Busy Day

This morning I made a smoothie for the kids before school, SO quick and easy!!!
I did frozen grapes, tropical frozen fruit mix, mix & 3 tbsp of chocolate drink powder - so so yummy!

Tonight I made a spinach, ham & cheese quiche with a side salad and used the VitaMix for several things!

--Shredded the spiral honey ham that I cooked last week for the quiche
--Chopped the spinach for the quiche
--Made Ranch Dressing for the salad
--Chopped carrots for the salad
--Chopped broccoli for the salad

All these great applications and it was a quick rinse and everything was clean - so loving the clean up on this machine!

Carrots & Ranch Dressing

Tonight I used my VitaMix to chop carrots for our dinner salad, works like a charm and so easy to clean up, love that part especially.

I also used it to whip up my homemade ranch dressing, so creamy and good, love it!

Orange Julius (thick)

I made this for the girls tonight for a late night snack

Orange Julius (thick version)
1 16oz orange juice concentrate
2-3 tbsp honey
2-3 cups ice
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
Mix on high, it should be the consistency of a shake

Kiwi Quencher (Tropical Smoothie Knockoff)

Kelsea and I went to Tropical Smoothie for lunch a few days ago and she got this one, it was so yummy.  I put together this copycat recipe and tried it on the kids this morning, this tastes just the same...

Kiwi Quencher
3 Kiwi's (peeled)
3 1/2 Cups Frozen Strawberries
1 cont. kiwi lime yogurt (6oz?)
1/2 cup milk
2 cups ice
Blend on High until four mounds form in the top

Green Drink

From Vitamix demo lady.

1/2 cup white grape juice
1 peeled orange
1 slice of pineapple, no rind
1 tiny slice of lime (not peeled)
3 cups spinach
1 cup ice
Blend on high 60 sec

Blueberry Pancakes

This morning I made yummy Blueberry Pancakes.  Of course I've made blueberry pancakes for my family before, but I usually just throw a handful or two of frozen blueberries in the mix and cook it.  This morning I threw a few handfuls of blueberries in the VitaMix with a dash of sugar and did a rough chop on 3 or 4 for a few seconds, it was perfect!  The pancakes turned blue when I mixed the batter because the berries were broken, but the reviews I got from the kids and Kenny was that they loved them!  They specifically liked them more because they don't like biting into a whole squishy berry.  Super easy and quick for breakfast!

Chocolate Oreo Shake - Again

Did I say this one was a keeper???  Heck ya - we had this for FHE tonight, it was devoured in 10 seconds flat...

Popeye Spinach Drink

I made this for breakfast for everyone this morning.  It still needs a little work though, I'll be experimenting more with it...  I think I blended it too long, it was too frothy.

Popeye Spinach Drink
1 can pineapple chunks with juice
1 orange
spinach (filled the rest of the pitcher)

Bean Dip

Kenny just got home from his deer hunt and was looking for a snack.  I whipped this together...

Bean Dip
1 quart canned pinto beans drained
1 pint canned black beans drained
1/2 pint homemade salsa
1 can drained corn
1/2 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 fresh tomato
feta cheese (garnish for top)

Mix together somewhere from 2-5 depending on how chunky or smooth you want the dip.  I like it a little chunky but if you want it totally smooth you could mix it on high.  Serve in bowls, topped with a little bit of feta cheese (or you could use a dollop of sour cream) and microwave for 30 seconds.  Served with corn tortilla chips.

Tropical Blush Smoothie

Made this for everyone for breakfast this morning, perfect consistency, it's a keeper.


Tropical Blush Smoothie
2 cups water
2 cups grapes
3 cups Frozen Tropical Blend (mango, papaya, pineapple & strawberry)
2 Tbsp honey
2 cups ice

Mix for 90 seconds on high.  I was going to add flax seed and forgot, I'll have to do that next time.


Side note... Grapes are on sale this week until Wed. at Sprouts for .49/pound.  I'm going to buy a bunch, wash, put in snack baggies and freeze them to use in future smoothies.  Frozen grapes are also yummy for snacks or in kids lunches...

Chocolate Oreo Shake

Kelsea and I enjoyed this tonight - SO YUMMY!!!

Chocolate Oreo Shake
1 cup half & half
1 pkg chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 carrot
4 cups ice
1/2 sleeve of oreo cookies

Mix on high for 30-60 seconds - ENJOY!!!

Strawberry Blueberry Popsicles

I made this for my kids to snack on after church tomorrow.

Strawberry Blueberry Popsicles
1 cup water
1/2 cup vanilla lowfat yogurt
1 1/2 cup strawberries
1 1/2 cup blueberries
1 carrot
Mix on high for 1 1/2 minutes then pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight.
Makes 12

Update...  These were a little tart for my kids, next time I'll put more strawberries than blueberries and add a little honey.

Here's The Challenge

Today I purchased a VitaMix.
A rather expensive mixer/blender, but the options are endless as to what it can do.  As Kierstin and I were standing at the demo counter in Costco on Friday I tried so hard not to get swept away by how cool it was and how yummy the samples tasted.  In the end I was able to talk myself out of purchasing the $400 wonder machine.  That night I couldn't stop thinking about it.  I'm a gadget girl and love to get my hands on new contraptions to experiment with.  By the next morning I knew I had to go back to Costco and purchase one.  Saturday was my last chance since they were there for a roadshow demonstration, not to mention the security of buying at Costco with their no hassle return policy (love that) and the fact that they were more expensive to purchase online.
I went back to the store, watched the demo again and tried some new recipes this time.  Now I'm completely sold on the product and very excited about how easy clean-up is!  Another added bonus is that I can throw carrots, spinach, celery, flax etc. into any smoothie or ice cream.  You get the nutritional value but can't even taste the veggies in there.
The last hesitation in the back of my mind was that it all sounds wonderful and time effective, but if I don't use the VitaMix regularly to make all these wonderful recipes then the machine is a waste of money.  So I gave myself a challenge, I decided that if I was going to buy the machine I would set up a blog that I could keep track of all the yummy new things I was making with it.  Hopefully this will help me create new recipes and not lose my excitement for this new gadget.
Other contributors...  I invited my parents who just bought one also and my brother and his wife who've had theirs for a year to contribute any recipes they've made and liked or tips/tricks they'd like to share.  If you also have one and would like to share recipes/tips, please comment with your email address, the more the merrier!


Here goes...