I cannot believe it is day 5, almost done one week of the 14 Day Deliciously Ella Challenge! It has been fun so far – It is good to get back in the game with food challenges. Today I will be reviewing the Mango Cashew Smoothie which is on the website and on the blog. I was curious to try this recipe as it had actual cashews in it, usually I put in some nut butter in my smoothies if I am having it for breakfast to add some extra protein, but never thought to literally put nuts in them. Let’s see how it goes!
- Ingredients = 4 stars
There were six ingredients in the Mango Cashew Smoothie, all of which were easy to get at one grocery store. I found everything in this recipe was good for many different diets, except if you are eating nuts, the cashews would not be a good fit.
- Preparation = 5 stars
Preparation was very simple for the mango cashew smoothie, especially if you left your cashews to soak – I have a strong immersion blender that I use to make my smoothies, but even still I think soaking them was important.
- Cost = 2 stars
Again, such an expensive smoothie! Half a cup of cashews, plus a mango and banana can really add up – maybe nuts in England aren’t that expensive? I am finding her use of nuts is a little… well nuts! Ha ha.
- Time – 5 stars
The mango cashew smoothie recipe takes only a few minutes to make, which is great for a quick breakfast or meal when you need it!
- Appearance – 3.5 stars
I wasn’t that appealed by the overall colour of the smoothie in the end, it wasn’t as green as I would have liked it to be, and you could see the bits of cashews (again maybe my blender is still not that strong!)
- Taste and Texture – 3.5 stars
I found the taste of the mango cashew smoothie to be okay, nothing that exciting to be honest. I think if the cashews were in a butter form, it would be smoother in texture, and I feel like a hint of lemon juice and/or spice would have taken the flavor profile up an octave.
- Satiety Level – 4 stars
This smoothie was more on the filling side, for sure but I was still a bit disappointed in that it was only 9 grams of protein. It is difficult to get a very high protein smoothie without protein powder, I find.
- Longevity – 3.5 stars
This smoothie doesn’t last as long when sitting out for a while, even overnight in the fridge as it tends to separate and lose flavor, perhaps with the cashews mixing with the other fruit.
That is the end of the Mango Cashew Smoothie recipe, with a final score of 76%. So far all the recipes are in the late 70s-80s – I am sensing a theme. Let me know what you think of this one in the comments below!
