For nearly a decade we have been smoothie fans. On a rainy Saturday morning we were at the usual Costco Store in Kirkland, WA. There was salesperson hawking some fresh colored and textured drinks to us. It tasted delicious, especially when were hungry from long minutes of shopping that morning. He claimed that there was no added sugar in the drinks and they were fresh. Soon we stood by his stall and watched him throw in a variety of fruits, many with the skins on.
There was a clean looking glass jar with some stubby blades at the bottom, presumably a heavy duty blender. First he put in a couple of Kiwi fruits, freshly washed with its textured skin. I had always had Kiwi fruit at continental breakfast buffet and never bought these in stores much. So it was fascinating to see what he is up to. Then went strawberries with the tiny leaves and full skin. Next some blueberries along with spinach (yes spinach) joined the party. There were a couple of slices of banana and celery along with 3-4 leaves of mint. He turned this magical machine on and it went whirring to high speeds. The whirr whirr sound was not pleasing. On the positive side, it was magical to see the chunky fruits slowly get crushed (or should I say blended) into a thick soup of sorts. Wait a second, he did add some ice cubes and water before he turned on the blender. Within ninety seconds there was a smooth textured drink ready to serve in small cups. We tasted it immediately and it was delicious. He mentioned that retaining the cleaned skin of fruits meant that we were retaining the nutrients in those layers too.
Needless to say, we walked out with this machine. The price at $350 after all sorts of store and manufacturer’s discount did not leave a positive feel. Nonetheless we liked the taste, speed, and simplicity. Did I say, this … he even showed us how to clean the jar with another whisk of the blender with water and a drop of dishwashing liquid. We also walked out with a bagful of frutis and fresh vegetables to try out at home.
At home we tried the smoothies. The day one was very chunky and less sweet because of the our low use of strawberries and blueberries. By day two, we adjusted the mix of fruits and it felt good. As days progressed into weeks and months, we kept making more smoothies each day. The smoothies have varied over the years to include various fruits, vegetables, protein powders, et al. Plus we found that our intake of sugar laden juices have gone down. We don’t mind the chunky or non clear looking smoothies that we get. We care about a healthy drink that powers us for the day ahead. Now after nearly 10 years and about 5000 blends, we have moved on to a second machine and 1000s of servings of the smoothies at home.
Today I discovered The 2050 Company whose mission goes farther with the smoothies. The founder has a bold vision to reduce food waste and make smoothies amongst other items. I am eager to learn about this venture and products. While volunteering at Food Lifeline Seattle I observed that there were a lot of produce that is healthy and usable despite their appearances not being great for grocery store aisles. Wasted food is often recovered, repackaged and used for feeding thousands of people. Inside a smoothie, the nutrients matter more than the appearance of food. Perhaps the 2050 company will help to dramatically alter the landscape.
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