Vitamix Blenders

Free Shipping on Vitamix 5200

My Vitamix is the Model 5200. It has a 2+ peak hp motor, 64 oz wet blade container, On/Off switch, High/Low switch, and Continuous Variable speed control. It comes with a Getting Started book and DVD, a Whole Foods recipe book with 400 tested recipes, and my favorite, a 7 year factory warranty. The Vitamix Super 5200 is the same, but also includes a 32 oz dry blade container (for grinding grains) and a Whole Grains cookbook. The Vitamix 5200 and Super 5200 aren't sold in retail stores, they must be purchased direct from Vitamix or at wholesale clubs such as Costco. If you order direct from the factory, you can get free standard shipping by using Free shipping code 06-004614.

One of the nicest things about a VitaMix blender is that it allows you to use ingredients you might otherwise not eat. Red cabbage, for example. My husband refuses to eat cabbage. To tell the truth, I don't care much for it either. However, it is a very healthy food that has cancer preventing properties, among other things. Here is a quick and easy recipe you can make with your VitaMix blender in about 10 minutes.

• 2 medium carrots


• 1/2 cup red cabbage


• 1 medium green tomato


• 1 kiwi fruit


• 1 large orange


• frozen blueberries


• 1/4 cup honey


• 1 cup water


• 10 or so ice cubes

Chop the carrots into reasonably sliced chunks and put in the VitaMix blender container. Peel the kiwi and orange, cut them in half, and add them to the container. When you peel the orange, you just want to take off the orange part of the skin (it's bitter), leaving the pith which contains a lot of dietary fiber. Next add the water - if you wait until the end it will make the blueberries freeze together - and honey. Put in enough frozen blueberries to fill the VitaMix container almost to the top, leaving just enough room for the ice cubes. Put the lid on and start the VitaMix. Once it's going, set the variable speed control to "high" and let it run until all the ingredients have mixed (usually 30 seconds or less). If the ice or other ingredients stay stuck at the top of the container, you might have to use the tamper to make sure everything gets pushed into the blades. Once everything is whirling around nicely, set the speed switch to high and let it run for another 30 to 45 seconds. Makes 4 servings.
Now, sit back and drink it. Not too bad, huh? In fact, some people might even say it's delicious:) I'll bet you can't even taste the cabbage:) I also managed to sneak in a tomato, another healthy vegetable that my husband won't eat. Since the pith left on the orange contains a lot of pectin, the drink will congeal if you don't finish it within 10 minutes or so - not a big deal, you'll just need to use a spoon. Anyway, you can see how easy it is to make a really healthy drink with a VitaMix.

On their web site, VitaMix has a huge assortment of healthy and delicious recipes that you can make yourself in your VitaMix blender. The nice thing about their recipe database is that it's searchable not just by meal type, but also by health classification (Low Fat, Heart Healthy, Vegetarian, etc). This makes it very easy to find the type of recipe you're looking for. Even if you don't yet own a VitaMix blender, it's worth browsing through their recipe database so you can get an idea of the huge variety of foods you can make with a VitaMix and just how easy they are to prepare. To browse their recipes, just click on My Favorite Link below:

The VitaMix blender makes it easy to eat vegetables you wouldn't otherwise eat. However, that's just one benefit. Another benefit is that foods prepared with the VitaMix are often more nutritious than the same foods prepared in a different manner. How can this be? Isn't food just food? Well, kind of... The problem is how the food is prepared. Think about it - how do you prepare fruits or vegetables? You either peel them, cook them, or both. Unfortunately, doing so can take away much of the nutritional value of the fruits and vegetables you eat. For example, oranges have a lot of calcium and fiber in the pith - the white part of the rind and those stringy things running through the center. So what happens when you eat an orange? If you're like most people, you throw away the pith that happens to contain the majority of the calcium and fiber of an orange.
Cooking can also take nutrients out of vegetables. Have you ever cooked spinach? Did you notice the water left over had a green tint? What do you think made the water turn green? Vitamins and other things got dissolved by the water you used to cook. Then these dissolved vitamins go down the drain instead of through your digestive tract where they would do your body some good. Even if you steam your vegetables, the heat used will break down the enzymes, amino acids, and other nutrients in the vegetable.
Because drinks prepared with the VitaMix blender are uncooked and in many cases not peeled, you get the full nutritional benefit of the fruits and vegetables in your drink. Besides that, the blades in the VitaMix spin so fast that the cell walls of the food are broken down. This process helps release nutrients from the cells that your body wouldn't otherwise digest. Not only are you getting all the nutrients a given fruit or vegetable has to offer, you are consuming it in a way that makes it easier for you to digest.

Lots of fruits and vegetables work very well when making drinks with your VitaMix blender. Of course, not every combination will work well, so if you want a drink that is guaranteed to taste good you should follow a proven recipe It's a lot of fun to experiment though, and even if some of the drinks you come up with may not be "great," some of them will. I've had a lot of fun experimenting with my VitaMix. Here are some of my favorite ingredients.

• Red Cabbage is a highly nutritious vegetable that is a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and many other nutrients. It also contains substances called Anthocyanins, which have been shown to provide protection from certain cancers, improve brain function, and promote heart health. Unfortunately, my husband says it tastes gross and he won't eat it. When I add it to my VitaMix drinks, he doesn't even know it's there. Well, he knows, but since he can't taste it he doesn't mind drinking it.


• Tomatoes are another healthy vegetable that my husband doesn't like to eat. (Are you seeing a pattern yet?) When I put them into a Smoothie though, he can't even taste them. I usually use about 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes or a single medium sized tomato.


• Carrots are a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin K, and other nutrients. They will also add a very pleasant, distinct flavor to your drinks. The flavor is subtle though, and will be overpowered by stronger ones like orange, so you have to make sure you use enough. I like to use 2 medium size carrots, or sometimes 3 for a stronger carrot flavor.


• Red bell peppers are yet another healthy vegetable that will add a distinct flavor to your drinks. I've found that about half a pepper is just about the right amount.


• Kiwi fruit will add a nice, tart, tropical flavor to your drinks. I peel mine, though I'm not sure it's absolutely necessary with the VitaMix. I've found that 1 or 2 kiwis are about right.


• Oranges are used in almost all my drinks. I really like the flavor they add. The nice thing about using the VitaMix is you can leave the pith on the outside, and the VitaMix will juice it up for you. That way you get a lot more fiber and calcium. I've found 2 medium or 1 large orange is about right. If you use more, they will overpower the flavors of the other fruits you put in the drink.


• Frozen blueberries. I love blueberries, but fresh ones are so expensive. Frozen blueberries are more affordable, but the texture isn't as good. They work perfect when making drinks, though,. They have all the flavor of fresh blueberries, and the VitaMix juices them up nice so the texture doesn't matter. I always add the blueberries last so the water doesn't freeze the together. Also, I don't use a set amount, just whatever it takes to finish filling the container after I've added all the other ingredients.

I also add water to all my drinks. If most of the ingredients contain a lot of water (oranges, grapes, kiwi fruit, etc) I'll add about 1/2 cup. If I'm using a lot of drier ingredients (cabbage, carrots, bananas, etc) I'll add 1 to 1-1/2 cup. I also usually add about 1/4 cup of honey to sweeten it a little, and 10-15 small ice cubes to make it thick and nice and cold. One thing I should mention about oranges: the pectin from the orange pith will make your drink congeal if you don't drink it within 10 minutes or so. Not really a big deal, but something to be aware of.