Vitamix Smoothie

When thinking about what my first post should be on several ideas came to mind, but it only seemed fitting that I incorporate my beloved Vitamix into it. The machine that I can't even get through the check out at the grocery store with out talking to someone about. For those of you who don't know what a Vitamix is, allow me to enlighten you! 


In the vacuum world Dysons are at the top of the line (trust the girl who lives with 5 dogs). In the blender world Vitamix is the Dyson. My wonderful husbad surprised me with one for my birthday last year and honestly there aren't many days that go by that I don't use it and there aren't many things that I haven't made in it! Soup, peanut butter, icecream, coconut milk, spaghetti sauce, pesto, hummus, flour, dog treats and the list goes on and on. I even took it with me on a weekend trip with some friends recently because I couldn't stand to part with it for a weekend. 


What's so awesome about the Vitamix is that it has a three horse power motor in it. In 1 minute ice cubes are turned into ice cream and in 3 minutes the blades spin so fast that they generate enough heat to turn raw vegetables into hot steamy soup! Seriously, one of the best inventions EVER! Another reason why the Vitamix is so awesome is because research has found that it has the ability to disrupt the cell wall in whole foods, much more than using any other blender or even chewing! Why is this a big deal? It allows your body to more easily absorb and utilize the nutrients already existing in raw foods. That's right the Vitamix makes raw fruits and vegetables even MORE healthy! Pretty amazing huh? Read more about the research here. Read more about the research here.


One of the main things I use my Vitamix for are smoothies. They are breakfast almost everyday for my husband and I and also make a nice quick lunch. It's as quick and easy as putting a piece of toast in the toaster. Plus if you use raw fruits and veggies these smoothies can also work as a great detox to rid the body of yucky toxins that enter your body from the environment and from eating processed foods.

On to the process of making one of these wonderful smoothies...

These are the ingredients I used today but I typically throw in whatever I have laying around.

1 cup organic baby kale

1/2 cup organic spinach

1 whole carrot

1/4 cup frozen mango

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/2-1 banana

1/4 cup homemade yogurt

1/4 cup organic rolled oats (for fiber)

1 tbs organic peanut butter (for protein) 

1/4 cup water

A few notes: 

-You will notice that I didn't add any juice or sweetener. These smoothies are plenty sweet from the fruit.
-The water helps thin the consistency of the smoothie. 
-If you are using fresh strawberries leave the green top on. It add nutrients and is less work.
-If you are using all fresh fruit add a few ice cubes. If using frozen fruit it may be cold enough with out adding ice.

Add all of your ingredients in the Vitamix with softest ingredients on the bottom.

 These guys love when Mom gives them the end of the carrot. Yummmy!

Turn machine on, move the dial to 10 and blend for 30 seconds.

Tada! The healthiest meal of the day prepared in 30 seconds!

I used Spark People's Recipe Calculator that also generates the nutritional info for the ingredients you enter.

This recipe yields approximately two cups. 

Serving size 1 cup 

Calories- 216g

Total Fat- 5.5g This is healthy monounsaturated fat that comes from the peanuts in peanut butter

Potassium- 760mg

Carbs- 44g

Dietary Fiber- 7.5g

Protein- 7.2g

Vitamin A- 269.3%

Vitamin C- 95.4%

Calcium- 14.3%

Iron-13.8%

Feel good about what you put in your body and know where it comes from!

That's all for today!
-Shanny