Blending In

Some of you know that I am into the green smoothies thing. That is not really about color, it is about getting greens, like spinach and kale, into my diet. I like mixing spinach, water, a banana, and some frozen berries into a deliciouis smoothie pretty much every work morning, and sometimes weekends. It is a great raw food, and a sneaky way to eat spinach without tasting it. Really. You cannot taste the spinach.

If you do a search on green smoothies I am sure you will find a lot of information. Some web sites and books will encourage the use of a very expensive blender. Some I guess actually sort of start the digestion process for you due to the amount of blending they do. I have found just a regular blender works very well.

I have a Hamilton Beach Wavestation that cost just over $20 that works nicely. I was not sure about this blender when I first bought it. The blades sort of point upwards instead of out, and the assembly does not attach like the Oster blender I am used to, but now that I am used to it, I find I actually like the assembly. Even better, I like the plastic jar. I thought this was odd at first, but bought it because the price was right, and I thought, well, less chance of getting broken! Sure enough, I find it lightweight, easy to use, easy to clean, and I have not broken it!

There is a dispenser feature, kind of like a tap, which would probably be fun if serving kids or having a margarita party. Otherwise, just pouring from the top of the blender works fine. The little tap has a cap for when you do not want to use that feature. I leave it on, and the entire thing cleans very easily, so is not an extra hassle at all.

I do not know how long this blender will last. I have had it since the beginning of January and use it every week day. So far, going strong! As I said, it can be found on sale for just over $20, so seems like it has already been a good investment.

Oh, by the way, mine is red. Very cool. It is important to have cool-looking appliances, right? *grin*