Aldi Specially Selected Coconut and Vanilla Yogurt Drink

So as you may have gathered by my recent reviews, I went to Aldi recently hence the sudden rush of a lot of Aldi products and it's another one of my random fines I found there. This was a complete impulse purchase from the yogurt section simply because it contained coconut.

It says it's lassi inspired but it's more of a coconut and vanilla smoothie and is made with Irish milk from Donegal that is crafted in small batches with velvety coconut and fragrant vanilla for a lassi inspired drinking yogurt. It sounded pretty good and whilst it's pretty sugary at 11%, the ingredients list is pretty natural although there is added sugar in it and in the coconut and vanilla compote. However it is 82% low fat yogurt and does contain vanilla extract.

It's definitely a high quality smoothie and really delicious. It's not refreshing as such because it's not fruity and the texture is very thick because it's predominantly yogurt. Even though it's a drinking yogurt, it's still pretty and thick and what I would term 'gluggy' but this is how I love my smoothies to be. It has the most amazing thick and rich mouthfeel that you properrly chug back rather than sip and is all the better for it.

Taste is on point too with a fairly subtle exotic coconut taste and an authentic vanilla fragrance that's sweet and creamy without being sickly in anyway. Every now and then you get a bit of dessicated coconut solid in a sip but this isn't a problem and adds to the thickness. Whilst it's not something I would buy too often due to the sugar content, it's a delicious smoothie and I recommend it if you see it.

Price: £0.65 for a 250ml bottle
Bought at: Aldi
Nutrition per 100ml: 81 calories, 2g fat, 1.4g sat fat, 11g sugars, 3.2g protein, 0.09g salt

Score: 8/10

B-Fresh Green Warrior Cold Pressed HPP Juice Review

I do a love a green smoothie. I regularly add kale, cucumber or spinach to my nutribullet smoothies and have even gone as far as to include broccoli and peppers. I also love some of the ready made green juices on the market like Savse. Green juices and smoothies are a nice way of getting a real hit of goodness and nutrients into you and so long as you buy the right brand are natural and lower in sugar than pure fruit juices.

Some green juices are mostly apple juice with a token percentage of green veg to allow them to get away with marketing it as green but this Green Warrior juice from B-Fresh is a proper green juice. It's cold pressed and (HPP) high pressure processed to ensure every drop is bursting with nutrients and vitamins with this being a good hit of vitamin A and K.

It's also genuinely made from veg with over half of the contents being spinach and cucumber, 35% apple and then some kale, lime and ginger for a bit of added flavour and goodness. As a result it's only 4.2% sugar which equates to just over 10g per bottle. Considering a bottle of tropicana in the same size bottle is 25g sugar, that's a pretty big difference and you're getting a mix of fruit and veg in this. It's also one of your five a day.

It's vivid green colour might put a lot of people off and intially I was a little taken aback by how 'green'' it tasted. It's a little more earthy than the Savse green smoothie (although that's 7% sugar so a little sweeter). However, as I continued to drink it I got used to the taste and enjoyed it more and more. It's really refreshing, very clean tasting and quite a palate cleanser as well with a nice little end kick of zingy lime and a little mild ginger spice.

It's very much like the taste of my nutribullet green smoothies which are quite veg heavy. It might not be to everyone's taste but I enjoyed it and to repeat myself as I so often do, it's great to see these kind of products just becoming easier to get hold of. I bought mine at a Boots in a railway station - a much better choice than fizzy drinks.

Bought at Boots:
Nutrition per bottle: 50 calories, 0.5g fat, 0g sat fat, 10.5g sugars, 0g salt

Score: 8/10

Savse Smoothies Super Green Broccoli, Pear, Spinach & Kale

I'm a big user of my Nutribullet and love whipping smoothies but it’s also great having healthy options when out and about and this Savse Supergreen Smoothie came to my rescue when I needed a hit of vitamins one lunch time.

The ingredients list is super clean – apple, pear, broccoli, banana, spinach, kiwi, lemon and kale and nothing else whatsoever! Savse smoothies are also raw and cold-pressed to lock in all the nutrients and goodness in this powerhouse of fruit and veg as opposed to normal juices, which are pasteurized.

I personally feel the vivid green is attractive and I was excited to try it. Considering over a quarter of the bottle is broccoli, kale and spinach, there is no bitterness whatsoever. It’s certainly not as sweet as say orange juice but I prefer things to not be too sweet and this level is perfect. The lemon juice adds a nice touch of acidity and the whole thing feels refreshing and just plain nutritious.

No one flavour comes out particularly stronger but that is testament to the mix being perfect here. I suppose it does taste ‘green’ but it’s very palatable and easy to drink. And when something tastes this good and provides you with 2 of your 5 a day, it’s a great example of more healthy options for consumers.

Bought at : Boots

Nutriition per 100ml – 38 calories,  Nil fat, Nil Sat fat, 7.1g sugars, <0.01g salt