Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that I have been going ‘blend crazy’ since getting my all new Blendtec Blender. Not for the faint hearted (expensive!) but these amazing machines really are commercial quality and should last much longer than the cheaper blenders if you are a daily user like me. The blender blades actually move so fast that you can make hot soup in minutes. It heats the soup up from the friction of the blade – wow! You see the Blendtec in lots of coffee bars – it’s the machine they use for making those lovely frozen drinks. (choose a chain that uses real frozen fruit rather than syrup for a nutritious cooling drink on long hot days)
But don’t give up on blending vegetables and fruit just because you can’t afford one of these super powered blenders. You can achieve a lot with a mid range blender … if it can blend ice well it can probably make a basic green smoothie. Just leave it on a little longer and accept that if you become a ‘heavy end blender’ your machine may burn out eventually. By then, you will know if you are ready to join the ranks of the investors in ‘Super Blenders’. The two best known brands are the Blendtec and the Vitamix . Watch out for them at expo type events so you can see for yourself before you buy – Vitamix were at the Grand Designs show this year. I read just about everything on these two power blenders before finally opting for the Blendtec.They are both amazing machines so it’s really a matter of personal choice in the end. What swung it for me in the end was the fact that the Blendtec is more the size and shape of a standard blender. I also like that you can just press a ‘one touch’ button then leave the room and let it do it’s work – these things are loud!
If you want to see them both in action, watch this Green Smoothie video with the two blenders tested side by side.Good recipe too though I don’t think the digestive enzymes are essential.
The only way to really know if your blender can make some of the more nutritious ‘green smoothie’type recipes is to give it a go. There are lots of recipes so Google away and have some fun. Blending is much easier than juicing, maintains the fibre from the fruit and veg and, more importantly,washing up is no problem so you might actually keep the habit going! Be careful though- some of the green smoothie recipes with masses of the harder veg are really only suited to the very strong blenders. I’m still testing my lovely Blendtec and today tried out a smoothie to use up some of my beetroot in the fridge. The result was amazing. The recipe was :
- 2 apples
- 1/2 a lime
- 1 large carrot
- 1 small beetroot
- 1 scoop of whey protein
- 1 quarter tsp of matcha green tea powder
- Some filtered water
Here’s how it went….and I still have a large bottle left for later.
What a colour! Maybe I’ll pour in a bit of sparkling water and some lime slices for a non-alcoholic cocktail later!
Has anyone tried blending smoothies which include whole beetroot and carrots or greens in their home blender – I’d be interested to know how easy it is? Get blending and let me know….
Tags: blendtec, green smoothie