A smoothie by any other color

 
Through the combination of my Pinterest addiction making an effort to change my eating habits to be more "real" and the ever present quest of finding make-ahead, easy-to-eat-at-my-desk items for breakfast, I stumbled across a recipe for a Green Monster Spinach Smoothie from Iowa Girl Eats. Under normal circumstances, I would have totally by-passed the recipe because I would have considered it as one of those things that a "health nut" would eat. But on this particular day I was game to investigate further because of the claims that you could not taste the spinach in the smoothie.

Even though this smoothie contains a generous helping of spinach, it is true that you cannot taste it. If you were blindfolded and could not see the green color, you would NEVER know that you were consuming a healthy dose of vitamins A, B₂, B₆, C, E and K along with iron, calcium, potassium, omega-3, protein and a slew of other healthy minerals.


On a whim, I snapped a photo as I whizzed up my green smoothie for breakfast and posted it to my Facebook page. The comments were as I expected...

Yuck!
I don't like that
That's the grossest thing I've ever seen!

I realized that this smoothie is a perfect example of how we, as people who are constantly bombarded with marketing about what we should eat and what our food should look like, are conditioned to think and act in a certain manner just because of what they tell us. The grossest thing you've ever seen...really?? Thanks to spending alot of time around a 13-year old boy, I can think of things waaaaay far grosser than a green smoothie. Is it gross because of the color? Do you think guacamole looks gross because it's green? Of course not because it is supposed to be green.


How about this green drink? How many would slurp it down without giving another thought to the color? We think and accept that it should be green because they present this to us as something we naturally know as being green (lime). Would you be suprised to know that the only thing "lime" about this margarita is the garnish on the side?


Totally discounting the alcohol and assuming this is made with Jose Cuervo premade margarita mix (which is considered a top-shelf product and highly recognizable and used in alot of home bars and restaurants), let's look at the ingredients of this green drink loved by so many:


Now don't get me wrong - I love me a margarita or three and I'm not going to sit here and say shame on anyone for drinking something that is loaded with preservatives and contains absolutely nothing natural because I've done my fair share. But (there's always a but), I'm starting to think more and more about what goes into my body and educating myself on the way things REALLY should be and not just what someone said it should be. So what if the smoothie is green? Would a rose by any other color smell any differently? This tasted like any other fruit smoothie - I tasted the peanut butter and the banana.

Only one of my friends was brave enough to say that she'd like to try the recipe for her and her kids, so this is for you, Tammy, and for anyone else out there brave enough to tackle a green smoothie. Enjoy!

Popeye's Spinach Smoothie
inspired by Iowa Girl Eats

Printable Recipe

1 frozen sliced banana
1-1/2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon honey
1 cup milk
4 cups baby spinach (approximately 1/2 bag)
1 Tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.