I bought some new varieties of mint from the Raleigh farmer’s market last week. There’s always a huge selection with multiple vendors selling herb plants. I love trying different mints with my smoothies. I find that the mint adds a slight sweetness and covers some of the bitterness in the greens.
I love growing lemon herbs almost as much as I do mints. Each summer I have lemon balm, lemon basil and lemon verbena in my herb garden. Having them on hand makes it easy to add that lemon pop to a dish when you are out of lemons and it adds some brightness to smoothies.
I have a great tip for you today. If you are going to buy a VitaMix or Blendtec do it at your local Costco. (Please note: this is not an affiliate link.)
Why buy at Costco? I bought my first VitaMix from them about 5 years ago. Lately, the motor was starting high then coming down to the right speed. I knew this was probably the beginning of the end, and that it was going to be a long-term issue. The motor was having issues.
We bought it at Costco, and I asked what I would need to do to get a refund or to exchange it. The customer service rep said bring in the machine, plunger and recipe book that came with it.
I was hoping to just exchange it, but they gave me a full refund from my original purchase price on a Costco gift card. I didn’t have my receipt, but they were able to look it up in their system by my name. I don’t think it could be any easier.
I only paid an additional $100 to upgrade to the latest model. With high-speed blenders being so expensive, it’s nice to know that Costco will give me a refund if anything goes wrong with it.
See Costco’s return policy here.
Lemon Balm Mint Blueberry Smoothie
Use up some of your mint and lemon balm in this easy green smoothie. Don't have any lemon balm? You can use lemon verbena, lemon basil and you can also replace it with some lemon zest or extract.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla nondairy milk
- 5 lemon balm leaves
- 10 mint leaves (I used ginger mint, but any variety would be tasty)
- 1 1/2 cup assorted greens (I used baby kale and leaf lettuce)
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/2 large frozen banana
- sweetener of choice, to taste (I used a drop or 2 of stevia)
Instructions
- Add the nondairy milk, herbs and greens to your blender. Blend until smooth. (Note you can also add chia seeds, flaxseed, or protein powder in this step if you want.)
- Once that's nice and smooth add the blueberries and banana and blend until smooth. If you have a Vitamix you may need to use your plunger on this final step or if your blender is not very powerful you may have to add some additional nondairy milk.
Margaret Harris says
Thanks for the the recipe and the Costco info. We were thinking about joining, but this is what it took to convince me. You’re Raleigh-based? I’m form Florida, but I’m also in Raleigh a lot, babysitting grandbabies mostly (the Holderness viral video video family). I’ll tell my daughter Kim about you. She LOVES healthy plant-based food sites!
Kathy Hester says
I live in Durham which is very close to Raleigh. I love Costco
s return policy and they pay their workers a living wage too!
Tricia says
Hopefully you replaced the wimpy Vitamix with a Blendtec!
Margaret Harris says
Living wage = my undying loyalty. Signing up at Costco today!
Julia says
Now that is my kind of refreshing smoothie. I love the idea of the mint in there. In the summer I always have an over abundance of mint {not a bad thing!}. I am saving this recipe for those times.
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
This looks beautiful! Mint and lemon sprawls through my mom’s backyard, so I have started to collect it to put in my garden. I also agree with the Costco shopping, they are the best place to get my artichokes from!
Katie @ Recipe for Perfection says
What a neat idea to use lemon balm! Sounds like a wonderfully refreshing smoothie!
Elena says
I LOVE my Vitamix. It’s been a life changer. My go to smoothie lately is mango, raw honey, carrot, cucumber, ginger, avocado and kale. I also through a little bit of maca in there to get me going. I’ll have to try the mint and berry combo, I bet it’s the perfect way to start the day.
Kathy Hester says
I love maca and use it in my frozen coffee too!
pam (Sidewalk Shoes) says
I’ve been thinking about buying a blender to start making smoothies, so you recommend a vitamix?
Kathy Hester says
I haven’t try a Blendtec yet, but they are supposed to be sending me one to play with. Once that happens I’ll do a post comparing the 2.
Honestly, I think either one will get the job done just fine.
Elizabeth says
I had no idea Costco would refund the cost of an item years later. That’s awesome! Your blueberry smoothie looks delicious. Pinning for blueberry season!
Samuel Nemati says
This is a stunning retake on the berry smoothie!
The mint and lemon balm add a cool & refreshing touch to this antioxidant-rich blend of fruits and greens.
Highly recommended for the hot summer days.
Omitting the sweetener results in a more bold mint/lemon balm flavor, which my wife and I thoroughly welcomed.
Kathy Hester says
I love that!