shamrock shake.

holidays are a blogger's dream...

 ... they are the one day a year when food can magically transform from 

gross looking to festive!

truth be told, I've been drinking green smoothies for awhile, but I had to wait long and hard for today so that my delicious concoction might actually appeal to the masses. 

I mean, if you'll drink green beer, why not drink a green smoothie?

I believe at the end of every rainbow there are cauldrons filled with this creamy minty delight and little leprechauns are sipping from it merrily.

for the record

the spinach contributes two things, and two things only:

1.) color (how festive!)

2.) nutrients (helllooo vitamin k, vitamin a and iron!)

what the spinach does NOT contribute is taste. 

I promise you the only things you'll be tasting are 

creamy vanilla and fresh mint.  

because of the protein powder, this  shake has some 

serious staying power. 

it will keep you full and satisfied, and is perfect for 

breakfast, or post workout.

a similar smoothie was originally created by angela at oh she glows, and you can find her recipe and other variations of her green monster here.

seriously though.  it's just a mint milkshake.

shamrock shake.

serves: 1 


the goodies:
- 1 mint tea bag
- 1/2 c. boiling water
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 1 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 large handfuls of spinach
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- pinch of xantham gum*

the fun part:
1.) add tea bag to boiling water. allow to steep, and then place in freezer while you prep the rest of your ingredients.
2.) when cool, remove the tea bag from the water, squeezing out any extra liquid (and flavour!). discard tea bag. add cooled tea and remaining ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.
3.) happy st. patrick's day!

*xantham gum is a used to thicken the smoothie, and it can be found in the bulk or baking section of health food stores.  a little goes a long way! (because it's used for thickening, an alternative could be to add ice. however, since I haven't done this myself, I can't vouch for it.  give it a try and comment below telling me how it goes!)

what your body will like:
per serving: 286 calories - carbs: 18 g - protein  37 g - fat 5 g