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Green Blender Subscription Box Review + Coupon – May 2016

Shawn Brossart
ByShawn BrossartJan 10, 2018 | 9 comments

GREENBLENDERMay_1closed box

Green Blender
4 overall rating
10 Ratings | 2 Reviews

GreenBlender is a subscription that sends “5 new smoothie recipes and all the pre-portioned ingredients you’ll need to make 10 smoothies” each week.  They send organic and non-GMO produce and try to buy from vendors and farms with sustainable practices. 

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

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The Subscription Box: GreenBlender

The Cost: The week to week payment plan is $49.00 per box, the 12 month subscription is $39.00 per box, and the four month subscription is $44.00 per box.   All subscription prices include free delivery and it is possible to put the subscription on hold. 

COUPON: Use code SUBSCRIPTION to save 20% off your first box!

The Products: Every week you receive all the products needed to make ten 12-ounce smoothies.   You can pause your subscription from your account page so it is easy to skip a week or to receive only a certain number of boxes each month. 

Ships to:  Select locations in the U.S. You can find the delivery locations here.   

Check out the Drink Subscription Boxes Directory and make sure to add the GreenBlender to your subscription list or wish list!

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GreenBlender does a great job with their packaging.  The items come in a cardboard box with insulation bubble wrap.  Everything is nicely wrapped and stacked on the cooler packs with a thick piece of brown craft paper separating the produce and the freezer packs.  The banana was safely wrap too.  I live in Ohio and the package was sent from New York.  All the items were cool, intact, and undamaged upon arrival.  For me, the packaging was great.  The only downside is that I don’t like waste but GreenBlender does a good job at keeping it to a minimum and I kept the freezer packs then recycled as much of the other material as possible.

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As you can see, GreenBlender sent lots of good stuff!  Everything was clearly marked and in small packages that could be easily stored.  The bright straws were a fun addition!

GreenBlender’s wants you to become healthier without having to do all the hard work (planning, shopping, and measuring).  I don’t want to assume you aren’t eating healthy but if the statistics in GreenBlender’s pamphlet are correct then only 1% of adults and 2% of children meet both the fruit and vegetable recommendations each day.  This 2015 CDC report indicates only 13% of people eat enough fruit and 9% of people eat enough vegetables each day to meet dietary guidelines.  Wow, that is pretty bad (and that includes me)!  Basically we need a couple cups of fruit each day (banana and a half of an apple) and about 2 ½ cups of vegetables (a salad with lunch and a vegetables with dinner). I drank roughly half of my daily fruit and vegetable recommendation in each GreenBlender smoothie.

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GreenBlender a tips/information guide with the package.  For those of you who don’t read this kind of information (which would be me if it weren’t my job to do so), I learned some interesting facts about fruits and vegetables, the best way to layer smoothie ingredients in a blender, and some of the benefits of the superfoods (chia seeds, cacao powder, spirulina, etc.) GreenBlender uses in their smoothies. 

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All the recipes you will use to make smoothies are sent on this sheet but they are also posted on GreenBlender’s website if for some reason you can’t find the recipe page. 

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So here’s how you make a smoothie – throw it all in and blend!  Don’t you love it?  Okay, there is a little bit more work than that but it is still so easy!  All ingredients are packaged nicely but you still must review the recipes – once I just threw everything in the smoothie that was listed in the recipe and half of one ingredient (coconut cream) went in different smoothie.  So, you need to pay a attention to the ingredients and the amounts sometimes.  Also, you’ll need to wash everything and cut up and/or remove the peel on some fruit.  Other than that, nothing to it.  I use my trusty hand-me-down Vitamix for all smoothies.  It works great, of course. 

