I recently decided to change my lifestyle and diet. Two years after getting married the love handles started to grow rapidly.  As a former athlete now chained to a desk I knew a lifestyle change was in order!  I began working out four months ago to build strength and tried everything to increase my energy levels. Nothing seemed to work until I created my very own ultimate energy drink. Now my skin is clearer, full of energy and have dropped 10 lbs. in 1 month alone!

Pete’s Green Machine
2 servings:

2 scoups protein powder
2 cups fresh spinach
5 frozen strawberries
5 baby carrots
6 oz greek yogurt
1 1/2 cup of soy milk

I first tried a green monster about a year ago and love them! My favorite one is as follows :
1 or 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup almond milk + 1/3 cup water
Scoop of peanut butter
dash of cinnamon
1/3 apple peeled and chopped
1 frozen banana
Blend and inhale! Here is a pic of my son sporting a green monster mustache!

Here’s my purple monster!
I am on a restrictive diet because I have a bladder disorder and can’t eat most fruits except blueberries, pears, and some apples.
Green monsters are a great way for me to eat my fruits without getting tired of the same old same old.
My recipe:
1/2-1 cup spinach or kale
1/2-1 apple
1 pear
3/4 cup blueberries
1 tsp ground flax seeds
1 cup water

Very light and refreshing!

I wanted to make a tropical themed Green Monster so I used Silk coconut milk with banana, pineapple, mango and berries. Yum!

Tropical Green Monster

1 cup original, vanilla, or unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup frozen tropical fruits (pineapple, mango, banana) with berries

2 cups spinach

1/2 tbl chia seeds

Angela very recently celebrated her 2nd anniversary and I decided to celebrate right along side by “attempting” to make one.  As a fan of spinach in both raw and cooked forms, and an expert on the taste of it, I was definitely not convinced that a shake containing so much spinach could mask that flavor.

Holy greenness was this AMAZING?!  I liked the little bit of richness and extra protein from the tofu. It stuck with me all afternoon too.  Yes, it looks quite icky, but all I tasted was the sweet tart apple and carrot combo.  The Green Monster is here to stay!  In fact, I picked up half of Trader Joe’s spinach supply today.  True story.

2 servings lite silken tofu (192 grams of Nasoya)
3 C fresh spinach
1 small carrot (about 35 g)
1 small Fuji apple (about 90 g)
1/2 C water
1 dropper of liquid stevia

I’ve been drinking Green Monsters for months now and I’m addicted. I crave them when I wake up in the morning and they just make me feel great all over.

My newest creation is the best yet: Rhubarb Green Monster

– 1/2 cup frozen rhubarb
– 1/3 cup frozen blueberries
– 1/2 banana, frozen or raw
– slash of OJ
– splash of coconut milk
– ample amounts of spinach
– water to cover
– coconut to garnish

So tart, yet sweet and satisfying! (Also vegan!)

My recipe only deviated a bit from the virgin recipe:

– 1 tablespoon flax seed meal
– 1/2 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
– 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
– 2 cups spinach
– 1 banana
– 1 1/4 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
– ice

It tasted like any chocolate banana smoothie I would normally get, only much healthier and fresher!  I’ll definitely keep making this.

I get bored easily – in the kitchen, in the gym, with my hair. So, I like a recipe that has versatility built into it. Nothing in my repertoire is as versatile as a smoothie. And one such smoothie has caught my tastebuds and my heart. That would be the Lean Mean Green Monster.

I have a few basics that I always use in my little monsters: chocolate, fruit and a leafy green. Spinach is my favorite green, and it’s conveniently purchasable frozen and fresh. My top fruit choices are banana and mango, since they add to the creaminess. And chocolate, my oh my, do I love chocolate. Usually I toss in a scoop of vegan protein powder with some extra cocoa to really kick it up. Here’s my classic post-workout green monster:

Ingredients:
1/2 banana
1/2 c. non-dairy milk
1/2 c. water
1 c. frozen spinach
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (currently loving Sunwarrior)
1 Tbs. cocoa powder
4-6 ice cubes

Directions:
1. Put all ingredients in blender.

2. Blend.

3. Drink up. Try to avoid a brain freeze. Ahhh, Yum!