My Greenie Meanie

This is a post of some firsts

Now, don't worry about the water glass in the back, the Game Informer mags (which belong to L, I promise) or the Thin Mint cookies (can I blame them on him, too?). That's not the focus of the picture. But that yummy Green Monster Margarita is!  I originally found this from Clair on her blog Finding Clairity, a recipe she shared from Angela's Green Monster Movement. I will admit that I, too, was very scared of this roaring green beverage. I wanted to try it. Well, more like I wanted to want to try it. Eventually I said "you know what? Just do it! This might help you be healthy!" I have to use a lot of exclamations when I talk to myself because I use a lot of emphasis. If I don't, I won't listen to myself.

So I did it. The one posted on her website is for a post-workout (check-yes!) banana (every smoothie should have a banana base) and pumpkin (I LOVE this, even outside of Christmas time) concoction. Plus some green, of course. I didn't have everything, so the recipe below is my adaptation of Clair's adaptation.

My FIRST Greenie Meanie Green Monster

1 cup frozen spinach
1 quite ripe banana
*1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
14 drops liquid Stevia (because the yogurt has more flavor to sweeten than other milk products)
1 liberal dash of salt
1 good bit of pumpkin pie spice (because I never seem to have all of the necessary pumpkin flavors. I'm not sure what happens to them - sometimes I can find nutmeg in my cupboard, sometimes ground cloves, but never both that the same time)

I really love pumpkin so I added more after tasting it. It's all to taste, really.

Directions: blend!

Isn't that easy?? Just make sure you blend it well because you don't want to be chomping on the spinach. It's just there for health and base.

 The other reason I was excited to try this is because I recently won a giveaway (also from Finding Clairity) and just yesterday got it in the mail! I got 3 bottles of liquid Stevia from Nu Naturals - vanilla, lemon and orange. Clair posts so many delicious looking recipes made healthier by using liquid Stevia instead of sugar and I have been dying to try them! I'm serious, you should go check out her recipes - they are amazing! Or so they sound/look. And she says so and I trust her completely. The Stevia was awesome - it did sweeten my smoothie. I'm not saying this was delish right off the bat - it definitely took a few bites to get use to. Around bite (yes, I keep saying bite because I ate it with a spoon. Again, thick Greek yogurt vs. another milk product will do this) 3 or 4 I started to come around. For my first attempt at a Green Monster I was very satisfied.

This is great for a post-workout beverage. The banana gives you the sugar and potassium, plus protein and calcium from the Greek yogurt - just straight health all around.

I know you don't really *want* to try it, but when I tell you that it tastes good, how could you not be curious enough to give it a whirl?

"My entry into Once Upon a Weekend sponsored by Appliances Online and their FridgeFreezers."