Navitas Naturals Organic Superfood Power Snacks Review

Product Review: Navitas Naturals Organic Superfood Power Snack

Company: Amazon via seller Navitas Naturals

Price Range: $8-$10

Who Would Buy This: 

Those shopping for a raw vegan snack that is ready to eat out of the bag. Anyone needing a healthy snack that will actually boost health rather than destroy it.

Purpose of Product:

Provide all the health benefits of chia, maca, cacao, camu-camu, and goji in a tasty and delicious way. Healthy snacking opportunities are few and far between in this world, for vegans and raw vegans, the options are even more limited. With this snack, you can find a tasty treat that goes great with a morning bowl of fruit.

Pros:

Please your taste buds with this awesome vegan snack. When the first ingredient on a product is dates, you know this item will be the sort of caramel sweet goodness that dates distinctly are. After dates comes a whole plethora of raw vegan ingredients designed to provide an optimal mix of nutrients. Full list of the ingredients (all organic) include:

• Date Paste
• Cacao Powder
• Chia Seed
• Sesame Seeds
• Raisin
• Sunflower Seeds
• Goji Powder
• Maca Powder
• Lucuma Powder
• Camu-camu Powder

Consume all sorts of nutrients in a pleasant way. Look at the ingredient list above. The ingredients listed are like a superstar lineup of health foods that are difficult to source in a grocery store. With the Navitas Naturals Superfood Snack, easily consume nutrients in a whole foods format instead of some kind of concentrated powder or supplement. 

Fool any sort of anti-vegan out there. As sad as it is, there are plenty of people out there that refuse to eat any food labeled as "vegan". With such a sweet and chocolatey snack, your non-vegan friends and family will not think twice when eating this food. More than likely, they will comment as to how this is one of the best snacks they ever had. Little do they know that they are eating a cruelty-free and health building superfood. 

Cons:

To a certain extent, I think these snacks could be homemade. Sourcing all the ingredients in this product from raw vegan sources may be difficult, but I think it is possible to make a version of this snack at home for far less cost. Organic raw dates are pricey, and they form the majority of this snack. I feel a sort of whole wheat cookie that has some dates made within them can be just as healthy, but will not be raw.

Guarantee:

The Amazon A-Z Guarantee is the best guarantee in the market. In the event that the product is not delivered, delivered in a broken condition, or is not meeting the quality expectations of the buyer, the item may be returned to Amazon for a full refund. A 30 day window exists to file a claim to Amazon over any problem that may come up with the product.

Value for money?

The Navitas Naturals Organic Superfood Power Snacks is a great buy for anyone looking for a ready to eat raw vegan snack. Do not feel guilty from eating these in moderation. I would not recommend eating a whole bag in one sitting. When eating one or two along with a breakfast of fruit or oatmeal, I find these to be a great product. I know it defeats the purpose of a raw food, but adding a cube of this snack to oatmeal for breakfast really sweetens up the dish to an extremely pleasant level.

Where to buy:

Amazon - Navitas Naturals Organic Superfood Power Snack

Continue to read reviews at Amazon:

"Great tasting healthy snack!" - Emily B.

"Great for snacking during long trips." - Astra

By Mat McNeile

Fat Free Vegan Hummus in the NutriBullet

My first non-blender recipe released on this site. When I make hummus, I like to keep it pretty simple. However, the most important thing when it comes to hummus is keeping it fat free. Especially when it comes to olive oil, there is absolutely no point to adding it to a hummus. The olive oil is simply empty calories. I choose to not add tahini when making hummus because tahini too is just extra calories and not completely needed when making hummus. Many may think tahini is needed to get the hummus creamy, but I have found that pressure cooking your own chick peas makes the chick peas incredibly soft. Check out my review on the Instant Pot in order to find out about my favorite pressure cooker.

You will need:

•  2 cups of pressure cooked Chickpeas, or 1 can of Chickpeas,
•  1 Clove of Garlic (Cook it with chickpeas, or use prechopped from the store),
• Juice of 1 Lemon,
• Water till the 1/3rd mark of the NutriBullet,
• (Optional) I like roasted red peppers mixed in as well, but a spicy chile powder works well too.

Blend until smooth and no chickpea chunks are left. If your blender starts stalling due to the mixture being too thick, add small amounts of water and keep blending. You will know when the hummus is just the right consistency once it turns that rich yellowish creamy color.

Feel free to taste throughout blending process to tweak recipe to your own tastes.

Once satisfied with the favor and consistency, throw the hummus into the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to chill the hummus down and let the flavors fully mix. Enjoy with your favorite snacks. My personal go to's are baby carrots, bell pepper slices, and corn tortillas for mini-wraps.

The NutriBullet is great for making hummus as it is quick and easy to blend when using this device. Cleanup is so simple too with the NutriBullet. I hate having to scoop out hummus with my hand basically when using a Vitamix to make hummus or any kind of bean dip. With the NutiBullet blender I can easily get all of the dish out without having to worry about a huge haste come cleanup time.

By Mat McNeile

Navitas Naturals Organic Protein Superfood Blend Review

Product Review: Navitas Naturals Organic Protein Superfood Blend

Company: Amazon via seller Navitas Naturals

Price Range: $10-$12

Who Would Buy This: 

Those shopping for a superfood to add to a smoothie to kick up the nutrition. Anyone seeking a raw vegan protein supplement.

