Smoothalicious

Telluride Daily Planet, Friday, July 5, 2024

Growing up, we had the three standard universal kitchen appliances of the time: the toaster, the blender and the stand mixer – well, not counting the “roaster,” essentially a piece of furniture you could wheel around and roast a large turkey in. I loved that thing.

Throughout my own adult life, I’ve deeply appreciated my fleet of time-saving kitchen devices – toaster ovens and popcorn makers (the 70s); Bialetti espresso makers (80s); my hand mixer and electric knife (from the Freebox, still have them); the Champion juicer (its own category); and the bevy of more recent appliances from the 2000s on, including a Zojirushi rice cooker, “jaffle” maker (based on my daughter’s obsession with Deli Downstairs jaffles), bread maker, steamer, yogurt maker, dehydrator, Instant Pot, Omega juicer, immersion blender, spiralizer, and the most recent arrival, which I’ll get to in a moment. 

With my daughter’s generation (of millennials), of course, the ante was upped; and coveted appliances now may include things like high-quality espresso machines, sous-vides, smart appliances, air fryers, countertop pizza ovens, soda makers and Vitamixes. 

Me, I was a $25-blender snob for a long time. I had a Freebox version for many years without exploiting all its basic functions – chopping veggies, making pestos, crushing ice. That being said, whatever juice or smoothie I needed, I could probably make it, or make and strain in, in that cheap blender, the design of which was invented in the early 1920s by someone named Stephen Poplawski to make ice cream shop shakes and malts. 

On the other hand, I have never been that dedicated to smoothies, or a protein-shake person we all know and love. The person who will throw the slice of Thanksgiving pumpkin pie in the blender with almond milk and extra cinnamon and drink it for breakfast. The person who will not do a day without a smoothie replacing a meal. Or the person who makes a daily smoothie that looks a lot like sludge consisting of 20-plus ingredients, many powders in green and brown, superfoods, adaptogens and a banana. 

I have always preferred eating piles of vegetables and some fruits – raw and cooked – and having to chew them instead of drinking them down. There is value in this, as we know: Chewing aids digestion, and is important in breathing function, as well. Whole foods are best for blood glucose levels.

However, that being said, I recently bartered through a WhatsApp group of friends for a Vitamix blender. Trading is something I delight in, but doesn’t always go as planned. This time, I traded a medium-quality espresso machine for a used Vitamix. A Vitamix from 2001, in fact, that still works. The idea of a 23-year-old appliance alone!

Another blender had not crossed my mind until I came across an inspirational recipe for “homemade Gatorade” (coconut water, watermelon, salt and lime juice) which unleashed a major search-mode moment of all things blended. A new-to-me device was exactly what was needed for rejuvenation. The appliance lover’s thinking, for sure.

The fact is, the possibilities are endless for smoothies and juices, no matter if you have a Freebox blender or a Vitamix, whether you are looking for healthy sweetness, protein, energy, more greens, less hassle, more microbiomic adventure. Whether you are inspired by Jack LaLanne, Food 52 (a popular blog), Martha Stewart, or one of the countless doctors, celebrities, athletes, models, or biohackers touting their versions of the best smoothie. 

Here are a few smoothie flavors to get you thinking of the possibilities for your underused blender (all include other ingredients). Strawberry-banana (classic). Coffee (the most popular flavor – I read – in Colorado). Matcha-vanilla. Mint-cacao nib. Blueberry-avocado. Watermelon-cucumber. Greens-ginger. Peanut butter-chocolate. For me, a smoothie of greens, cucumber, ginger, apple and orange/lemon is a great reviver, and it can be made with added water and strained quite easily. 

Depending on your smoothie base, there are unlimited add-ins, as well. Here are some you may not have considered: fresh turmeric, oats, carrot tops, rose petals, nettles, peanut butter powder, aloe vera (frozen chunks), apple cider vinegar, cacao nibs, bee pollen, cayenne pepper, coconut oil, hemp seeds, cauliflower rice (frozen), holy basil seeds, and dates, to name a few. 

The goal is a healthy, delicious, energizing blended drink that feeds the body and soul and doesn’t spike glucose levels too much. This would be exemplified on the other end of the spectrum by the Heath Bar Shake, introduced by Baskin Robbins in 2008, and touted as one the unhealthiest drinks on the planet – with over 2,300 calories, 266 grams of sugar and 72 ingredients – and possibly not a single whole food. 

That being said, stick to no more than two cups of any smoothie and go easy on added juices and dates!