Totally honest here. I would have never, ever tried this if I hadn’t been “January motivated.” That “New Year-Healthier You” high can make a person do really crazy things. Like running to undo that afternoon cupcake snack. And enjoying it.
Or deciding to stay in for a healthy dinner and dirty dishes rather than going out for a significantly less healthy dinner and having someone else clean up the mess.
Or drinking spinach. (You know the green had to come from somewhere.)
I bit the bullet a couple of weeks ago and tried out the Green Monster Smoothie for breakfast one morning. It’s a deliciously fruity concoction of apples, bananas, fresh-squeezed orange and grapefruit juices, pineapple, and spinach. The spinach, despite the vivid in-your-face glass of green, was declared undetectable by my super taster husband.
I’ve been drinking half of it for breakfast and having the other half in the afternoon (there’s a little separation by afternoon, so I give it a good shake/stir before drinking) nearly every day since. it’s a great way to sneak in those extra plants we’re trying so hard to eat (and drink!) more of.
And it still totally blows my mind that I’m drinking liquified spinach.
A healthy "green monster" breakfast smoothie to start the day. You can't taste the spinach - I swear!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups fresh spinach, thick stems removed
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped pineapple
- 1/2 large apple (I like honeycrisp)
- 1/2 large banana
- 3/4 cup fresh orange juice (we do half OJ/half grapefruit juice)
- 1 Tbsp honey (optional)
Instructions
Notes
Yields: 2 (10 oz) servings
Estimated time: 5 minutes
Nutritional Information
Calories: 155.3 | Fat: .4g | Fiber 4.3g | Protein 1.6g | Carbs 39.1g
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 4
44 comments… add one
It sounds good, but I’m curious if you have noticed any difference in energy and such?
:0)I definitely do, but I don’t know how much that can be attributed to the smoothie alone – we’ve really been focusing on eating better foods, more plants, and being more active.
I adore adding spinach to my smoothies! It’s like tricking myself! 😉
I am SO with you on these smoothies…I was so skeptical at first, but now I am hooked! I drink one almost every day. I make mine with frozen berries, a little orange juice and greek yogurt.
Mmm good health in a cup!
I am drinking a green monster smoothie right this very second! I was so skeptical at first but I am in love with them. Cannot believe how good spinach can taste. I mix pineapple into mine too (sometimes mango) with almond milk and Greek yogurt, but I need to try it with apple! There are so many great varieties out there to try.
I suppose this means I need to replace my poor, recently broken smoothie machine. Or maybe this could be made in a food processor…?
this looks yummy! definitely going to try this soon!
Oh, yeah. Green juicy things are hard for me to choke down, but I have to agree – spinach goes down very well – you can’t really even taste it. Sometimes I add it to mixed berry smoothies too. I’ve also heard that avacado is a great one to add for some smooth creamy texture. This actually looks really good – all that fruit is hard to pass up!
I had something similar for my breakfast this morning. When I first heard of putting spinach in a fruit smoothie, I was as skeptical as you but you really cannot taste it at all. I started uping my raw fruit and veggie intake around October and I cannot get over how much more engery I have. I have completely cut coffee from my diet!
I’m getting groceries today and I am doing this!
we got a magic bullet for christmas so I figured I better find a reason to use it. I’ve been making smoothies in the morning with greek yogurt, soy milk, frozen mango, grapefruit,banana and spinach. I never in a million years thought I would be drinking a bright green smoothie but they are really good! I will have to try your version!
This is one of the many things i want to try ASAP!! time to break out the old blender and shop for some delicious produce 🙂
I got a spiffy new blender for Christmas, so I think it’s only right I try this out 🙂
I need to just bite the bullet, and make one of these!
I was hooked on these things (a little different recipe) for a few months last year and fell off the wagon (shocking, right?!) and never quite got back into it. This may have been the motivation I needed…
This looks like the perfect, “Get you day started off right” kinda meal. Love it.
All for a healthier me! Thanks for sharing…Let’s go have a detox day. I know this green smoothie will turn out to be a friend after all. Gonna try…
I’ve been 100% raw for nearly 2 months (for health reasons only, I assure you) and I have notice a huge change in my health.
