VitaMix - Product Review

So, this post was supposed to go out last week, but I guess being a PhD student and trying to manage a five-post a week blog was a bit overly ambitious on my part. So, sigh, realizing I am not superwoman, I'm scaling back the ambition, and have concluded that a 3 - 5 posts per week goal is probably more doable.


Well, on to the review...As I mentioned about a week ago, I partnered up with VitaMix and became an affiliate. I generally am annoyed by kitchen gadgets because they are used infrequently and take up valuable counter-top real estate. However, I gladly give the VitaMix blender center stage in my kitchen. I use it so much that it never, ever gets put away. In fact, I easily use it 2 or 3 times every day. Here's a run-down of what I personally use it for:

• homemade cashew butter
• instant ice cream and sorbet
• soups - both Raw & Cooked
• smoothies & juices
• vegan cheeses
• whipped cream
• grinding coffee beans
• grinding flax seeds
• homemade salad dressings
• marinara sauce
• pesto sauce
• homemade hummus
• grinding grains for homemade flour - e.g., oat groats and barley or other gluten free goodies

Me being a super thrifty (cheap) saver, I have to be honest about the price though. This machine is high end, but it's one of the few big buys I've made that I feel is worth every single penny.


Before my husband and I made the decision to buy this machine - we watched nearly all of their quick (and strangely entertaining) "52 food feats" videos - which give short demonstrations of how to make all sorts of culinary creations using the VitaMix. What got my husband most excited about this machine is the fact that you can cook scrambled eggs in it (strange, but true). It can cook all manner of things, as you can go from room temperature ingredients to steaming, hot deliciousness (e.g., soup) in just a few minutes. What sold me, however, was the ease with which it could make my beloved green smoothies and the super easy clean up of the caraffe. With just a drop of dish soap, a bit of warm water, and a flick of the on switch, the VitaMix basically cleans itself..which is, um...awesome!

 
A Few Details:


The VitaMix has a 64 oz container with a 2 horsepower motor (apparently this is enough to power a small lawnmower). According to my research, most blenders you'll find, at say Target or Walmart, have motors of 300-700 watts. With 745 watts equaling 1 horsepower, and remember, the VitaMix has 2, that's a major difference in power. Further, most of your standard blenders have warranties lasting only a few months to one year. The VitaMix Standard Warranty is 7 years; and if you're so inclined, you can extend it to 10. This blend-o-wonderful also comes with an instructional dvd, a quick start recipe pamphlet, and a huge, colorful binder full of recipes and ideas.


If you think your kitchen can do with a bit of this amazingness, you can check out the VitaMix (in all it's splendor) by clicking here. You can also order one (and get Free Shipping) by clicking my magical VitaMix affiliate logo on the right side of this page. : )

The Lowdown on Juices & Smoothies

Smoothies have been all the rage the past few years, with most towns having at least one smoothie joint around. Juices, and the illustrious juice bar, however, have failed to break into the mainstream. Both of these wonder beverages have their benefits, though, so I figured I’d talk a little about smoothies, a lot about juices, and a bit about what makes them different.


Juices


First, let me make it clear that when I talk about juices, I’m talking about freshly extracted fruit and vegetable juices – not the kind you get in bottles at the market. Most juices in the supermarket are laden with sugar and usually have some type of preservative so that they will stay shelf-stable for months on end. A few of these have vegetables, but the star of most of these juice beverages is the sugariest of fruits, or worse – corn syrup (Don’t let those “it’s just a vegetable” corn syrup commercials fool you – that stuff’s no good!).


The process of juicing (see juicer review here) removes the fibers of the fruit/veg. When the fibers are gone, this reduces the amount of time and energy the body has to spend digesting, thus enabling you to quickly assimilate all of the nutrients you're trying to get. There is even evidence to suggest that juicing is especially beneficial if you are trying to heal from disease. There are a lot of juicing books on the market; if you're seriously interested in juicing, you should definitely check some out. One of the first such books I ever owned is "Juicing For Life," by Calbom & Keane. It's great because they detail specific nutrients said to aid in the healing of scores of ailments (from Allergies to Water Retention); and they also provide a list of the foods and some juice recipes which contain the target, healing nutrients.