Purpose of Product: 

To take advantage of a nutrient dense superfood. Perfect for adding to smoothies for any vegans and raw vegans out there looking for a natural superfood blend.

Pros:

Boost your smoothies with a blend of hemp, cacao, and maca. All three ingredients are certified organic and still in the raw vegan state. Strengthen your body with the positives all three ingredients provide. Overall, this superfood provides a rich source of protein, antioxidants, and minerals. Consuming isolated concentrates of foods is dangerous, with the Nativas Natural Protein Superfood Blend, you receive three organic powders that will naturally interact with your body.

Many vegans completely give up the chocolate flavor when becoming vegan. I know that when I first became a vegan I did not realize cacao could be consumed as a vegan food. For nearly half a year I was completely fine without having chocolate and did not think of it. However, I ended up buying a chocolate cupcake from a vegan cafe to see what it tasted like. It was almost like my mind was blown, the chocolate flavor surprised me with memories of times long past. This was a one time treat though, it was far too unhealthy and really expensive ($5 for a single cupcake!). Nativas Natural is not offering a perfect recreation of the chocolate flavor with this powder, but it certainly comes close. The flavor here is much closer to a sort of nutty flavor, but it still has the chocolaty overtone which is more than enough to return me to nostalgic memories.

When drinking with a smoothie, I like to add half a tablespoon to a smoothie. For the most part, I want the smoothies to taste of fruit, and primarily of bananas. With only this small amount, I am able to taste the flavors of the Protein Superfood Blend in a much more subtle way than when I add 1 tablespoon or more. This small amount is more used for the purpose of making an extremely healthy smoothie. If I am making a smoothie in the NutriBullet 900 S, I will still add a half tablespoon. When adding more than this amount, I will usually just try to make the smoothie into a chocolate banana smoothie in order to remind me of another nostalgic favorite of mine in pre-vegan days, chocolate milkshakes.

Cons:

Do not add more than 2 tablespoons if you do not want a very chocolate-y/nutty flavor in your smoothie. Perhaps it is just my taste buds, but I am too overwhelmed by the cacao flavor when adding anything more than 2 tablespoons of the Navitas Naturals Organic Protein Superfood Blend. I see no benefit in adding more than this amount.

Guarantee:

The Amazon A-Z Guarantee is the best guarantee in the market. In the event that the product is not delivered, delivered in a broken condition, or is not meeting the quality expectations of the buyer, the item may be returned to Amazon for a full refund. A 30 day window exists to file a claim to Amazon over any problem that may come up with the product.

Value for money?

The Navitas Naturals Organic Protein Superfood Blend is a great buy for anyone looking for a vegan and a raw vegan protein powder. Flavor is good in the protein powder and tastes like a real food instead of something chalky. Nutrient benefits gained from this superfood blend are a great deal for the price of this product.

Where to buy:

Amazon - Navitas Naturals Organic Protein Superfood Blend

Continue to read reviews at Amazon:

"Still tastes good, just think buyers should know." - Casocorcoran

"Although the taste is distinct, it isn't overwhelming." - Bluestocking

"I'm not vegan, but I do appreciate the addition of protein in my breakfast without having to add any meat." - Heather

Joyoung CTS-1098 Soy Milk Maker Review

Product Review: Joyoung CTS-1098 Soy Milk Maker 

Company: Amazon via seller Joyoung

Price Range: $140-$160

Pros:

Prepare up to 1.3 liters of soy milk in the comfort of your own home with the Joyoung CTS-1098. Make approximately the same amount of soy milk you would buy in a carton at the store with this machine. At $3-$5 a carton for soy milk at any grocery store, the costs of drinking soy milk can add u over time. When it comes to making your own soy milk, you will notice an incredible amount of savings as soy beans are cheap (even non-GMO soybeans) and soy milk requires a far smaller amount of beans than one ma imagine. I estimate that homemade soy milk easily costs 66% less than store bought. Making your own rice and flax milk will save you even more money. Almond milk is a little more debatable, but I truly question how a carton of almond milk can cost the same as soy milk when soybeans are about 50% as expensive as almonds. This most likely means almond milk at the store is low quality stuff.

Automate you soy milk making with programmable functions. Setup of the machine is easy, just place the soaked soybeans into the basin and add water to the fill mark. The machine will boil and grind the soybeans into a milky consistency. In twenty minutes, hot soy milk is ready to be served. Now, this is a product made in China by a Chinese company, but the machine is very intuitive and basically ready to be operated right out of the box. A manual is provided with the machine, but the initial setup and operation really is as simple as plugging it in and pressing a button. You will want to wash out the metal basin and the blending part with hot water and soap before first use though as with any cooking appliance.

Enjoy fresh, hot soy milk every morning. If you were ingenious enough, you could design a system where your machine literally will have hot soy milk ready to be used right when you wake up. You would need to soak the soybeans the day before, and then place them in the basin with water overnight (you could soak them in the basin overnight, I like to wash all beans before cooking though). Hook the Joyoung up to a timer to go off at the specified time and voila. Hot soy milk. The idea of drinking hot soy milk is foreign and unknown to most people. We always store our milk in refrigeration, whether it be cow's milk or plant milk. Experiencing a glass of hot soy milk is truly a life changing moment. For many of you out there with attachments to coffee and tea, consider switching over to hot soy milk as a possible caffeine-free alternative.

