Thursday, March 27, 2014

Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer Review


Product Review Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer

Company: Amazon via seller Kurvings

Price Range: $430-$465

Pros:

This is the best juicer I have ever encountered. With a 3" wide juicing mouth, it is now possible to juice whole fruits and vegetables at a time. Anyone who has owned a juicer knows that one of the worst parts of juicing is having to cut the vegetables into small bits before running them through the juicer. With the Kurvings Whole Slow Juicer, you can literally juice a whole apple without any sort of pre-cutting required.

Juice comes out smooth with extreme yields. As a masticating juicer, you get some of the greatest benefits that come along with juicers. First, the masticating technology squeezes every last drop of juice out of the plant material. This means you will get more juice than ever in your cup and the pulp will always come out super dry. Second, juicing whole fruits and vegetables at a time will give you more juice than you have ever been used to. With apples, you have to core the fruit in order to juice it for most juicers. With the Kurvings Juicer, throwing in fruit whole will add noticeably higher yields of juice. Finally, masticating gears leave a small amount of fiber in the juice which makes the juice taste a little thick and creamy compared to juicers from a centrifugal juicers. Never will you encounter a foamy mess that can come out of centrifugal juicer, masticated juices leave the juicer slowly to make for an even consistency.

Taste rich flavors of juice with the Kurvings Juicer. With such a wide mouth for juicing, never let the idea of prep time deter you from juicing certain fruits and vegetables. Cutting up beets into tiny pieces is both a pain and dangerous when it comes to juicing. These hard vegetables can be thrown into this juicer with next to no prep required. Besides root vegetables, leafy green vegetables also juice easily thanks to the masticating technology that squeezes every last drop of juice from them. Finally, things like celery and apples that typically require a large amount of cutting an dicing can be thrown in all at once. Experiment with all kinds of flavor combinations as mindless time spent cutting is no longer required.

Disassembly and cleanup of the juicer goes by quickly. Since the Kurving is constructed with quality and logically, taking apart this appliance after the juicing process is never a pain. To begin the cleanup process, I would recommend first running water through the juicer after drinking the juice for a quick rinse. Power off the juicer and remove all parts that get messy from the juicy process. Rinsing the parts off in warm water in the sink is always a good idea to quickly get any drips of juice that you would not want staining the juicer. All parts can be cleaned in the dishwasher. Wipe down the outside of the juicer that does not disassemble if any spots of juice splattered onto the juicing base.

Make all kinds of goodies with the dry pulp made by the Kurvings. Raw crackers made out of the pulp of the juiced vegetables is always a popular option for juicers out there. These crackers come out packed with fiber and pleasantly colorful. My favorite uses for fiber are to either feed it directly to my composting worms or to bury it under mulch in the garden. Pulp from the juicer makes for great a great addition to the garden that basically serves as an organic fertilizer.

Cons:

Understand the price of the Kurvings Whole Slow Juicer. At over $400, this is one of the most expensive juicer that can be purchased for home juicing purchases. Most juicers tend to run on the inexpensive side, masticating juicers tend to run in the $200-$300 price range. At the $400 + cost, this juicer ranks up there with the Vitamix in terms of cost. Benefits of the juicer definitely make it as one of the premier juicers on the market, but serious consideration should be given between buying the Kurvings Juicer versus the Vitamix.

Guarantee:


Kurvings offers a 10 year warranty this juicer to cover any defects in the manufacturing of this product. With the price of this juicer, rest in comfort knowing the Kurvings will protect the investment in this juicer for an entire decade.

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 Kurvings Whole Slow Juicer stands as one of the best juicers currently around. The joy that accompanies juicing whole fruits and vegetables at one time is hard to convey. Feel the power as bushels full of fruit and veg pour into the collection basin. Peace of mind that accompanies the ease of improving your health makes this juicer a great purchase.

