Green Monster Spinach Smoothies (part II)

In part I, we talked about whether or not you can put spinach in a blended smoothie.  Not only "can" you, but you should.

Dumping as many handfuls of spinach as will fit into a blender is a great way to increase your daily dose of leafy greens.  Everyone has their own special tastes for what works with a blended smoothie, or "Green Monster" - here is one of my recipies:

• Spinach (2 handfuls)
• Protein (1 scoop)
• Oatmeal (1/2 cup measured dry)
• NAKED juice (1 cup)
• Blueberries
• baby carrots
• Ice

 Above is one of my regular go-to recipes before I have to hit the gym for a class plus longer workout or run.  Sometimes I'll add blackberries, a banana, flax seeds, or almond butter depending on what's available in the kitchen. There are also numerous other resources online for great "Green Monster" recipies.

Here's a recipe from another of the fitness/yoga instructors in Charlotte who you may see referenced again once in a while.  Her site is a firehose of information for you ladies who love yoga, running, and most of all healthy eating.

This woman has a cookies & cream version of a spinach smoothie.

Green Monster Movement is a pretty interesting project that you should check out for yourself when you get a minute.

Overall, the key takeaway is that if you haven't been adding spinach (or other leafy greens like kale) to your blended smoothies, you are really missing out on a great way to boost your daily intake of valuable vegetables and nutrients.

Get on it. 

Fitness Spotlight: "Raw Model" Anthony Anderson

Anthony Anderson is a model who is very out-spoken about his love for natural foods and "green" living.  He was one of the first sources I began to learn from about the benefits of getting a couple pounds of fresh green leafy vegetables into my system every day if possible.

When I experimented with a vegetarian plant-based diet last year, Anthony Anderson was one of my main sources for information on alternate sources of protein.  Here is his take on non-meat, plant-based protein sources:

"Where do you get your protein???" The question is on cue almost every time. Its like they are trained to say it, and in reality, they are. 

So where do I get it? Brazil Nuts, Hempseeds, Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas), Almonds, Bee Pollen, Spirulina and Blue-Green Algae, Maca Root, and of course, the leafy greens. (Kale, Spinach, Chard, Collard Greens, Wheatgrass and Sunflower Sprouts.) About 45% of calories in spinach come from protein. Thats huge. Especially if you are eating over a pound of leafy greens a day, which really is a good idea anyways. Most of my protein and fat is consumed in my daily smoothie, which I like to have for lunch. This makes is easily absorbed into the body, and allows me more time to do the more important things in life instead of preparing a salad for 30 min."

He also impliments some of the benefits of the famous "Lemon Cleanse" (fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper) each day without going overboard and pushing to the borders of metabolism slowdown.

You can follow his blog at www.rawmodel.com

Can you really put spinach in a smoothie?

Yes, you can.  And no, it doesn't ruin the taste. 

Seriously.

I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't listened to Craig Ballantyne (and watched his video).

I didn't have as much trouble with my blender as Craig did, but his advice is spot-on.  Adding leafy greens like spinach or kale to your smoothies or blended drinks is a great way to get high volumes of plant nutrients into your daily diet without having to sit down behind a punch bowl-sized salad three times each day. 

This is sure to be only the first in many discussions about "green smoothies", if you are anything like me (or most people) it will probably take a few times for you to get used to the idea of combining spinach in a blender with the rest of your smoothie.

Here's another video of Atlanta Falcons' tight end Tony Gonzalez using spinach (and a bunch of other veggies) in his blender drink: