Power "Green" Smoothie

A few weeks before Christmas, I came across this recipe for a Green Smoothie and I immediately thought, "I need to try that!" So a couple days later, I went in to Target and walked out with a brand new blender. I then gathered my ingredients, modifying the recipe to suit what was easily available to me and could be frozen to keep for a long time.

This smoothie is amazing! I love it. In fact, I think I'm addicted to it. Every morning I don't make it, I feel like something is missing from my life. Here's the recipe I use (all measurements are approximate):

1 cup of water (or minty green tea*)
1 banana
A few handfuls of spinach
1 cup of frozen mixed berries
3 frozen strawberries
2 smallish handfuls of almonds**

Here it is, starting to get blended! In case you're wondering where I get my ingredients, here it is:

Bananas - whatever grocery store is most convenient, because they go bad pretty quickly. Usually when I run out of bananas, I buy a ripe one, a medium ripe one, and an unripe one so I don't have to buy them again for a few days.
Spinach - I buy a huge 3lb bag from Costco and then stick it in my freezer.
Frozen mixed berries & frozen strawberries - Costco
Almonds - Trader Joe's

Sometimes I throw in other random things I have on hand, such as an orange, cranberry juice, or pineapple, and adjust the quantities of the other ingredients accordingly.

So I know those ingredients don't sound good but, trust me, this smoothie tastes sooo good! Every time I tell someone about it, they look at me like I'm crazy for putting spinach and almonds in a smoothie, but my roommate can vouch for the fact that I'm not crazy (at least not when it comes to the taste of this smoothie) and that it is, in fact, delicious.

*I often need the caffeine provided by green tea and I don't mind the metabolic boost, either! Therefore, I use minty green tea instead of water most of the time. I just put some mint tea and green tea bags in a pitcher of water and stick it in my fridge. I let it sit for about 24 hours and then take the bags out and use the tea in my smoothie throughout the week.

**I was reading about the nutritional benefits of spinach and it was mentioned that eating some fat with the spinach helps your body absorb the nutrients better. The almonds also provide some extra protein, which is something I'm always OK with!