Where to buy:

Amazon - Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer

Continue to read reviews at Amazon:



Wednesday, March 26, 2014

NutriBullet Pro 900 S Where To Buy for Best Price

In my previous article, I ran through that Amazon.com is the best place to purchase the classic NutriBullet Blender. Does Amazon hold up as the best choice for the NutriBullet 900 as well? Let's run through our possible buying choices:

Bed Bath & Beyond - Kohl's

Once again, the Big Box Stores. Do they deliver? Not really. People always claim getting fabulous deals from these stores by using multiple coupons. Take it or leave it, I really do question how 6 month old coupons can still work for a purchase made today. Even if your coupons work, expect to receive store credit before dollars saved.

When it comes to getting the blender mailed to you, good luck. You are going to pay a premium for shipping to get the blender to your doorstep in the world of Amazon Prime. Another hidden cost are taxes the stores will apply to your purchase. Finally, refund policy at these stores is a hassle to deal with if anything were to come up.

Infomercial? Where is it?

Honestly, I have no idea how NutriBulet is handling the infomercial for this series of blender. Maybe they are still working on it, but there has not been a red carpet treatment for the NutriBullet 900 like the classic NutriBullet blender received.

With no real option to buy the NutriBullet Pro 900 Series from the company directly, I can not recommend the purchase this source.

Amazon - Does It Hold Up?

I fully endorse Amazon.com as the best choice for the classic NutriBullet model. However, I can not completely recommend Amazon.com as the source for the NutriBullet 900.

Unlike its sister product, the NutriBullet 900 is noticeably more expensive than the minimum sales price for the NutriBullet. For the 900 Series, the blender's base price is running at $150. Bed Bath & Beyond charges $150 at retail. On Amazon.com, the NutriBullet 900 is running at the high end of $175, but can get down to $150.

If we consider Bed Bath & Beyond charging a shipping price though, the prices are near equal between Amazon and BBB.

Final Recommendations

If shopping online, I support purchasing the blender from Amazon.com. Amazon offers a plethora of great benefits: free shipping, great customer service, and two day product arrival.

The best choice would be to go to Bed Bath & Beyond and buy the blender from the store itself. However, I have heard it is difficult to find this model of blender in the store. You can definitely find the classic NutriBullet, but the new 900 Series is much more rare in comparison. A storefront price at $150 is the most affordable choice if you can find it.

Related Articles:

Where to buy the NutriBullet?

NutriBullet Pro 900 Series  


What Voltage Do Spiralizers Need? 110V or 220V?

NONE

All your spiralizer needs is a bit of self driven human power. No electricity required.

Countertop Spiralizers
If using a countertop spiralizer, you will need to twist the handle to spiralize the vegetables.

There are absolutely no electric cords required for these spiralizers. In fact, I have been unable to find any sort of countertop spiralizer that can be ran with electricity. Strictly speaking, it is simply too difficult to imagine how electricity would be at all useful. You want these spiralizers to stop on a dime.

Handheld Spiralizers
 
 These spiralizers are the simplest to use. Once again, no electricity is at all required. No batteries, just simple arm power required.

For these kinds of spiralizers, you will just hold the spiralizer and twist the vegetables into the blades. Pretty simple, nothing at all complicated.

There seems that no form of electronic handheld spiral cutter exists on the market, it would be too niche.

Julienne Peelers

 This should be obvious, the Julienne Peelers are powered entirely by human power alone. 

Scrape down with the Julienne Peeler and watch as the spiral shreds fall off the vegetables. Super simple and easy to use. 

Conclusion

No spiralizer on the market seems to be an electronic device. If you want to eat spiralized veggies, get ready to do some work!

NutriBullet Best Price

Many readers out there are looking to get the best price on the NutriBullet blender. I understand, plenty of stores sell the NutriBullet and all offer the same product. There are a few things I would like to clear up:

NutriBullet Makes All of Its Retailers Sell for At Least $100

Technically, Walmart, Target, and Kohl's are not supposed to be selling this blender for a dollar less than the $100 magic price point. Think about it, NutriBullet is the one running all those infomercials on television, not Walmart. The NutriBullet company does not want to get into a price war with Walmart over who has the lowest price in town.

