By Ashley Packer, Dietetic Intern, Sargent Choice Nutrition Center

As you may have seen in our previous blog post for the Purple Power Smoothie, Sargent Choice has been coming up with some new smoothie recipes for BU’s Late Night Café. Our Purple Power smoothie showed great promise when we tested it at the freshmen orientation breakfast. Most people were shocked when they found out that spinach an ingredient of the smoothie. We could only hope for the same results with our second testing.

Our second smoothie we tested was the Berry-Mango smoothie! This smoothie included frozen strawberries, frozen mango, plain yogurt, and orange juice. This was a top runner when we tested them with the dining management, so we had high hopes for the students loving this smoothie.

To test both smoothies, Beth and I took over the smoothie station and began blending away. With over 800 students coming for breakfast that morning we had lots of blending to do!

The students had a choice to test both or just one of the two smoothies. We handed out surveys and asked them to tell us what they thought. The survey included questions about flavor, texture, any suggestions for changes, what you would name the smoothie, and when you would like the smoothies offered.

After gathering all of the surveys, we found that students rated the Berry-Mango smoothie a 3 out of 5 for flavor and a 3.5 out of 5 for texture. Although overall the students liked it, the general feedback was that it was a bit too tart and not sweet enough. Getting this feedback is exactly why Sargent Choice does these tastings: so we can make exactly what the students will love! Next time we test this smoothie, we will add less of the tangy strawberries and more of the sweet mango. In addition to making the smoothie sweeter, it wall also give the smoothie a creamier texture. In addition to altering the recipes, we are also considering some of the student suggested names such as, “Orange Mango Sunrise”, “Strawberry Mango Tango”, and “Strawberry Mango Splash”. Which do you think we should go with?

So what is so good about this smoothie? For one, it is packed with vitamin C.  Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant in the body and helps the absorption of other vitamins and minerals as well. Drink this up to create a powerful defense for your body. Plus, you are also getting a whole serving of fruit and dairy in this magical concoction.

We are still in the development stage of these smoothies and would love to hear your feedback!  Would you buy one of these options at Late Nite?  Or would you rather see it at breakfast in the dining halls? Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe that you just know would make the cut for the Sargent Choice menu?

Like us on Facebook to stay informed about when the options will join the Late Nite Menu and to see more pictures from our tasting! Or follow us on Twitter @sargentchoice. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Many thanks to BU Dining Services for helping us out with our smoothie tasting!