Smoothies....

[[]V[]essenjah]

So, the fiancee and I are making strawberry smoothies. She doesn't like milk and I like smoothies with a creamy taste so I like the smoothies with milk in them. She doesn't get a lot of calcium as she hates milk so this might be a good way for us to have some fun and make something yummy to drink.


So, I'm using the mixes but I'm wondering... are they really necessary with milk based smoothies? I don't really like to use yogurt. I'm wondering if all I need are strawberries, milk, and ice?

What is the mix exactly for? I noticed that it is called strawberry smoothie mix but I don't see any recipes on-line that call for a mix. I also noticed that it doesn't seem to be flavored in any particular way so why would I need to pick a strawberry mix or an orange mix? I'm assuming this mix isn't really necessary? If it is, is there some way I could make a home-made mix that is a bit cheaper?

[Grendel]

A commercial mix is just another way to get to your money. If in doubt, check wiki 1st.

[BigSlideHimself]

I've worked in various coffee shops over the years and made smoothies a variety of ways. You said the powder has no flavor? It sounds like the \"mix\" you have is just a vanilla powder. The powders give the smoothie that granular texture and sweetness that people identify with smoothies but I prefer to do without it. So no you don't have to have the mix. I get the impression from your post that you think that it's either milk or yogurt or mix - but you actually can do without all of them.

The beauty of the smoothie is it's as versatile as your own goals. For example, I needed to put on weight years ago so I used coconut milk in my smoothies. It was high calorie and a great replacement for milk since I have some lactose issues.

Experiment with it,that's half the fun, there's no right and wrong way to make it. If you're doing it for health reasons stay away from the sugar powders. Some people like to use Stevia which is an all natural sweetener for whatever that's worth.

And when you get tired of strawberry you can , experiment, peanut butter,mint, chocalate, etc etc etc.

[Kilarin]

We've got a vitamix, and love it. Its like a lawn mower engine with blender on top. No need for mixes, and no need for ice. Chunk in a mixture of frozen and unfrozen fruit, about 1/3 frozen for smoothie texture, up to half frozen for sorbet. Throw in some coconut milk if you want it really rich, but not too much.

AND it's a great way to get the kid to eat his vegetables. Throw in a few carrots or whatever you want and they will get blended smoothly and unnoticeable into the smoothie.

The vitamix also makes great soup, AND it comes with a 7 year warranty. We used and abused ours for most of that 7 years before it finally started making some funny noises. We called vitamix, they identified the problem over the phone in less than 10 minutes, had us ship them the blender (their expenses), and a few weeks later it came back completely rebuilt and almost like new. Its been running probably another 3 years after that.

yeah yeah, I sound like an ad, but I really DO like my vitamix!

[S13driftAZ]

We've got a vitamix, and love it. Its like a lawn mower engine with blender on top.

We love our vitamix too but were gonna buy this bad boy
http://www.spike.com/video/top-gear-creates-v8/3064548