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Strawberry Custard Smoothie (A Mother’s Day treat)

This was the first smoothie we made because I let my daughter pick.  At 275 calories, this is the highest caloric smoothie of the bunch – hence, “treat” in the title.  Even though there was an entire squash in it I didn’t think you could taste it.  My husband loved it as it reminded him of a smoothie his mom made in Mexico when he was growing up.  My daughter wasn’t too fond of it – I’m sure she wanted more sugar – but we’re going to work on that.  I liked the flavor but added more cinnamon because there wasn’t enough for me.  There wasn’t an overwhelming flavor here – it all blended together nicely but if you are looking for sweet smoothies then these aren’t for you unless you plan on adding more fruit, honey or maple syrup. 

Here is the breakdown: 

Calories- 275

Fat- 9 grams

Carbs- 46 grams

Fiber- 5.8 grams

Sugar- 19.8 grams

Protein- 5.4 grams

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Cilantro Citrus Cantaloupe

This smoothie was only 74 calories and it was good!  I certainly didn't like the Strawberry Custard Smoothie's 200 calories more (can one measure her likes/dislikes in calories? I just did.) I would have added more cantaloupe if I’d had it but it was still good.  The dominate flavor was cilantro but you could also taste cantaloupe and lime.  I like cilantro and I’ve never through of putting it in a smoothie before so I’ll save this idea for future smoothies.  I’d be tempted to add a bit of coconut milk in too (and this is why I’m not thin!) 

Here’s the nutrition breakdown:

Calories- 74

Fat- 0.4 gram

Carbs- 19.7 grams

Protein- 1.4 grams

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Sweet and Sour Beet

Everyone liked this one which was surprising to me since we’re not big beet fans.   I shared this smoothie with my husband and mother and they both loved it.  The beet flavor was dominate but even though I don’t care for beets, I still drank it without a problem.  We love kumquats around here so if I would have added more of those if I had them.  If you’ve never had kumquats before I’d describe the taste as a cross between an orange and a lemon – citrus and tart.  Yum! 

Here’s the nutrition breakdown:

Calories- 165

Fat- 7.5 grams

Carbs- 23.2 grams

Fiber- 4.7 grams

Sugar- 19.8 grams

Protein- 5 grams

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Green Almond Zest

This is my least favorite smoothie of the 5 recipes I’ve tried so far.  The flavor was a little flat.  I could taste the spinach a bit but other than that, not much stood out.  I didn’t have any problems drinking it but everything else GreenBlender sent was good so I hope they don’t send this one again. 

Here’s the nutrition breakdown:

Calories- 110

Fat- 4 grams

Carbs- 16.5 grams

Fiber- 4.3 grams

Sugar- 10 grams

Protein- 3 grams

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Orange Amla Colada

Yummy!  I knew it would be though since the recipe calls for a banana, orange, pineapple, and coconut.  I can definitely taste the increased sweetness is this one.  I shared this with my mother and she loved it too.  I typically wouldn’t put that much fruit in one of my smoothies so this was a nice afternoon treat. 

Here’s the nutrition breakdown:

Calories- 147

Fat- 2.2 grams

Carbs- 33 grams

Fiber- 5.7 grams

Sugar- 21 grams

Protein- 2.4 grams

Verdict: My family enjoyed GreenBlender!  What I love about GreenBlender is the variation in recipes, the convenience of having the nutritious, organic, seasonal ingredients delivered to my door, and not having to think about finding new recipes.  The benefit of spending less time at the grocery store is worth a lot to me too.  Would I buy this for myself?  Heck yes!  With a qualified addition of- if I had the disposable since it’s not exactly cheap. 

GreenBlender smoothies certainly aren’t your corner smoothie store kind of smoothie.  The calorie count on my smoothies ranged from 74 to 275 calories (of course I liked the 275 calorie smoothie the best), the sugar count was pretty low, and these are likely more nutritious than what you buy at most smoothie stores.  My family drinks green smoothies (mostly vegetables and herbs with a piece of fruit) so we are accustomed to the less sweet, sort of earthy flavor.  If you are down with that, I think you’ll love the convenience and flavor of GreenBlender smoothies. 

