5-Day Green Smoothie Challenge

The other day I was emailed a free 5-Day Green Smoothie Challenge by instagram.com/smoothiesdelicious

The 5-Day Green Smoothie Challenge is basically a "taste test" or sneak peak into their 21-Day Weight Loss Program.

The first thing that I noticed when I downloaded the 5-Day Green Smoothie Challenge was the design. I thought it was a really beautiful little brochure with a nice layout and great pictures of the smoothies and their associated ingredients.

I particularly enjoyed the story at the beginning of the brochure that explains the initial reaction of the author's dad when first seeing the green smoothie after it was made! Such a typical reaction, which makes it even more funny.

I especially liked the info on how to prep the smoothies in advance (convenient!), as well as the list of substitute ingredients. It also came with a shopping list of all the ingredients required for the whole 5 days, which I thought was really handy.

Another thing I love about the brochure are all the little health tips that accompany each smoothie explaining how certain ingredients contained in the smoothie will benefit your health.

Once I read through the brochure to see what I was in for, it was time to head to the grocery store to pick up all of the ingredients and I was pleasantly surprised when the bill only came to a total of $35.70. With the way things are priced at the moment, I expected it to be quite a bit more than this!

Also, when you consider that items such as the bags of frozen produce can be used for other things (like more smoothies!), the 5-Day Green Smoothie Challenge really didn't end up costing that much - bonus for you if you already have some of these ingredients in the pantry or freezer!

Now that you know what to expect when you first download the 5-Day Green Smoothie Challenge, let's get to the fun part - taste testing the smoothies!

Day 1 - Blueberry Vanilla

I was pretty excited about this smoothie when I saw that it contained two of my favourite fruits - blueberries and banana.

Although I often make smoothies using blueberries and bananas as the main ingredients, I had never thought to add a splash of vanilla extract which was a nice addition.

Failing to measure out one ingredient correctly, my handful of spinach was a little on the larger side which gave my smoothie a very slightly (and I mean ever so slightly) bitter aftertaste, so I think next time I will be more careful not to add too much more than the recommended amount.

Other than that, I liked the flavour of the smoothie and was pleased that despite the addition of the vanilla, it wasn't overly sweet or sickly.

I usually use fresh produce in my smoothies, so found that using frozen blueberries definitely stepped it up a notch - the cold and creamy texture really gave it that little something extra.

If you decide to make this smoothie yourself, don't be put off by the colour - it really does taste great and as a bonus was super easy to make.

Day 2 - Pineapple Coconut

This smoothie I liked - A LOT! The addition of the mint really gave it a certain wow-factor and kind of reminded me of a frozen pineapple mojito, only BETTER.

The smoothie had a real holiday cocktail vibe to it - so much so, that I couldn't resist pouring it into a cocktail glass and sticking an umbrella in it!

I was a little worried when I saw the ingredient list for this one that it might be a little fussy to make, but it really wasn't. I was glad that I'd already prepared the kale beforehand.

I also thought that the addition of the coconut might make the smoothie a little gritty, but it was barely noticeable. I could only find shredded coconut at the store, so I'm sure that if I used coconut flakes as per the recipe, it may have been even smoother again.

I'd probably give this one a 9/10. I'll definitely be adding it to my regular smoothie rotation.

Day 3 - Ginger Raspberry

This was another great smoothie that I really liked the flavour of. It tasted kind of like an ice block - sort of Calippo-ish (the raspberry pineapple one!).

I really liked the addition of the ginger, and the frozen raspberries gave it a really great texture. The amount of ginger was good as it didn't overpower the rest of the smoothie and it wasn't too spicy.

I feel like this would be a really great smoothie as a hot summer afternoon treat and was probably my second favourite smoothie from this list. Will be making this one again for sure.

Day 4 - Chocolate Chip

I had never thought to put cauliflower in a smoothie before and to be honest, at first I was a little afraid of it. I just couldn't imagine what it would taste like but, surprisingly, it really does just blend right in and go completely unnoticed - great way to sneak some more veggies into your day (or perhaps your child's)!

I took this smoothie to work with me and had a tiny sip just before I left home. At first I didn't think I was going to like it based on the initial first sip, but when I got to work, I had a proper mouthful and the flavour was quite good.

To me, the smoothie smells like cake batter which makes you feel like you're having a naughty treat, but when you drink it, it actually feels really healthy and was good to know that so many incredibly healthy ingredients were hidden behind the chocolaty flavour.

Again, the thing that I liked about this smoothie was that it was sweet, but not too sweet.

Day 5 - Apple Pear

This was another smoothie that caught me by surprise. I was a little wary of the addition of parsley because I've had parsley in a smoothie before and I did not like it! It completely overpowered the smoothie and made it hard to drink.

The smoothie that I drank previously was not compatible with parsley at all, but the green apple in this one complemented and counteracted it quite nicely.

I think the amount of parsley in the Apple Pear smoothie was perfect - enough that you could taste it, but not too much that it overpowered all the other flavours. I really enjoyed the fresh flavours in this one.

Conclusion

So, what did I think of the 5-day smoothie challenge?

It was really good to be able to enjoy a different smoothie each day and I liked that there weren't too many ingredients in each one - some smoothie recipes can be complicated to make and cost you a fortune in ingredients (and prep time!).

I really liked the addition of a few key ingredients such as vanilla, mint, ginger, and parsley which were great ways to take the flavour of the smoothies to the next level. I will definitely be using these additional little flavourings in my smoothies from now on!

During the smoothie challenge, I found that I was in a really good mood and was somehow able to handle stressful situations much better than I usually would.

I also found that I had a lot more energy - not the the kind of energy where you want to spring out of bed and run a marathon, but the type of energy that made it easier to participate in daily life without complaining.

I found it easier to concentrate at work and get my chores done at home with little effort. To me, that's a big deal! If there's anything I can do to make my life feel easier and less stressful, I'm all for it!

The other benefit that I found while participating in the 5-day smoothie challenge was that things were more "regular", if you know what I mean! It's something that no one really likes to talk about, but is definitely a key bodily function important to your health and wellbeing.

I found that during the challenge, my stomach felt more comfortable, which I found quite interesting as I never realised before that my stomach ever felt uncomfortable! I also felt a lot less bloated during the day.

All in all, I really enjoyed the 5-day smoothie challenge and would definitely recommend giving it a go. I'll definitely be making all of these smoothies again and am looking forward to experimenting with some of the ingredients to see if I can come up with a few of my own combinations.

If you'd like the recipes for the above mentioned smoothies, head to instagram.com/smoothiesdelicious and check out their Instagram page - if you message them, I'm sure they'll be happy to email you the details.

Do you have any favourite smoothie recipes of your own? If so, I'd love to hear them!

Alternatively, take a look at the list above, and let me know which one you think sounds best. 😊

Happy to have you here and I hope you have a great day/ night!

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Hope to have you back soon. Thanks for reading.

Lisa. 😊 xx