Figured I would make this its own topic. Hopechapel? You there, lol? I did it! I had been mulling it over and forgot about my plan to get one. Today, our conversation reminded me.
What really pushed me to get it was seeing that it makes soups, HOT, right in the blender, from the friction of the blades. I often make big pots of soup, and throw a lot away. This will be good for quick and smaller batches and I can experiment without wasting a huge quantity of food and time!
Yea you!!
oh wow, now I want one! Where did you get yours?
Off their website, but I can send you another site with a link that gives you free shipping. otherwise it is $25 shipping.
Are you into green smoothies, GP? LOL. I am not so sure, but dh was on board...
Nope. No green smoothies here. But I have two blenders and neither one will chop up ice. Makes it difficult to make any kind of smoothie. I do like to make fruit smoothies occ.
Well, for about $479, after tax, you can chop ice.
I was reading this review. It is a commercial link for a person selling a diet, which I know nothing about. But she is comparing the two competitive super blenders. It is a comprehensive review of both and she has a link down the bottom with a free shipping offer.
http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/blender-guide/best-blender-vitamix-vs-blendtec/ (http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/blender-guide/best-blender-vitamix-vs-blendtec/)
Really, that much? huh.
But I have two dud blenders, and I'd like to have one that actually works.
It is more than a blender, or so they say. My friend promises me I will not regret it. Soup in 4 minutes. Hot, right in the blender. That impressed me, lol.
I am so happy for you Becca ! :happydance:
So this am - we had the smoothie I described in the other thread. Avocado, (this time kale), cilantro, jalapeno, tomato.
It was almost yum. I promise you, with perhaps a little initial discomfort (ahem, "cleansing"), you will feel so much better. I have never had something make me feel so much better in such a short time.
Now crack a bottle of champagne on it and bottoms up with the green. ;)
I try not to drink anymore, (I had baaad fatty liver when diagnosed with my diabetes 2 years ago). But I did joke with dh that maybe we could get some good vodka to put in the smoothies to make them fun, lol. Thick, green, slimy martinis? Gazpacho martinis sound better, huh?
oh i had an un-fun one this a.m. dh made it, so not sure EXACTLY what was in it -- but this much I know
Kale
celery
blueberries
I believe he left out the coconut and the nutmeg -- but even that does not really resurrect this combo from the swamp.
Tomorrow -- back to something avocado,jalapeno.
However, 2 days without the green and I felt my energy lagging. It is the health bomb.
My blender left UPS in Buffalo, NY this am, well, closer to noon. Could be here tomorrow, but I am betting Thursday, if they get it reloaded out for delivery.
I suspect I will have to ease into the green drinks, lol. Sneak some kale into things and gradually up the content.
I say hold the nose and take the plunge. Forgot to add lime juice and tomato to my list of ingredients.
I truly like that smoothie, almost crave it.
It really can change things --these green drinks in the a.m.
while you are waitng you may want to clean out the veggie drawers and get them ready for overload.
01/23/2013 5:05 A.M. Out For Delivery
"Due by Wednesday, end of day."
Better get shopping. LOL. I have butternut soup on the brain, moreso than swamp soup.
Tough time of year for good tomatoes? Do you ever used canned? Thinking avocado, tomato, limes, ginger and some green leafy something ought to be a good start. Jalapeno would be a bit too cleansing for me. TMI, I know! But tasty, I am sure. Granny Smith apples? Frozen organic blueberries? We have some frozen mangoes from TJs. Greek yogurt.
yes, the tomato is minor. Actually had it without the tomato and it was fine. You will be able to make some nice soups.
So far, we have only played with fun things. Yummy fruit smoothies for ds, and I had some of his today, and ht chocolate to "christen" the machine yesterday. White hot choc. for ds.
Today's smoothie was mango, blueberries, strawberries, pomegranate juice, Greek 2% yogurt, coconut milk(vanilla flavored), little honey. Yum!
Last night was a similar concoction, with a mixed bag of berries that included cherries, and reg. milk, but the rest was about the same.
I have to work at the school today and there is a great produce market/store close to it, so I waited until today to shop for fresh produce. They also carry VNF stuff. Need to get dd some Tannabars.
Kids heard me discussing smoothies with dh(green ones) so I thought we needed to make some yummy, fun ones so as not to scare them off of them. Might sneak in a spinach leaf or two, a carrot here and there and ease them into having a bit of veggie in them. They are not good veggie eaters, so this could help get some into them.
No way will my kids do a true green smoothie, lol.
Easy to use and clean, so far.
eta: well, the fruit/yogurt/honey smoothie is not going to work for me. I was hoping there was enough protein in the yogurt to offset the BG spike. But 142 about an hour after is much higher than I like. The goal, medically, is under 140(I shoot for under 120) at 2 hours. Will see where I go over the next hour. I usually try to stay between 90-120's at all times.