Do Not Buy From the Infomercial

You will pay the most amount of money for the NutriBullet if you purchase from the phone number on the commercial. They are trying to make you purchase the NutriBullet blender on impulse, and will charge you $20-$40 extra because of it. 

Kohl's and Bed Bath & Beyond are Not the Best Deal   

Even if you use a coupon code for your NutriBullet, you will only get the price down to $100. It is possible to use a coupon code to then get store credit for purchasing the NutriBullet, but this is store credit, not cash. Along with this, you will have to pay tax to get your blender.

Buy From Amazon, No Tax


Amazon.com is the best place to buy the NutriBullet. You will most likely not be paying any tax whatsoever to get your blender. At a modest 5% tax, you will pay $5 extra from any storefront to buy the NutriBullet. With Amazon, you will also get the best return policy in the world. Also, the blender will be shipped right to your doorstep. 

As of right now, there are merchants selling new models of the NutriBullet for less than $100. Blenders eligible for Amazon Prime are selling for less than $102.   
 

Handheld Spiralizers

Countertop Spiralizers

Monday, March 24, 2014

Omega Juicers

Breville Juicers

Citrus Press

Zojirushi

Aroma

Instant Pot

Monday, March 17, 2014

GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicer Review

Product Review:  GEFU Spiral Slicer


Company: Amazon via seller GEFU

Price Range: $25-$35

Discount: Save Money at Amazon.com 

Features:
  • Stainless Steel Blades
  • Nice and Attractive Design
  • Safe to Operate
Pros:  

Simply and quickly spiralize a wide variety of vegetables with the GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicer. All that is required is a vegetable in one hand, the GEFU in the other, and a twist of the spiralizer. Voila, perfectly cut strips of whatever vegetable that was ran through the spiralizer. Powered purely by manual twisting, the needs of this GEFU device are minimal and is ready to go right out of the box.

Save space when compared to a counter top spiralizer. There exists no need to dedicate valuable counter or cabinet space to a device that may not be used too often. With the GEFU Spiral Slicer, all you need is a tiny amount of free space of a drawer in the kitchen. Along with not taking up much space on the counter, the tool fits in the palm of your hand. Far simpler than a counter top spiralizer that requires a fairly complex amount of coordination.

Spiralize your favorite vegetables into raw pastas. Even though the GEFU Spiralizer is quite small, cutting your favorite vegetables is still entirely possible. Classics like zucchinis and carrots are cut with ease. Even larger things like potatoes and sweet potatoes are quick to cut into ribbons for all sorts of gourmet purposes in the kitchen. Yellow summer squash of course comes out great. Even the rarely seen parsnips come out just perfectly.

Cleanup is super fast. As you would expect from such a small device, washing the GEFU can be done entirely in the sink with warm and soapy water. There really exists no need to run this item through the dishwasher as it can be so quickly washed off after use. Compared to the cleanup needed for a counter top spiralizer, these handheld spiralizers need only a fraction of the time.

Cons:

Bulk spiralizing can get tiring. If you are used to spiralizing four or more vegetables at one time, it can become difficult to spiralize anything more. You may get a hand cramp, your arm may simply get tired, or you just may be bored of doing the motion. Counter top spiralizers can glide through eight zucchinis in the time it would take to do four zucchinis with the GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicer.

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 GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicer makes for a dependable choice for anyone wanting to spiralize vegetables for the first time. Prices for a spirzalizer are almost all entirely the same whether they be handheld or counter top. GEFU is great for anyone specifically seeking a handheld slicer. Blades are sharp, the model looks well built for anyone looking on, and it is easy to cleanup after use.

Where to buy:

Amazon -  GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicer

Continue to read reviews at Amazon:


Saturday, March 15, 2014

Lemon Detox NutriBlast


Here is a standard NutriBullet recipe great to use whenever beginning a detox program. With the healing properties of lemon you will do away with any illness you have in no time at all. Bananas add creaminess and add an extra dimension to counter the sourness of the lemon. Leafy greens are a super health boost and great to add to anything.

