Forum > Food

Vitamix users, or similar product users and juicers - HELP!

(1/33) > >>

cindyleigh:
Today is my second day trying out this kind of blended "green" drink.  Since I never seem to be able to get my servings of fruit and veggies in, or fiber for that matter, this seems like a good approach.

I don't have a Vitamix but I have a decent Osterizer blender (wedding gift 10+ years ago). 

Attempt #1:
1 carrot
1 banana
1 kiwi
scoop yogurt
~1/3 cup high fiber cereal

it was quite clumpy and chalky ....but marginally edible

Attempt #2
small handful of mixed greens
1 carrot
1 apple
much smaller scoop of yogurt
a bit of honey
and water - probably 2 cups

it was better at first, but by the time I got in my car and hit the road (I was planning to drink it on the way to work) it had separated a bit and was foamy on the top and watery on the bottom.

Are you supposed to drink this immediately?  Even using the Vitamix will the ingredients separate?  With Attempt #2 I drank 1/3 immediately and it was pretty good but the separated stuff was NOT very tasty. The top part tasted like veggie baby food and bottom liquid portion tasted like honey in lukewarm water.

I'd like to include fiber but maybe the dried cereal isn't a good idea.  How about adding Metamucil or some other dietary fiber?

Do you need to add some kind of fat or oil to make it more like an emulsion?

merigayle:
hmmm. i would try grinding the cereal before adding the wet ingredients, so it is like flour, that is what i do with oatmeal.

Yeah, drink the drinks immediately. You can also get a blender cup, which is a big cup with this metal ball thing inside that when you shake the cup it mixes your drink. I find the more cold, the better. Spinach worked for me, but kale was still too bitter.

radial:
Blenders like the Vitamix and Blendtec do a much better job of pulverizing things than the old Osterizers.  So, it might very well be an equipment issue.  Meri's suggestion to do things in two stages is a good one.  If I put flax seeds in a smoothy, I use a few pulses of the blender to turn them into flour before adding the soft/wet ingredients.  If you just threw them in with everything else, I think you would be picking whole flax seeds out of your teeth all day long. 

Run Amok:
A carrot, apple, and cereal are definitely going to add a lot of bulk. I haven't done well with apples in my smoothie. My green smoothie is usually a bannana, frozen berries, yogurt, two big handfuls of spinach, and then water to thin to my desired consistency. I do sometimes at wheat bran for add'l fiber. This is all about 300cal. I have a pretty good blender, but I think you really need smething like a vitamix to get things like carrot and apple really smooth.

cindyleigh:
Thanks!  Maybe once I blow the engine on the Osterizer I can get a Vitamix (its my birthday in May).  They are shockingly pricey!

On a "green smoothie" website lots of folks recommend adding protein powder.  Have you all tried Whole Foods 365 Whey Protein Powder?  It has good reviews.  Can't I buy already ground flax seeds?

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page