Cleanup is easy with the Joyoung CTS-1098. All you have to do is rinse the basin and the blending gears off. However, you will run into trouble if you leave the basin sitting out and let the leftover remnants of the soy milk dry out. Be sure to get the basin and blending gear submerged in water as soon as your use with the machine is over. If you can not drink or use all the soy milk in one sitting, I would advice storing the milk in a mason jar to be refrigerated and cleaning the Joyoung right away.

Cons:

Be aware of the limits of the filter. I am mostly happy with the filtration process that accompanies the Joyoung CTS-1098 Soy Milk Maker, but it is not the best in the world. Some small bits will not be screened out and the milk will not be 100% pure liquid. Tiny solid fragments will exist. This really does not bother me too much, as I now use the majority of soy milk I make in oatmeal and smoothies, rather than drinking it straight. Even then, the tiny fragments might bother the pickiest of people, but they are not that noticeable and do not bother the seasoned drinker.

Guarantee:

Joyoung provides a one year warranty on their soy milk maker if any defect comes up as a result of the manufacturing of the product. for a Chinese company, Joyoung is incredibly customer friendly with English speaking customers and attempts to help the user with any problems that may come up.

The Amazon A-Z Guarantee is the best guarantee in the market. In the event that the product is not delivered, delivered in a broken condition, or is not meeting the quality expectations of the buyer, the item may be returned to Amazon for a full refund. A 30 day window exists to file a claim to Amazon over any problem that may come up with the product.

Value for money?

I fully believe that paying for soy milk or any plant milk at the store is a complete ripoff. The milks provided at the store almost always have some unwanted product in it, and many do not taste that good to begin with. Homemade, hot soy milk is hands down one of the great discoveries only vegans seem to make. Think of a soy milk maker as a long term investment. Anyone out there that purchases plant based milks will likely make up the cost differential between store price and soybean price within a year or two. For quality, long term affordability, and hot soy milk, the Joyoung CTS-1098 is a great deal for the money.

Where to buy:

Amazon - Joyoung CTS-1098 Soy Milk Maker

Continue to read reviews at Amazon:

"Great machine for soy milk lover." - ARabitt

"It is very easy to clean too." - Tammy Hsu

"Easy to make fresh nutritious soy milk." - Dad24sons

By Mat McNeile

The Purple Berries Smoothie for NutriBullet

Yep, misspelled smoothie.

Today's smoothie recipe will be for an antioxidant packed tasty treat. I hope everyone enjoys the picture, it was my attempt to get creative with the drawing.

You will Need:

• 2 Bananas. I like to use one frozen and one non frozen.
• Handful of strawberries. Frozen works if that is all you have, I prefer fresh.
• Equivalent of a handful of frozen cherries. This will make your smoothie a nice dark color.
• 2 Handfuls of Blueberries. Feel free to put in your favorite berry. Frozen works too.
• Fill with water or soy milk to a third of blending container. I am really liking the Soyajoy, so I choose soy milk for most smoothies now.
• Add ice only if you did not add a frozen banana and/or frozen berries. Only put in a few cubes.

Blend for 15 seconds.

Enjoy

By Mat McNeile

NutriBullet 900 S in Australia. Is it possible?

I see this question brought up a lot, so I will try to provide as coherent an answer as possible. I am not an Aussie, I do live in the United States. This post is simply a means to relay information I have gathered on the subject.

Will the NutriBullet 900 S work right out of the box in Australia?

No, it will not. The NutriBullet is designed to be used in the United States. It is powered off of 115 volt 60 Hertz. The power output in Australia is 230 volt 50 Hertz.

This means that if you attempt to run the blender in an Australian kitchen, it simply will not work and could potentially break as a result of being overloaded.

How do I correct this?

You will need to use a power inverter if you want to have a chance of being successful. This model on Amazon.com seems to be a good choice: Power Bright VC500W Voltage Transformer.

I have not tested this out to confirm the machine will operate. With that being said, many people report success from using this transformer.

Also, if you want to purchase the NutiBullet 900 S and you live in Australia, I would recommend Amazon.com. Many sellers of the machine will not ship to Australia or will gouge you like crazy. Amazon is a far more dependable choice. Click here to go to the Amazon page: Nutribullet Pro 900 Series.

By Mat McNeile

NutriBullet 900 S: Milling Blade. Where is it? Why is it not included?

Many new buyers of the NutriBullet Pro 900 S are worried due to a lack of a milling blade with this latest model.

Here is the short answer to anyone wondering why a milling blade is not included: the NutriBullet company fully believes that the regular blender container can now handle the milling process all on its own.

Long answer:

The NutriBullet 900 S does not come with a milling blade because the latest model is now powerful enough to do the traditional jobs of milling in the regular blending container. Now, I do not necessarily believe this myself.

For anyone looking for a blender to be primarily used to mill things like whole wheat grains, or oat groats, or any single whole grain, then I would not recommend the NutriBullet. I have had great success with the Vitamix over the years when it comes to milling in a dry blender container. Let it be known that I mill very tough items like mesquite beans.

If you are just wanting a blender to make spices out of whole seeds. Then the NutriBullet 900 will work absolutely fine. It will also chop nuts well into small pieces. Furthermore, it is great when it comes to making oat flour out of rolled oats.

