When I bought my Vitamix they were relatively unknown in the UK and so expensive that my friends thought I had gone mad, but after burning out all of my previous blenders within 6 months of using them, I decided I had to get something more robust. Now my Vitamix is of my favourite kitchen appliances I have ever bought, 13 years on and it’s still going strong, and is pretty much employed at least twice a day to make drinks, soups, desserts and smoothies. Fast food doesn’t get much faster unless you are eating an apple as far as I’m concerned. In the time I’ve had my Vitamix I’ve burnt out 2 more juicers and 5 food processors, so it’s been one of my best kitchen appliance investments.
My partner thinks I’m obsessed with my Vitamix, I am!! Don’t tell him I admitted this, but I can’t imagine why I wouldn’t be I like fast food and I like it to be healthy, and this blender has made this incredibly possible.
Making my life easier is pretty much my main focus with food, I’m no different than anyone else, I really don’t like spending hours in the kitchen, when I’m hungry I just want to eat or drink something.
I find that one of the most important aspects of making food quickly though is to have a stocked pantry and not leave it to chance! Ensure that you have all the bits ready for when you want to make things, make a list of foods you need to get when shopping. I always plan 4-5 of my meals for the week that I will be making and I make sure that I’ve got the things in for when I need them. My hunger pangs are not left to chance, I know which days I need to prep in advance and which ones that I can wing it more. I make most meals bigger so that I can use some for the next day or so that I can freeze them for when I don’t have time or energy to cook.
So what do I use my blender for?
Smoothies
Everyone knows the blender is great for smoothies. The Vitamix is a pretty solid machine and makes light work of frozen fruit and vegetables, although I tend to defrost my smoothies overnight in the blender so that they are not cold for me in the morning. You can buy a lot of vegetables frozen now including spinach so you don’t have to see it go off in the fridge. I soak my seeds and nuts overnight, and oats or buckwheat flakes if I want a heavier smoothie meal for the morning. You can make them on a base of nut milk, green tea, or even fruit tea, experiment it doesn’t have to just be water or juice.
Load your fluids and liquids first, this is so that they help the rest of the foods to blend. Powders can go in next, soft leafy food, nut butter next and anything frozen can go on the top.
Smoothies are a great way of keeping the bowel moving in the morning, all that fibre is a great food for your microbiome. It’s also a great way of increasing your vegetable intake.
Soups
Yes, you can actually make soups in the Vitamix, I don’t think most people realise this! If I’m stuck for time I will make a really quick soup by adding some stock, my choice of vegetables, herbs, precooked beans or cashew nuts and seasoning. If you put the Vitamix on low and then build up to high and keep it running for 5 minutes on high you will have a hot soup at the end of it. It’s quite frothy, but really another fast food from my blender and more often than not makes two meals so I have enough for lunch the next day or as a snack later.
Ice cream
Everyone loves ice cream, I tend to always have frozen fruit and banana’s in the freezer and it’s incredibly easy to make ice cream or sorbet in the Vitamix. I normally let the frozen fruit defrost for 10 minutes before blending to make it a bit easier on the blender, but you can make it with any of your favourite frozen fruits. I make it with just banana’s, banana and coconut yoghurt, banana, coconut yoghurt, and mango chunks, banana, coconut yoghurt, and chocolate powder. Almond butter, bananas, and frozen berries and my favourite banana, frozen blackberries and chocolate powder. If I have no banana I will make it out of avocado, and frozen fruit, then it tends to be cool smoothie type of dessert.
Mousse
My favourite avocado desserts are avocado, lemon essential oil, or lemon juice and stevia, with a banana, the other one is avocado, banana and blackberries with cocoa powder. Just throw the lot in and blend! Indulging in health! I add seeds and goji berries on the top or flaked almonds.
Dips
From hummus and other bean dips to salsa’s, these are very quick to do and are great with a slice of sourdough bread, or with veggies steamed or as crudite. Make a jar and use it for lunch each day.
Drinks
I love latte’s and I make them with cashew nut or hemp seed milk, of course, I make them also in the blender. I make lattes with matcha powder, turmeric powder, redbush or rooibos tea powder, green tea powder, coffee alternative, and of course chocolate powder. Add sweetener if you want to, stevia, for instance, I no longer have that sweet a palate so I don’t bother. Then add cashew nut milk which is my favourite, but you can use almond hemp seed or coconut milk, and of course, make your nut or seed milk in the blender and these will keep for a couple of days. Tahini milk is also a one to try.
Enjoy your blender!
