Smoothies are big in our family. We can’t get enough of them. But I have always disliked how my blender often leaves big chunks of the frozen fruit we use. Those chunks seem to be too much for my regular old blender to handle… which is why I am ecstatic over my new Ninja blender. Those blades are no joke (just ask my thumb that almost required stitches on my first attempt using it…total user error, by the way, I do not blame the blender) and there is so much power in this machine. Smooth smoothies. What a novel idea.
Strawberry acai
I have been in love with acai lately. If you haven’t had it, acai reminds me of a citrusy berry. These acai packets are awesome because they come in the freezer and are in single serve pouches. They are super easy to use with no measuring required. Mix that with some fresh fruit and a little yogurt and you’ve got a smoothie my kids freak out about.
Use frozen fruit — it’s always fresh!
It is really hard to keep fresh fruit in the house, especially strawberries. They seem to go bad so quickly. But you can always find a bag of frozen berries in our freezer. These crazy awesome extra blades (removable so you only use them when you need to) make getting through harder chunks (like frozen berries or ice cubes) a breeze.
Since I was using fresh berries and my acai packet was pretty thawed, I didn’t need to use the extra blade in the Ninja for this smoothie.
I was super impressed with the power this blender has. It made the smoothie so fast and even with out the extra blades, got the smoothie really silky. And while I have always been partial to glass blenders, this Ninja blender jar makes me feel like I work in a juice shop. It feels indestructable and I absolutely loved it.
Ninja has cool accessories
The other cool part about this blender is that it came with three individual-sized smoothie mugs and the blade attachment to use with them. So great, right? Especially since my kids usually like their smoothies made with different ingredients (one prefers orange juice in theirs the other likes apple).
Once the smoothie is made you just pop on the to-go lid and you can drink the smoothie right from this cup. Genius! I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that I will be getting rid of my old blender. This Ninja now sits on the kitchen counter next to my coffee maker so we can easily make smoothies for breakfast or snacks. I bet this thing would even make a great little shake for dessert. I’m going to have to try some out…
Strawberry Acai Smoothie Recipe
1/2 cup strawberries
1 banana
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 frozen acai packet (sold in the freezer section of most stores — these are great to buy from Costco)
1 cup ice (skip the ice if you are using frozen berries)
Add all ingredients to the Ninja blender. Follow the directions sent along with the Ninja blender to ensure optimal blending and running of the machine (ie. start on a low speed and gradually move to a higher speed). Blend to desired consistency.