Conclusion

The NutriBullet 900 S does not include a milling blade. The NutriBullet company stands by the claim that the 900 watt motor is fully capable of milling items in the regular blending container, but I question that statement. If anyone is seriously looking for a blender capable of milling hard grains, then I can only recommend a Vitamix blender. The NutiBullet is great for a wide variety of tasks, but I would never attribute milling grains as one of them to it when I can compare the power of a Vitamix.

To learn more about the latest NutriBullet model, feel free to read my review of the NutriBulet Pro 900 Series. 

By Mat McNeile

Nemco Easy Juicer Review

Product Review: Nemco Easy Juicer

Company: Amazon via seller Nemco

Price Range: $255-$300

Who Would Buy This: 

Those shopping for a manual juicer specifically made for juicing citrus. Anyone looking for a machine to make freshly squeezed orange juice. Whoever is in need of a maximum efficiency manual juicer.

Purpose of Product:

To save time and labor when it comes to juicing citrus. Maximize the amount of juice extracted from oranges, lemons, limes, and other citrus fruits.

Pros:

Easily juice your citrus fruits with the Nemco Easy Juicer. Using an electric juicer, or even a hand squeezer, to juice a large amount of citrus at any one time is an absolute pain. When using an electric juicer, you have to completely peel the fruit and break it up into small sections. Hand held squeezers are often messy and slow when it comes to juicing more than one piece of citrus at any one time. A fully dedicated counter top manual citrus press is the perfect solution for anyone wanting freshly squeezed citrus.

Made from quality metals, this manual juicer is built to last and undergo the stress of daily use without hiccup. With a stainless steel and aluminum body, this model of citrus press is far more durable than any plastic model on the market. Also, the gears within the Nemco Juicer are made of bronze. All materials that went into this Nemco product are suited for restaurant use where hundreds of glasses of fresh orange juice may need to be made daily.

Take advantage of citrus sales as they come up throughout the year. Especially during the winter months, citrus can be sold at mind boggling low prices. If you are not stocking up like mad when oranges or grapefruits are being sold at rates close to 10 for $1, you are missing out big time. Do not expect to find such amazing deals at Walmart though. Oftentimes you will need to check a regional grocery chain to get these steals. Keep in mind though, citrus is almost always one of the most affordable fruits you can buy at the grocery store year round. In order to take advantage of low priced citrus, a manual citrus juicer is the perfect tool to do so. Juicing citrus requires a large amount of fruit, but the end result is always so worth it. There is absolutely nothing like a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.

Clean your Nemco Easy Juicer quickly. Just place the juicer in your sink for an effortless clean up. Now, many juicers wonder what to do with all the citrus peels generated by the juicers. I have never had a problem feeding my compost worms citrus. I believe this is largely an urban myth that worms die from eating citrus. Of course though, I feed them a diversity of produce scraps. If you were to feed your worms solely one food, they would not do well and may even die. Be sure to always add carbon to your worm bin as well. If you do not keep worms, you can compost citrus no problem. Also, I like to simply add citrus peels to my garden underneath the mulch layer. I am sure a whole host of possible options exist (you could even dehydrate them if you wanted and make a powder), but I love having all of this compostable leftover waste.

Cons:

You will have difficulty juicing larger fruits, and it does not juice pomegranates. You can juice big grapefruits and pomegranates if you want, it will just be messy and frustrating to deal with. More often than not, you can squeeze the grapefruits into being juiced well enough, it simply is not as easy juicing grapefruits with the Nemco Easy Juicer as it is with oranges, lemons, and limes.

Guarantee:

The Amazon A-Z Guarantee is the best guarantee in the market. In the event that the product is not delivered, delivered in a broken condition, or is not meeting the quality expectations of the buyer, the item may be returned to Amazon for a full refund. A 30 day window exists to file a claim to Amazon over any problem that may come up with the product.

Value for money?

For anyone wanting a manual citrus press that is designed to last a lifetime, the Nemco Easy Juicer is a great product to choose. Its entirely metal based construction makes it a serious choice for anyone wanting both functionality and appeal in the kitchen. Once you make your own fresh orange juice or limeade, anything you buy from the store will taste like garbage. For that reason, I only squeeze my own citrus with a manual juicer when I am desiring a citrus drink. Go out and make your own citrus juice with an electric juicer or a hand squeezer to see if you like the taste of the drink. If you do, then I would highly recommend the Nemco Easy Juicer.

Where to buy:

Amazon - Nemco Easy Juicer

Continue to read reviews at Amazon:

"Awesome Juicer." - Ubuntu Man

"Solid performance." - Dyrek Watson

"Well designed kitchen essential." - Wyoming Man 

By Mat McNeile

The Spicy Ginger NutriBullet Smoothie

Man, I see people all the time talking about making ginger smoothies. I do not know about you, but I always like drinking creamy sweet smoothies, no matter if they are green smoothies. Occasionally I will want to add ginger to my smoothies because ginger is an amazing healing herb. However, when some recipes just say "throw in some ginger" I begin to question the recipe. After enough experiences of adding too much ginger to a smoothie and ending up with a spicy iced drink, I needed to perfect the recipe.

