Green Blender Review (plus a discount!)

Along with the many other ways life is different when you move from NYC to Vermont, your blogging event opportunities get a little slimmer. When Green Blender, an NYC-based smoothie delivery business, contacted me about trying their service for review, I reluctantly wrote a “thanks, but no thanks” email, explaining my new location. I’ve been on a smoothie kick lately (here’s my round-up of 20 of the best smoothie recipes), so I was bummed I couldn’t try out a subscription box for a Green Blender review.

“We deliver to Vermont!” was the reply. YAY! This start-up New York company has expanded its reach and given my positive experience with the service, I’m not surprised. (Here’s a map showing the current delivery zones.)

What is Green Blender?

It’s a smoothie delivery service, in which you sign up for a subscription and receive a box of pre-portioned smoothie ingredients and recipes for a week’s worth of smoothies (five large servings, but the recipe is really for two servings).

Here are the smoothies I tried in the box I received: Creamy Matcha Mint (this was my favorite), Get-Up-And-Go Green Grapefruit, Spicy Gazpacho (I let Fran take this one for himself, because gazpacho freaks me out), Tangerine Dream and Kiwi Coconut Calm.

How Does it Work?

You sign up for a subscription service (either a week-to-week subscription, or a longer commitment  – more on that in the pricing below) and pick your delivery day. For those of you in NYC, your box is delivered by courier, otherwise it’s left (no signature required) by a delivery service.

When you open your box, included are the exact quantities of ingredients you’ll need for your smoothies, as well as your recipes for the week. You can’t choose your smoothies – and importantly, if you have allergies – there are no substitutions for particular ingredients you may be allergic to. Nearly all of the ingredients are 100% organic – if those are not available, they substitute with a minimally treated or conventional ingredient. In my box, there were four ingredients out of about thirty that weren’t organic.

It’s all packed in a cool box with ice packs. All you have to do is wash and chop the food and put it all in the refrigerator and/or freezer. (Ahem…or you just put the whole box in your fridge and then wash and prep as you go. Not that I did that, of course.)

All you need is a strong blender, ice and water. And some sort of drinking vessel. Enormous colorful straws are included (nice touch, Green Blender!).

How Much Does it Cost?

Regardless of what package you select, you can save 20% off your first order with discount code FINEFITDAY entered at checkout. 🙂 

If you want a week-to-week subscription, you’ll pay for just one week to begin and it’s $49. For a 4-box subscription it works out to $44 per box, or a 12-box subscription is just $39 per box. 

If you drink smoothies or juices nearly every day, it’s definitely worth the cost, especially considering the Green Blender smoothies are nearly all organic. 

What I Liked About Green Blender

I loved that I didn’t have to think about what I was throwing in the blender to make my smoothie, or measure anything out other than a cup of water.

It was also fun to try totally different combinations of ingredients I wouldn’t have considered using, like goji berries, mint and pea protein. The ‘boosters’ included in little packets with your ingredients are things like spices, berries, nuts etc you don’t usually have in your pantry, so I appreciated being able to try some exotic ingredients like camu camu and matcha without having to spend a fortune buying a large quantity.

All the ingredients I received were fresh, ripe and undamaged by shipping, thanks to the padded, insulated box.

Most importantly, the taste was great. My four year old tried all of them and the only one he wrinkled his nose at was the Creamy Matcha Mint because “it smelled like toothpaste,” and I was okay with that because that one was my favorite. 

Should You Try Green Blender?

If you drink a lot of smoothies and whole juices, this service is perfect for you. If you make them at home already, it will save you tons of time shopping and prepping and gives you a lot more variety. If you’re buying them at a juice bar or store, you’re already paying a lot per smoothie.

However, if you don’t have smoothies nearly every day, Green Blender may be too costly to justify, especially if you drink the full smoothie as a meal replacement (remember, each recipe is for two servings).

The only other issue is the packaging. It’s as minimally environmentally impactful as possible – ingredients like limes, bananas and avocados are not separately wrapped, but obviously any cut fruit, or greens are in plastic for transport. The booster ingredients are also all in small plastic envelopes. But overall, I was way more impressed with Green Blender’s packaging than a couple of the meal ingredient delivery services I’ve tried. 

Don’t forget, you can use code FINEFITDAY at checkout for 20% off your first order.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary box for this Green Blender review. All opinions are my own.

How often do you make smoothies at home?

What’s the most exotic ingredient you’ve had in a smoothie?