Hello Interwebs Family...
Can you believe that summer is almost officially over? I can't. I am always sad to see it go, but then I am also a bit excited to move into the more "festive" time of year. Plus, I am tired of looking at myself in tank tops and internally complaining about my arms being too fat. Bring on the big, fluffy sweaters!
As promised, I wanted to tell you a bit about our life with our new Vitamix blender. I sort of laughed a bit when people I knew with Vitamixes constantly claimed that "Vitamix changed their lives"... what? How
boring was your life before? Sheesh! And after having ours for over 3 months now, I can say our lives have changed but not so much because of the Vitamix, itself, but more of what the Vitamix has allowed us to change in our eating habits.
In my ever-continuous goal to eat well & feel well, I picked up a book about smoothies. I like smoothies but I was always a bit skeptical because the flavors I favored were either 1) full of stuff I shouldn't put in a smoothie (like frozen yogurt & peanut butter) or 2) a bunch of fruit mixed up with ice... which would keep me full for .01 seconds. After a bit of research, I ordered my own copy of
Superfood Smoothies by Julie Morris.
I have to admit, when I first started reading through the ingredient list, I panicked a bit. What the heck are Goji Berries? What does Lacuma Powder do? Why do we need Hemp Seeds? The more I read, the more I became intimidated and started asking myself "What did I just get myself into?!" (followed by, "how much am I going to have to spend at Whole Foods just to make a silly smoothie?!")
I started with baby steps - I picked a few smoothies to try one week & buy the ingredients I needed for those. Since each recipe makes 2 smoothies, I justified buying all these crazy-spendy ingredients based on the fact that I was feeding both me and my test subject, er... husband.
Admittedly, the ingredients can be pretty expensive when you first start accumulating them. But the good news is, you don't use all the "superfoods" in every smoothie, so it's not like I'm buying $20 worth of hemp seeds every week. I figure, if you commit to spending a few weeks accumulating one or two of the superfood ingredients, you'll be all stocked up in no time & then it's just maintenance. You'll start to see what items you use the most & can check out local stores or even online for good deals. I find that we use Hemp Seeds, Chia Seeds & Goji Berries the most.
So, the million dollar question.
Do I notice a difference since we started our Super Smoothies? Truthfully, it's hard for me to tell. I don't feel worse... so that's good. But I can't confidently say that I feel better or any different than I did before. However, that being said, I really did not expect to start feeling much different. My family and I did not start making these positive changes to our eating habits just for immediate satisfaction - I really saw it as an investment for our future selves. I think that much of the detriment of our life choices won't show up until we're a bit older. So, do I feel better from drinking my super smoothies every morning? No, I am not seeing much of a physical difference. I do feel better, though, knowing that I am investing in my future health and well-being and those of my husband and son, too. And that's worth it, right?!
Now - back to the Vitamix. It is a game-changer, fo-sho. (Yes, I did just say "fo-sho.") This baby blends everything up so well, you'd think you just wandered into Jamba Juice. This is important when you're adding things like spinach and kale to your smoothies. There is nothing that will turn you off of a smoothie faster than a big lump of spinach coming up through your straw. Ick! Vitamix can handle your spinach.
In closing...
Do I recommend investing in a Vitamix - YES!
Try looking at their
reconditioned machines before buying new. It's a good savings! I did do some fairly extensive reading & research (even watched an infomercial) on the differences between the Ninja and Vitamix and the Vitamix just kept coming out on top. You know what really sealed the deal for me? 2 things - 1) It's made domestically.Now, I have nothing against items made overseas - Lord knows, I spend all day everyday working with factories in every country you can think of & they are good peeps. But, sometimes, it's nice to buy things made here. Cue "America the Beautiful," release the bald eagle.... *sigh*. OK, and 2) it has a 5-year warranty. Yep, 5 years covered. Boom.
Do I recommend Super Smoothies - YES!
I definitely recommend Julie's book. It is very informative and clear. She gives the history of each of the superfoods along with their benefits & whether you can swap it out for something else (especially if you don't want to invest in both Maca powder AND Macqui powder.) Plus, every smoothie we've tried has been delish and easy to make. And extra-bonus: each smoothie has like 2 servings of fruit or veggies in it! Whoo hoo! Take THAT food pyramid.
XOXO
