Persimmon Spinach Smoothie
Let's talk about my blender situation.
I'm hard on blenders. Really, terribly abusive. I've had the same bright orange KitchenAid blender since I was about 22, and the poor girl is in bad shape. We've done a lot of fixes and repairs, but the truth is, my eight-year-old blender just isn't made to go through the kale-blending, soup-pureeing, ice-chopping daily abuse I put it through. In fact, a few months ago, some part in the blade assembly broke again, and she's been sitting in basement purgatory waiting for me to decide if she's going to be fixed again or going to go to the landfill ever since. We've had a good run, but my blender was made for folks who want to make the occasional blended margarita, and as much as I love the occasional blended margarita, I use my blender for a lot more than just that.
I've seen the big ole fancy high-speed blenders demonstrated at Whole Foods, but as much as I love a good kitchen appliance that can blend a cell phone without losing step, I gotta draw the line at dropping $500+ on an appliance that isn't really necessary in my life. I'm just way too cheap frugal to spend that kind of money. It's the same way I feel about organic red bell peppers. Would I love to buy them? Yes. But I cannot justify $4 a pepper, regardless of how pesticide-free they are.
ANYWHO. This sordid tale of my blender-related life is all to inform you about my frame of mind with I walked up to the Ninja booth at the Healthy Living Summit a couple of weeks ago. They had this beautiful, incredible, high-speed blender (the Ninja Ultima) sitting out, and right next to it, a sign saying they were giving away five blenders to HLS attendees-just as long as you snapped a photo with the blender and posted it on Instagram. I was, quite shamelessly, all over that.
And I found out the next evening-I won! I never win raffles or giveaways or things like that, so I was SO pumped. I was at dinner with Lauren, Gretchen, and Amy, and I totally flipped out.
And immediately started thinking about all the amazing things I was going to whip up in my new, shiny blender. So many options! No longer would I have to pre-smash ice. Or only blend things a cup at a time. Or drink a gritty smoothie. Oh, the possibilities!
I really wanted to put my new blender to the test, so I decided to start off with a green persimmon spinach smoothie. Green smoothies can be tricky because if you aren't careful, you might find yourself chewing your smoothie a lot more than drinking it. No one wants to chew a smoothie.
I know a lot of folks use bananas as the base for smoothies, but we don't eat a lot of bananas in our house, so instead, I make sweet, tangy persimmons the base of this persimmon spinach smoothie. If you've never had a persimmon before, it's one of the sweetest fruits on the planet, it's soft, and has a slightly citrus-y flavor. It's incredible delicious. And we're very lucky that they grow wild right in our backyard. But if you don't have your own persimmon tree, many grocery stores carry them (albeit a totally different variety than what grow around here).
The Ultima totally rocked this persimmon spinach smoothie. The thing that impressed me the most was the speed. With my old blender, it took me a good 3-4 minutes worth of blending to make sure there aren't any spinach chunks, but with the Ultima, it was ready to go in just a few seconds. And the added ice? Absolutely no problem. It was smooth, creamy, and totally delicious. I'm a big fan.
I am so thankful to Ninja for being an HLS sponsor, and giving away their awesome blenders to attendees. And if that wasn't cool enough, Ninja also decided to giveaway more blenders to two friends of the winners. Which means not only did I win an awesome blender, but so did the amazing Coach Krissie (because it was the least I could do to pay her back for all the awesome she brings to my life).
📖 Recipe
Persimmon Spinach Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup persimmon puree
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 1 cup nut, soy, or cow's milk
- Handful of ice cubes
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in the carafe of a high-speed blender. Blend on high until very smooth. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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I would make the Pioneer Woman's Pumpkin Smoothie. And then lots of healthy smoothies to counteract the delicious and worth it calories of the Pumpkin Smoothie 🙂
I make a smoothie every morning with almond milk, almonds, half a frozen banana and spinach. I have blown through three blenders in five years making them...including an Oster. I would LOVE to be able to make it using a Ninja! I've coveted those for years. Thanks for the giveaway!
I really want to go back to starting my day with a green smoothie and the Ninja would be perfect! I use frozen bananas and berries with kale and almond milk. Yum!
I would love to try a Spinach smoothie, of course!
That's an awesome win!
One time I won a kitchenaid mixer in a giveaway and I was over the moon about it.
I have all the fixings for a spinach-blueberry-strawberry smoothie already in the freezer and just waiting to be blended. 🙂 I also got my current blender when I was 22... but that was much longer ago for me. LOL I've been trying to decide on a replacement so the timimg on this post is spot on!
My brain just exploded at the thought of a smooth green smoothie so that would be my triumphant number one. And then maybe a celebratory piña colada (to balance the healthful smoothie of course).
I use my sad old blender every day for a green smoothie, which sadly, does require some chewing. I'd love to get to actually drink instead of chew my smoothie every day! Otherwise I use my blender several times a week for blending soups, making sauces, salad dressings, etc.
I would definitely make a green smoothie. I have been dying to try them, but sadly my smoothie maker from 2002 just doesn't have the power I need to blend down the greens!
As strange as this sounds, I would make refried beans. I just tried to make them yesterday and blend them up in our blender. (Which I've done before.) But it just got goopy and not smooth at all. 🙁 Then I tried to hand mash them with a fork, because I don't have a potato masher. That was a fail as well. So I've been eating half mush, half chunky refried beans. I would love to use the Ninja to make my beans be actual refried beans!
Not strange at all! The first time I broke my original blender, I broke it doing refried beans!
I would love to win this blender! Ours really struggles to make smoothies, so that's what I would make with the Ninja 🙂
My blend JUST bit the dust about a week ago and I'm feeling sad without smoothies! I think the first thing I would make would be a smoothie - with some frozen peach and mango, almond milk, spinach and a banana. And while I'm slurping my smoothie, I'd LOVE to try and make some hummus!
My 3 year old has decided that smoothies are the best thing ever, so I'd LOVE to make him his favorite strawberry banana, but also sneak in some additional healthy goodness. Maybe some flax, or some spinach, or kale, or I don't know what else. I've been blender-less since my cat chewed the cord on my trusty Cuisinart, far too long ago.
The first recipe I would make is a chocolate peanut butter smoothie. I usually estimate each ingredient while I making it, but it would include plain Greek yogurt, spinach, frozen banana, chocolate protein powder, cocoa, almond milk, peanut butter and ice. It's really good!
I would love to make a smooth and creamy kale and avocado smoothie!! I've always tried to make green smoothies and as you described, I usually end up chewing more than drinking it BUT have never been able to fit the nicer blenders in my budget!
I would make a smoothie, I have all the ingredients I just hate my blender.
I would love to my my own nut butters and nut milks using it! I would also like to make hummus, and this blender would be awesome for that!
Definitely a green smoothie! I've always wanted to try one....but I don't have a blender.
I'd probably make this banana oat smoothie: http://www.marthastewart.com/341010/banana-oat-smoothie
I love adding oats to my smoothies but my current blender is on her way out and doesn't do a good job of blending them!
I'll make a green smoothie. I love them but have a hard time with them with my blender too.