It’s no secret that consuming generous amounts of produce is an essential component of a healthy diet. Fruits and vegetables are unprocessed sources of a myriad of healthful nutrients, yet many of us are under-consuming these vital nutrition warriors. The folks at Green Bike Smoothie Bar in Manchester’s Millyard area have set out to remedy this issue.
Green Bike is a part of Fortitude Health and Training, a community health club specializing in private and group training. The property also includes Fortcycle, an indoor cycling studio. Although all three businesses share a space, Green Bike is open to the public, not just Fortitude members.
Fortitude opened its doors about six years ago, while Green Bike and Fortcycle came along about three-and-a-half years later. Co-owners David Booth, Lisa Booth and Danielle Perreault launched the business with the desire to provide the area with wholesome, made-to-order smoothies.
“We wanted a place for the community to have real, healthy food available to them,” said David Booth. “The inspiration was to expand on the health and wellness orientation of our fitness business.”
Every smoothie is free from fillers and artificial additives and is made with whole fruits and vegetables. The creative flavor combinations expand well beyond strawberry-banana. For something tropical, the “Recovery” smoothie boasts mango, spinach, pineapple, banana and ginger. The most popular option is the Coffee Blast, a filling mix of Nitro Cold Brew Coffee, banana, peanut butter and chocolate whey protein powder.
In addition to smoothies, Green Bike offers several smoothie bowls and acai bowls, which are even more popular than the smoothies. “The acai berry is a fruit that comes from Central-South America and has a great deal of nutrients and antioxidants in it. That’s the base and it’s topped with fruits, vegetables, grains and seeds,” said Booth.
The Green Bike bowl features blended acai topped with raspberries, coconut, blueberries, kiwi, chia, walnuts, strawberries and granola. For an unconventional option, the Bee-Healthy bowl ditches the acai in favor of blended avocado, spinach, blue algae and dates topped with pomegranate, cocoa nibs, coconut, granola and honey. All bowls contain a spectrum of colors, textures and flavors, ensuring no two spoonfuls are the same.
Yogurt parfaits and a selection of wellness shots that can be added to any bowl or smoothie, including wheatgrass, hemp protein, goji berries and chia seeds, round out the menu.
Green Bike further connects itself with the community by sourcing as much of its produce locally as possible. Their main local supplier is Goffstown’s Berry Good Farm. Booth has also found a unique way to minimize waste. “What we don’t use…we compost and we take [the scraps] to a community garden run by Families in Transition,” said Booth.
Whether it’s a quick breakfast, post-workout snack or light lunch, a trip to Green Bike is not only satiating, but revitalizing.