Spicy Ginger NutriBullet Smoothie

• 1 Banana unfrozen, and 1 frozen Banana
• Handful of Strawberries. Do not worry about the proportions here.
• Shaved ginger. Use a cheese grater if you have one and are confident with using it. I never grew up using one, and somewhat fear the possibility of hurting myself on a traditional metal one. Instead, I use the OXO Good Grips Grater so that I can grate the ginger directly over the blender. A handheld zester works well to with ginger, it will be more work though.
• When it comes to the amount of shaved ginger, I like it to be very conservative. Some people really enjoy spicy smoothies, I am not one of those people. Ginger is an ingredient used in a wide variety of my cooking, so I find even minimal additions to it spread across multiple uses a day yields great results. With t hat in mind, I would recommend maybe 5-10 full shredding motions with the ginger.
• Milled Flax Seed. The presence of fat will help to calm down any spice, along with making the smoothie healthier for you to consume due to Flax Seeds being a great source of Omega-3 Fatty Oils. Milled Flax seeds are nearly identical to the health benefit found in Chia Seeds, but they cost only a fraction of the price at Amazon: Hodgson Mill Milled Flax Seed, 12-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 8).
• Water to the 1/3rd mark of the NutriBullet blender container.
• Ice Cubes. About 4 or 5 ice cubes will do the trick.
• (Optional): I like adding Vitamineral Earth to these smoothies. Vitamineral Earth has a spicy flavor to it as well. I see no reason to not add a health boost to any smoothie I drink. Read my review of Vitamineral Earth.

BLEND For 15-30 Seconds

ENJOY

Interested in the NutriBullet. Check out my review of the latest model: NutriBullet Pro 900 S.

By Mat McNeile

NutriBullet Strawberry Banana Smoothie

The greatest smoothie recipe of all time goes vegan. Nobody will decline a strawberry banana smoothie.

You will need:

• 2 1/2 Bananas (Eat the other half)
• Frozen strawberries. Fill about as many as you can into the blender after the bananas are in.
• Pour in chia seeds (or flax seeds). You will not need a ton, a half tablespoon will be plenty.
• Add water to till the water level reaches about 1/3rd of the NutriBullet.

Blend for 15-30 seconds.

You can always add greens to the smoothie in order to kick it up to a higher nutritious level.  I really enjoy Vitamineral Earth with this recipe.

Feel free to read my NutriBullet Pro 900 S review in order to find out about this great blender.

By Mat McNeile.

Breville Hemisphere Control Blender Review

Product Review: Breville BBL605XL Hemisphere Control Blender

Company: Amazon via seller Breville

Price Range: $199-$249

Who Would Buy This: 

Those shopping for a programmable counter top blender. For anyone interested in n efficient and sleek product, the Breville Hemisphere Control Blender works wonders.

Purpose of Product:

The Breville Hemisphere Control Blender is designed with making smoothies in mind. It can be used for all traditional tasks associated with blending, but the programmed features on it suggest use almost entirely for drink making purposes. As a smoothie maker, it does a great job

Pros:

Employ a quality blender at a fraction of the cost of Vitamix and other high end blender brands. From its powerful motor to the vortex blending technology to the BPA-free blending jar to its LED lighted buttons, this blender comes loaded down with unique features. With a price point of 50% of even the lowest costs Vitamix blenders, the Breville Hemisphere Control Blender was built to impress.

Blend your favorite drinks with variable speeds easily thanks to the programmable functions of this blender. With a 750 watt blending height, this unit is powerful enough for even leafy green smoothies. Due to the vortex blending technology of the Breville Blender, all content within the blending container will be sucked down into the blades. Hiccups can occur if not enough water is present in the blender, so be sure to include a little extra liquid with all smoothie recipes.

Enjoy the sleek design and unique features of this blender. As mentioned before, the Breville Hemisphere Control Blender comes with programmable features, which include: ice crush, pulse, and smoothie. Along with these programs, the blender can be set to operate on varying speeds in order to customize every blend to the unique recipe being made. Another great feature I have never seen before on a blender is the LCD countdown display that alerts you to when the programmed function will be complete. With all buttons being back lit, you will never have to wonder again whether you actually hit a button again. Each program will light up on the blender which makes it doubly useful when blending so early in the morning it is still dark out, or for blending during the night.

With a price point less than $200, this blender serves as a great starting point for anyone wanting the best of both worlds when it comes to blending. Almost all blenders with price points below $100 are utter crap that are not met for daily use. The NutriBullet 900 S offers a great choice with a low price point, but it is meant for people not desiring a large blending container. The Breville Hemisphere Control Blender has a motor powerful enough to get the daily blending tasks of anyone seeking the health benefits of daily smoothie consumption, and the blending capacity for anyone wanting big green smoothies. At 48 ounces, this blender size matches many of the Vitamix models. This machine serves perfectly for anyone then seeking a large smoothie to drink in the morning, but not yet wanting to purchase a top of the line blender.

Cons:

While the blender may in fact be quiet, I would not say it is a "peaceful" machine. The Breville BBL605XL Hemisphere Control Blender certainly does not have a loud motor, it is actually one of the quietest blenders I have seen. Still though, when it runs on the pulse setting, the blender has a tendency to jump all over the counter. No liquids are spilled out of the blender, but this is startling. Occasionally I worry that the blender could fall off the counter. Nothing like that has happened yet, but I would suggest all users of this blender keep it situated away from the edge of the counter top.

