Yay! Finally out of the ABVM club:). Garlic and pepper can be a great substitute for salt. I made the butternut squash soup and DH loved. You will love the smoothies. How can you keep it in the box until the weekend? I think I made 4 recipes the day I received mine. I have all sort of tiny glasses (for amuse-bouche type appetizers) and am always handing out samples. If you wait til Friday, invite some friends over and make a night of it. Bon Appetit and Cheers!

Oh, man, you're killing me, a2. I'll be in the ABVM (LOL, oldbat!) for a long time. Just can't justify the expense at this point. I so enjoy my sister's when we go on vacation! (Yes, she actually travels with it!)

Yay! So excited for you!

oldbat: ABVM...love that!!!

I made sure our VM came with us downstairs in our temporary kitchen while the kitchen is being worked on...can't live without my morning smoothies :)

I'm so excited for you, a2!!! That's awesome. And I agree with oldbat--how can you wait? I'd be ripping it open!

Can't wait to hear how much you enjoy it!

I have a blendtec and its used daily. These powerful blenders are amazing. I think it's a good investment. My dd loves to make smoothies.

a2g- which model did you get?

Congratulations! And ditto to the sentiments above. Your new favorite appliance is begging for a test drive!

I will be taking mine on vacation too..l totally get that! Saw a YouTube video over the weekend called A Day in the Life of Our VM, something to that effect, I can relate as we are using it multiple times a day. Made a whole fruit smoothie for a staff potluck last week - it was a hit. Made a veg cheese dip for another work function tomorrow. And made frozen fudge pops tonight as well. Just bought a new dehydrator (this has been the season of replacing appliances), and I'm going crazy creating all sorts of things in the VM that I will be able to then dehydrate.

A2, you will love being able to make your own nut butters.

Welcome! :-)

OldBat- I took out the book so I can go shipping. I am retired but consulting and working this week.

Four and Anna if I put one more item in the vehicle on vacation, I will be voted off the island for sure. I have been known to take my own pans, knives and cutting boards if not hoteling it. I will have to hunt for the video

Dilly- DH only knows how to cook pizza - he orders it on the phone. I probably could have looked at others but went with the vitamix.

Lolo- I went for the 750. Watching the 2 models in action side be side convinced me to go with the wide mouth version

Now, I do have to be a but careful- I never worried about weight but recently, added a few too many pounds and definitely effects running and cycling performance. I still have to lose about a dozen so avoiding sweet treats.

Thanks for your support in this $$ decision. I am amortizing it in my head over the next 7 years, so it costs pennies a day but have to use it to make it worthwhile. And hoping it lasts for at least 20.

I don't have one either. If you have a regular blender why need a vitamix?

Oh gosh I am in ABVM club. I have to admit that I got a very nice Cuisinart food processor about four months ago with the goal of making home made butter but guess what? It is packed away in my cupboard and not only have I not used it I haven't viewed the demo cd either. Because of this there is no VM on the horizon for me for months perhaps years.

When I sell my business or close it down, hopefully in two to three years, I will have the time to make smoothies. Right now they are just a dream as I have no time in the morning to make a smoothie. Breakfast consists of two hurried cups of coffee after I get to the office!

Fresh hummus is so good and so easy to make. The quality of oil makes a huge difference and I dont make more than we can eat in two days max.

I've been making it in my 1993 cuisinart for years. I've been told to "back away" from the kitchen appliance displays for a while. :(

Congrats and welcome to the club! :-)

VM hummus is heavenly! I cannot remember if the recipe calls for paprika but add some plus "a tad" of cayenne - makes it spicier.

I always take a portable induction unit, two knives, one pan, one medium size pot, and a cutting board if traveling by car. How am I supposed to cook otherwise? LOL

One tip for travelers: if VM is not fitting in the car, a hand blender most certainly will. I have one similar to Magic Bullet and take it with me too. After all, one cannot go without a smoothie for a week, can one???

My mom had a Vitamix and used it intensely for a couple months . . . then it collected dust 'til she sold it on ebay.

A good food processor is a more versitile item.

I have an older model with the tall narrow metal cup and a spout at the bottom. What I don't like is trying to get stuff out of the bottom and also keeping the spout hole clean. I just dug out some sprouted wheat berries last week that had it all plugged up. Do the new VM's have a detachable base so you can get the food... say PB... out of the cup easily? Or are they still like mine and sealed?

I don't use it as much as I'd like as I cannot stand how loud it is. I made a potato soup and 15 minutes of that screaming motor just about made me bonkers. The soup was okay but it still tasted flour-y to me. I do love it for grinding grain, though.

I love to cook and my mom bought me a refurbished vitamix (cheaper than new) a few years ago.
The biggest Pros IMO: it whips so fast that it makes amazingly creamy salad dressings out of oil and vinegar, as well as homemeade aioli /mayo. It also makes great smooth slushy drinks from ice. Good for blending soups and smoothies. The blenders and food processors I have just dont have anywhere near the 'whipping' power of the vitamix.
The Cons: contents are hard to get out of the bottom and it is difficult to
make small batches / single serving of anything.
Alas, being 40+ now and very weight conscious, nut butters and smoothies, as delicious as they are, can't be consumed daily by me!

jenny, I agree about the nut butter, but smoothies? I think your con is really a pro. I too, am 40+ and more weight conscious, and that is one of the reasons I bought a VM last week. I figured it's really time to make all my calories be ones worth consuming. The book that comes with it has a few smoothie recipes consisting of nothing more than fruits and spinach, caloric content only 87-120 per cup. And very filling. I think I'm gonna love this thing!

