Hey. : -)

I am starting to make green smoothies in my current cheapo blender until I get a fancy powerful one. I have a recipe book ("Green for Life" but it doesn't describe technique.

Yesterday I jammed 2 bunches of romaine, a banana, some frozen blueberries and water into the blender carafe and let er rip. Eventually I had liquified greens--sort of--but they required chewing with every mouthful and overall weren't very palatable.

Could anyone share some basic technique to help me through the beginning phase of doing this? I would like to drink green smoothies every day to see if it helps clear up my sinuses (I have polyps and am thinking about surgery unless I can clear up the congestion myself.)

Note: I am not a raw foodist but am trying to eat healthier with more fresh produce and less acid-forming foods like meat, grains, dairy. Current goal is to eat 50% raw.

Thanks

PocoLoco Wrote:
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> .... Eventually I had liquified
> greens--sort of--but they required chewing with
> every mouthful and overall weren't very
> palatable.
> Could anyone share some basic technique to help me
> through the beginning phase of doing this?
Balance the Fruit and Greens about 50-50 and
use plenty of water, but not too much. Practice,
Practice, Practice.....WY

Chopping your greens into small pieces may help, but the unfortunate reality is, as any of us who've experimented first with cheapy blenders know, is that you will always have pulp and will chew a lot if you aren't using a machine like a Vita Mix. On an fyi note, I've never found kale or collards or even spinach or lettuce for that matter, to pulverize into a creamy green smoothie when I used my cheaper blender.

You may want to try using green fruits to make your smoothies, like zucchini and cucumbers until you get your expensive high powered machine. Zucchini and cucumbers blend well with different melons and lemon and don't have the fiberous cellulose that is hard to break down without the Vita Mix. I'm sure you could also mix zucchini with apples and/or bananas or even sweet peaches too.

Hope this helps.

PEACE
Choco

Hi

Well, never being one for delayed gratification, I went ahead and purchased a Vitamix yesterday. I got a good deal on a refurbished Vitamix 5000. : -)

thanks for your replies

PocoLoco Wrote:
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> Well, never being one for delayed gratification, I
> went ahead and purchased a Vitamix yesterday. I
> got a good deal on a refurbished Vitamix 5000.
I owned a Vita-Mix 5000 for years before I
bought a Vita-Prep 3. It served me very well.
Good Luck with your purchase.
By the way, for a better mix with your Green Smoothies,
only fill the Carafe half-full.....WY

Where did you get your refurbished VM and how much was it? I am trying to talk myself into getting one :0)
veghead

veghead4life Wrote:
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> Where did you get your refurbished VM and how much
> was it? I am trying to talk myself into getting
> one
You didn't ask me, but Vita-Mix Corp. has some
special deals on the 5000. They won't last long, but I'd
still spend a little extra money and get the 5200 with the
new, safer Tritan Carafe......WY
[secure.vitamix.com]

Sorry, I didn't see your question until just now.

I got my Vitamix from the Vitamix vendor website, under "Special Deals."

By the way, what is the deal with the blender container material allegedly not being "safe?"

PocoLoco Wrote:
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> By the way, what is the deal with the blender
> container material allegedly not being "safe?"
The old Vita-Mix containers are 'safe' unless
they get too hot in the blending process (which will
never happen unless one goes crazy....like blending at
high-speed for a half-hour). The new Vita-Mix containers
have a higher Heat Tolerance.....WY