Guarantee:

Breville offers a 1-year limited warranty on the product to cover any defects in manufacturing. This will not cover any self-inflicted damage upon the blender by the user.

The Amazon A-Z Guarantee is the best guarantee in the market. In the event that the product is not delivered, delivered in a broken condition, or is not meeting the quality expectations of the buyer, the item may be returned to Amazon for a full refund. A 30 day window exists to file a claim to Amazon over any problem that may come up with the product. 

Value for money?

For anyone new into the world of blenders or wishing to upgrade from a sub-$100 model, the Breville Hemisphere Control Blender is a great intermediate choice. Many of the prime features found within the top of the line blenders can also be found in this Breville model. Even then, the Breville includes some unique extras like the programmable features, the LED back lit buttons, and the LCD count down display that make this a nifty appliance in any kitchen.

Where to buy:

Amazon - Breville BBL605XL Hemisphere Control Blender

Continue to read reviews at Amazon:

"Works well and very easy to clean." - Jane PIne Wood

"And this one is worth the money and does a great job!" - Debra L. Stewart

"Nice end result from a product with a few flaws." - George Bagwel

By Mat McNeile

NutriBullet Recipe - Quick Green Smoothie

Classic go to recipe for anyone who loves green smoothies. It is quick, easy, and tasty. Make this in your NutriBullet 900 S every morning for noticeably better health.

You Will Need:

• 2 Ripe Bananas
• Hand full of your favorite leafy greens
• Hand full of your favorite berries
• A few ice cubes
• Water to fill the NutriBullet up to about 1/3rd of the blender's size.

Blend for 15-30 seconds and enjoy.

If you want your smoothie thicker and icier, use frozen bananas, but be sure to ad a little more water in order to get everything to blend. 

Also, feel free to add Vitamineral Green and/or Vitamineral Earth to get a super boost of added nutrients. 

By Mat McNeile

Compensation Disclosure

“http://www.VeganKitchenAppliances.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.”

AFFILIATE PRODUCTS & SERVICE TRADEMARKS

All Product content included on Affiliate site, such as Product Description, Product graphics, Product images, audio clips, digital downloads, data compilations, and Product Reviews, is the property of Amazon or its content suppliers and protected by United States and international copyright laws. We fully comply with Amazon.com Associates Program Operating Agreement.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

www.VeganKitchenAppliances.com takes no responsibility for the accuracy or validity of any claims or statements contained in the documents and related graphics on the Affiliate website. Further, http://www.VeganKitchenAppliances.com makes no representations about the suitability of any of the information contained in software programs, documents and related graphics on the Affiliate website for any purpose. All such software programs, documents and related graphics are provided without warranty of any kind. In no event shall Affiliate be liable for any damages whatsoever, including special, indirect or consequential damages, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of information available from the service.

RECOURSE

If you are dissatisfied with the Affiliate website or with any terms, conditions, rules, policies, guidelines, or practices of Affiliate in operating the Affiliate website, your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue using the Affiliate website.


Google

Infographic- NutriBullet

Vitamix vesus NutriBullet Pro 900 Series

Can this comparison actually exist? Top of the line blenders produced by the Vitamix company versus the lowly NutriBullet? Shouldn't this be a one sided fight?

Nope, there are positives and negatives for each blender series.

NutriBullet 900

Pros:

• Far more affordable. The NutriBullet 900 S only costs $150. Previous NutriBullet models are even cheaper.
• Takes up less space on the counter top. A NutriBullet has a small footprint compared to the Vitamix.
• Quicker and easier to clean. 
• Makes single servings and small batches of blended items far more easily. 
• NutriBullet 900 S will blend fruit well.
• Works well as a food processor.

Cons:

• Blade in blender definitely seems of lesser quality than Vitamix.
• Warranty is much shorter.
• If you ever want to blend a large quantity of something at a time, you will need to devise some kind of logistics system to do so.
• There are limits to the power of the NutriBullet.
• Not great when trying to make nut butters

 My review of the Nutribullet Pro 900 S.

Vitamix 

Pros:

• Super powerful. Vitamix blenders are one of the most powerful brands on the market.
•  Industrial design. Looks like something that truly came out of a factory (this is a good thing).
• Large holding capacity in blender. If you ever need to blend a lot of something at one time, the Vitamix offers 48oz size and 64oz size blending containers.
• Great at milling any hard seeds you are trying to make a flour out of. You will need a milling/dry blender.
• 7 Year Warranty on Vitamix blenders.
• Possible to make hot soup in the Vitamix.

 Cons:

• High price. Most new Vitamix blenders will cost at least $400.
• Not great when trying to make single servings of items.
• Clean up can be annoying due to a large blender space.
• Takes up a decent amount of space in the kitchen.
• Louder than the NutriBullet.

My review of the Vitamix Professional Series 750. 

Conclusions

For anyone that is new into blending, I would recommend the NutriBullet. For any experienced blending fiends out there, definitely look into Vitamix blender models.   

Blender reviews at Vegan Kitchen Appliances.