Prepare:
  • 1 Lemon. I prefer to juice the lemon and just use the lemon juice for the smoothie. However, you could remove the lemon seeds and throw in all of the citrus (and even the skin too!).
  • 1 Banana.
  • 2 Handfuls of Baby Spinach. 
  • 3 Ice Cubes.
  • Line with water. About 1/3rd of the blending container is water.
Blend for 30 Seconds. 

Enjoy.

By Mat McNeile 

NutriBullet vs Juicer

We all too often confuse what blenders do and what juicers do. Only juicers make juices, blenders make smoothies. The NutriBullet is no different, it makes smoothies instead of juices as it is a blender.

What then is the difference between smoothies and juices? Here are the main separating factors:
  • Juices have no fiber. Fiber is an important part of the human diet and most Americans are consuming only 50% of the recommended fiber each day.
  • Juices require more fruits and vegetables to make an equal amount of liquid. Since we are removing the fiber, there is far less vegetative matter to actually consume. It is shocking to see how far 1 pound of leafy greens gets you in juices versus blending.
  • Juices need to be drunken quickly due to oxidization. Juices have a very short shelf life and must be drunk quickly versus smoothies which could easily last for 24 hours in the fridge.
Below I will run through the pros and cons of juicers versus the NutriBullet. Since the NutriBullet retails for about $100, I will make the comparison fair and base the contest off of the popular $100 juicer, the Breville BJE200XL.

Juicer

Pros


  •  Easily process vegetables into a drinkable form. It is easy to run through even the most difficult of vegetables through the juicer to make a juice out of them. Things like carrots, beets, celery, and many leafy greens are almost impossible to blend into a perfectly liquid form. Juicers can easily process these difficult vegetables into a crystal clear juice.
  • Consume more nutrients at a single time. While you will not be getting any of the fiber, juicers do a great ob at providing a wealth of nutrients at one time. Since it takes more vegetables and fruits to make a similar amount of liquid as a blender, you will be getting more antioxidants and vitamins in the same size of glass. 
  • An entirely different texture. Unlike smoothies which tend to be thick, juices are true liquid beverages that truly take on the flavor of the vegetables and fruits used to make the drink. Think of how sweet something like natural apple or grape juice is, that is what a homemade juice is like.
  • Juice fasting only possible with a juicer. Removing the fiber from a juice does away with a large part of the calories. This then allows for the possibility of going onto an all juice diet for a period of time. Just like in the film Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, juice fasting is entirely possible to do in the comfort of your own home. 
Cons
  • Juicers are notoriously tricky to cleanup. Compared to the NutriBullet, cleaning up a juicer could take twice to three times as long. Little bits of juice tend to splatter in crevices on the juicer and it can be a pain trying to clean all of them up.
  • No fiber. Fiber is so good for you, so it can be tricky to judge when it is ever beneficial to remove it from the diet. 
  • More expensive to maintain a juice based diet. You have to juice more to get the same quantity of liquid. This can really put a toll on a pocketbook.
NutriBullet


Pros
  • Quick and easy.  You can literally throw some of your favorite fruits and vegetables into the NutriBullet, add some ice and water, and blend up a delicious drink in less than a minute. 
  • Affordable. Building smoothies around things like bananas, milled flax seed, baby greens, and in season fruit is the best method to blend in my opinion. Bananas are the lowest priced fruit at the store and the other ingredients can all be obtained at a low price too. 
  • Fiber is beneficial. Smoothies retain 100% of their fiber. You are better off keeping the fiber in my opinion versus doing away with it.
  • Cleanup is simple. Rinse off the blending blades and the blending cup, throw both in the dishwasher. There is never a headache that comes up due to a weird blending mess and it takes only a minute or two to clean everything.
  • Blend all kinds of dishes. You are not limited to just making drinks with the NutriBullet. Make hummus, bean dips, flours, salsa, guacamole, and use it as a food processor. 
Cons
  • At its price point, the NutriBullet is not as sturdy as a Breville Juicer. Many people do run into issues with using their NutriBullet, Breville Juicers seem to all be well made with few problems arising.
  • Room temperature drinks are a no-no. When you juice, you do not really want to make your drink cold. It tastes best at room temperature. For smoothies, you have to drink them cold or else you will likely begin to gag. This can be a bit of problem on a cold winter morning when you do not want to be drinking something that is cold.
Conclusion

