Green Monster Smoothie
DRINK THE MONSTERRRRR!!!!! I’ve been on the green monster smoothie train since I discovered it on ohsheglows.com, but I just recently started using it as a weight lose/management tool.
Let me just say, as a life long smoothie-addict, I LOVE IT!!!!
A few months before Spring I always kick it into high gear to shed my winter muffin-top. I just can’t resist those cozy, comforting dishes of the fall and winter so I don’t even put up a fight. I’ll happily be the double stomach girl in the winter if it means I get to indulge in cookies, fresh bread, cakes, soups, mac n cheese, and the works!!!
Last year I did the Jullian Michaels 30 day shred and a light meal modification plan. I was happy with the results but I HATE working out that hard everyday. I’m so glad I stumbled upon the green monster smoothie because I swear this thing was made just for me!!
The saying “there is a diet for everyone” is so true. This is the one I’ll be using every year to lose weight.
I’m only using it to lose weight. Once I reach my desired goal I’ll maintain my weight by cutting out sugar and white flour as much as a I can and eating the right portions. It really is easy to follow once you look down at that flat stomach.
Here is my regimen for Sunday-Friday. It’s been working great for me but PLEASE NOTE you may need to add or take away more calories depending on your body and goals.
Wake up- Hello Beautiful Lemon Water ( 8 oz) & deep stretching for 10 minutes.
Exercise Bike- 30 minutes
Breakfast- Green Monster Smoothie
Lunch- Green Monster Smoothie
Dinner- Healthy, proportioned dinner
Dessert /Snack- If I haven’t had a snack during the day I eat dessert.
Make sure you drink 64 oz of water (or however much you need for your body weight or you’ll be sorry)
Even though my calories are kinda low on this diet, I’m so surprised I’m not hungry all the time. The smoothie is like 320 calories and it makes a lot! If I do get hungry mid-day I’ll eat a huge green salad with diced chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers and light ranch.
CAUTION:
1.)Please be sure to drink PLENTY of water with this smoothie! Spinach is FULL of fiber and fiber NEEDS water to move throughout your body. If you don’t drink enough water your poop will be little, hard green balls LOL sorry to be so descriptive but sh!t matters!! !!! Also your body will hold on to the water weight instead of letting it go. Water is like the miracle here. YOU HAVE TO HAVE ENOUGH OF IT IN ORDER FOR THIS DRINK TO DO ITS THANG!
2.) Choose organic spinach only and wash it thoroughly. It’s better for you and doesn’t have the pesticides. You’re gonna be taking in A LOT of this stuff so we want it to be as pure as possible.
3.) Ask your doctor if this is right for you. Some folks just don’t do well with spinach and they turn into fart city!
Benefits I’ve Noticed:
SKIN- Supple, glowing moisturized skin. Spinach has a crap load of Vitamin A. And since you consume 4-8 cups of raw spinach a day with this drink, I’ve definitely noticed that my skin doesn’t need much moisturizer. And the extra water I’ve been drinking is icing on the cake.
ENERGY- I’m not sure what’s in spinach that gives you energy but I have so much of it! Maybe it’s the other ingredients. Or maybe it’s because I’m putting less “crap” into my system.
LESS SWEET CRAVING- Cakes, cookies and pies are my weakness…well really anything sweet does it for me. Since I’ve been drinking this smoothie my cravings have diminished greatly, but when they hit….oooh lawd, they hit HARD!!! I feel like a crack head that just needs that one hit. It’s awful but I’ve been strong enough to fight through the cravings by drinking my green monster smoothie when they hit or reminding myself that Saturdays are my cheat days.
My Cheat Day- SATURDAY!!!!
On Saturday I’ve allowed myself to eat what I want in moderation. It’s funny because I look forward to this day all week and when it comes, here’s what usually happens:
A.) I don’t have a taste for what I was sooo looking forward to eating during the week
B.) I eat it and feel physically awful afterwards
C.) I eat it and get full super quick (I hate that!)
D.) I want it so bad, but I don’t want to screw up my hard work
So even though Saturdays are my cheat days, I actually haven’t went crazy yet and I crave the green monster smoothie all day. Weird.
VARIATIONS:
I haven’t done much experimenting with different green monster recipes since I love this one so much, but I’ve added in strawberries before and that was pretty good but I won’t do it again probably. I’ve also added in 1-2 Tablespoons of peanut butter but I wasn’t a huge fan of that either. This morning I blended in raw oats. I couldn’t taste them but it’s 3:55pm and I haven’t even had my lunch time green monster yet, so it’s really kept me full. The fun part is playing around with a green monster recipe until you find one that you adore!! This site has a ton of green monster smoothie recipes and a complete movement dedicated to the GREEN MONSTER!!
Watch me make this green monster smoothie recipe from start to finish!
Get the Recipe: Green Monster Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain or vanilla coconut milk, I use Silk Brand PureCoconut
- 6-8 oz vanilla greek yogurt
- 1 RIPE, frozen banana
- 2-4 cups raw, organic spinach ( I use 3 cups)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a blender.
- Blend & liquify
- Serve
Notes
Peel your bananas before freezing or you'll be pissed trying to peel a frozen banana.
You can keep leftovers in the refrigerator. I drink it all at one time because I don't like the texture once it's sat in the fridge.
Using a frozen banana makes it super cold. Nothing worse than a barely cold smoothie.
Coconut milk is different than coconut cream and coconut water. I use Silks brand called PureCoconut. You can find it next to the milks, soy milks, almond milks in the grocery store.
One other tip about this smoothie, choose your yogurt carefully and be sure to include a workout to burn calories. Women my age need about an hour 5 days a week at least, and about 1200 calories. My first choice of french vanilla packed a whopping 170, added with 2 inch banana 90, and the coconut milk 80-90, you could easily get close to 400 if not carefull. This smoothie is a winner for weightloss!
Yum! I love amount of spinach in this one. I’m not a big fan of coconut milk, wonder if almond milk will make a difference…
Love your tip to drink lots of water!!
You’re officially a “Friend In My Head” as Wendy Williams would call it! It’s a beautiful thing to stumble across The Perfect Blog!!! I too refuse to not indulge during the winter and have been searching… stalking the web for the perfect pre-spring slim down. *cue the harps* I have found it! THANKS DIVA!
Hi DIVA,
I made the green monster this morning.. I enjoyed this smoothie VERY MUCH.. Very Good Healthy Drink! I will add this to my morning breakfast rotation! Thanks!
Just made the green monster smoothie and it is delicious. I will be making it daily. My kids even like it. I am going to make another one for lunch. It’s amazing how full you feel afterwards and I love the fact that the smoothie is so nutritious. Thanks!!!
I have been making smoothies for about a month now. I love making my own because they do ADD UP. And I can drink one everyday…. Since reading your daily regime I have started to the same. I’m just trying to cut the sweets and carbs out. That’s my weekness lol 🙂 Thanks for all your great info.
I just bought the ingredients today! **Nitasha** you said that you’ve been doing this for a month, have you lost weight? Thanks!