Need some help- just got my first blender...

[Ringo*]

Hi everyone!
My wife recently sent me a link about the vita-mix telling me she wants one. She had always been the one to encourage us to buy organic, eat healthier, etc. I ended up getting a Blendtec HP3A (Total Blender) which arrived today. I simultaneously signed up with a local service that delivers organic produce once every week which also arrived today. I was really excited to start on a new, healthier path...
So, I've been reading tons of sites about the benefits of raw, and after my first "smoothie" I have a question. First, here's what I put in each smoothie:

2 basil leaves
about 3 really big leaves from a beet (all the way down to where the beet begins)
a handful of grapes
1/2 a frozen banana
1 1/2 cups of cold water

I have to be honest- it was pretty gross. I don't know if I was too ambitious with too much "green", if the blender isn't working... regardless, I'm sort of discouraged.

About the drink- it was by no means totally smooth. There was a stringiness (I imagine from the hard part of the beet stems), some small pieces of lettuce and, while I "got it down", it wasn't without strain and sometimes a bit of a gagging reflex.

What did I do wrong???

[Raw Hope]

Add some fruits that you Love along with some greens. I did that first too, blended some concoction i could hardly finish. Then I learned that Spinach & Romaine are the sweeter of the green variety and slowly went back to any & all greens
Hope this helps..Happy Blending

[Ringo*]

Yeah, but what about the pieces of lettuce/ stringiness? Is it normal? Is there a particular setting I should use?

Also, should I be adding ice or more bananas to make it more of a smoothie? Maybe this makes it more palatable...

[DebB]

Hi Ringo ~ I hope I can help.. First, I'm not sure about the basil leaves - next GS (green smoothie), I'd leave them out and see how it goes.

I agree with RawTruth, I would also recommend spinach. Beet tops are fine, I would use them as an addition to a milder green like spinach though. And you might want to start by adding 1 or 2 with spinach.

I love using young Thai coconut water in my GS. Do you need it? Nope - water does work fine.

I add my water first and then blend up my greens. I use the bottom right button - "smoothie". Then I start adding fruit to the liquid greens. It all depends on how much green you have as to the amount of fruit you add.

I like adding in peaches right now as they're in season and boy are they sweet! So, add 1 peach and blend (you don't have to let it run the full cycle - in fact that will start to heat it up). Now taste and if it's not sweet enough - add another one!

Then I like to add a whole frozen banana and frozen blueberries (maybe 1/2-1 cup) as I like my GS icy cold. That may sound like a lot of fruit, but I put in a LOT of greens and I make about 64 ounces, that BlendTec is filled to the top.

I add other things in my GS too - spirulina, chlorella & hemp seeds. I'm not recommending you do that, just know that I have a lot in there that I'm adding fruit to cover the taste, ya know?

Let us know how it goes for you and your wife okay? Don't give up - you'll get the hang of what greens and fruits work best for your tastes. For example, I don't like citrus in my GS, but others may. *Ü*

[spicyfull]

You asked......"What did I do Wrong?"........You didn't listen to your Wife, She said she wanted a Vita-Mix. Case Closed.

[snoops]

:D:D you're funny spicyful:D:D

[Dimond]

There's two main types of smoothies-sweet and savory. It's best to stick to one or the other at the beginning. So basil isn't the best choice to mix with fruits when making a sweet smoothie. Also it's best to add more fruit and more liquid. Sticking with mild greens such as spinach allows you to get use to the greens. You shouldn't be able to detect the green taste in a sweet smoothie.

If it's not smooth, blend at a higher setting for longer a longer time.

Example recipe:
1-2 cups Greens
2-4 Bananas
2-3 cups Water

I find keeping the bananas in the fridge is better than the freezer because they lose some of their flavor and sweetness when frozen. The strong flavor of the bananas hide the greens taste. Frozen is good for ice cream though.

[Revvell]

What did I do wrong???

What Spicyfull said. We keep tryin' to tell ya'll, VM RAWKS!

[RawLibrarian]

Hi everyone!
My wife recently sent me a link about the vita-mix telling me she wants one. She had always been the one to encourage us to buy organic, eat healthier, etc. I ended up getting a Blendtec HP3A (Total Blender) which arrived today. I simultaneously signed up with a local service that delivers organic produce once every week which also arrived today. I was really excited to start on a new, healthier path...
So, I've been reading tons of sites about the benefits of raw, and after my first "smoothie" I have a question. First, here's what I put in each smoothie:

2 basil leaves
about 3 really big leaves from a beet (all the way down to where the beet begins)
a handful of grapes
1/2 a frozen banana
1 1/2 cups of cold water

I have to be honest- it was pretty gross. I don't know if I was too ambitious with too much "green", if the blender isn't working... regardless, I'm sort of discouraged.

About the drink- it was by no means totally smooth. There was a stringiness (I imagine from the hard part of the beet stems), some small pieces of lettuce and, while I "got it down", it wasn't without strain and sometimes a bit of a gagging reflex.

What did I do wrong???

There is nothing wrong with your blender. I have a BlendTec and really like it. Yours is, I think, a newer model than mine is (I got mine in early 2008).

You have gotten some good advice. Ix-nay on the basil for sweet smoothies, and you might want to try using romaine lettuce or baby spinach or some other mild-tasting greens at first. (Personally, I do not like sweet green smoothies. I make savory smoothies almost exclusively--they're like green gazpacho.)

On my BlendTec there is a pre-programmed smoothie setting (the '2' button). You could use that, or there is another pre-programmed setting for 'juice' (the '4' button). That setting will make your smoothie incredibly smooth.

[Ringo*]

I'm in a bit of a mood right now,*deleted by moderator* Those of you providing genuine support, however, I thank you.
I think I'll find another forum should I have any further questions about this pursuit in the future.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Greetings Ringo,

This is a forum where many people have been coming for years and they are friends. They have a little fun sometimes... nothing wrong with it at all. You said you were in a bit of a mood right now and I'm guessing that's why you aren't finding the light-heartedness a blessing.

If you ever decide that light-hearted-fun is something you appreciate, we'd love to have you back! (((hugs)))

in light,
Aleesha
Moderator

[Aleesha Sattva]

I have to be honest- it was pretty gross. I don't know if I was too ambitious with too much "green", if the blender isn't working... regardless, I'm sort of discouraged.

About the drink- it was by no means totally smooth. There was a stringiness (I imagine from the hard part of the beet stems), some small pieces of lettuce and, while I "got it down", it wasn't without strain and sometimes a bit of a gagging reflex.

What did I do wrong???

You probably didn't run it long enough if you found anything in your smoothie. Blend-tec and Vita-Mix are the top of the line in smoothness!

Here's a gorgeous smoothie to start off:

A handful of baby organic spinach leaves
2-3 frozen or fresh bananas (I like 3)
1-2 cups of frozen (or fresh) blueberries
A cup or two of water.

Now process this nicely, till it's good and smooth. A good minute at least. You don't want to process it so long that it heats up. If you've added all fresh, be sure to add in a cup of ice to make it chilled.

Then sip and enjoy!!!

Another gorgeous one:

A couple of frozen bananas
raw carob powder
either water or freshly made almond mylk

Blend.

Mmmmmmm yummers!

Have you seen the green smoothie thread yet? Here's a link: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=42834

[DebB]

I sure hope you keep posting Ringo! *Ü*

[spicyfull]

I got a personal email from Ringo and with the Language he used, all I have to say is........GOOD BY.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Thanks for the heads up Spicy!