I have another post on my frustrations - but looks like most like it but a few collect dust.
i wanted to make smoothies with veggies but keep the calories down. My recent hummus was awesome!!
Hopefully, I master it!

A2 - sorry I missed this post. Been busy working, but I have to say I'm so happy you finally took the plunge!!! Homemade hummus is awesome - I'm making another batch for a GNO (girls night out) party on Friday.

I make plenty of soup without heavy salt...it's amazing how salty the processed stuff tastes now. Roasting goes a long way to bring out the flavors of veggies - you will love it...salt free!

Mgoblue
Thanks for your support. I made 4 soups so far and they were awesome. They were all low sodium and no one added salt except for my one saltaholic friend
Wild rice, mushroom, chicken
Tomato basil
Roasted pepper(I put a bit too much cayenne in this one)
Asparagus soup

All were from the VM book except the tomato basil
I used non fat milk for all of the cream based soups except I did use half/half in the asparagus soup (it called for 1/2 cup heavy cream and I planned on using skim milk but we splurged since we just finished a 62 mile bike ride)

Along the same topic does anyone have recipes for tasty low carb smoothies? My dh is trying very hard not to have to take medicine for high blood sugar!

suska6184 - Please tell me about your name! When I was 5, living overseas, my father brought home an Airedale puppy from Switzerland whose name was Suska. I have never seen the name used since/met anyone with the name. Thanks! oldbat2be

Hi oldbat2be-

My given name is Susan, but my Polish grandma called me Suska, and so did my mother when she was in an especially good mood. I guess I always thought Suska was Susan in Polish, or perhaps a Polish term of endearment, but I don't know that to be a fact. It just brings back positive childhood memories for me.

camaro- try adding some veggies to the mix - spinach or kale.
I made a Vruit type juice in mine using tomatoes, carrots, celery, spinach/kale, orange, and an apple plus water to thin it out. I ended up adding more water afterwards as it was still to thick.

Suska and OldBat - someday, we will have a total reveal thread of real names.

Gemini,
I made that asparagus soup last night- yum! However, DH was relieved when the 6 minutes on high were over...

suska - yes that is a current issue for me! I have a magic bullet and love to make smoothies but can barely use it because I am up before everyone else and it is so loud that I have actually went out into the garage to plug it in and use it! I think I need to incorporate a sound proof pantry in our build or something so I can get more use out of my small electrics!

Suska and autumn- maybe we need to get some ear protection!
Glad you enjoyed the soup- did you use cream or milk?

On the road right now and DH was glad I didn't pack my VM!

Suska and autumn- maybe we need to get some ear protection!
Glad you enjoyed the soup- did you use cream or milk?

On the road right now and DH was glad I didn't pack my VM!

I used half and half- it turned out great. I don't think I will ever use cream in that recipe. It doesn't need it, and I would prefer to save some calories anyway.

Is this similar to the Asparagus soup you made? I know you said the one in the book calls for cream and this one calls for 1/2 and 1/2.

Here is a link that might be useful: Asparagus soup

Cararodreamer67, if DH has tried to control his sugar levels with diet for 3-6 months and is still high, ask him to start the medicine.

He won't feel bad with high sugar until it's very, very high, but it will still be doing damage. The longer he is not controlling his sugar level, the quicker complications set in. Pain/tingling/loss of feeling in his feet (due to poor circulation), which leads to wounds that don't heal and amputations. Kidney damage - diabetes induced kidney damage is the leading cause of dialysis in the US. Damage to blood vessels in his eyes, which eventually can cause blindness. Plus the increased risk of heart attack.

I'm not trying to scare you with rare what-ifs. These are well known, common complications of uncontrolled diabetes.

It's great you are helping him try to control things with diet, and hopefully exercise. Just don't shy away from other important tools, like medication.

Where are some other places everyone is using for recipes? I have found a couple sites but just curious as to where everyone else goes. We bought ours thanks to this forum - so thanks all who have touted the awesomeness of the Vitamix! I love to try new things and there are so many recipes available!

I've been doing the same thing, browsing smoothie recipes in books, on line. I've been watching a bunch of raw food cooks demonstrate recipes on YouTube. So many of them use a VM to create a sauce, dressing, or coating. All of these sources just feed my own creativity to experiment.

We made a coating mix for our latest batch of kale chips using dehydrated tomatoes (packed in oil), fresh garlic, onion, celery; sesame seeds, ev olive oil, a few soaked cashews, vinegar, lime juice, a date, cayenne, and a few other spices. The left overs have made the best veg dip, and the chips are great.

Williamsen - good point -I tried to control my BP with diet alone - but it still was high - I don't profile as someone with high BP but genes trump. I am slim, athletic, eat well, and exercise a lot (just returned from a bicycle trip and clocked close to 200 miles in 3 days - not bad for the beginning of the season)

I have been using the VM book that came with the VM. The book said to use heavy cream but the 1/2 cup of half/half worked fine - I hope to try it with milk on the next round - maybe even almond milk.

I also surf for the recipes but I almost always modify the recipes....

I will have to try the Kale chips - but I heard they move things along but haven't confirmed that yet...

Has anyone tried to make vanilla ice cream by freezing the milk and cream into ice cubes? I think it might work as long as I have some liquid....