We have a Blendtec, which I love, but i don't know the difference in capacity or how that would affect recipies. The Blendtec web site has recipies, and they e-mail a new one every Friday.

The Vitamix web site has a massive amount of recipies, too.

Have fun! I know you will enjoy it.

I have a ninja too a big one that does lots of stuff but I make smoothies mostly, it has the individual glasses so I can drink it right from it. I do use a small handful of spinach in many of them. It turns it green but really does not affect the taste much. I generally use some almond milk, ice, fruit like blackberry, strawberries, banana, blueberries, pineapple, what ever I have I just throw it in. I buy a powder at gnc that I add for a little protein and sometimes I add flax seed and other things like that. Just go to pinterest and search for healthy smoothies you will find tons of recipes. I have used fruit juice on occasion for the liquid.

I have a Nutri bullet....I usually use spinach leaves, mango chunks, berries, banana and flaxseed. I also have powders to add to the mix if I want...

You know that I'm a huge fan.....I'm the queen of sludgies, lol.

I use lots of green stuff...kale, spinach, and other deep greens (baby or otherwise). I love to use apple and fresh pineapple, and frozen mixed fruit to make it icy cold. I always have blueberries and strawberries on hand, too, as well as bananas. A dollop of greek yogurt is nice, as well as the nut milks, but I just as often use water for the liquid. A sliver of fresh lemon really livens the taste. Avocado is nice, too.

I've also used almonds, walnuts, ground flax seed, and protein powders, as well as cinnamon, cayenne, mint, and other herbs and spices.

The only time I made a sludgie that was gross was when I used a little bit of beets. Yikes, the color was disgusting (red and green make icky brown), and the taste matched the color, lol.

I use frozen fruits and nonfat milk and protein powders. I saw an interesting recipe recently that called for 1/2 cup of granola, I wonder how that would taste, I may try it.

I have a Blentex, and LOVE IT! My favorite smoothie is 2 C fresh spinach, 1 banana, 1 C frozen blueberries and 1 C almond milk. Some days I will add a little protein powder to it. Experiment. You might be surprised what you come up with.

Thanks, guys! I'm used to eating "medicinally," as someone once put it, and don't need things to be very sweet, so I'll have fun experimenting. I use beets in juicing, which turns out more red than brown (fortunately). :-)

I have used granola in mine and it was very good it has a little crunch to it but very interesting.

I finally tried granola, I wasn't really a fan, maybe it was the particular granola I used. Tried one with mixed frozen fruits instead of the mostly strawberries I usually use and loved it.

My husband makes smoothies 3 or 4 times a week and usually makes enough for 2 days. He uses lots of fresh and frozen fruit and adds yogurt and coconut or almond milk. He always adds spinach too and found we were wasting a lot of it as it got outdated. Now we buy two or three bags and wash it and then put in the Vitamix with a little water. After it becomes mostly liquid we put it in ice cube trays and freeze. When it is frozen we put it in zip lock bags to use as needed. We also slice and freeze our ripe bananas that we used to toss. There are many recipes on line and I think you will love your new appliance.

I freeze a lot of fresh fruit, too. It's PYO strawberry time here, and I love those frozen. Blueberries, peaches are bought from the farms and are so yummy. I actually prefer the bananas frozen, too.

Thanks! The Nutri Ninja has arrived, and it certainly looks nice! I've been looking through recipes online and find most of them are heavy on fruit and light on vegetables. I'll need to reverse this, but I'm sure I'll find others, or can adapt existing recipes to suit myself. I bought some strawberries yesterday, along with bananas and spinach. Good ideas on freezing stuff--I wouldn't have thought of it.

Thanks for the encouragement, Rhizo. I was thinking of your sludgies when I ordered it.

I know a lot of people who drink these concoctions. I've tried different versions and find them mostly unpalatable. Those that are overly sweet from having too much fruit arguably present the same issues as eating any other high-sugar/carb drink or meal. Other than weight control (from drinking a large volume of liquid instead of eating more calorie-dense food), I don't think any studies have shown other positive effects.

So long as not overdone (an excess of anything can be dangerous), there's probably no harm done. The real question is, is any good done? I think the jury is out.

One positive effect for me is that I use protein powder along with the fruit, the kind of protein powder used by athletes after workouts. (Yes, I realize I am not in their class,lol). The strawberry powder along with the fruit makes a really delicious smoothie. The spin videos, music, and smoothie are all part of the exercise package and make exercising more fun and is an incentive to get going and 'just do it'.. Otherwise, being older and in not great physical shape, I really have to talk myself into exercising on some days.

No benefits from eating more vegetables and fruits? Snidely, you are so silly, sometimes.