I prefer the NutriBullet over juicers. The NutriBullet is fast, efficient, and retains fiber unlike most kinds of juicers. While there are a few downsides of the NutriBullet, I think it makes for a great blender for anyone looking to spend less than $100 on this appliance. Juicers do have some benefits, but blenders win out big time in my opinion.

Related Articles:

NutriBullet: 600 vs 900

Blending Leafy Green Vegetables in the NutriBullet 

By Mat McNeile

NutriBullet vs Magic Bullet: Which To Get?

With both the NutriBullet and the Magic Bullet being widely successful products, it can be a challenge deciding which one to buy. Both seem to do the same job in the kitchen, they blend up whatever is thrown into them. However, many differences do exist.

Price

Magic Bullet


At nearly 50% a lower price than the NutriBullet, the Magic Bullet is a much more affordable choice in the short run. For anyone out there considering getting a small blender for the kitchen to do quick tasks and to puree things, the Magic Bullet may be the right choice for you.

NutriBullet

The classic NutriBullet model is nearly twice as expensive as the NutriBullet. With the new NutriBullet Pro 900 Series costing nearly three times the price of the NutriBullet. Do not worry though, there is definitely a benefit that comes with paying $50-$100 more for these blenders.

Blending Power

Magic Bullet

Offering a 250 Watt blender, the Magic Bullet is on the low end of the spectrum when it comes to blending. Certainly the blender is powerful enough to blend up simple dishes like salsas, frozen drinks, and puree foods. However, anyone used to a high powered blender will be shocked by the low blending speed. Compared to the NutriBullet, it will take much longer to get the job done with the Magic Bullet.

NutriBullet

At 600 Watts of power, the classic NutriBullet has a moderately powerful motor. The easiest way to think of the difference is that anything the Magic Bullet can blend, the NutriBullet will do it better and quicker. Making salsa, frozen drinks, and pureeing foods is just so much easier in the NutriBullet. With 900 Watts of power in the NutriBullet 900, you will discover a whole new range of power that will unlock real blending possibilities.

What You Can Realistically Make

Magic Bullet

With the Magic Bullet do not expect to be making a huge array of blended foods. 250 Watts of power is truly limiting and the blending container size is quite small. Making fruit smoothies with bananas and ice is certainly possible, but you will never want to try making a smoothie that has some vegetable in it. Consider using a product like Vitamineral Green with the Magic Bullet if you truly want a green smoothie since powders do not require powerful blenders. Salsa and chopped dishes are easy to make no doubt, but it can be a bit of pain when the foods are not getting chopped to the fine tuned level you want.

NutriBullet



Smoothies are simple enough to make in the NutriBullet. Frozen drinks will blend up so much better in the NutriBullet with all the extra power compared to the Magic Bullet. Frozen fruit smoothies will come out silky smooth and be no issue to blend. However, vegetables are still difficult to blend in the classic NutriBullet.

This is where I would specifically recommend the NutriBullet 900 Series. If you are wanting to make green smoothies, the classic NutriBullet just can not get the job done. With the added 300 Watts of power in the NutriBullet 900, the extra kick needed to blended up the leafy greens gets done. Compared to the Magic Bullet, the NutriBullet 900 just blows that blender out of the water.

Final Recommendations

Magic Bullet vs NutriBullet

For anyone limited to a budget of $50 or less for a blender, go ahead and get the Magic Bullet. It will cover your needs and will likely become a lasting appliance in your kitchen. If you are able to spend up to $100, or even up to $150, consider the NutriBullet blenders. They do a better job at blending at the end of the day when compared to the Magic Bullet.

