Sambazon Smoothies. YUM!

Several months ago the lovely people at Moms Meet hooked me up with three free samples of Sambazon Smoothies. Along with a fun bowl and spoon as a little "thank you" for agreeing to review them on my blog.

 Since we are huge smoothies fans, we were super excited to try them out. But then I couldn't find them in stock at any of our local stores. Sad!

And then we moved. Again. For the second time in five months. We're gluttons for punishment. 

And then I forgot about Sambazon Smoothies. 

And then I remembered! 

But I couldn't find the coupons amongst the moving boxes.

And then I found them! 

And found a store that carried them! 

And actually had them in stock! (Woo hoo!!)

So we gave them a try. And they were good. REALLY good! 

 

The end. 

Just kidding. About the end part. Not about Sambazon Smoothies being good. They were fabulous!  We tried three varieties: Supergreens with Kale and Ginger, Acai with Blueberry and Pomegranate and an Energy blend with Acai Berry, Yerba Mate and Guarana.

 

Sambazon was started by two surfers who were looking to share the goodness of superfoodswith the world. And in a way that mattered. They started Sambazon based on a philosophy called the Triple Bottom Line. Which not only measure economic success, but also social and environmental success. They only used organic, non-GMO ingredients and support fair trade. All in all, a great company that makes fabulous products.

[insert pic of Acai with Blueberry and Pomegranate...oh wait. It disappeared.]

Chris and the girls tried the Acai with Blueberry and Pomegranate. I am not a blueberry person, but I knew that one would be right up their alley. It must have been because they polished it off and tossed it in the recycling before I could snap a picture. Chris said it was "really smooth, not too sweet and very refreshing." Olive and Penny said "YUM!" and asked for more.

 

I snagged the Supergreens with Kale and Ginger before anyone else could down it. It was SO good! I was worried that the ginger would be overpowering, but it wasn't. It was there, but very subtle. It was very smooth and easy to drink. A touch sweet, but not overly so. Very refreshing. I will definitely buy it again.

 

The third variety we tried was the Energy blend with Acai, Yerba Mate and Guarana. I decided to enjoy it one morning instead of my usual cup of coffee. I have to say, I was impressed! Not only did it taste good (sweet, slightly...earthy?) but it packed a nice punch of caffeine that got me going. A nice alternative to coffee. Plus it's full of antioxidants! I also want to try the Mocha Java variety. Sounds delicious! 

Thanks again to Moms Meet for providing me with this sampling opportunity! Sambazon, you've got a fan in me. 

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from  the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product. 

It's not easy being green.

Actually, yes it is. And delicious too.

Oh how I have missed you, green smoothie. I am sorry I kept forgetting to get ingredients at the grocery store and went over a week without enjoying your deliciousness. I hope you can forgive me.

In the words of Olive, (insert super cute stuffy nose/scratchy throat voice here)"Mama, why didn't we have these all long week? I LUB smoovies!"

Today's smoothie consisted of the usual suspects:

2 oranges

1 banana

frozen fruit medley (peaches, pineapple, mango and strawberries)

spinach

And yes, the blender is still kickin'. I have resorted to blending in stages to get the job done. Fresh fruit: blend. Add frozen fruit and a splash of water: blend. Add spinach: blend. Plug nose against the burning smell: done.  Pain in the ass: yes. We are now considering a Ninja Blender. Several people have recommended it to us and since it's roughly a third of the price of a low end VitaMix it's a bit more in our reach.

Have you had your green smoothie today?

Vitamix this, Vitamix that...

So, our blender is toast.

Well, it's not really toast, it's a blender. But it's a blender that no longer blends. Ok, it blends but not very well. And when it does blend, it smells. Horribly. Like something is burning. And the base is covered with a fine black dust. And when you're trying to blend up lawn clippings from your yard to make a green smoothie, it tends to sputter and choke. It's not good.

And by lawn clippings I mean a variety of tasty greens. Oh so good...once you toss in some fruit. :)

A crucial part of making smoothies is, you guessed it, a blender. And a good blender at that. Not a cheapo that can't blend frozen fruit and fresh greens into a smooth, silky delicious beverage. Because let me tell you, there is nothing worse than getting a chunk of kale stuck in your teeth because your blender isn't up to snuff. Grody.

So I started asking around about what kind of blender we should get and the answer has been pretty unanimous.

 (Vitamix)

Get a Vitamix!
Have you heard of a Vitamix?
A Vitamix costs a lot, but man is it worth it.
If you make a lot of smoothies, you need a Vitamix.
I LOVE my Vitamix!
Vitamix for President!
And so on and so forth.

Let me tell you, I would LOVE to have a Vitamix. LOVE to. But unless a) they drop the price by $400 or so or b) I win the lottery, it's not going to happen anytime soon. My smoothies will have to be made in some other inferior machine. I'm sorry smoothies, I know you deserve better. It's not you, it's me.

Do you have a Vitamix? Is it worth it's weight in gold? Why is it sooo special? Does it cut up all your smoothie ingredients for you? Does it come with a bumper sticker and super secret handshake? Do you want to give it to me because you're awesome like that? Hey Vitamix, want to hook a girl up?

If you DON'T have a Vitamix  but some other high powered blender that gets the job done, what is it? Or is there really no such thing?

Off to slurp choke down a (far from smooth) smoothie...

Green Smoothies

Lately we have gotten into making and drinking green smoothies. It all started with an excess of greens in our CSA box. I threw a handful of chard in the blender with some fruit and voila! A new obsession!

Not only are they delicious, but they are an easy way to up your fruit and green intake. I have been pretty amazed at how good they taste and how good they make me feel. A great way to start the day. Olive loves them too, which is awesome since she is kind of boycotting fruit and veggies right now.

Our basic recipe consists of:

2 oranges

1 banana

2 c. frozen fruit (tropical blend with mango, pineapple, peaches and strawberries)

1 c. water

~3 c. greens (we alternate between baby spinach and kale, but pretty much any green will work)

Throw the fruit and water in the blender first and blend until smooth. Add the greens and blend again until smooth. Really blend it well so it's nice and smooth otherwise you'll end up with chunks of greens, which aren't the most appetizing. It helps to have a good, high powered blender. Which I don't. But that's a whole 'nother post.

Like  I said, I am amazed at how good they are. You might have to play around with the amounts of fruit/greens to find a flavor that's good to you. And adjust the water amount depending on whether you like your smoothies thick or thin. I prefer them on the thin side so I can slurp them up with a straw.

I like to drink a green smoothie in the morning for a little boost of energy. I am not a big breakfast eater (or at all), so I have been drinking a smoothie when I wake up and then eating something an hour or so later. It seems to set me up for healthier eating for the day. Well, most days.

If you want to read more about green smoothies and get some great recipes, I found this book to be helpful: 

Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Towards Natural Health by Victoria Boutenko.

So why not whip up some green goodness tonight? Who knows, you might like it!

Do you already know about the goodness of green smoothies? What is your go-to recipe? Feel free to share!