Love My Blender

As I mentioned before, I got a Blendtec blender for Christmas from Alfredo. I LOVE it! Love, love, love it. I've used it 44 times since I got it at the beginning of December (it keeps track for you!) There are lots of things I haven't tried yet that I plan to try eventually. Mostly I use it to make smoothies, whole juices and milkshakes.

I am loving the whole juice option. I am planning to branch out soon and try some more unusual combos, but I love loading it with fruits and getting a thick, yummy juice. So far our favorite combo is this:
2 tangerines or mandarin oranges (peeled)
1/2-1 whole banana (fresh or frozen...when bananas get too ripe, I just peel them and stick them in a freezer bag and then I can pull 1 or more out for smoothies and other recipes)
6-10 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 - 1/2 cantaloupe (peel, remove seeds, cut into chunks)
1 apple (cored), cut into 1/4's
1/4 of a pomegranate
1 kiwi if I have one on hand

We've tried other variations, and really I often just throw in whatever fruits I have on hand. But the cantaloupe adds a nice flavor that I don't think you get without it.

I make these whole juices several times a week ...or I'll make a smoothie with similar ingredients but include yogurt and/or milk along with the fruits.

But perhaps our favorite new thing to use the blender for is to make homemade milkshakes. My girls and I really like to go to Arctic Circle (or occasionally Abs) for milkshakes. We probably go about once a month. But now there is no need...I can easily make them at home and they are just as good or better. (Really I probably could have made them with my old blender, too. I just never thought about it. But this blender is amazing because you just push the button for milkshake and it does all the work and makes it perfectly each time.

Alfredo is partial to the fresh fruit milkshakes...either raspberry or strawberry. When we don't have fresh fruit, frozen will also work...although the flavor isn't quite as good.

The girls love Oreo shakes. We've also tried M&M shakes and Reese's peanut butter cup shakes. My favorite are shakes made with mint oreos. I bet shakes with Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies would be heavenly as well. Maybe when I get my girl scout cookies in a month, I will make some.

Anyway, I don't even measure anymore... just pour in some milk, add some vanilla ice cream and the fruit. Then press the button, wait for it to do its magic and voila...yummy goodness. For the nonfruit shakes, I make the shake with just the milk and ice cream. THen when it is done, I add the oreos or M&M's or whatever and press "pulse" 2 or 3 times. Perfecto!

I seriously love this blender! It can turn sugar into powdered sugar, grind wheat, chop nuts and even make soup. I haven't tried these features other than the soup feature (and it wasn't a big hit...but I'll try it again with a different recipe one of these days)...but I will use them eventually.