Related Articles:

NutriBullet 600 vs NutriBullet 900

By Mat McNeile

Friday, March 14, 2014

March 15th, 2014: Everything You Think You Know is Wrong Day

Why do we have this holiday? Nobody knows, and anyone claiming to know is wrong. Let's make today another day to celebrate the empowerment of veganism. Every vegan I have ever met is shocked that he or she once lived as a non-vegan. Everything we once thought about nutrition, animal suffering, and protein was wrong. After all, March is National Nutrition Month, let's relate everything back to this month's theme.

I was Wrong about Nutrition
Before becoming a vegan, I had no idea how healthy leafy green vegetables are. Sure, they were a vegetable and they were good for me, but I just thought they were good to eat on occasion. It turns out though, leafy green vegetables are the most nutritious food on the planet

With a wealth of vitamins, iron, calcium, fiber, and antioxidants, the leafy green vegetables surpass almost every food on the planet. The only thing calories lack are calories, which brings up the question where do we get our calories from?

Starches! Brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oats, and wheat are all rich in calories compared to leafy greens. Before becoming vegan I had no idea it was possible to eat all my food for the day as merely vegetables. Most of my calories came from fatty animal products. With starches I get more than enough calories to cover all my daily needs.

I was Wrong about Animal Suffering
I had no idea what was required to produce animal products before becoming vegan. Tens of billions of animals are killed each year to feed people. This means an untold amount of pain and suffering is brought into this world to make food for humans. There is absolutely no reason this has to be so.

It depresses me that people have no idea what kind of pain it takes to make meat and other animal products. I would strongly recommend the film Eathlings for anyone interested in learning about the issue.

I was Wrong about Protein
First things first, there is no such thing as a protein deficiency in the Western world. Protein deficiency can only exist due to a lack of calorie consumption. All foods contain proteins, not just meat, milk, and eggs.

Vegan diets are absolutely fine when it comes to protein needs that exist. As mentioned, nobody suffers from issues related to a lack of protein except for those not consuming an adequate amount of calories. Furthmore, plant proteins are actually superior to animal proteins.

If you want to stay in the conception that some foods are good for certain things and are other good for others, think of beans. Whole beans are extremely rich in protein compared to many vegetable foods. I highly recommend consuming daily consumption of 1/2 Cup to 1 Cup of beans a day. Along with the protein, beans are rich in fiber and many beans are extremely rich in antioxidants.


By Mat McNeile

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Do Green Powders Contain Cholesterol?

NO, Green Powders Contain Zero Cholesterol.

Let me be clear, any vegan green powder will be cholesterol free. The only source of cholesterol on the planet is from animal products. With that being said, I do not recommend green powders being used as an alternative form of cholesterol lowering medicine. 

Leafy green vegetables are a super effective way at combating the adverse effects of a high cholesterol diet. The number one way to deal with cholesterol is to simply stop consuming the stuff. Cholesterol is not at all healthy to be consumed, it is in fact entirely adverse. With heart disease being the number one killer in the United States, we must all realize the dangers cholesterol poses to humanity.

Certain products like Vitamineral Green and Vitamineral Earth are especially healthful in my opinion. Many green powders on the market are super concentrated forms of single kinds of leafy greens. Vitamineral powders are a diverse blend of whole plants that have been dehydrated and then powderized. Rather than having your body being entirely flooded with a large dosage of a single kind of plant product, you instead get a rich array of vitamins and minerals. 

The most healing thing anyone can do for their body is to stop ingesting cholesterol, plain and simple. Green powders are not a magic pill that correct the problems of your diet. This is not a math equation where 1 + -1 = 0. No, the values of vegetables and meat are not equal. Animal products destroy a body in far greater proportion than what a body can do to naturally heal itself over a lifetime.

To conclude, the best way to improve your cholesterol score is to stop eating the things that give you a bad cholesterol score in the first place. A product like Vitamineral Green will definitely help you rather than hurt you, but it will not perform a miracle on your body.

By Mat McNeile

Does the NutriBullet Blend Leafy Green Vegetables?

