Green Monster Smoothies

I love the bright, fresh flavor of an ice cold smoothie in the morning.  Large smoothies are a great stand alone breakfast, but smaller portions are fantastic served along with eggs or muffins or whatever your heart desires.  In an effort to get better about actually eating breakfast (and a nutritional one at that), I'm experimenting with freezing smoothies this week.  I'm whipping up a few different smoothies to keep on hand in the freezer that I can pull out at night to thaw in the fridge to be ready by breakfast.  I'm also working on a few other healthy meals to stock my freezer (mini egg white omelets and a few soups), so keep an eye out for those recipes over the next week or two.

I'm not stranger to adding a hefty handful or two of spinach to my smoothies, but my typical smoothie is usually one with a variety of frozen mixed berries thrown in so the green of the spinach blends away to a deep purple.  I've had my eye on this Green Monster Smoothie recipe from Annie's Eats for quite a while and decided that I'd finally make it this week.  While the smoothie definitely doesn't disguise the color of the spinach, you still can't taste it among the sweetness of the fruit in this recipe.  If you're new to the green smoothie scene, or simply want a new recipe to try, I highly recommend this vibrant concoction.

Green Monster Smoothies
adapted slightly from Annie's Eats
serves 2-3 (makes approximately 4 cups)

1 1/2 cups orange juice (I used tangerine juice)
2 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
1 banana (fresh or frozen), cut into chunks
1 cup chopped frozen pineapple
1 pear, coarsely chopped
1-2 tablespoons honey (optional)

Combine juice, spinach, fruit, and honey (if desired) in a blender and puree until completely smooth.  Taste and adjust sweetness with additional honey, if needed.  Serve immediately or freeze, if desired.