Kristal Pelland, Coral Jordan, and Josie Schneider got set for the Smoothie Challenge with Lynn Jack (second from left) during her delicious visit to the Grafton branch.

Wellness Coordinator Lynn Jack organized a Smoothie Challenge last month, to kick-start employees’ interest in blending and consuming more ultra-healthy — and ultra-tasty — fruits and veggies. The five challenge winners each got two tickets to the Milwaukee Brewers’ home game against the St. Louis Cardinals this Friday night. Challenge winners were: West Allis PB Stephanie Bluemel and Teller Cristin Erdmann, Community Lending Program Administrator Sam Garcia, Community Lending Operations Coordinator Sonia Milankovic, and West Allis Branch Manager Sara Swosinski.

Lynn visited Grafton on Aug 21 and made two smoothies for employees there — chocolate banana, and blueberry, using a meal replacement mix from Vitamin Shoppe. “It was very informative, and gave us some great ideas,” Branch Manager Jon Coleman said. Some of the other excellent smoothie flavors employees concocted for the challenge included peanut butter/banana, green mint/mango, pineapple/berry, kale/carrot/apple, and celery/kale/apple.

In related news, the BBC reported last week that “a series of striking findings have begun to suggest that fatty, sugary diets are bad for the mind, as well as the body. The result is a cascade of reactions in the brain that can eventually lead to depression.” Be careful of those comfort foods — they might not be so soothing after all.