Why is fresh better than bottled? First, fresh juice tastes so much better. Second, the moment you extract juice from a plant’s fibers, they begin to oxidize; oxidation causes many of the vital nutrients to be lost. That’s why it’s best to drink fruit and vegetable juices right away – and if you can’t, it’s best to store your juice in an air-tight glass container in the fridge (mason jars are awesome for prolonging the life of your juice).


Why do I drink Juice? Like many people out there, I don't really care for taking vitamins (or most pills for that matter). What's more, when I do need to take some sort of pill - I usually forget. So, juicing makes me feel A-OK about not taking my multi-vites, because Fruit and Vegetable Juices contain concentrated amounts of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes - and are basically like taking a power-house of a liquid supplement.


Smoothies


Unlike juices, smoothies contain the fibers of the plant matter; and as we all have heard, fiber makes you feel full, which is why many people successfully use smoothies as a meal replacement! Since the fiber is present, the body has to spend more time and energy digesting. This makes smoothies a good go-to beverage when you require more and longer-lasting energy. Plus, if you are someone who likes a lot of fruit in your smoothies, the fiber helps slow the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream, fending off sugar crashes later.


What about smoothie-chain smoothies? I must admit, I have had my fair share of these drinks in the past. Most of them, however, are not very healthy and are basically dessert in a cup – high in fat, too much dairy, and a sinful amount of sugar. While I’m not 100% opposed to these (we have to live a little, right?), there are so many more healthful smoothies to be had. Most of us are used to really creamy smoothies with some type of dairy, but there are some really amazing-tasting smoothies made with just fruit, vegetables and water. Though, if you must have a milky, dessert-type smoothie, there are lots of ways to make them a little better for you. For instance, you can add greens (such as in a chocolate and spinach smoothie– sounds odd, but tastes delicious); you can add flax, hemp, or coconut oils, for healthy omega fats; you can add Superfoods, such as spirulina, bee pollen, or maca; and you can try replacing mucus-forming cow’s milk with rice milk, soy milk, almond milk or oat milk.


The Long and Short of my Juices vs. Smoothies rant. When possible, I like to have one juice and one smoothie everyday. I like juice because I can cram in more vegetable matter (and thus vitamins!) than I can possibly eat on a plate or blend in a smoothie. My juices generally have very little sweetness to them because I do not want to jar my system with a jolt of liquid, fiber-less sugar. On the other hand, I generally like to have my smoothies somewhat sweet because they have fiber, are filling, and they usually satisfy my need to have cake (mmm, cake) or other bad-for-me desserts.


So, if you’re looking for something sweet and filling, smoothies are a great choice. However, if you are looking to acquire high concentrations of nutrients from a particular plant, then juices are the way to go.


If you decide to keep buying your juices and smoothies over-the-counter style, I hope you will at least consider making a few of the healthier versions at home. If you need inspiration, stay tuned, I’ll be offering up a new smoothie or juice recipe every week on the Diary of a Smart Black Woman!

VitaMix Affiliate - Tell Your Friends ; )

In the market for a VitaMix Blender?! I'm a new VitaMix Affiliate, and if you buy one through the link on my website you'll get FREE Shipping! FYI - The VitaMix is a super POWERFUL Blender that can do everything including: effortlessly creamy smoothies, whip cream, peanut/almond butter, baby food and more - it even heats foods!!! So you know, I will only link myself with products and companies that I actually use and trust, that's why I'm so excited to be working with VitaMix. Look for a thorough product review on this amazing gadget next week. You can order yours by clicking one of their logos to the right of this page. Thanks for supporting my blog: The Diary of a Smart Black Woman.

PS: I can honestly say that I've owned my VitaMix for almost a year - and I use it every single day!!!