Vitamix Blender - Recipe for the Ultimate Creamy Green Smoothie!

Even though I've read a ton of reviews, and have heard so many people say positive words about a Vitamix blender, the price has always prevented me from purchasing one for myself.  I too used to be one of those people who thought, "Five hundred dollars for a blender... are you out of your f*@#ing mind?!?!"  I thought that never in my lifetime, could I buy enough smoothies at places like Jugo Juice or Booster Juice to equal the price of a Vitamix.  But then I got to thinking, and did a little math just for fun.  We probably went to Jugo/Booster Juice at least once a week, more than that in the summer months.  There are four of us in the family, and if we each got one, that would be about $24 each time.  $24 x 52 weeks =$1456 a year! 

To be honest, I didn't seriously think about getting a Vitamix until my co-worker raved about it (in my opinion, she's in the wrong profession and should be working for Vitamix!), and gave me a little taste of the smoothie that she made.  It was green, delicious, smooth and so fresh... everything a smoothie should be. I was sold! 

So I bit the bullet, and bought my own Vitamix.  It came with a 64 oz BPA-free container, huge recipe book and DVD.  I treated it like a precious baby when I took it out of the packaging.  As you can imagine, I was in love with the blender (is it possible to fall in love with a kitchen appliance?!) and could not wait to try it out. The first time I turned the power on, I jumped a little at the sheer magnitude of power that exuded from it.  It put my old Kitchen Aid blender to shame. There really is no comparison between my old and new blender.  The Kitchen Aid always left little chunks of frozen fruit, and the consistency of the smoothies was never right.  They were always watery, and I had to constantly chew the pulp of the greens.  The Vitamix is an absolute beast of a machine.  It comes with a 7 year warranty, but it will last beyond that.  My husband's friend said that he's had his Vitamix for over 20 years with no problems, and it's still going strong.  Now my smoothies are always creamy, smooth and chunk-free!

I've incorporated making a green smoothie as part of my morning routine now, and that is all I eat for breakfast, along with a cup of tea.  I like mine a little on the thick side, so that it fills me up and sustains me until lunch time.  This is what I've been making every morning for the past few weeks.  It makes enough to fill two 500 ml sized mason jars, so my husband and I grab one each before we go out the door.  It contains greens, frozen mangos, dates, lemon, ginger, and bananas.  The recipe is at the bottom of this post.  For the greens, I usually buy Earthbound Farm Organic brand. It comes in a big tub that contains a mixture of organic baby spinach, baby kale, and red/green chard.  This container makes about 4 days worth of smoothies.

This tub of organic kale, spinach and chard makes 4 days worth of smoothies for me.

I blend the greens with water for about 20 seconds before I add the other ingredients, as I find this enables me to not have to use the big black long stick (aka the tamper), that comes with the Vitamix.  The mornings are crazy enough as is with two kids, so the less things I have to wash, the better!  

Blend the greens with water for about 20 seconds first.

This is the result after only 20 seconds of blending.

Next, I add the rest of the ingredients, then blend again for about a minute.  I love adding frozen fruit as opposed to fresh, because it makes the smoothie nice and chilled.  I buy the big bag of organic frozen mangos at Costco, and it lasts for quite a while. I leave the variable/high switch on 'variable', start at speed 1, then gradually increase to speed 10 and blend for about a minute. Even with the blender at 10, it's not as loud as my old Kitchen Aid.  Don't get me wrong - it's not whisper quiet, but it's definitely not as loud as I thought it would be.

After all ingredients are added, blend for about 1 minute.

The result is a creamy, delicious, thick, refreshing, vibrant green smoothie...

Goodbye watery, pulpy, chunky smoothies; Hello creamy, smooth, yummy goodness!

The finished product...

The Vitamix has truly changed my life.  I wake up excited to make my green smoothies.  I have noticed increased energy levels, improvement in my skin and nails, and a positive boost in my mood. It definitely is an investment, but if you look at it from the perspective that it will last over 20 years, it is worth the high price in the beginning.  I cannot say enough good things about my Vitamix.

I am so happy to be able to provide a discount code for you when purchasing any Vitamix blender or accessory via the Vitamix.com website, or phoning their customer service line at 1-800-848-2649.

Here are the steps for getting the Free Shipping discount:

After you have added your item(s) to your shopping cart,

1) Enter the code 06-010043 in the "Promotion Code" box

2) Click "Apply", and the full shipping amount ($25 US/$35 Can.) will be deducted from your order.

Buying from Vitamix.com directly ensures that you will be getting an authentic, brand new product, backed by the full 7 year warranty.  Happy Blending!  ~Janice ❤

Here is the recipe for The Ultimate Creamy Green Smoothie (makes about 1 litre):

• 12 oz water 
• 2-3 large handfuls of kale, spinach, chard, or a combination of any greens
• 1 cup frozen mango
• 1/2 lemon or lime, peeled
• 1 large slice of fresh ginger, peeled
• 4 pitted dates
• 1 banana

1. Pour the water into the container, then add the greens.
2. Start on speed 1, then gradually increase to speed 10.  Blend for 20 seconds.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients.
4. Again, start on speed 1, then gradually increase to speed 10.  Blend for about 1 minute.
5. Enjoy, and feel good about all the healthy food you're putting in your body!