Video Friday: Vita-Mix Review

This was a review I wrote recently for a multimedia class. The quality of the video isn't great, but you get the idea. I might be doing more of these if I can work on the set-up on my home computer.

A Fresh Start: Green Drink

It's a sunny day outside, the birds are chirping and the temperature is above thirty -- a good reason to celebrate around here during the winter. January was a big mess: between traveling, my Grandmother's passing and a major project coming to an end, my fitness and eating healthy routine has been on the back burner. I still got workouts in and I still ate decently, but the sporadic nature of it all has worn down my immune system. I wake up each morning with a sore throat and have been taking sudafed for three days straight. What I need is to get back to my routine and eat a load of vegetables, and I have.

I offer you: the Green Drink.

Don't let the, er, greenness, of it deter you. I was a bit weary myself as I was putting it together, but as soon as I tasted it the only word that came to mind was: fresh. Okay. And yum too. Talk about a drink that makes you feel good: it certainly has a lot of fiber, a few servings of vegetables and a whole load of vitamins in it. And really, it tastes good. And really, I drank it for breakfast along with a scrambeled egg and I'm not hungry at all right now (at 12:20pm). Fiber mixed with protein is an amazing thing.

Super Simple Green Drink (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo)

Serves one.

1 green apple, cored (and peeled: this is not needed if you are normal and can eat apple skins without having an allergic reaction like lucky me)
2 handfuls spinach
1 small cucumber
1 stalk of celery
6 ice cubes
1/2 cup of water

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend the heck out of it until it forms a liquid. I didn't have to chop any of my ingredients beforehand because I use a blender that sounds like a vacuum cleaner (vitamix), but for regular blenders, I would recommend doing so. Drink right away. If left alone the drink separates a bit, but just mix it again briefly before drinking.

Per your comments, and in attempt to feel my best on my wedding day (and really don't you want to feel your best at all times), I started to get back into yoga -- Bikram Yoga -- that hot kind of yoga. I took a ninety minute class on Sunday morning and I think I have a favorite new form of exercise. I was sweating buckets by the end of class and my muscles were sore this morning; I never get that from normal yoga and I think I like it.

Simple Soup

I unfortunately don't have a lot of time to write about this soup, so I will keep it simple: it's mighty good. For the time it makes to put it together and for simplicity of the ingredients, it's stellar. I used my Vitamix to "chop" the vegetables, but you can do it by hand, or with a food processor. It's quite good cold as well and taste very similar to gazpacho.

Simple Chunky Vegetable Soup (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, paleo)
serves 2 as a meal

1 8 oz can of diced tomatoes (or one large tomato if it's in season)
3 stalks of celery, leaves included
1/2 yellow onion
4 smallish carrots
1 heaping cup of fresh spinach
salt and pepper if needed

Place all of the ingredients in your vitamix or food processor and blend (on level 3 for about 30 seconds) or pulse (until food is chopped, but not pureed). Eat now cold. Or, place in a saucepan, add about a cup of water, bring to a boil and simmer for about ten minutes.

A Few of My Favorite Things... (1)

I wish I could make like Oprah and give away all of my new, fancy, favorite things to each of you readers, making you cry and scream with excitement like her audience does on her yearly "Favorite Things" show. But alas, I cannot -- not in this economy. In fact, even Oprah had a scaled-down version this year.

So you get a list -- a list of my most favorite gluten-free (okay, and a few that have nothing to do with being gluten-free) gifts for those GFers and health conscious people in your life.

First, I present to you the blender of all blenders; a kitchen tool that Chuck Norris would be if Chuck Norris had to be a kitchen tool: The Vitamix Super 5200


I got an early Christmas present this year from the A-man. He knows we are going to be traveling for much of our Christmas vacation, so he knew I wouldn't be able to "play" with my Christmas present, so he wanted me to open it early. So I did. Last night. And I almost fainted with excitement.

The Vitamix blender is especially good for people with gluten-intolerance because it comes with a "dry blade" which lets you make your own flour! From whole grains! So, I put some raw, whole brown rice into the blender and blended on high for awhile, and out comes flour! I can't wait to try it with millet and sorghrum and tapioca and...

You get the idea. This is also great for people who don't do dairy -- this thing will whip up almost anything you put in it to a creamy-like consistencty. And, if you're a nut-butter lover like me -- you can make your own peanut butter (and cashew, macadamia nut, hazlenut...)! I've only scratched the surface of what this thing can do (after all, I got it last night) but I can't wait to play with it even more. The A-man wants me to keep a tally on my blog of each time I use it and how much money he thinks we'll save over the years grinding our own flour (this is so he can feel okay about spending the amount of money he did on it; let's just say it's an investement). And I can't forget smoothies; the A-man's big on his protein and I have a feeling this thing could turn a steak into a drink. So I'm on to you A-man; it's one of those gifts you give to someone so that you can use it too -- steak smoothies -- I knew it!

On tomorrow's favorite things post: tea for all.