Glowing reviews are a new section in which I rave about a product that is helping make my journey to getting healthy a whole lot easier. First up is the recently discussed green smoothies.

A few days ago, I talked about how I had stumbled on a green smoothie movement known as the Green Monster Movement which encouraged people to make smoothies with spinach or kale blended in. My first attempt at one of these smoothies did not turn out very well, but I was determined to find a combination that I liked. Well, I am happy to report that yesterday morning’s smoothie was a success. Here are the ingredients I used:

Kelly’s Green Monster

-1 1/2 cups spinach

-1cup orange juice

-1/4 cup 1% milk

– 1 banana

-1/2 cup strawberries

– 1/2 cup pineapple

– ice

(note: my smoothie ended up being about 286 calories and was quite large, about 20 ounces. To save calories, I would suggest cutting the recipe in half, cutting the amount of orange juice in half, or simply replacing the orange juice and milk with water)

I decided to make this smoothie right before I headed to the zoo, a place where I would be doing a lot of walking, since they are supposed to give you a lot of energy. I paired the smoothie with a breakfast of eggs and half a bagel. Upon tasting the smoothie, I noticed that it had a lot more flavor than my last attempt, orange being the dominant flavor. I am also happy to report that I couldn’t really taste the spinach at all, which was a big concern for me. The texture ended up being pretty smooth. Every once in a while, I would come across a small piece of spinach, but for the most part, it was quite enjoyable and drank like a regular smoothie. Even though I woke up early on my day off to hit up the zoo and it was raining and dreary the whole time we were there, I felt quite energized when walking around, which I believe the smoothie really helped with. Another reason I really wanted to try this smoothie before going to the zoo is I wanted to make sure that I was satisfied for a long time since I wasn’t really keen on snacking or buying a meal at the zoo. Thanks to the healthy breakfast and the green monster, I was able to stave off hunger for quite a while and did not feel tempted to have an unhealthy snack at the zoo. The benefit of green monster smoothies that I enjoy the most is the fact that they help me to get a lot of servings of fruits and vegetables at one time which is something that, as a traditionally bad eater, that I struggle with on a daily basis. Since I have only had two of these smoothies, I have not had a chance to test out some of the long term benefits (the woman who started the website says that after she started drinking these smoothies, she had clearer skin and nails started to grow faster), but I feel like I would like to start drinking green monsters on a regular basis, if for no other reason, than to help me to get more vegetables in my body. But, I encourage all of you to give green monsters a try. You don’t have to try my recipe either. Experiment. Make it your own! Green smoothies are a quick and easy way to get just a little healthier.