The Vita-Mix 5000

My dad went to the Homeshow in September, because his line of work allows him to. However, the real reason he went was to buy us this lovely machine for which I watched the amazing demo. when I was volunteering at the Vegetarian Food Festival the year before last. I wish I could have volunteered again last year, but I think I might miss it when I go to Waterloo. Anyhow, I was so excited about this machine that I could hardly breathe, but not like I'm going into anaphylactic shock or anything. It cost us about $600+ including tax.



We used to use the average juicer and blender, but we have now retired both of them. The Vita- Mix 5000 comes with a video and a binder of recipes for inspiration and instructions, in addition to the manual . It can make frozen desserts or decadent mousses and a variety of beverages in about 30 seconds and hot soups in 2-4 minutes! Instant gratification! It doesn't destroy the vegetables' nutrients and is suitable for the Whole/Raw Foods movement. It was rather pricey, but my dad says it was worth definitely worth it because we use it every single day. It's a vegan/vegetarian's dream, especially a health-conscious one. As for hot soups, it pureés vegetables, such as squash or into a thick, creamy soup that is completely guilt-free and chemical-free, such as preservatives and colouring. It can make homemade peanut butter and pesto amongst other sauces and spreads. Just add imagination.

There are carnivorous recipes, but it's not so easy for me to name some off the top of my head. The ones I can think of include soups like clam chowder and bisques, seafood or meat fondues, ground meat, etc.

Everyday, we have been drinking a fruit /smoothie with no additional ingredients - just the fruit of the day and a little water to thin it out. The fruit include anything that happens to be at the supermarket: apples, kiwis, dragon fruit (4 for $2 yesterday!!), bananas (which I don't usually include), cantaloupe, melon, cucumber, papaya, frozen berries and fresh strawberries, pears, cranberry juice, etc. We also eat an extra plate of fruit as dessert/snack some time during the day. My food intake would probably be composed of 67% fruit, 15% vegetables, %15 soy products (usually tofu), 2% grain products and 1% miscellaneous (I don't know what would fit in that category, but I allocated a section to it anyways).

Just recently, we've begun to have papaya soyshakes and it's hands-down my favourite beverage. I dislike eating papaya on its own, but it's fantastic in a soyshake. It's one of the highlights of my day and it's one of the main sources of protein that I get each day.