Blender tip to avoid overheating

I learned something about my Blendtec blender. During use, if it ever starts moving across the counter with a lot of torque, it probably has something stuck under one of the blades.

When I blend frozen things, it will often vibrate, and I have to hold the lid on to keep flying frozen fruit from knocking off the top. However, yesterday, the blender began doing something I hadn't experienced. It was moving across the counter with such force, I had difficulty keeping it in place. Near the end of the blend cycle, it started to smoke, and then it shut down with an "over-temp" error message.

It smoked a lot, filling my kitchen with a burnt smell all day. I was worried I had permanently damaged it, but later that day, it worked fine.

I believe a wedge of frozen peach or banana was lodged under one blade, which caused the strong sideways movement due to it being out of balance.

Moral of the story: If your blender starts really lurching to one side with a force greater than you've experienced in the past, power it off and check for things lodged under the blade.

Green Smoothie Tips

Please add your own tips. Thanks!

Tip 1: If your green smoothie is too bitter for your taste (because of a strong-flavored vegetable), adding one or two bananas to the mix will often cover the bitter flavor.

Tip 2: There are some fruits you can use in a green smoothie that you may not eat normally. For example, grapes with seeds. In a powerful blender, like the Blendtec, the seeds are pulverized. Grape seeds are an excellent source of antioxidants.

Tip 3: Bulk stores, like Sams Club and Costco, are good places to get bags of frozen fruit for less money.

Tip 4: If you buy frozen strawberries, look for strawberries that are already sliced to reduce time needed in the blender.

Tip 5: If you have more vegetables or fruit than you can use before it spoils, chop them into useable amounts and freeze them. Ideally, use freshly frozen vegetables within a few days of freezing.

Tip 6: When making smoothies, build the smoothie so that the items with the most liquid are at the bottom. Things like water, grapes, and watermelon should go on the bottom, leafy greens in the middle, and frozen fruit on the top. This will provide the shortest blend cycles and reduce frozen pockets that cause the blade to spin without the contents falling down onto the blades.

Green Smoothie Resources

What is a green smoothie?

A green smoothie is made in a blender. By volume, it’s about 40% green leafy vegetables, like spinach, kale, romaine, mixed spring greens, etc., and about 60% fruit. The main reason for the mixture is to make eating a large serving of vegetables palatable. You might say, well I’ll just eat a salad. That’s fine. I still eat salads, but there’s just no quicker and easier way to consuming this many servings of fruits and vegetables. Also, clean up is a breeze.

I’ve posted several videos here on how I make my smoothies. These videos are just the basics of a green smoothie. The variations are endless.

What type of blender do I use?

I use a very powerful blender made by Blendtec, which was made famous by the YouTube videos, “Will It Blend.” This is a $400 to $500 blender, depending on specials (just make sure you get the 96 oz container model). Most people will find this pricey, and it is, but the impact it will have on your daily life will make it worthwhile. This is the start to a change in lifestyle.

Amazon sells them. Costco sometimes runs a sale when they have demonstrations.

The major competitor to Blendtec is Vita-Mix blender. It is comparable in power, but it only has a 64 oz container, and the container is very high and narrow. Because of its height, it will not fit under my cabinets. This was the main reason I did not consider it. I feel both are of similar quality.

You can use less powerful blenders, but you may have more difficulty with frozen fruit, and you may need to blend longer to achieve the desired texture. You may also have issues with overheating with longer blends using some foods. Still, it’s not impossible.

How much do I eat per meal?

I eat (or drink) 4 cups of green smoothie for a meal replacement. On the blender markings, that’s about 32 ounces (or 1 quart). I purchased some large plastic glasses from Target for a $1.00 each that hold exactly 4 cups when filled to a half inch from the top of the glass.

How many calories are in a green smoothie?

It depends on the type of fruit you use, but it averages between 375 to 500 calories per 4-cup serving.

What about all the carbs in fruit?

I’ve lost weight on low-carb diets– a lot of weight. However, I’ve also lost a lot of weight on low-fat diets. During my life, I’ve lost 60 lbs at least three times. This is not the place to discuss why I’ve put the weight back on each time, except to say that it really does require a lifestyle change. In my experience, which is backed up by research, you can lose weight on any diet where you expend more energy than you consume.

I believe that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is healthier than one rich in fatty meats. I realize this topic is not without debate, but I have considered the studies, and I feel the rationale for more fruits and vegetables is stronger and will provide my body with better health in the long run. I will explore these topics on this blog. Please subscribe if you’re interested in such things.

Will the sugars in fruit cause my blood sugar to spike?

Probably not as much as you’ve been led to believe. In fact, fructose, one of the main sugars in fruit, cannot convert directly to glucose (blood sugar). Read my article on the myth of simple carbs here in this blog (under blood sugar).

Where can I get green smoothie recipes?

I suggest that you start simple using one type of green leafy vegetable and no more than three types of fruit. Frozen fruit makes a great smoothie (tip: Frozen strawberries are low calorie, high nutrition and flavor, and you can buy them cheap in bulk at Sams Club). If you’re going to add protein powders, keep in mind this increases the calories and, in my opinion, detracts from the lovely fruit flavors.

Here are some links:

You can also search YouTube for a lot of video recipes.

http://www.facebook.com/IncredibleSmoothies
http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com
http://www.rawfamily.com/recipes
http://www.rawsmoothierecipes.com
http://gotgreensrevolution.com/green-smoothie-recipes.html

Green Smoothie with Broccoli

Broccoli has been described as one of natures most perfect foods. It also contains the anti-cancer compound Sulforaphane, which is in numerous clinical trials[13] including a phase II trial for prostate cancer.[14], which is under study in a variety of clinical trials. Wikipedia reports, "Sulforaphane is in numerous clinical trials[13] including a phase II trial for prostate cancer.[14]. To see those reports, see the the notes under "Sulforaphane."

I liked the broccoli green smoothie, but you have to be in the right mindset for it. It has an earthy flavor. I was able to drink 4 cups of it without getting tired of it, which has not been true of a few of my experiments.

Green Smoothie with Mixed Greens - Spring Mix

Green Smoothies

Green smoothies are popular right now. It's a simple, fast and delicious way to eat servings of fruits and vegetables. If we eat a smoothie of spinach leaves and frozen strawberries versus hamburgers and fries, most would agree we've made the more-healthy meal choice.

I plan to use green smoothies as part of my plan to lose a lot of weight-- like 50 lbs. I'm using a BlendTec blender

Here's a video I made to show how to make a green smoothie.