Just got a Vitamix! Now what?
September 8, 2013 11:37 AM   Subscribe

I need two somewhat special snowflakey starter recipes for my new Vitamix blender. Is there a perfect smoothie recipe for me?

We just got a Vitamix. I am excited because we both need to eat more vegetables and in the past, when I have bought cucumbers and salad greens with good intentions, they went bad before we used them up. I am thinking that sneaking them into smoothies is the way to go. I am not an experienced enough cook to just wing it though. I need exact directions, with quantities. Here are the two recipes I want to start with:

1) A Meal Replacement Green Smoothie. I want something not too calorific for someone trying to lose weight, but substantial enough to hold me until lunchtime. Ideally, it will be something where I can just throw a handful of stuff into the blender and whiz it up, then pour it into a travel mug and take it to work with me. No nuts or soy please, but protein powder or seed-based protein is welcome.

2) A Snacktime Green Smoothie. This will be an evening snack for the boyfriend. He can't have pineapple and dislikes bananas. I was thinking something involving frozen blueberries would be good.

I am okay with modifying a master recipe once I have one (e.g. replacing frozen strawberries with frozen something else) but to start with, I do need exact quantities so I don't wind up with something that tastes like seaweed :) Thanks!
posted by JoannaC to Food & Drink (9 answers total) 29 users marked this as a favorite
 
I promise you don't need a recipe. It takes a LOT of greens to make it taste bad. Here's my standard "recipe". The ratios are really unimportant, other than getting it to blend well (not putting in too much frozen stuff); see below.

* Some sort of liquid to mostly cover the blades. I use juice (carrot-orange usually), but water would be lower-calorie
* Something soft, like a banana, avocado half, or other non-frozen fruit. I usually use a banana per serving or avocado per two servings.
* Heaping spoonful or two of Greek yogurt per serving.
* Handful of frozen fruit. I stay away from anything too watery like grapes or blueberries. My go-to is mango, bought in big bags at the warehouse club. The frozen mix is fine too, or frozen sliced bananas if I had some that were getting overripe.
* Top off the pitcher (should be about half-full at this point) with kale, collards, or spinach. It's good to rotate them. If you want more, really pack them in there.
* Add flax seeds (they'll blend fine, but the residue is a little gritty and takes a little more cleaning) or flax powder or protein powder if you want.

Start it on low. Let it mix thoroughly, then slowly crank to high. If you go too fast too soon, it'll create an air bubble by the blades. If this happens, add more liquid, turn it off, shake the pitcher, and start on low again. Or use the tamper. I lost mine, but rarely miss it. If it won't blend, it won't pour (or drink very well).

You can modify infinitely. Add lemon juice for tartness, take out some of the higher-cal fruit, add fresh herbs like parsley, spices like cardamom or cloves. Pretty much anything will taste just fine, even great-- carrots, beets, jalapeƱos (not kidding). Arugula mixed with the other greens. Go wild.

The problem is that I get hungry again pretty quickly if I drink it quickly (and I can drink 24 oz in under 5 minutes). It's a product of all the ingredients already being broken down. Pace yourself and it should hold you until lunch.
posted by supercres at 11:56 AM on September 8, 2013 [7 favorites]


Oh, and wash immediately. Rinse out the leftovers, then add a few drops of dish soap and fill 25% with water. Put the top on and blend. Pour and rinse. If there's stuff on the lid, use a sponge or whatever.
posted by supercres at 11:58 AM on September 8, 2013 [1 favorite]


I'm a big fan of green lemonade. There's other recipes out there for green lemonade so you can vary it per taste. So freaking good. Congrats on your new best friend in the kitchen!
posted by dog food sugar at 11:58 AM on September 8, 2013 [2 favorites]


We prepare a weeks worth of frozen fruit/veg every Sun. 1/2 apple, 1/2 cucumber, 1 banana, 1/2 kiwi, 2 carrots, whatever other fruit is lying around. In the morning, we dump this in the Vitamix with a little water, 1 T chia seeds, 2 prunes, and stuff the rest with greens (any kind). Sometimes we add broccoli or cauliflower if we have some. This makes a big smoothie for me, my husband , and our daughter. I can then make it until lunch without eating anything else, but at lunch I am very hungry. I do, however, feel like the smoothie lifestyle makes me crave sweets, so I don't think it has worked as a weight loss aid. On the other hand, my skin and nails look great and my GI problems have been greatly reduced, so good enough for me.
posted by Malla at 12:49 PM on September 8, 2013


I agree that a green smoothie, especially a fruit-heavy one, is not necessarily filling if you're sensitive at all to sugar. Nonetheless, they are tasty and chock full o' nutrients, so I drink them from time to time. Protein powder might help up the satiety value, and I've found NutriBiotic Rice Protein to be relatively inoffensive as these things go.
posted by whistle pig at 3:21 PM on September 8, 2013




For your #1:

1 cup of packed spinach (100 g if you have a digital scale)
2 cups of water or coconut water
1 mango
1 banana
2 tbsp hemp seeds
2 tsp bee pollen
1 tsp spirulina
1/2 tsp chorella
1/4 tsp raw stevia powder

Blend the spinach and water. Add mango and banana and blend. Add the rest and blend until smooth. Add hemp protein powder as desired. Drink half and save the rest, good for 24 hours.
posted by KathyK at 8:39 AM on September 9, 2013


The Vita-Mix website has lots of recipes that give precise amounts.

Also, thank you so much for asking this question. I would never had known that my Vita-Mix container was recalled had I not looked for recipes for you. Thanks!!
posted by PorcineWithMe at 9:37 AM on September 9, 2013


1) A Meal Replacement Green Smoothie.

I make a breakfast kale shake that tides me over well until lunch:

Kale - 3 leaves
Cucumber - 1/2
Celery - 1
Carrot - 1
Coconut/MCT Oil - 1 golfball
Banana - 1 frozen pre-peeled
Strawberries - 4 frozen
Oatmeal - 1 cup dry
Hemp Protein Powder - 2 scoops
Water - cold

The importance of the coconut oil fat cannot be overstated, helping with taste, satiation, and fat-soluble vitamin absorption. You can jettison the oatmeal to make it more weight-loss friendly.

Other ingredients to toy with include hemp hearts, avocado, and ginger. The first two make good substitutes for the coconut oil.
posted by troll at 1:59 PM on September 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


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