When I first got my Nutribullet, I went through a phase of making myself smoothies. I have to confess I wasn't very good at it.
Pack'd Energy Smoothie Kit
I threw everything that looked healthy into the cup and hoped for the best. Often the ingredients didn't complement one another and I was left with a concoction that looked like swamp water and didn't really taste much better.
Rather than making up my own fruit combination, the PACK'D Energy smoothie bag already had everything in it so I didn't have to get creative with my amounts or ingredients. The people who developed them already know what goes with what so I could rest easy that it was at least going to taste good. And it did- a good balance of fruitiness from the berries against a backdrop of creaminess from the coconut water and banana.
The Energy PACK'D has strawberry, blueberry, banana, raspberry, blackcurrant and spinach in it. But it also contains flaxseed, maca, cacao and Guarana- a bunch of superfoods too.
Normally I would add flaxseed, spinach and each of these berries separately and peel a banana to add creaminess, but everything is done for you. All you have to do is add coconut water, a milk alternative or apple juice.
I opted for coconut water as it contains fewer calories and less sugar than apple juice as do many milk substitutes. But apple juice does give it a real zing if you want something more thirst quenching in the morning. I must admit, it's my guilty pleasure as I LOVE juice.
Within the packet, the contents are housed in plastic bags so you know exactly how much to use. It can be tempting to overdo it when it comes to smoothies but this keeps your amounts in check; perfect for if you are trying to lose weight as each pack only contains 86 calories.
Of all of the PACK'D kits, this is the one that is most like the smoothies I used to make for myself so I figured it was a good one to start with.
The allocated portion fits in the smaller Nutribullet cup, so if you already own one of these- they are good for both a small, thick drink or if you want to make it longer lasting and thinner, you can just add more fluids and blend it in the larger cup. I did this and it meant I could enjoy my smoothie over a few hours in the morning so I did not feel too hungry to lunchtime.
Overall, I am really impressed with this kit- it made life easy this morning and kept my intake under control. For vegans- Energy is perfect because it contains a variety of fruits and superfoods that cost a fortune to buy separately.
This pack is specifically designed to give you energy, reduce tiredness and maintain healthy bones. It does this because it's rich in vitamin c, vitamin k, manganese, potassium, its high in fibre, one and a half of your five a day. It also contains natural caffeine and folate.
If you are a new vegan and worried about whether you are getting enough vitamins and minerals, this will help you get a healthy start to your day, without having to give it much thought.
At £3.50 each at Sainsburys, I did think it a bit steep at first but by the time you have bought all of these ingredients individually, you are talking about the same anyway. The convenience of it all is a huge plus point. If you are not a morning person (like me) you want to rustle something healthy for your breakfast in very little time so you can snooze as much as possible.
After a weekend of heavy drinking with my university friends, I was feeling a little worse for wear this morning, but after a few slurps of my smoothie, I do feel better and more alert.
After feeling like I was going to fall asleep at my desk when I first arrived, this is a huge improvement.
Tagged in Smoothie