Green smoothie makers-do I want a new blender or Magic Bullet?

[HappyGrace]

Now that I've decided not to use my food processor for green smoothies (too much to clean), and my blender is not that great, I'm trying to decide: new blender or Magic Bullet?

The blender I've narrowed it down to is this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005QFKG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
It's an Oster Beehive blender-600 watts, and had the best reviews and the most power (short of a Vitamix.)

Or do I want a Magic Bullet? I like the idea of individual portions, but it seems like it won't hold much and it seems like you'd need a LOT of room to fit the greens in since they're so fluffy. Do you find yours to be big enough to fit greens?

The price for both is pretty comparable, so that's not a consideration. I'd sure appreciate any advice!

[Sue G in PA]

I did hear that the blades can't chop ice...it ruins them. THat's what I heard...not personal experience as I don't have one. With the exception of the ice, I've heard good things, though.

[Shannon]

Have you looked at the Vita-Mix?

They are kind of pricey compared to regular blenders, but they have very powerful motors and can do other things as well. (They are also easy to clean.)

We got an old one at a garage sale several years ago and it has held up better than our Cuisinart Duet blender.

Maybe you could find one used someplace.
Good luck.:)
Shannon

[Claire]

Here's the blender (http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KPCB348PNP-Blender-Polycarbonate-Nickel/dp/B000HWMRKC) I have. It does a great job of pulverizing frozen fruit, etc., and I think would do the job with greens that you need. I never had any luck with lower-priced blenders for smoothies, so I doubt that you would be happy with the Oster.

[HappyGrace]

while I'd LOOOOVE a Vitamix or BlendTec or other high-end blender, finances will not allow right now! So I'm trying to find a lower-priced solution to be able to make green smoothies. Thanks for the responses so far-keep 'em comin'!

[Colleen]

I want to get a second mixer or blender if I can find one used and have it solely for veggie-based drinks. I want to start including some greens in smoothies and am looking for good combos. Anyone?

[Whisperlily]

I love spinach/strawberry smoothies! Mmm... I use frozen fruit, so I don't often add ice.

For DS I add vanilla or strawberry yogurt, frozen strawberries and spinach.

For DD I don't use yogurt, but add frozen mango and pineapple to the strawberries and spinach.

For myself, I add the frozen strawberries, mangoes, pineapple, orange juice and spinach.

I also like Blueberry/Mango/Spinach.

Can you tell I like spinach in my smoothies? I sometimes use Kale, but it's more fibrous and doesn't blend quite as well. Other greens are good too, but they tend to have more "flavoring power" of their own. Spinach blends with anything.

Err... and TOTALLY ignoring the health-conscious nature of these smoothies, my TRUE favorite is Mango/Blueberry/Spinach/Sugar-free Red Bull smoothies! :eek:

[Colleen]

Thanks for your reply! I've admittedly held off on adding greens because I'm not sure how they'll blend. Sounds like spinach is a "go", so I'll make sure to plant even more than usual this year. Do you blend greens in the same blender you use for other things? I don't want to have this lingering spinach~kale flavor in the blender when I mix up some plain ol' chocolate shakes in the summer, kwim?;)

[Whisperlily]

I've never had a problem with that. I have a glass pitcher on my blender, and have also been using the Magic Bullet (with plastic containers) with no problems whatsoever. I do wash them out right away afterward, but only so the stuff doesn't dry and get stuck on... ick.

Then again, I use my blender and Magic Bullet for garlic tomato sauce and haven't had any lingering odors/tastes either.

And yes, spinach blends smooth, without adding a "greens" flavor.

[abbeyej]

Okay, Whisper, maybe this is a dumb question, but... Do you always use fresh spinach, or will frozen work in a pinch? Does it matter if you use baby spinach or mature spinach? Does one work better? What about stems? Do you need to be careful to remove them?

I'm intrigued, but much as I like spinach (cooked or in a salad), the idea of a spinach smoothie does sound a little ... strange ... to me. ;) I'm willing to give it a try though. I do doubt my faithful Osterizer's ability to blend the stuff totally smooth... But you've pretty much convinced me. I'll have to give it a go this week. :)

[Whisperlily]

Hmm... I've always used fresh spinach. IMO the frozen would be too watery and wouldn't *cream* into the smoothie since it's texture and water content is compromised. I would only try that AFTER you've determined you like spinach in your smoothies. I have used both baby spinach and more mature spinach. If the stems are too big on the more mature spinach, I usually just snip them off near the leaf.

