FIVE REASONS TO INVEST IN A QUALITY BLENDER

I have always loved smoothies.  When I was probably 12 I started experimenting with smoothies.  Their old blender worked hard to blend my fruit, always producing a sickly melted plastic smell.  My parents always thought they were too tangy -- probably because all of my smoothies contained at least a cup of orange juice.  I, on the other hand, thought they were delicious!

I'm pretty sure this is the exact blender my parents had (Source: grannytreasurebox.com)

I still make a lot of smoothies.  Last year, we saw the Ninja blenders at Costco and decided to purchase one.  It was the best $100 (or so) dollars we have spent on our kitchen; our Ninja has been the most-used kitchen appliance by far!  Our blending habits ebb and flow, but I'd say we safely use our blender about 2-3 times a week.

Our blender came with two tops -- a small and a large.  The large one looks so new and fresh compared to this little one, because we always use the little one!

Five Reasons to Invest in a Quality Blender

1.) They are easy to use!

If you don't have a good blender, you probably avoid using it because it is such a pain.  Fruit often gets lodged in cheaper blenders, causing them to overwork.  They can also be a pain to clean! 

2.) They are fast!

With my old blender, I would have to stop it often to stir the mixture around.  With my Ninja, I can just throw it all in and keep it running until it is smooth.

3.) Blending is an EASY way to maximize your nutrition.

Smoothies are very forgiving.  There are so many ingredients that can be included in smoothies.  There are the more obvious ingredients: fruits and dairy.  But you can easily incorporate veggies, grains, protein powders, and nuts, too!

4.) Blending can help you reduce waste.

This goes along with the previous point -- smoothies are forgiving!

I have put a lot of weird things into smoothies just to save them from the trash bin.  [Obviously they are still good items of food -- just ones I don't have a need for in any recipes that week.]  My poor husband gets a lot of mystery drinks.  He drinks the smoothie and then we play a guessing game -- "What do you think was in that?" I can only recall a couple of times where we didn't drink the smoothie because it tasted too weird.

5.) They are not only for smoothies.

Good blenders can be used much like food processors.  We don't have a food processor, so we use our blender instead.  We primarily use our Ninja for smoothies, but we've made soups, salad dressings, sauces and dough in it, as well.  I know you can also make hummus, gravy, and salsas with your blender.

Go blend something!