6 frozen cherries
cinnamon, to taste (optional)
4-6 green tea ice cubes