I am guessing, on top of it being a carb-y smoothie, the blender makes it more rapidly digestible. Will have to see how greens with fruits go.
I was given a slow juicer for Christmas and I'm having alot of fun with it. I guess I'm missing out on the fiber of a smoothie though. One thing I can't find is a calorie count for anything. Are there any recipes out there that would indicate that?
Well, I do not do juicing. So, I have no idea on that question. I figured I want the fiber, especially being diabetic. So, juices will likely be higher calorie than a smoothie, all ingredients the same, otherwise.
I eat a lot of salads and veggies soups anyway, so for me, the green smoothie thing will be a way to squeak in some variety, quickly, but not really change things in a huge way. Just a boost of veggies. I think it would be overkill to suddenly go to s total green drink cleanse or something. Just my opinion. My system would not take that well, lol.
My smoothie recipes I find on various websites do give nutritional stats. Calories, and the nutrient breakdowns.
Of course, if I did my own, I would use fat free greek yogurt, and stevia, not honey. That would change a lot for my and my BG. well, the fat can be a good thing, but the honey is horrible wrt glycemic index.
Huh. And my bg is down to 97, only 25 mins after that 142. That is odd, it could have been a fluke. Those strips can be off from time to time. And under the 2 hour mark, so that is a very good BG reading 90 mins after food.
Thanks for the reply, Becca. I've been using some of the recipes on the Williams Sonoma website. I'll look up some smoothie recipes for an indication of calories. Of course, high cal, less filling is not exactly what I was going for, lol.
Vitamix has some recipes(for smoothies), and I am sure there must be juicing blogs with recipes.
I am guessing with juicing, the theory is you concentrate nutrients? So maybe a small shot versus a 12 ounce glass? People who do some of the green smoothie "diets" or "cleanses" have 1.5 liters a day. I think that is excessive. For me it is going to be more like maybe an extra salad each day, that i can whip up in the blender, sneaking in the horrid kale I otherwise do not enjoy, lol.
Juicing vs. blending
Juice = fast delivery of vitamins and nutrients to your system,
blend = you get the fiber
both have advantages.
avocados help transition from yummy fruit to yucky all green
Buttons, YKW was juicing for a while and perhaps still. I think she may have had a thread. I can't look tonight but maybe over the weekend.
So we eat a lot of vegetables (DS is a vegetarian, and we tend not to cook meat at home--99% of the time we don't). And I get plenty of greens as long as they are easily digestible--so plenty of spinach and avocado. What I am missing is lettuce and kale. I am having a horrible digestive issue with those things--and with anything with a skin on it. Those things come up my esophogus and sit there for hours after I eat.
I'm wondering if a smoothie might make things doable for me.
I have no idea what the idea behind having green smoothies is--maybe people don't get enough iron otherwise? And it's not like avocado is beneficial because it's green--because it doesn't fit the profile of leafy greens. BUT---I adore avocados and I eat them with salt as a lunch sometimes. I see how they could make a veggie smoothie yummy.
Can I eat lettuce this way? We do have a nice blender. There's no way we can afford another one. Ours makes great smoothies. I just haven't tried veggies.
Macabre - it IS about quantity. My avocado drink also has a fistful of kale/spinach and a fistful of cilantro -- in the normal course of eating I would not pack this much green in in the morning (or evening). So, it does condense. I am eating alot more veggies for lunch and dinner too -- the green drink more than tops it off.
You could try the regular blender, or a juicer - but might not liquify like the Vitamix does.
Kale is a tough one. Have you had problems with the raw kale salads? I like those. But if it is about tough texture the power-blending may help. You could try it at a juice/smoothie bar (if you have one nearby).
McC, how about raw spinach? That is how we are starting. I also eat a good amount of leafy greens on my own. I have a box of spring mix on hand at all times and generally have a bowl of it on the table fer every meal. Dh and I have some along with whatever other veggies I do. often, a sweet potato. Kids usually have steamed broccoli or green beans with a protein, and a starch. Or fresh fruit.
For me, this will get more in throughout the day. And will eventually, hopefully, get more kale into me, and other greens, without me cooking them into nothingness. I tend to eat lower carb for the diabetes, so not sure all the fruit is going to work. You need the fruit in smoothies to make them taste good. Though some recipes are mostly veggie, and tomatoes for fruit.
I am not going extreme. For example, I am having what was left of last night's concoction with my scrambled 1 egg+1 egg white, and 3 small turkey sausages.
