Best Kitchen Workhorse for Healthy Eating

You know how you get really excited about something that makes your life easier?

It’s a big deal. So you tell all your friends, wanting to spread the love.

Parents of little babies who have just figured out how to finally get some sleep know what I mean.

Compulsive cleaners who have just figured out how to finally get out that nagging stain in the carpet know what I mean.

Men who have just mapped out the absolute best route to work shaving seconds off their travel time know what I mean.

And people who have transitioned from a regular blender to a Vitamix (or another high-powered blender) know what I mean.

[Insert eye roll here]

Yeah, so maybe that was a bit melodramatic and over the top. But everyone I have talked to who has one is emphatic about how great it is.

If you are interested in preparing healthy meals at home, getting more fruits and vegetables in your family’s diet, and being able to conveniently make pantry staples in your own kitchen…then this post is for you.

Number one objection to the Vitamix: It is cost-prohibitive. And I agree. It is expensive. And not everyone can afford to make such a big investment right now. We all go through seasons where we need to pinch pennies especially tight. And if that’s where you are, this post is not meant to stir up feelings of discontentment. There will always be things we want, things that we really think would serve our families well, but just can’t have at the time.

There are things I earnestly want to see happen in our house (finish the basement!!!) but they are not going to happen now. But just because you may not have the funds to go buy one tomorrow doesn’t mean that it is not something that your family should potentially consider saving towards.

Regardless of whether you can afford one or not, or whether you think you need one or not, let me share how it’s been useful in our kitchen.

Daily Use

I use the Vitamix at least once a day. Some days I use it three or four times a day, depending on what needs to be prepared.

Almost every morning, we start our day with a “green” (the color varies) smoothie. If we don’t have our smoothie in the morning, then we usually have one as a snack or as a large part of our lunch. Just about any blender can blend soft greens like spinach into a smoothie. And spinach is a great thing to add to a smoothie.

The Vitamix, though, allows me to not only add spinach, but other harder and tougher vegetables like kale, swiss chard, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, and celery. Then in addition to the vegetables, I add frozen fruit: peaches, cherries, bananas, berries, or pineapple. Being able to eat four to five different fruits and vegetables in their raw form everyday is a significant boost in our daily nutrition. 

I also use my Vitamix to grind grain. I purchase a variety of wheat berries in bulk, store them in the freezer, and grind them in the Vitamix to make flour. I don’t grind grain for every recipe, and there are seasons of life in which I don’t do it as often, but it is helpful that I can do it in the Vitamix rather than need another separate appliance.

Weekly Use

The Vitamix comes in handy for lots of other kitchen tasks too.

I use it to make:

• mayonnaise (oil, eggs, lemon juice, mustard, salt & pepper, and less than three minutes)
• powdered sugar
• whipped cream (heavy cream, maple syrup and vanilla, and less than three minutes)
• nut butters
• tomato sauce
• pureed soups (like this honey roasted carrot soup) (not only can the Vitamix safely blend a large amount of hot soup, the result is a much creamier soup than I used to get from my food processor)
• pesto (like this one)
• fruit sorbet
• frozen coffee drinks
• juices (quarter whole, unpeeled apples then add just a little bit of water and blend. No need to core the apples. Strain through cheesecloth over a metal strainer and you have amazingly delicious apple juice)

spiced apple juice with whipped cream

honey roasted carrot soup 

homemade graham crackers with chocolate almond butter

smoothies ready to take on a week-long camping trip

There are even more uses for the Vitamix that I do not often employ but you might find helpful for your family.

(This was one of the helpful articles I read before we took the plunge and invested in our Vitamix.)

In short, we use it all the time. It helps us eat more produce more often. It streamlines everyday kitchen tasks. It makes it much more efficient to prepare kitchen staples and avoid more expensive and/or processed alternatives.

What do you think? Do you have a Vitamix or other high-powered blender? Would you consider investing in one?