Vitamix Professional Series 750 Review

Product Review: Vitamix Professional Series 750

Company: Amazon via seller Vitamix

Price Range: $650-$750

Who Would Buy This: 

Those shopping for a top of the line high power blender. The Vitamix Professional Series 750 offers some of the most powerful features on the market. Anyone who enjoys fruit smoothies, green smoothies, icy drinks, sauces, soups, or blended bean dips will find this to be a suitable blender.

Purpose of Product:

With up to a maximum of 2.2 horsepower in this blender, any blended task with ease. This blender includes a variable speed dial, so the amount of blending power is up to the user to apply. The Vitamix Professional Series 750 offers a whole new level of ease with the programmed digital blending functions.

Pros:

Unleash a whole new level of power in the kitchen with the latest model released by the Vitamix company. The Vitamix Professional Series 750 offers 2.2 horsepower worth of peak power. Along with this, the Vitamix possesses a 1200 watt motor. Most high end blenders are only possible of reaching a 2 horsepower peak blending speed.

Discover a whole new function of blenders with programmed blending options. Vitamix now simplifies blending by including settings for blending functions for set periods of time and power. Program functions include smoothie, frozen dessert, soup, and puree, and there is a rinse function. The smoothie function and frozen dessert both are made relatively the same, this is most likely due to the fact that ingredients for frozen/icy items are similar (frozen bananas and frozen fruit in both). My favorite function is the soup setting as I can literally set it and forget it and have a perfectly smooth hot soup made. Puree is interesting, but I have always preferred direct input when making sauces. Finally, the rinse function is great because you can get the basic cleaning of the blender done while you go off and clean u other dishes in the sink. 

A whole new blender size now exists for the Vitamix Professional Series 750. While the model contains a 64 oz size blender, the design is totally different from the previous generation of blenders. In order to hold 64 ounces on past Vitamix blenders, the blender size was tall and thin. This new Vitamix blender is much wider and shorter than previous 64 oz blender sizes. Overall this is much better as the blender now can more easily fit inside a cabinet. Also, if you ever need to scoop things out of the blender like hummus, it is much easier to stick your hand and a scooping utensil within it.

Variable speeds allow for even the toughest jobs in this blender. Make nut butters silky smooth without having constant hiccups in the blending process. Smoothies with lots of ice in them are blended easily thanks to the wider base and powerful motor. When you want a thick hummus or bean dip made, this blender offers the best experience you can find. Do not worry abut being forced to water down all of your blender creations in order to get something to blend, the motor and wide base will allow for dryer conditions to blend.

Cons:

64 ounces is much lager than you may imagine. When I first made the switch from a 48oz Vitamix container to a 64oz container, I could not fully utilize all 64 ounces. Even when I consumed green smoothies every morning for a period of months at the 48oz serving size, I could not fully graduate to the 64oz size. Other than smoothies, I never even used the full 48 ounces at one time with my Vitamix. There are few reasons I can think of that would require a 64oz blender for a single blending job.

Guarantee:

Vitamix offers a 7 year warranty on its motor base and blending container. This will cover both any faults in manufacturing and any problems that come up from normal wear and tear. Vitamix is truly one of the premier companies when it comes to customer service.

The Amazon A-Z Guarantee is the best guarantee in the market. In the event that the product is not delivered, delivered in a broken condition, or is not meeting the quality expectations of the buyer, the item may be returned to Amazon for a full refund. A 30 day window exists to file a claim to Amazon over any problem that may come up with the product.

Value for money?

For anyone that ever wanted a programmable blender, the Vitamix Professional Series 750 offers the best option on the market. Anyone with a previous Vitamix model really should not upgrade to the 750. If you are interested in owning a Vitamix, the 750 Series provides a dependable tool that will automate a lot of the work behind the blending process.

Where to buy:

Amazon - Vitamix Professional Series 750

Continue to read reviews at Amazon:

"It makes the best smoothies." - Rocky Racoon

"Expensive but well worth the money in the long run." - Darwin

"It also comes with a very large cookbook and a DVD with Michael Voltaggio (of Top Chef fame) demonstrating many recipes using the Vitamix." - Frank L. Urbano

By Mat McNeile

Vitamineral Earth Review

Product Review: Vitamineral Earth

Company: Amazon via seller HealthForce Nutritionals

Price Range: $50-$60

Who Would Buy This: 

Those shopping for a natural health food supplement to add to daily smoothie consumption. Anyone impressed with the quality of products sold by HealthForce Nutritionals will also enjoy Vitamineral Earth.

Purpose of Product:

Vitamineral Earth supports blood sugar, the colon, the immune system, and longevity. Through daily supplementation of the product, the user receives numerous health products from the all natural vegan products within the powder.

Pros:

Like its sister product, Vitamineral Green, Vitamineral Earth acts as one of the most powerful superfoods on the market. Vitamineral Earth is composed of a mixture of barks, roots, seeds, spices and an array of healing botanicals found throughout the world. This combination is made to ground the user and heal the person down to his or her very roots. Nourishment found within Vitamineral Earth is made to reach often maltreated parts of the body that never receive the certain nutrients offered in this superfood.

