My favorite kitchen tool!

Can an appliance be life changing? In the case of the Vitamix blender, absolutely. My only regret is that I didn't buy one years ago.

Four or five or even six hundred dollars (depending on features) may seem expensive for a blender, but this is hardly an ordinary blender plus I believe the term "expensive" is relative. I consider it a long term investment as it gets used at least 6 times a day. The 7 year warranty gives me peace of mind and I feel good buying an American product from an American company with a reputation for impeccable customer service. There's practically nothing this machine can't handle.

The model I choose is the Pro Series 500. This model is at the high end of the spectrum cost wise, but I feel the features are worth it. I love the presets as well as the pulse feature. You simply push the smoothie button for and walk away. The Vitamix makes guilt free soft-serve ice cream by simply blending frozen fruit and even cooks hot soup. In addition, it does the job of a food processor if you work with small batches. It comes with a really great cookbook although there are tons of recipes online and at www.youtube.com. I'd suggest VitamixVideos Channel, as well as BlendItandMendIt Channel (a little weird, but helpful) to get lots of ideas.

Now for the "life changing" part... I am not a person who likes vegetables although I realize how important they are for optimal health. Drinking raw vegetables is the most practical way to consume lots of power foods such as kale, parsley, spinach, berries, carrots, apples, etc. With the Vitamix, even high fiber drinks come out silky smooth. I simply would not be able to chew my way through that many vegetables.

There's no need to buy a juicer that extracts when the Vitamix pulverizes vegetables (and fruits) so all that "good for you" fiber (seeds, cores, stems and pulp) is consumed. The only exception I've found is wheat grass. I add the grass to water filled just over the blades and about a half cup of ice, pulse it for about 20 seconds and strain it through a cotton muslin bag made for straining seeds for jams. I put the pulp in my worm bin, so nothing goes to waste.

Smoothies are usually savory but can be on the sweeter side with the addition of banana, berries, dates or honey.

Note: Use organic if at all possible. Peel non-organic vegetables such as cucumbers, zucchini, squash.

Note: Unless you are using lots of frozen fruit, always add crushed ice. This will help offset any taste issues. If your smoothie is too thick, add water

Being creative with flavor combinations and think about balance and variety. The Japanese Washoku cooking principles are a good place to start... "Meals that are balanced in flavor include some foods that are salty, others sweet and/or sour, bitter and spicy. Including a variety of flavors in every meal helps avoid food cravings that might lead to over-eating. Balancing flavor helps to limit sodium and sugar intake, too."

In general, my recipes call for one or two choices from the following groups...

Base liquids: RO (reverse osmosis) or filtered water, wheat grass shot, egg whites with a yolk or two, or unsweetened almond milk, apple juice, coconut water

Base vegetables: kale, spinach, carrots, red bell pepper, cucumber, zucchini, squash such as yellow hook neck, beets, broccoli (this should be blanched and cooled ahead of time), celery, romaine lettuce, cabbage, daikon, bitter greens, etc.

Base fruits: apple (including core and seeds), lemon (including peel), banana, avocado, peaches, pears, nectarines, mangos, melons, etc.

Base herbs: raw ginger, parsley, cilantro, basil, mint etc.

Other beneficial additions:

Sea weeds i.e., kombu (rehydrated with some soaking liquid), nori or kelp powder, aloe vera juice, etc.

Base additions: nuts and meals such as flax meal, psyllium fiber, hemp seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, raw nuts or nut butters (you can make amazing nut butters and pulse/grind seeds to make mill in the Vitamix), oatmeal, etc. (Many people like to presoak their nuts in cold water overnight in the refrigerator)

Seasoning:

Sweeteners - I like to keep these to a minimum (once a day) since I want to limit carbohydrates. Any one of the following can help offset strong flavors in greens: honey, pitted medjool dates, frozen fruit such as 1/2 banana, a few organic strawberries including green caps, blueberries, cherries or any other dark berries (I like to trim/pit, pre-wash my berries, spin them dry in the salad spinner and freeze them in advance), grapes, etc.

Savory elements - miso paste, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, hot sauce such as Sriracha or Tabasco, chile peppers

Here are a couple of examples:

1 cup crushed ice, 1 cup RO water, 4 oz. wheat grass shot, 1 cucumber cut into large chunks, big handful of spinach, handful of kale, 1/2 apple cut into chunks, 1 inch piece of ginger peeled and large chopped, 10 stems parsley, 1 sheet nori, 2 tsp flax meal, 1 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds, 1 tsp light miso paste

1 cup crushed ice, 4 egg whites + 1 egg yolk, 1 cup RO water, 1/2 banana, 2 carrots pealed and rough chopped, 5 raw walnuts, big handful of spinach

Be creative, have fun and enjoy!