Oatmeal "Green Monster" Smoothie

Have you ever woken up sweating, and the thermometer already reads 77 degrees, even though it's still early in the morning?

Those are the mornings when oatmeal is not so appetizing. I eat porridge year-round, but some days, the thought of a bowl of hot cereal steaming up into my already-hot face is a little...nauseating. On those days, it's good to have a back up--like a "Green Monster" smoothie.

But I didn't want my oats to feel left out, so I threw them in as well. :)

This is hardly a new concept. However, it seemed like a shame to not include this recipe on a blog dedicated to oatmeal.

There are many ways to go about making this type of smoothie. You can soak your oats overnight, cook your oats and let them cool, or just blend them up into the smoothie raw (this works best with instant oats, but I used old-fashioned oats anyway!).

Some people claim that you "can't taste the greens" in a Green Monster. I beg to differ: you can't taste them as long as the rest of your ingredients complement the greens and not work against them. I personally love peanut butter-banana smoothies as a Green Monster. I think the saltiness of the peanut butter works with the spinach beautifully.

Oatmeal Green Monster Smoothie

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 5 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1/4 cup frozen banana slices
• 2 tbsp milk of choice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tbsp oats, rolled or instant
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1-2 cups packed spinach

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth!

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P.S. My wine glass has my name etched onto it. :)

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!