Going to try this smoothie and try not to drink both glasses myself. 🙂
Is your husband really a super taster?!?!? Sorry, that’s probably not really what I should be focusing on but I’ve always wanted to meet one. Or a super smeller. Their lives must be miserable…
I love my greens but I STILL haven’t had a green monster. Crazy. I kinda love that vibrant green though.
Lindsey
This looks so good! Did you use fresh spinach? Would using frozen ruin the consistency?
I made a green smoothie for breakfast today!! I used a couple different fruits and no juice, it was my first green smoothie and it was pretty good 🙂
I’ll have to give your version a try soon 🙂
like you, i started drinking green smoothies as one of my resolutions to get more veggies in my diet. i was a doubter that you wouldn’t be able to taste the spinach, but its true. i make mine with frozen bananas, greek yogurt, almond milk, spinach and peaches. sometimes i also add in matchstick carrots for a bit of added sweetness–you can’t taste them either!
Trisha
I am currently diagnosed with hypertension, esp at my age of 29. My friend recommended me on trying a kale/spinach shake alternative to help lower my Bp. Although this recipe sounds a bit better than just kale & spinach.
I love spinach smoothies, and I would have never thought to try it with fresh apples. I’m going to do that asap. I’ve been putting apple juice in mine instead of OJ, and I found it’s so sweet it doesn’t need honey.
MASSIVE fan of the green smoothie. My 2 year old drinks one with me almost every day- such a great way to get your greens!
I LOVE this drink. I featured a very similar drink on my blog last week. I can barely taste the spinach and the kale, which I find fascinating. So glad I found your blog!
Kinsli P.
I made a smoothie like this one just this morning! The only differences were I added Kale to go with my spinach, a red pear instead of an apple, unsweetened green tea instead of orange juice. Sweetened with a little Agave. Sooo good! I think I will definitely try a honeycrisp next time. I love smoothies like this, it’s the greatest way to sneak some extra leafy greens into my diet. Thank you for posting!
Katie
can you taste the bananas in the smoothie? I don’t care for bananas so i was just wondering if you can really taste them in this smoothie??
Yes, some of the banana flavor definitely comes through.
Kay
If you freeze the banana’s when they are really ripe it totally changes the flavor and texture of the banana and its much sweeter and helps thicken the shake!!
Rachel
Are you guys using fresh spinach in this or frozen?? Just thought I would ask since it not labled as fresh or frozen. Going to the store now to buy the stuff and getting fresh until someone posts a reply…. 🙂
Fresh!
thatcrazyvegan
Frozen works too! Use only a small handful though because it is wilted and a small handful of frozen equals a HUGE handful of fresh.
Wow oh wow…that was an amazing drink! I used real oranges and water because I was out of OJ…super, super, super! Thank you!
Adina
Do you blend this with ice?
I don’t use ice – but I do make sure to use frozen pineapple.
Mo
My version includes: 1 apple, 1 tbs peanut butter, milk, vanilla yogurt and lots of spinach. Today I realized this was also where I needed to include my protein since I’ve gone vegetarian. One scoop soy protein now added!
April B.
If I double the recipe, could I freeze the other servings and drink them later?
thatcrazyvegan
Yes, you can freeze this for later. I do it all of the time. I like eating it half frozen. It takes longer to eat and feels like a frozen gelato to me.
Fyn
You should make sure you are mixing an insoluble fibre and soluble fibre too, like the apple and pear, or whichever combo you want. Just make sure, if you’re a newbie, don’t start off thinking of adding 2-3 cups of spinach or kale to your smoothie. Take it slow and build up….trust me and my IBS gut for that tip…lol.
Thanks for re-sharing in your top recipes post! I’m excited to try this!
Billie
Has anyone tried adding chia seed or flax seed?
Amazing! I think this is the best green smoothie I have ever had! I used 2 oranges instead of the orange juice and added 200ml pomegranate juice and 60ml of water, turned out great!