I think a good starting place would be to use 1/4 greens and the rest fruit. Work your way up, if you like it, to 1/3 greens. Make sure you've got enough liquid in the mix to blend properly. (Either yogurt, juice, or water & honey work well here.)

I really, truly do NOT taste the greens at all. My kids usually refuse anything green as a principle, and they'll drink these. If you want to see if your kids like it without letting them know what's in it, put the smoothie in a plastic cup with a lid and straw. Tell them it's a fruit smoothie. ;)

[HappyGrace]

The BEST site for green smoothies is www.greensmoothiegirl.com. I am LOVING this site and I've learned a lot more there than just about the smoothies! The site has a ton of great nutritional info. She also has a couple videos on youtube of how to make these and other things like kefir. On the site she does say she freezes her greens from her garden and uses them in her smoothies but I have not tried it. Also when you add mixed berries it doesn't have a green color that may put off kids. And she says to start off with more fruit and taper the ratio back to more greens gradually. The other place you can check is on Oprah.com and search for Dr. Oz making green smoothies-there is a recipe there.

I've just discovered all this in the last couple days, so I'm still trying to figure out what I can use to properly blend this stuff! I hope someone gives me some answers! Like I said, right now it's between an Oster blender and a Magic Bullet.

[Whisperlily]

Do you have a regular blender?

I like using a blender for multiple servings with the same ingredients.

Because I have multiple different food allergies, I make individual servings and prefer my Magic Bullet for that. I can fill all the "cups" at the same time, and blend them one after the other.

I use my Magic Bullet for so many other things that it's hard to say whether I would buy it *just for smoothies.*

[HappyGrace]

it's a 400 watt Hamilton Beach cheapo from Walmart, not sure if it would work. A blender would probably be better for me than Bullet so I can make a bigger batch we can all have, but I'd get the Bullet if it made the smoothies "smoother"! I will try my blender, but if it doesn't work I'll buy a new blender (Oster 600 watt) or a Bullet, both about the same price.

Questions:
1. What watt blender do you have that worked well?
2. Does the Bullet do kale, collards, etc., or just spinach?
3. On greensmoothiegirl.com, she says even an Oster blender makes a clumpy mess, you really need a high-powered one like Vitamix or BlendTec (although she does have a vested interest because she sells BlendTec through a link on her site.) So I'm a little afraid to buy and Oster OR a Magic Bullet until I have more info. If you answer these two questions it may send me in the right direction-thanks for all your help on this!

[Whisperlily]

A VitaMix or BlendTec will do a better job. If I had the money to spend, I would buy a VitaMix in a heartbeat. I don't, however, feel it's worth the $$ to buy one for the sole purpose of making smoothies unless you knew you were going to be making them daily, on a long term basis.

I have used a VitaMix for some things so I know it makes a beautiful, perfect smoothie. I also know that my blender made a very nice smoothie.

I was given my blender by my MIL. Half the numbers have worn off, but it works great. It's a 300 Watt Krups?

Since you're looking at making larger batches, try your blender first and see if it works well enough for you. I'd consider a blender unless you, like me, need to make multiple variations. I don't think a Magic Bullet is going to make a "better" smoothie than a good quality blender if that's your only consideration.

[Frontier Mom]

I got braces and that was what made me take the plunge and buy one. I use my Bosch blender attachment for bigger quantities but hope the Magic Bullet meets my everyday, one serving needs.

Tonight I made salmon and used the Bullet for the marinade. It was great. Hope it works as well for smoothies.

[HappyGrace]

I think I'm going to try my blender (got the kale, etc., so I'll try it today) and see how it goes. Whisperlily, it was helpful to know that your 300 watt blender did fine because mine is 400 watt (but not as good a brand as yours.) If it doesn't work I may get a 600 watt since the capacity of a blender would be better than the Magic Bullet.

[amy g.]

Thanks for this thread! Dd and I are enjoying a smoothie with Swiss chard and mint from the garden.