Running ... with green smoothies!

First of all, let me say YUM. I had NO idea that smoothies with spinach, chard, romaine, or any other green vegetable could taste like that! The first one was definitely the scariest... and it was more brown than green. Actually, I made my boyfriend try it first, and he promised me that it tasted just like a banana, and nothing like spinach. Lots of good stuff in the blender there... including greek yogurt and a scoop of protein powder.

So after the first one, I got smart and realized that red, orange and purple/blue foods were going to turn it brown instead of the limey green color I was aiming for... and that's when I became addicted, and also experimental. I began adding new fruits and vegetables, cayenne pepper, honey, egg whites... and it was all surprisingly good.

My favorite included a handful of spinach, 1/2 green apple, tablespoon of honey, 2 tablespoons of 0% fat Greek yogurt, frozen fruit (peaches, honeydew, strawberries, pineapple), and 1/8 cup water. I also tried pineapple juice in place of the water and pineapple. Both ways were delicious.

My boyfriend got addicted to these too and we ended up with a new blender because we came to love having a smoothie for breakfast or after a workout. Usually I am not one to try new things (especially brown fruit and vegetable mixtures) but I am so very glad that I opted to participate in PB Runner's green smoothie challenge. I think most of it was mental, but I did feel better that week of doing green smoothies.

And now that I have a new blender, I'll be experimenting with even more smoothie recipes (I've found that Pintrest is an excellent place to find these!)

Be brave, try a green smoothie. And if you HAVE tried one, share the recipe here!