How is the value of this box?  Depending on your subscription choice, each smoothie costs $3.90, $4.40, or $4.90.  Even at the highest subscription price, the cost is less than most retail smoothies.  Then you have to ask yourself the following questions:

  • How much is the convenience of home delivery worth to me?
  • What is the cost of self-assembly (storing, washing, cutting, use of blender)?
  • How much is the variety worth to you?
  • How much time/money do you save by not shopping for these items yourself? 

We all know that doing it all yourself at home is the cheapest option but would you do it yourself?  If not, this is a great healthy option.  We make green smoothies inconsistently and I love that GreenBlender forces me to do it on a regular basis.  Plus, I'm happy to say GreenBlender is helping my family become part of the small percentage of Americans that consume their recommended number of fruits and vegetables daily. 

What do you think about GreenBlender?

Starting at $49.00
Active Deal
Save 20% off your first box!
Use Coupon Code SUBSCRIPTION
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Each week, you'll get 5 new smoothie recipes and all the pre-portioned, organic ingredients you'll need to make 10 smoothies. Recipes are hand-crafted by nutritionists to ensure quality and nutritional value. $49/week
Shawn Brossart
Shawn Brossart
Shawn is a recent subscription box addict but when she fell, she fell hard. She can’t resist a bargain so she receives all kinds of boxes. Her current favorites are natural, holistic, and health and fitness related.

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9 comments

Ryan

The presentation is very nice and 3 out of 5 smoothies were appealing in taste but the box is VERY EXPENSIVE for what you get.

I calculated the ingredients in the box to be less than $5 retail cost so I’m sure they’re under $3 per box in cost of goods sold.

For me, that’s just not fair when I’m spending $50 for that box!

I tried to cancel after my first $25 box because I didn’t see the value and they refused to stop my order so I was charged another $50…

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Matthew D

Shawn, this is such a great blog post, I’d suggest, if they have one for people who’re already signed up, you using your own refer a friend code in the post. I’d gladly use it to give you a bit of a credit if they, like most have that. I’ll wait a day or two to see if you reply.

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Gabbi

Unfortunately, while this sub is expensive, the cost per portion is actually right on par with what you would spend at a grocery store to make it yourself, or actually under in some cases. I juice and make smoothies several times a week so I buy fruit, veggies, and the protein additions (chia seeds, hemp hearts, etc.) in bulk and even with those discounts, the $3.50-5 is accurate per smoothie. Fresh fruit and veggies are not cheap, and it’s a big reason people don’t get their servings and are more likely to buy junk food, sadly.

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Flubs

I agree with all of this. Food deserts are another reason why a lot of people (specifically, the poor and disadvantaged) in the U.S. I think this may be good for someone who lives in one but can afford it. So if this company is really serious about getting more fruits and veggies in the American diet, they should definitely lower the prices.

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Tonia

I love the idea. It’s just so expensive. Is this one smoothie or 2 per day? I love eating healthier, but I just the foods were cheaper. Even at the food store my bill is higher eating healthy and paleo. Thanks for the awesome review!

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Audy

Way too expensive.

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Randi

Great review Shawn!
It looks really good, just a little high priced for just me though, I wish they had a smaller option/box. I just don’t know if I’d get through all of those in 1 week.
Do they have any customizations? Can you opt to not get coconut or something you’re not a fan of?

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Shawn

HI Randi and thanks for the compliment!

I understand what you mean about the cost and while there are a lot of smoothies (especially for one person), it’s a great option if you are sharing. We used ours withing 7 days and all the ingredients were still fine toward the end of the week. Also, since its so easy to pause your account (they have each week listed separately), you can receive a box one week and then easily skip the next week or the next two weeks until you are ready for another box.

I don’t think they do substitutions right now but everything is packaged separately so you can skip one ingredient (like coconut or an herb or something) if you don’t like it.

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Anne

This box sounds great. I’m on the wait list because they don’t ship to all of Minnesota yet…

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