Did you know you can now get a green smoothie at Starbucks as well as coconut milk in your coffee? Dunkin Donuts too now offers almond milk to add to your morning cup of Joe! With all the juice bars popping up, it appears that the old guy on the block is taking notice and making an effort to have healthier menu items to keep their Gen X customers.
First juice, then almond milk and now smoothies. Starbucks is trying really hard to keep you from heading to the local juice bar.
They are now serving 3 different smoothies which are a combination of the juices from Evolution Fresh and non-fat greek yogurt from Dannon. Unlike small shops, they have to post their nutrition and are obviously packed with sugar. The Evolution Fresh Mango Carrot smoothie has 42g of sugar in a 16 oz serving. It also has 7g of protein and 2g of fiber. Get the Sweet Green smoothie if you want to try one. It has 32g of sugar instead and subsequently 60 less calories.
This month in Boston, another juice and smoothie bar opened up right around the corner from my home called Revolution Juice. They seem to be popping up in ever neighborhood which is awesome. It is located on the corner of Huntington Ave and West Newton Street. I ordered a the Boom smoothie made with banana, mango, date, pineapple juice, spinach, kale and mint.
It was way too sweet for my liking and I like my sweets. I asked if I could get it with almond milk instead of pineapple juice but figured I should order off the menu if I’m going to test something out for the first time. All of the smoothies are made with fresh pressed fruit juice but you can order them with a nut milk or coconut water instead.
In addition to their juices and smoothies, their entirely organic and non-gmo menu includes coffee/tea, dateorade, bowls (including an oatmeal) and soup. Everything is vegan.
Also new is The Daily Squeeze in South Boston on West Broadway Street but I have not made it over there yet. Opened by the same people who own the Urban Art bar, their menu includes juice, smoothies, acai bowls, and chia pudding. My sister who has been said that she likes it, especially the trail mix bar where you can create your own fruit and nut combination! They open at 6:30am during the week for your morning commute. This place should do well on Saturday and Sundays when there are lots of hangovers going on in Southie – or maybe that was just me when I lived there. Green juice is one of my favorite cures. Southie is really stepping it up these days from Barre boutiques to restaurants.
Another spot to get your green smoothie on is the relatively new Thirst Juice Co located off School Street in Downtown Crossing. This is a great spot to grab a juice after taking class at Barry’s if you don’t mind a 5 minute walk. I tried the Green Dream made with kale, cucumber, pineapple and jalapeño and loved it. It wasn’t too sweet or spicy.
Their menu also includes a list of acai bowls and soup like Revolution Juice but I did not try them out.
Lastly and most surprisingly, you can now get juice and oatmeal at Pinkberry! Yes, that place you used to be obsessed with now carries juice from BluePrint as well as serves super bowls that can be made with quinoa, Oatmeal, acai or Greek yogurt starting at 9am in the Prudential Mall location. I don’t know if they are doing this at other locations but this is an awesome idea. I love oatmeal and I love a good topping bar to go along with it. Froyo places have been going out of business all over Boston lately but this new concept I hope will keep them in place for a little awhile longer. This is going to be my weekend mission to taste test.
And if you do not live or work near any of the juice places in Boston, you can always have your green juice delivered to your door step each week from my girl Rebecca at The Ripe Stuff. I like to drink green juice first thing in the morning so it’s usually most convenient for me when I have it already in my refrigerator. You don’t have to do a cleanse but you can just buy a set of 6. Have one first thing in the morning before your workout and then one in the afternoon for energy as part of a weight loss or any balanced diet. They also sell The Ripe Stuff at Recycle Studio for your pre and post workout needs.
Have you tried the Starbucks’ smoothies yet? What did you think?