Experience a wealth of nutrient diversity in Vitamineral Earth that 99.99% Americans are not consuming. Each of the ingredients are specially selected to benefit the health of the user. All plants are grown and prepared to the highest quality organic standards that exist. Once the plants are fully grown to the level needed, then goon to be dried and powderized. None of the items are concentrated forms of nutrients, but real foods in the powder form. Vitamineral Earth is stored within dark glass and locked within a vacuum environment to ensure 100% of the nutrients are retained within this super food. Below is an ingredient list of the items found within Vitamineral Earth:

• Roots: astralagus, burdock, nettle, marshmallow, carrot, yacon, ginger, dandelion, rhubarb. 
• Seeds: sprouted flax, sprouted chia, milk thistle. 
• Spices:  red miso, paparika, sage, chili powder.
• Barks: cinnamon, slippery elm, white oak.
• Greens: red clover, watercress, kelp, blessed thistle, sheep sorrel. 
• Biotics (Lactobacillus): plantarum, L. paracase, L. rhamnosus,  L. salivarius, Streptococcus thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, shilajit.

Pair with the Vitamineral Green in order to receive all nutrients possibly needed. Both products are fully vegan and will satisfy all nutrient requirements placed upon the body. Please do not put this to test though, the caloric content of the powders will come nowhere close to satisfying amount of calories needed per day. With the green wealth of nutrients in Vitamineral Green and the grounding nutrients of Vitamineral Earth, a synergy forms between the two. Vitamineral Green is the yin and Vitamineral Earth is the yang. Read my review of Vitamineral Green here.

Use daily within smoothies to supercharge your drinks. Both Vitamineral Green and Vitamineral Earth are safe to use in a smoothie each and every day. If you are taking Vitamineral Earth solely, add two tablespoons of the powder to your smoothie once a day. If you are combining with Vitamineral Green, use a 1:1 ratio of Green:Earth in smoothies once a day. Your smoothie will thicken up through using Vitamineral Earth or Green. Taste of the smoothies will not change dramatically. When you first start, you may notice a unique taste now added to the smoothies. Over time though, you will find any taste completely normal to the smoothie experience. Add in slightly smaller portions if using a small blender like the NutriBullet Pro 900 Series.

Cons:

In order to receive the absolute best of the superfood benefits, you will need to combine Vitamineral Earth with Vitamineral Green. It would be just fantastic to be able to buy a combination of the two at one low price, but the reality is that quality costs money. No other company than NutriForce offers as high quality health products for vegans out there. With this said, purchasing individual products from NutriForce is up to the buyer. 

Guarantee:

The Amazon A-Z Guarantee is the best guarantee in the market. In the event that the product is not delivered, delivered in a broken condition, or is not meeting the quality expectations of the buyer, the item may be returned to Amazon for a full refund. A 30 day window exists to file a claim to Amazon over any problem that may come up with the product.

Value for money?

Other than Vitamineral Green, NutriForce's Vitamineral Earth is the best superfood to buy. When it comes to consuming things like barks or roots, it is nearly impossible to source these things on their own. Being able to reap all the benefits of astralagus root, or marshmallow root, or slippery elm bark can really only be done through some sort of supplementation. Being able to eat real food instead of concentrated supplements is a great bonus of Vitamineral Earth. With 500 grams, the total serving size of the super food will last for three to four months if consuming smoothies daily.

Where to buy:

Amazon - Vitamineral Earth

Continue to read reviews at Amazon:

"The Earth to me has little flavor, like a lite broth." - Jenn Reedy

"If you're looking for the best superfood supplement, Vitamineral Green and Vitamineral Earth are it." - Dan D.

"It obviously supplies something my body was lacking because I can feel my body actively sucking up the goodness." - West Seattle Mama  

By Mat McNeile

NutriBullet: Differences between 600 and 900

Is it worth upgrading to the NutriBullet Pro 900 Series if you already have an older model of the NutriBullet? What exactly are the differences between between the NutrBullet models? What are the cost differences between the models?

All these questions and more will be answered in this blog post.

Is it worth upgrading to the NutriBullet 900 S?

Short answer, yes.

Long answer, yes do it. The NutriBullet Pro 900 Series offers 900 watts of power now. Compared to the 600 series, this is 300 more watts of power. The motor in the 900 series is far more powerful in the latest model of the NutriNullet. 

My biggest discovery of the NutriBullet 900 S was that it can make great green smoothies. I always had trouble in my previous models of NutriBullet while trying to make green smoothies because tiny leafy green chunks would be leftover. Nothing in the world annoys me more than trying to drink tiny sold fragments in my smoothies. With the 900 S, I never have had this problem. For this reason alone, I recommend the upgrade.

Another great benefit of the stronger motor is that hummus and bean dips come out much smoother. Again, I hate finding unprocessed chick peas when I eat hummus. I like the silky smooth consistency of hummus made in high power blenders. The NutriBullet makes the consitency I like with the 900 S model. 

One final benefit of the 900 S is that it includes a 32oz cup. This will allow for big smoothies to be made if I ever really want to make a lot at one time. This is useful if I am ever making a drink for multiple people at a time. 

Cost

At Amazon.com, the cost of the most popular NutriBullet model is less than $110 at Amazon. The NutriBullet 900 S is currently running in the range of $150-$160. For a 300 watt difference, I find the $50 difference is worth the upgrade. You get bigger blender cups too. 

If you are still wondering where to buy the NutriBullet, read my blog post on the topic: Where is the Best Place to Buy the NutriBullet?

Still Wanting More Information? 

Feel free to read my review of the NutriBullet Pro 900 S.

By Mat McNeile