Green Monster...You'll Just Have to Trust Me on This :)

Some people sweat by green monster smoothies.  I had never heard of them until a few months ago.  I always looked from afar and judged them in my head.  Finally, I tried the Naked brand Green Machine bottled smoothie.  It was good!  I read the label and began to wonder why there was NO fiber in the smoothie if it was made of only fruits and veggies.  This seemed pretty sketchy to me and probably means the company processes the ingredients more than I would like.  I decided to make my own.  It tasted better than the Naked smoothie and it had so many more nutrients!  Here are photos of the Naked brand smoothie and the one I made at home:

My homemade green monster smoothie (10g fiber)

Naked brand green smoothie (no fiber)

I know, I know, it's green and it probably looks gross to you.  This is why I said you have to trust me.  You do not taste the spinach and it tastes like a fruit smoothie.  I have included the base recipe and how to add on/improve the smoothie to your own liking. 

Recipe for Green Monster (shown in my photo):
2 1/2 cups of fresh baby spinach (rinsed & drained)
1 pear (cut into pieces)
1 banana (cut into pieces)
1/2 cup coconut water
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup ice

Place all ingredients in a blender (I find putting the solids on top helps blend).  Blend until the smoothie is uniform in color - stirring if you need to.  Enjoy!

I did a lot of research on how to make the ideal green monster smoothie.  Ultimately, it is up to you to alter the ingredients to your liking.  I used fruits pale in color to maintain the green color of the smoothie and avoid a brown smoothie.  You are welcome to try berries and other fruits if you are OK with a brown smoothie ;).  The green monster base is the spinach, a banana, ice, and a liquid.  You can edit the other ingredients to suit you.  I use coconut water as the liquid because it has many fewer calories than juice, but it is rich in nutrients like potassium, unlike water.  I use Fage 0% nonfat Greek yogurt to add protein and probiotics but feel free to use another dairy or non-dairy source.  Some people like to add honey to their smoothies to add sweetness but I find that the smoothie was sweet enough on its own.  You WILL find recipes online calling for artificial sweeteners, sugar, or juice.  Why spoil something that is so good naturally?  Naturally occurring sugars from fruit do not have the same effect on your body as refined sugars and artificial sweeteners and many fruit juices are from concentrate with added sugar.  I think you will find the smoothie to be delicious on its own without these sugary additives.  Some ideas for added health benefits would be adding ground flax seeds, chia seeds, rolled oats, or protein powder.  Now it's your turn to try it out and let me know what you think and what additions you come up with!