One of the things I’m trying to do this year is to eat healthier on a regular basis and I do pretty good with that (just NOT during the Holidays!). And part of that process is that I’m starting to eat more smoothies, those wonderful concoctions of yummy that you can throw lots of healthy ingredients into and make just about anything you want. Fruit, veggies, lots of good things can go in a smoothie and I’m just scratching the surface on how to make them. I can’t wait to make more of them this year!
Working with a wonderful brand that I’d heard about called Blendtec, I contacted them about trying out one of their products and they sent me a reconditioned Blendtec smoothie maker to try out and this thing works like a charm. I’ve only had regular blenders before, so this Blendtec blender is the high-end version of a blender.
I love that you can pack a lot of punch in these blenders and make delicious smoothies that are full of nutrition and healthy ingredients. You start with the liquids on the bottom. You can use regular milk, coconut milk, yogurt, whatever you want for the base, you just have to add some liquid so it all blends together smoothly. Then you add the soft ingredients, like fresh fruit, or kale and spinach. I used fresh bananas and kale in mine, along with frozen strawberries. Add the frozen items on top.
The top of the jar fits snugly in place and you can take out the plastic piece in the middle to add things in there too.
The fresh kale came out of my dad’s garden. I’m going to start buying kale more in the grocery store since it’s out there now. Dad’s garden is about gone for this year, but having fresh kale around was a treat. It’s such a healthy green vegetable, packed with lots of nutrition. The Blendtec blenders do lots more than smoothies too. You can make your own peanut butter, for instance. I haven’t tried anything else but the smoothie so far, but those are going on my list of faves for the year.
They also sent me a Twister jar which blends really thick recipes with ease (like the peanut butter). The large jar I got is perfect for blending smoothies.
Fresh kale is the best! I also bought some Whey protein to add to my smoothies, since added protein is a good thing too.
A press of the Blendtec button and the machine whirrs my smoothie into a smooth and creamy milkshake-like delight.
And looks like this after a few seconds. The Blendtec controls are all digital, so when the power is turned on, they all light up and you can use the pictures to decide which one you need to use. The power can go up and down with the press of a button too. I loved how easy it was to use and clean up is a breeze.
The color of smoothies is not all that appealing at times, but they are delicious and nutritious for you. Usually adding kale or spinach will make them more green, but this one turned out brownish green. It didn’t matter to me, it still tastes delicious, so I’ll be experimenting with my Blendtec blender to see what other good recipes I can come up with.
Are you making smoothies these days? I want to eat even healthier this year than last, so I’m trying to makes some changes to my diet to bring that about and I do think smoothies a few times a week will be very beneficial.
What is your favorite smoothie to make if you make them? I’d love to try some new combinations.
Note: I received a reconditioned Blendtec blender to try out at no charge.
I follow the Trim, Healthy Mama eating plan and eating healthy has never felt so good! I’m not eating many smoothies because it’s cold but one of our favorites is so simple and I bet it would taste good “green.” It’s called Better than McDonalds Strawberry Shake, or something like that. Cup of almond milk or coconut/almond, 1/4 cup of light cottage cheese, 1 scoop whey protein (I love Swanson’s Vanilla and keep it on hand all the time now), stevia or truvia to taste, and a cup of frozen strawberries. Also, I add a little pinch of glucomannan but that is just part of my Trim, Healthy Mama diet. It makes the shake creamier but it is fine without it. My picky teen will take this most times it’s offered to her without “real” sugar or other unhealthy ingredients.