An unlikely dietitian hops aboard the Green Monster Movement

Meet the green monster.

I have had the most awful week. I want to explain it, but it is such a litany of misery and woe that merely typing it makes me want a tub of Sally William's ice-cream. Actually, anything makes me want a tub of Sally William's ice-cream. But this week, I not only wanted to consume a tub, I wanted to dive into one and stay there until the week ended. Or until I drowned. Whichever came first.

Now, when the going gets tough, Amanda gets hungry. Hungry, and lazy. On Monday night, I ate a bowl of cornflakes for dinner. That's a lie: I ate two bowls. Actually, that's also a lie: I had two bowls of cornflakes with custard instead of milk. Then, inexplicably, I woke up at two in the morning, absolutely ravenous again, so I ate an enormous toasted cheese sandwich.

This sort of behaviour continued until Wednesday, when I realised that abstaining from my veggies and overdosing on refined carbohydrates wasn't doing my mood any favours. I was still lazy though. And hungry.
So this is what I did:

A classic case of don't-be-fooled-by-appearances.

I joined the Green Monster Movement. Started by superwoman Angela of Oh She Glows, it basically entails making a smoothie with a green vegetable, usually spinach or kale.

The unassuming muse for the Green Monster

I know what you're thinking. It's green. And it's liquid. It looks like swamp. But Angela promises glowing skin, boundless energy and longer nails, and quite frankly, this week, I needed all three.

Well thank goodness for this wonderful creature:

The one on the right.

Who bought me this amazing machine for our anniversary:

Before anyone gets outraged, I asked for this gift by name.

The original recipe calls for spinach, banana, milk, flax seeds, peanut butter, and protein powder.

A swampy cup of perfection.

 By Friday, dear reader, I was having three of these a day. That's right. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. It gave me energy. My skin cleared up. I stopped being constantly hungry. I started smiling at my patients again. I don't know what it was.

Maybe the delicious taste combined with how easy it is to make.

Maybe the cocktail of B vitamins and potassium and vitamin A and K and E and magnesium and monounsaturated fats and calcium and phosphate and protein and fibre.

Maybe just the feeling of self-righteousness that comes with drinking raw spinach for breakfast.

Whatever it was, I can't get enough. This smoothie brought me through my week.

Amanda's little helper.

For those of you willing to give this a try, I have some tips:

1. Don't use more than a handful of spinach. Trust me.
2. Spend 10 minutes one evening chopping the spinach and banana and freezing in Ziplock bags, then, in the morning, it will take 2 minutes to make.
3. Put in a handful of ice for some extra frostiness on a summer morning.
4. Put the solids, especially the frozen bits, at the bottom and then cover with the milk before blending. If it still isn't blending well, add some water.
5. You can cook the spinach first if you want, but the taste becomes much more... spinachy.
6. Don't remove the rubber seal of your blender for washing and forget to put it back in. Green smoothie all over your kitchen counter and dripping onto your favourite shoes. That's right: Worst week ever.

Green monsters are better in a cup than on your shoes.

It is a Sunday night now and the week is over. But I shall continue to drink these little monsters, because I love them.

What is your food for bringing you through a bad week?