Hard for me to figure out the best way for my body. Atkins type of eating is great for diabetic management, but I am trying to lower my cholesterol, and I do not eat much red meat, and need the fiber. If I chase a protein meal with veggies drinks, it should not cause BG issues. The protein tempers the rate of absorption of the carbs.
I love soups as well. And I love that I can do a veggie soup(though all pureed) in this and have it fresh and hot in 5-6 minutes. It will not be as cooked to death as on the stove top and will be smaller batches. That works better for me, since I am the one mostly eating the soups I make.
I try to lead by example, but my kids have no interest in most of my food. Ugh. Ds will eat some salad with mild lettuces. They will drink fruit only smoothies and ds will have yogurt(prefers this) in his fruit smoothies. But, i would like us to all eat the same things more often!
Dh drank the entire smoothie last night. So, it was pretty good. Think gazpacho. But less tomato, more green.
Here is my first green smoothie. Really, by the time I have added water, ice, and the fact that this has become 3 servings, it was not that much veggies. It replaced my salad last night. So, i save on the calories in the oil in my dressing, I suppose. And sugar that would be in that. And now, I am having it for breakfast, so I am getting veggies I otherwise would not, but not really that much. There was a large handful of spinach in the original mix. I added ice this morning to freshen it up, so really, pretty dilute. But great taste. The lime is key in this one.
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a312/cjwrcw/smoothie.jpg)
http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324624404578257770727552306.html?mod=ITP_personaljournal_0&mg=reno64-wsj (http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324624404578257770727552306.html?mod=ITP_personaljournal_0&mg=reno64-wsj) ;D
Tried soup. Tomato. Tossed the rest of a can of petite diced ones in left from last night, added fresh celery, 1/2 a small onion, 1/2 a large carrot, and 2 cloves garlic. Some water and salt. Whizzed away. it was HOT in 5 minutes. But the onion and garlic was still very raw tasting and burned my eyes, lol, when I opened the blender. So, I ripped off 2 Kale leaves, rinsed them, threw them in. Then put the whole blended soup in a pan and simmered for 10 minutes with a bit more water and a bullion cube. Now it is yummy!
So, all in all, not as great as i expected, as in soup in 5 minutes. But still a fresh and tasty soup, in about 15 minutes. No chopping, no pots to wash, no sauteing. Everything went in in big chunks.
I finished it with 2T of 1/2 and 1/2. Salt and pepper.
I do well with raw spinach. It digests easily i guess. But any type of lettuce is coming up my esophagus. I know I need to get that checked. However this is an issue for me and I'm missing out on salads these days, because eating them makes me miserable for hours later. Also kale--even cooked. I miss kale. Fennel is coming back up (cooked even). Bell peppers, too. I miss these veggies!
How are you with the cruciferous family? I was thinking some variations like yu choy, ong choy, gailan although the first two might bulbs I'm not sure.
Tonight's smoothie:
1 granny smith apple, cored
1 large stalk celery
1" knob of fresh ginger
1 cup kale leaves(I might have gone heavy on kale)
handful of cilantro
wedge of lemon, peeled and seeded(I just slice of the skin quickly and pick out the seeds as best I can)
water and ice to taste, about 1 cup of each.
It is okay. Tastes like a healthy drink, lol. But tart and gingery. A bit too pulpy, even with the super duper blender. I am sure I could blend it more. We shall see what dh has to say about this one. ;)
Mean Green!
We did juice for awhile but financially and physically couldn't take it. I could only buy enough for a days worth of juicing to keep in the fridge at once and it meant waking an hour earlier.
Mac - I will say this, I burped kale all day long :misspeak: But I tolerate kale whether it be raw, juiced, cooked without digestive issues. I think cucumbers were the cause of the burps, but kale/ginger were the strongest flavors so that is what I tasted.
Not to say we don't break it out from time to time. My kids like Mean Greens, but they also like most veggies as well. Forks over Knives which is basicially vegan minus fat was a great experiment as well but when two to three members of the family cannot tolerate the starchy proteins needed to achieve a healthy vegan diet (ie protein) and one of them really needs fat, well it was too tough to make a go.
DH and I are on different diets. I do small amounts of meat in relation to large amounts of veggies, except at breakfast when I do protein. DH is doing low carb, high fat (and is down 20lbs the stinker). I cannot do his diet though thanks to the lack of a gall bladder. I was either constipated or umm, not :misspeak:
Yeah, High fat, animal fats, can be hard on my tummy too. Liver issues and no gall bladder as well. Olive oil is not an issue for me. Nor is butter, like in cookies, lol. But ribs? Oy!
I am not juicing. I just toss it all in the blender. No cleanup, other than a spin with a bit of dish soap and water.
