Superfood Smoothie Challenge FAQs

How many servings does each recipe make?

Each recipe in the challenge is for one serving, and they range from 1.5-2.5 cups. If other family members are joining you in the challenge (yay!) be sure to double or more the recipe + shopping list as needed.

How many smoothies should you drink in a day?

During the challenge you will drink 1 smoothie per day for 7 days in a row as either a meal replacement or a snack.

Do you incorporate food throughout the day?

You can continue to eat the way you normally do and you will still reap the many health benefits. However, if you eat clean and also exercise you will maximize the benefits of this challenge!

I’m still hungry after I drink my smoothie, what should I do?

Take a look at the nutritional information for each smoothie. If you know you need more calories and/or are active, you may want to add a scoop of protein powder and/or a teaspoon of healthy fat such as coconut oil, flax oil or 1/4 avocado. If you are still hungry wait 20 minutes and then have a small snack that has healthy fats and protein, such as apples with nut butter or 1/4 cup of almonds.

What if I can’t make a smoothie at work? How long will they keep?

Just make it in the morning or night before! You can also save time making frozen smoothie packs the weekend before! Once blended, your smoothie will maintain the nutritional value for at least 24 hours in the fridge, at which point that will start to slowly dissipate. We like to put them in large mason jars in a small cooler if we’re working or on the road (or otherwise just in the fridge!). Green smoothies should definitely keep through an 8-hour work shift as long as they are properly refrigerated. (Plus, warm smoothies don’t taste very good.) You can also freeze your green smoothie the night before and then let it thaw throughout the next day (if you live in a warm climate).

A lot of recipes call for bananas. Should I use yellow, green, frozen, fresh?

Green bananas can cause indigestion, and brown ones don’t taste quite as delicious, so go with a nicely yellow banana with a few spots to make sure that it is ripe enough not to cause any digestion problems. If you want a creamy texture, use sliced, frozen bananas – if temperature isn’t such a big deal to you, use fresh bananas! Make sure to buy enough when you go shopping and then freeze extras as they become ripe so you always have them on hand!

I can’t find or don’t like stevia/dates/honey/whatever. What can I use instead?

There are plenty of alternatives when it comes to sweetening your smoothies and juices. Unrefined natural sweeteners are the best, so we recommend substituting fresh or dried Medjool dates, real grade B 100% maple syrup, raw honey, or coconut nectar or sugar. You can also substitute powdered stevia for liquid, if you don’t mind the taste – 6 to 9 drops of liquid stevia is about a ¼ teaspoon of the powder.

I hate “X”!!! Or I’m allergic! What can I use instead?

There are always some ingredients that you may not prefer (or are allergic to!). If you have the ability, you may want to just TRY the recipe as is, to see if the flavor is masked or blended with other, dominant flavors. If you are a die-hard hater or allergic however, try swapping out the ingredient for another. For example there are those that don’t like or are allergic to banana – we recommend swapping out banana for mango to achieve a similar flavor and texture. You could also just make one of the other green smoothie recipes that you did like again!

Can I use frozen fruits and vegetables?

Yes, absolutely use frozen fruits and vegetables! They can offer a nice texture change, and you can use less ice, which can slightly water-down the flavor. Also, there are recent studies that frozen foods lose even less nutritional value than fresh ones since they are flash frozen right after picking instead of being transported fresh. Don’t hesitate to use frozen (organic if you can!) fruits and veggies to save some money, too!

Which smoothies are good for arthritis/fibromyalgia/diabetes?

Please keep in mind that no one at Blender Babes is a medical doctor. While most of these recipes are especially healthy, anti-inflammatory, and MUCH healthier than your average smoothie recipe, we recommend that you discuss health and diet goals with a nutritionist or dietitian and your healthcare provider. Sometimes the comments on individual recipes will contain other people’s individual experiences with those smoothies that can also be helpful. While green smoothies are VERY LIKELY to result in positive overall health benefits and we have people tell us wonderful stories all the time, these claims have not been tested in any formal studies. We encourage you to do your own research and share your results with us!

What is the difference between the Superfood Smoothie Challenge and The Blender Cleanse? Are they at the same time?

For the 7 Day Superfood Smoothie Challenge you are only drinking one smoothie per day but you can continue to eat the way you normally do. For the 7 Day Blender Babes Cleanse – you will have a 5 day meal plan (3 meals and 2 snacks of clean whole foods that utilize your blender!) to prepare your body for the 1-5 day juice detox portion of the cleanse.

When should I try the Blender Babes cleanse?

The Superfood Smoothie Challenge is a great preparation for The Blender Babes Cleanse! After 7 days of drinking a smoothie every day, your body is primed to try the cleanse. For the cleanse, you will prep for 5 days, slowly eliminating certain foods. You will then start your juice detox, which consists of 6 juices we created for optimal detoxification. You can do juice detox portion for as long as you like – we recommend three days, but anywhere from 1-5 days will be fine.

Once you’re done with the Juice Detox days, you will ease back into whole and cooked foods in the same way you eased into the juice detox, including those green smoothies!

We continue to add your FAQs to this post so the rest of our community can benefit from how AWESOME you are! Please don’t hesitate to ask! HAPPY BLENDING!