In order to get a good plan of leafy green vegetables in your NutriBullet, you are going to have to jump through a lot of hoops. Listed below are three ways that I know work pretty well for making green smoothies in the NutriBullet:
  1. Blend Like Crazy when making green smoothies to blend up the vegetables into the smallest chunks possible. You will not get a perfectly smooth consistency from doing this, but your smoothie will end up coming out a whole lot easier to drink if you blend for 30 seconds to a minute versus only 15 seconds.
  2. Use Baby Greens.  You absolutely do not want to use big leafy green vegetable leaves to make a smoothie with in the NutriBullet. Your leaves should be no bigger than the spinach leaves in the picture to the right. Most stores sell baby green mixtures at reasonable prices. Walmart sells like a mixed baby green mixture of 16 oz for $3.50.
  3. Try out natural green powders. My personal favorite green superfood is Vitamineral Green. By only adding a tablespoon to my NutriBullet smoothie in the morning, I can make a healthy green smoothie without having to blend up actual greens. This is my favorite method with the NutriBullet since it can never quite get the perfect green smoothie consistency if I use actual leafy greens.
To sum this all up, it is definitely possible to make green smoothies in the NutriBullet. It will be quite a bit of work when compared to just making regular fruit smoothies though. Green powders like Vitamineral Green simplify things a great deal and should definitely be considered due to their ease and unique health benefits.

Related Articles:

My Review of the NutriBullet

My Review of the Nutribullet Pro 900 Series

By Mat McNeile

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Ninja Ultima Blender Plus BL830 Review


Product Review: Ninja Ultima Blender

Company: Amazon via seller Ninja

Price Range: $260-$285

Pros:

Unleash the most powerful Ninja Blender in your own kitchen. With the Ninja Ultima Blender Plus you will employ a 1500 Watt Blender that can reach up to 2.5 Horsepower. Crush ice with ease. Blend smoothies in mere seconds. Choose from either low speeds or high speeds with variable blending speeds for whatever your blending needs happen to be.

Ninja finally got the blending technology right with the BL830 model. Rather than having solely insertable blending blades like all previous Ninja Blender models, this Ninja model actually has unique technology that doesn't scream cheap. Insertable blades still exist for this blender, but the Ninja finally comes with attached stainless steel blades to the bottom of the blender. Truly Ninja took a chance with this blender design.

Dual stage blending makes for a unique blending design. Top spinning blades spin at a lower speed in order to chop fruits, ice, and vegetables into smaller bits. From there, the smaller bits fall to the bottom where they get caught up in the high spinning bottom blades. With nearly five times the blending speeds at the top blades, the ingredients that fall to the bottom are liquified. This cycle repeats until the blending contents are liquified in the 72 oz blending container.

Use up to three Single Serve Blending Cups for morning time on the go blending. Single serve blending cups are perfect if you need to make a blended drink in a hurry. Only a few ingredients are needed and everything can be blended up in less than five minutes. With three different Single Serve Blending Cups, make drinks for three separate people or make three different flavors of smoothies in the morning. Maybe some people in the house like green smoothies and others do not, this allows for everyone to drink a smoothie in the morning without any sort of complaining.

For about 50% less than the asking price of a Vitamix, the Ninja Ultima Blender is a good choice. Not everyone wants to drop $500 on a Vitamix blender, especially for people who are debating on what to upgrade to from a sub-$100 blender. While the Ninja Blender is not as a good as a Vitamix, this blender is still a comparable choice. What separates the Vitamix from this blender most clearly is that more time will be needed to blend up smoothies than what a Vitamix would require. About 1-2 minutes of blending time will be needed to perfectly liquify a green smoothie, a significant amount of more time than what a Vitamix requires.

Cons:

Cleanup is still not easy with this blender. It seems all Ninja Blenders are tricky to clean due to the blades that detach from the blender. When removing the upper blades from the blender, you must be very careful during cleanup. These blades are sharp and it is entirely possible you could cut yourself. Other than the annoying blade removal part, the cleaning process is pretty simple that just involves rinsing and throwing the blender in the dishwasher. This problem only exists for the 72 oz container, the on the Single Serve Blending Cups are simple to clean, just don't leave them sitting around after use.

