I’m not one to read directions when I get a new kitchen appliance.  Just ask my husband. He’ll tell you that I dive right in to try to figure it out and if it’s not intuitive I generally give up. Take for example my fancy schmancy food processor and blender, both of which have been sitting in the back left corner of my kitchen cabinet for a good 15 years accumulating dust. I tried and then I gave up. There were far too many bells and whistles that required attaching, swapping and cleaning.

Smoothies have always been a family favorite. My blender never quite did the trick. The smoothies were lumpy and really couldn’t be called smoothies. Complaints from the peanut gallery were coming left, right and center. I just stopped making them.

Blendtec to the rescue

Over the past year or so I’ve had my eye on a new blender. I was looking for something that could handle my smoothie and pureed soup obsession without a 300 page instruction manual and all those extra annoying pieces.

Thanks to the kind folks at Blendtec Blenders I received a new blender to try out. This is not an ordinary blender. This thing can handle anything and everything-the blade is unbelievable. My smoothies are now lump free.

Experimenting with Blendtec

My son had an important role in our first Blendtec creation. He had to look through the extensive recipe book to pick out what we would make. The only requirement was finding a recipe that called for ingredients that were already in the house. He chose Berried Up to Here which is a blend of frozen strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and apple juice.

I used organic fruit and added a little spinach when he wasn’t looking.

Overall the recipe was very simple and very delicious.

How do you like my Groovy Green Livin mugs? The recipe book that comes with the blender is fantastic. Recipes are designated as gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, low-sodium and more.

I’ve only tapped the surface with this amazing blender. There are so many things I plan to test out. On the top of my list is making my own almond milk, apple spice muffins and Popeye’s Ice Cream which has a little spinach in it. If only I had this when my kids were infants-you can even make your own baby food!

Easy to use

I admit I didn’t read the manual, but the Blendtec blender is incredibly easy to use. When I make a smoothie I hit the “smoothie” button and it turns on and off automatically, blending for just the right amount of time. There are buttons for juicing, ice cream and many other things. There is also the ability to manually adjust the time and speed.

There’s a simple trick to blending

I learned quickly that the liquids go in first, followed by any soft solids and then frozen ingredients and ice go in last.

Cleaning is a breeze

It takes under a minute to clean out the blender. To clean I just add a cup of warm water to the blender and press pulse for about 5 seconds, rinse and all done!

It’s on my counter

I don’t put very much out on my counters in my kitchen. Take a look at this video and you’ll see that it’s pretty sparse in my kitchen.  This blender is on my counter and is going to stay there-that says a lot about the blender. I use it all the time so it needs to be in accessible spot. Plus the groovy red color is pretty stylin’.

What I don’t like

I was surprised that the top piece of the blender is made from plastic. The plastic is BPA-free, but many of you know that I’m not a fan of plastic especially when it comes in contact with food. I did a little research and discovered that Blendtec’s main competitor, Vitamix, is also made from plastic.

Extra bonus

I was also sent the Blendtec Twister Jar to try out. This innovative jar is designed to blend your thickest recipes such as: Nut Butters, Hummus, Baby Food, Dips, Thick Shakes, Dressings and more! It just pops right on top of the base. I’ll be making my own peanut butter very soon.

GIVEAWAY!

I’m so excited to offer this GIVEAWAY to all of you! Blendtec has graciously offered to give ONE Groovy Green Livin reader a Blendtec Blender and Twister Jar valued at $573.95!! Woot, woot!!  By entering your name and other information you acknowledge that you have read and are agreeing to our Official Rules. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was sent a Blendtec blender and Twister Jar for review. The opinions expressed in this review are my very own.