Happy first day of Spring to you all! It’s actually not that warm in Virginia today, but overall it’s been warming up a lot.

I got some great responses from the first post I did about my new breakfast, the Green Monster that I learned about from the Oh She Glows blog. I’m so glad that some of you tried it and enjoyed it!!! If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s never too late–and trust me, you won’t regret it! It’s been a little over a month since I started drinking them, and I have anywhere from 4-7 a week. The only thing that stops me from drinking one every day is that I run out of spinach and almond milk so often! I’ve noticed a huge difference in my energy levels, and I’m convinced that it’s also part of the reason I didn’t get the flu that everyone at school and home got recently.

I’ve been experimenting with different flavors of the Green Monster (I know a couple friends have been too), and so I want to start sharing with you some of those experiments that are successful. This is a tropical flavored one, and it’s even more rich and shake-like than the classic version. I love anything involving any sort of tropical fruit, so this is going down as one of my favorites. Not only do you get the extra vitamins and healthy fats of the coconut milk, but the mango puree adds another serving of fruit to the mix. That means this drink has…*drumroll*… 2 SERVINGS OF VEGGIES, 2 SERVINGS OF FRUIT, and LOADS of great vitamins like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and potassium. It’s almost too awesome to handle.

Mango Coconut Green Monster

• 1/2 c. coconut milk (use the light version, it should be thin in consistency)
• 1/2 c. almond milk (or whatever normal milk you drink)
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 pureed mango (Trader Joe’s sells little packets of it in the freezer section!)
• 2 generous handfuls of spinach (or 2 generous cups)
• 1 T. peanut butter
• 1 t. honey
• 1 crushed ice cube

-Add ingredients to blender in the following order (trust me, the order matters in how easily it blends!): milks, spinach, banana, mango, peanut butter, honey, ice cube. Blend until completely smooth. Makes one very large and tasty Green Monster.

YUM! Expect to see more Green Monster recipes this spring, especially as more fruits become in season!

Thanks for reading!