The pros: Â Trader Joe's Very Green Smoothie is very fruity and pleasant to drink.
The cons:Â If you are a regular smoothie drinker then this can get expensive quickly, however, this is also sold in a quart sized container.
The verdict: Â I'll admit it. Prior to trying this product I had never had a green smoothie. I honestly always felt like they were kind of gross looking. Like a pool that hadn't been chlorinated in a while. Perhaps it may be from growing up watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and based on that, knowing what a sewer must be like. Perhaps by drinking this, I too would gain some magical powers.
In drinking this product, no magical powers were gained, but knowing that it did not taste anything like a sewer or scummy pool was good to know. There is lots of flowery language on the front that described what this product should taste like "bananas, mango & kiwi purees with apple and pineapple juice." Oddly enough none of those would seem to justify the hue of this drink until you read further which includes "green foods and other added ingredients." C'mon Trader Joe's, you guys are good at fluffy descriptions, but that is out there. To be fair, it's not all fluffy language.
I winced when I first tried this, but remembered that I've seen numerous people drinking green smoothies and living to tell the tale. After a sip I realized this is just really fruity and not too different from the description. The added green ingredients did not have a strong presence in the smoothie other than lending some chlorophyll. The strongest flavors in this Kermit hued beverage were the apple, mango and pineapple. This was surprisingly fruity. Based on the color, I was anticipating a veggie drink. This was nice and sweet, but sadly lacks fiber which might mean it will leave you hungry after a bit.
For $2.99 for a pint or $4.49 for the quart sized container it was nice to try and had good flavor. However, I've tried three smoothies and as a matter of personal preference I liked the Strawberry Chia the best, followed by the Mango. I don't have much to say that is bad about this product other than my predetermined notions about what it might taste like.
Overall, it's worth a try as are any of the smoothies listed. Just keep in mind, if you are a regular smoothie drinker, it will be cheaper in the long run to just buy a blender. On the bright side, this is one of the few smoothies that is available in a larger size if you do realize you'll be consuming this on a regular basis.
Here is the visual rundown of the product.
The bottle of Trader Joe's Very Green Smoothie:
The nutritional information and the ingredients:
How Trader Joe's describes what else is in this smoothie:
Would I buy this again? It was good. I don't have much to complain about with this except for the fact that there is no fiber in this one. However, the Strawberry Chia and Mango Smoothies were solid choices and I preferred the flavor over this.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
judilyn says
For a couple of years, well before the smoothie fad, we juiced celery, apple, and carrots as a "health beverage", but got tired of it. The clean-up was horrendous for a real juicer. A blender would be a whole lot easier, I suspect. I think I prefer the physicalness of eating food in its recognizable state.
Virtual hugs,
Judie
becomebetty says
I agree with you Judie. I always feel more full after eating my fruits and veggies rather than blending them. As always, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!