The people I know who drink such things eat thoughtful and balanced diets. A varied diet that includes plenty of fruits and veggies will supply sufficient amounts of fiber and nutrients of the required kinds. For someone with eating habits like that, I'd answer your question "Yes", no benefit from more.

For someone with poor eating habits, I say blend away. Do you have poor eating habits?

Are you speaking to me, Mr. Whiplash?

If so, I have to say that I have excellent, healthful eating habits....pretty much all day, every day. It's been my lifestyle for most of my adult life.

And the addition of delicious, green drink has brought nothing but improved health for me. Plant based vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber, and plant fats have helped me eliminate prescriptions from my life, have eased chronic pain from fibromyalgia, boosted my energy levels.

That's all....no biggie.

Yes. Because in saying "The health benefits can be remarkable", you're suggesting an outcome that hasn't been shown. IE, no evidence.

Nutrients beyond what your body needs mostly just pass through. You need a sufficient amount of a long list of things, or close to it. A balanced and varied diet mostly provides them, with a very few exceptions. Some things, very little is needed. More isn't better, you just need "enough". I think you know that.

I'm glad you're feeling well, that's what matters. You know that personal health ebbs and flows anyway. Maybe smearing bacon grease on your arms every morning instead of drinking your conconction might have anecdotally coincided with a time when your health improved. There's no way to know. There's also no way to know if doing nothing would have also had the same "effect", because you didn't do "nothing". So no "with" versus "without", no "with this" instead of "with that". No more proof of one than another. It takes the study of thousands of people over many years, with controls, to even suggest any type of observed effect.

That's all.....no biggie. I hope your good health continues for a very long time, thoughtful people to toss around ideas with are always in short supply.

In addition to studies involving thousands of people, with controls, there's also something called empirical evidence: information acquired by observation or experimentation. I can tell you without hesitation that juicing in the morning (all vegetables with maybe a bit of apple or lemon) increases my energy in the afternoon. I don't dare juice in the afternoon, even early afternoon, unless I have a specific need for energy in the evening.

Snidely, I suspect you often regard yourself as the Voice of Reason, and I'm sure you are well intentioned. But you sometimes come across as the Voice of Doom.

I do think Snidely has a point in that excessive quantities of anything, even vegetables, can have adverse health effects. For example, there's a possible link between too many cruciferous vegetables, including kale, and hypothyroidism in some people.

However, a juice or smoothie a day shouldn't be a problem, and it would significantly boost the nutritional content of most American diets. Even "healthy" eaters often don't eat as many vegetables and fruits as they should.

Chi83, I'm one of those people who shouldn't overdo the cruciferous vegetables. I've learned that if I'm going to indulge in my favorite cabbage salads I should make sure to take some kelp. My thyroid function tests (sans cabbage) are fine. I keep meaning to get my iodine levels tested.

I just want to say that I think there are many thoughtful people here. Wisdom wears many faces, and sometimes those with a few quiet, but wise, words are overshadowed, it doesn't make what they say any less important.

One person's experience or even that of 10 or 20 others is called "anecdotal". Proves nothing, says nothing, it's analytically invalid. When I hear someone touting something, especially things that are medical or scientific, my reaction is "Okay, sounds interesting, now convince me". Others react differently, thinking "how can I do that?" or "where can I get some for myself?" Fair enough.

Data from outcomes or experiences of participants are what empirical studies are. It's what I was talking about.

Lucile, I agree with you.

My first smoothie wasn't so smooth: My first sip included what seemed to be a tiny bit of plastic. I dumped the remainder in the sink and found two larger pieces of whitish, semi-opaque hard plastic.

The blender showed nothing resembling this plastic, so I figured I must have put the plastic in the container--and the only possible way I could see was if it had been hidden in the spinach. I shared this theory with my son, and he said he'd read that others reported having this problem.

Sure enough, I found a couple of Amazon reviews that talked about it. They couldn't figure out where the plastic came from either, but said it never happened again after the first use. I bought the unit mainly to make popsicles for my grandsons, and I'd like to be certain pieces of plastic aren't going to turn up again. I guess I'll contact the manufacturer and see what they have to say.

Anyone heard of this?

Susan, that's very disconcerting, isn't it? I saw mentions of it in other Nutri Ninja reviews....it would scare me, without a doubt. I hope that you get answers from customer service.

I've never had anything hidden in my containers of greens, and I go through a boat load between the two of us.

My NutriBullet is not without its flaws (leaks and blades become dull after a year), but I've not heard of bits of plastic being broken off. I had to replace my first one after about a year, but the newer model is improved. Plus, I was able to find a BOGO sale.