Guarantee:


Ninja offers a 2 year warranty to replace any parts that malfunction as a result of faulty manufacturing. Nina does charge a service fee and charges the customers return postage that will total out to be nearly $40.

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 Ninja Ultima Blender Plus BL830 will make for a great purchase for anyone interested in buying this blender. With its high power blending speed and dual blade technology, the Ninja Ultima will liquify just about anything you throw into it. While cleanup can be tricky to deal with, it is a small inconvenience when it means superb blending power and an affordable price.
Where to buy:  
 Amazon - Ninja Ultima Blender Plus BL830 

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Sunday, March 9, 2014

Oster BVCB07-Z Counterforms 6-Cup Glass Jar 7-Speed Blender Review


Product Review: Oster BVCB07-Z Blender

Company: Amazon via seller Oster

Price Range: $60-$70


Pros:

The Oster BVCB07-Z Blender wins the award for the best blender for less than $100.  With a powerful motor, easy to manage controls, and a great blending container, the Oster Counterforms Blender is the absolute best choice for anyone looking to get into the world of blending.

All too often blenders costing less than $100 are underpowered pieces of junk designed to last no more than a year. Oster went above and beyond designing this model of blender. With a 600 watt motor this machine can get through almost all basic jobs. Blending fruit smoothies and icy drinks is a simple task for the Oster's blending power and stainless steel ice crushing blades. Unlike many of its competitors, the Oster is clearly made with quality and built to last. Do not expect to find laughably cheap parts being held together by plastic that begins falling apart right out of the box.

Enjoy a surprising amount of versatility from this little blender. Two programmed functions come with this blender, food chop and a smoothie making function. With the food chop function you can employ the Oster as a semi-food processor for quick cutting of vegetables and salsa making. For smoothie making, the programmed function actually works quite well. Instead of just trying to rely on brute power to liquify the contents of the container, the Oster BVCB07-Z creates a vortex to pull everything down to the blades. Along with the vortex, the Oster will spin the blender's contents in reverse to prevent any sort of jamming to occur. Such a simple task is ingenious and makes up greatly for its 600 watts of total blending power.

Return to the days of glass jar blenders. I have always been around plastic jar blenders my entire life. Looking back on the 1970's and before, the imagery of old school kitchen appliances always impressed me. One thing in particular caught my eye, the classic blending models with their glass jars. Oster chose to go with the glass blending jar for this blender with great success. Glass is easy to clean, dishwasher safe, tends to not scratch, and there is no worry of BPA plastic contaminants.

Cleanup is a as simple as 1-2-3. Do a quick rinse of the blender in the sink after emptying the blending jar. Fill the blender halfway with warm and soapy water and pulse it a few times on the Oster Blending Stand. Dump the soapy water in the sink and transfer the Oster Blending Jar to the bottom rack of the dishwasher. There you have it, the complete cleanup process for the Oster Counterforms Blender.

Cons:

Many claim this blender makes great green smoothies, they are wrong. The Oster BVCB07-Z technically can make green smoothies, but you will be left with small leafy green fragments. Make no mistake, the Oster will blend the leafy greens into a passable state. Compared to all other sub-$100 blenders, the Oster does a remarkable job thanks to its reverse blending technology. However, the Oster is by no means as good as a Vitamix blender when it comes to liquifying leafy green vegetables.

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 Oster BVCB07-Z Counterforms Blender is my number one choice for anyone looking to buy a blender that costs less than $100. Especially for people looking for their own beginning blender, you can not go wrong with the Oster. While I will not claim this is a machine that will last you a lifetime and cover all the blending needs there could ever be, the Oster does a darn good job at basic tasks. In particular, the Oster does fantastically in making icy smoothies made mostly of fruit and ice.

Where to buy:

Amazon - Oster BVCB07-Z Counterforms 7-Speed Blender

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