Yeah, much like a GI reaction, I can tell you in an hour if that was a mistake. Red meat fine, pork fine, salmon iffy, chicken and turkey as long as I avoid the skin (can cook skin on, but God help me if I digest), ribs are dependent upon how I cook them... My favorite part of pork chops used to be the fatty bits - yeah, big mistake.
DH and I joke about being the Jack Sprat rhyme because I take my helpings sans added fat or give him my fatty bits. He jokes about having to fix my cooking as he heaps butter, coconut oil and salt onto his plate. Gag.
I will be curious to see where his numbers come in a month because he has to go to the dr.. He is staying in ketosis and even cheat days don't knock him out of kilter. He has more energy, exercising and just keeps dropping. It's enough to make you hate him.
I saw a book, by the guy that does the Makeover weight loss show, and he claims that just 3 days a week will be enough for weight loss(of the low carb dieting). I did not actually read it, but ran across it while reading. I do not check for or likely stay in ketosis, nor do high fat. I do more of a lower carb, moderate healthy fats way of eating. Too hard for me and too extreme with feeding kids.
My dh eats whatever I make, lol. Like it or not, he is happy someone does the cooking for him. It annoys me that i try to change up my eating and he is the one who drops a few pounds. Not me.
Yeah well, that has happened around here too. DH is dropping while for all my green drinks (admittedl heavy on avocado) I have lost three pounds - but not as much as him -- and I led him into this !
So about this gallbladder thing -- I must be really dumb about putting two and two together -- but my chronic gi and runs -- thats fatty foods? I geuss i need to keep a food diary. Someone told me that people without gallbladders have a hard time digesting nuts. Well that has not been too much of a problem until the last two years when the tree-nuts came marching back in. I have not been able to find this on the web, though. Anymore dietary info about post-gallbladder bodies ?
I was never given any restriction after my GB surgery. I am not sure if my issues are related to not having one or not. I have other liver issues(which maybe my GB was related to). So, I think too much fatty food just stresses digestion overall, if one has any compromise, which could be a million things. My issues are all over the place, more like IBS for me. My gastro suggested trying a probiotic. I have in the past(he did not know when he suggested it) and not sure I noticed any digestive improvements.
Got some interesting info last night by going to google and searching post gallbladder removal diet.
Thanks - will google again.
Becca - have you tried eliminating dairy? It helped my sister with GI.
Hope, I actually went dairy free for about 11 months while I bf my son. I did not notice any particular changes in my health at that time.
Today's smoothie: I am copying this from my diabetes website, where I shared. So I am including my cal/carb, etc... counts.
Okay, my breakfast: (and I will add a snack of turkey sausages at 100 cals. after I exercise).
Blueberry/kefir/kale smoothie(it is mild and good tasting!)
1/2 cup of the kefir
1 cup frozen blueberries
2T ground flax
2 small leaves of Kale(which is more than it sounds, as they are generally very large and fluffy leaves)
2 packets stevia in the raw sweetener at 0 cals and 0 carbs.
ice and water to desires texture/consistency
195 calories, 27 carbs, 8 grams of fiber, 7 grams of fat and 8.5 grams of protein.
Hard to time a BG reading as these do not go down fast(too cold). I started having it at 8:10, and it will be close to 2 large goblets full! I will check my BG at 10. Hopefully that is time to cool off after I exercise on my elliptical, since my BG is lower right after, then adjusts.
How was your BG at 10?
and what is kefir? :dunce:
Oops, that was diabetic geek speak because I shared the recipe over there.
But, it was 93 at 9:30 and 95 at 10:00. So, very level, given a 10 point margin of error on meters anyway. And the goal is under 140 at 2 hrs pp. So I did well, very well. I never like to get to 140, however. Rarely do.
And kefir is a cultured dairy product, similar to yogurt, but a drink, and quite high on protein per 1 cup serving. But it was pretty sour tasting. First we tried it. I thought ds might like it. He is a yogurt freak. I had to add so much sugar and honey to his smoothie this am, it was not so healthy. It was too sour for him. But he did like the flax in his smoothie. He had a different smoothie, lol, not the one I made for me. So, I am left using up th ekefir. I bet it might be good in pancakes, much like buttermilk. or bread?
Smoothies are a must! And I don't know how anyone lives without a high end blender. We use ours at least once every single day. We bought a Blendtec instead of a Vitamix after we read this review and we're glad we did: http://www.fooduciary.com/blendtec-vs-vitamix-the-choice-is-obvious/. (http://www.fooduciary.com/blendtec-vs-vitamix-the-choice-is-obvious/.)
Be careful of frozen berries there's been widespread report of Hepatitis A contamination which means enough human feces is making its way into the fruit.
:-X
bump
Thank you for raising becca. I just read through, and it's given me some ideas.