Smoothie Fix at the Mall

I <3 smoothies A LOT, especially because I like to pretend they are super healthy even though they are made with tons of yogurt and fruit syrup....but I digress.

At Towson Town Center, Greenleaf's kiosk (in the food court) has a frozen yogurt section and their frozen yogurt Mango Smoothies are excellent! I watched them make my drink, and they only used fruit and yogurt, which is EXACTLY what I want in my smoothies (as opposed to being made with a fruit concentrate like you get from here) . I also made them add banana in the mix, which they gladly do. Of course, it still ended up costing $5.29 (YIKES!), but for the same price as a large mocha latte, I would gladly choose this instead.

Just something to think about if you're shopping around!

Greenleafs

Towson Town Center

825 Dulaney Valley Road

Towson, MD 21204

The Natural Market, Timonium

You know what's worse than being cheated out of your money? Watching it happen in progress.

I went to The Natural Market, which is located in the random strip mall in front of the Fairgrounds, just to check it out. I am convinced that it can't be doing too well in its current location, but surprisingly there were a decent amount of people shopping in this tiny store. I went to the Juice and Deli bar because I LOVE smoothies, and wanted to see what amazingness they could concoct for me. I have high hopes for a place called The Natural Market.

Well I was pissed. I ordered the banana smoothie for $4.50 (16 0z) and it was just some bottle of organic juice from their shelf and some banana. That's it. Seriously. Most smoothie places at least TRY and add stuff to their smoothies to make the customer feel good about their purchase, but not this place. The smoothie itself was OK, I mean it was just juice and bananas.

EDIT: I am excited that this place got mentioned in Baltimore Magazine. Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge! I would be happy to go back and try one of their salads.

The Natural Market
2149 York Rd.
Timonium, MD 21093
410-560-3133
www.thenaturalmkt.com

Juice Me Up, Federal HIll

Because today was such an unusually warm November day, I decided to take advantage of it (and try and burn off the Hershey kisses I consumed this morning) and go for a walk. I usually walk east and north of Pratt Street, so I decided to head towards Federal Hill, besides, I was in the mood for a smoothie.  It took me ten minutes to get to Federal Hill!  I was so amazed and annoyed at myself because I had never thought of walking down here.  Now this opens up so many possibilities for my Friday lunch out of the office!
I headed for Cross Street Market and went to Juice Me Up, a place that serves a variety of blended juice smoothies.  Usually I love the yogurt-y smoothies, but I was going for healthy today.  I ordered a 16oz Dango Mango for $4.  It was mango, orange, organic pineapple and banana mixed with ice.  This was a deliciously refreshing juice.  The banana made it really think without making it taste banana-y.  The flavor was definitely an orange mango juice.  I thought that the 16oz, which is the smallest size, was the perfect way to go.  Anything more and I probably would have had a stomach ache.  Overall, I was really happy with my choice, and it has opened me up to the possibility of trying more juice smoothies rather than yogurt smoothies.  I would definitely try this again, although I would probably make my way back again on another warm day.

Java Joe's, Baltimore

Dear Freshens, will I ever find a smoothie as delicious as you?


I'm always on a perpetual mission to find the most delicioius smoothie out there. So far it has been the smoothies made by Freshen's, which happened to be at my college gym (and therefore the only reason I would go), BWI, and Columbia Mall. But what about in the great city of Baltimore? There has to be a haven for all smoothie lovers, like myself?



Then, while on a walk during lunch I discovered a new cafe called "Java Joe's" and on top of their coffee and sandwich selections, they also boasted about their All-Natural Smoothies. This is where my eyes transferred these delights to my stomach and brain. All-natural, all-fruit-- those are the words that I want to hear. I hate syrup-made smoothies. I love the smoothies that are freshly prepared with some fruit and a blender.



For $3.77 it was a bit of a hefty price for just a drink, but I was willing to spend it for research. I bought the mango flavor since that is my favorite, and then they proceeded to tell me that they make their smoothies with a syrup- but that's it's an all-fruit syrup. Oh no. NO NO NO :O(



That is when I knew what my taste buds were yet to find out, it was going to be gross. And oh it was. It was so sweet that my sweet-tasting receptors on my tongue almost burst.



And here is the worst. I could not finish it. Now you know it was bad. I HATE throwing food away, even though my hubby likes to point out that it's a sunk cost (you still bought it regardless of the fact that you ate it or not).



So anyway, basically, don't go to Java Joe's for their smoothies. They are lying about it being all-natural. However, I am not going to tarnish their reputation and say to not go there at all, because their sandwiches look pretty delicious.



Java Joe's

8 E Baltimore StBaltimore, MD 21202
(410) 727-6647

http://www.javajoesbaltimore.com/