44

The Whoorlie Smoothie

in Food

Oh, you guys. The Vitamix. THE VITAMIX. I love it.

(By the way, the Vitamix talk is all me. I have no ties to Vitamix – I bought it with my own money, and there is no sponsorship going on. And, as a reminder, if/when I write a sponsored post, there will always be a disclaimer at the end of the post. Cool? Cool.)

The whoorl household pretty much morphed into a smoothie test kitchen this weekend. I was trying out all sorts of smoothie recipes, while experimenting with my own fruit/veggie combinations. We had some hits and misses, but I pretty much nailed it with this one. It is an adaptation of the Laughing Gorilla from the Vitamix Live Fresh cookbook – I added some chia seeds and an apple and omitted one of the oranges. I christened the delicious concoction the “Whoorlie.”

You guys, this was so unbelievably delicious. When Wita hit the bottom of her sippy cup, she started crying. CRYING. We had to bust out a spoon and feed her every last drop, as you can see below.

Now, as much as I would like to say that EVERYONE initially loved the smoothie, Wito pretty much freaked out when he saw the green color. I asked him to take a sip, and although I could totally tell he liked it, he pulled the whole “I can’t eat it because it’s GREEEEEN” drama. So I poured it back in the blender, added a handful of blueberries, and voilá, purple smoothie. Suddenly, this smoothie (which tasted the exact same), “was the BEST SMOOTHIE EVER,” according to Wito.

Kids, man. What can you do?

You all have got to try this one out, but also, let me know if you have a favorite smoothie recipe!

Viva la Whoorlie!

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44 comments

  1. Kristen

    January 16, 2012 at 6:58 am

    Ha. So funny because I just pulled mine OUT OF THE BOX after buying it 2 years ago. Never used it. Sigh.

    Anyway, right now I do a daily kale, carrot, apple (with ice then water) juice and it’s yummy.

    • whoorl

      January 16, 2012 at 8:34 am

      I did a romaine, apple, and lemon juice last night, and it was sooooo good. (I used the filtration bag that came with the Vitamix and it worked perfectly in removing all the bulk.)

  2. Adrienne J

    January 16, 2012 at 7:13 am

    Hi Sarah! That smoothie sounds delicious! I usually go with banana, strawberries, chocolate protein powder, and spinach but I need a change! Could you tell me about how much your recipe makes? Thanks!

    • whoorl

      January 16, 2012 at 8:15 am

      4 cups! I added it to the recipe image – thanks for reminding me!

  3. Rebecca

    January 16, 2012 at 7:57 am

    I LOVE adding spinach to my smoothies, and I go pretty heavy handed with berries. Yum!

  4. Tammi Marie

    January 16, 2012 at 7:58 am

    It was the today special value on qvc yesterday. I got it there two years ago as the TSV but I had to return it because it was soooo huge it wouldn’t fit on my counter (pushed back under the cabinets) and I couldn’t handle that. Plus I didn’t think I’d get enough use out of it to justify the cost.

    • whoorl

      January 16, 2012 at 8:21 am

      It is very tall, and that was one of the reasons I considered the Blendtec, but we have enough room on our counter to set the Vitamix container right next to the base.

      • Tammi Marie

        January 16, 2012 at 10:44 am

        Thank you for mentioning that article

        • Carrie Scott

          January 16, 2012 at 1:09 pm

          They have a new model that fits under the counter! I ordered that plus the bigger container which I keep under the cabinet for when I’m making a large recipe.

          • Jodee

            January 16, 2012 at 10:05 pm

            I don’t have my own home and live with my landlord. I just keep my Vita in a cupboard — problem solved!

  5. Danielle (elleinadspir)

    January 16, 2012 at 8:03 am

    I have never used lettuce, I always use spinach. I might try this. I recently got a juicer and am obsessed with fresh juice. Carrot/Apple/Ginger is my fav.

    • whoorl

      January 16, 2012 at 8:19 am

      Have you looked into the oxalic issue with spinach? We love spinach too, but are trying not to consume it raw everyday. (This article has a lot of interesting information regarding raw cruciferous vegetables and thryroid function too.)

      http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/think-raw-veggies-are-best-think-again/

      “Eat a big spinach salad everyday and it is virtually certain you will eventually succumb to kidney stones, according to Dr. William Shaw, Director of The Great Plains Laboratory for Health, Nutrition and Metabolism.”

  6. Lisa

    January 16, 2012 at 8:09 am

    This looks great! I just got myself a blender (though nothing as fancy as a Vitamix), and I’ve been looking for new smoothie ideas, so I just might have to give this one a try.

  7. gorillabuns

    January 16, 2012 at 8:26 am

    I busted my Vitamix last year making one too many a crazy load of margaritas.

    • whoorl

      January 16, 2012 at 8:28 am

      7 year full warranty, mama! Send that thing in and get some more margs going!

      • gorillabuns

        January 16, 2012 at 10:10 am

        you are so silly! you think I kept any paperwork? also FYI, be sure the top of your blender (the hole cover thingy) isn’t in the bottom of your blender when you turn it on. Trust me, the cover will never be the same again.

  8. Rose T. Ellis

    January 16, 2012 at 8:42 am

    ‘Just replace “summer” with ANYTIME!
    http://rose-t-ellis.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/blog/2011/06/happy-summer?destination=configure%252Frose-t-ellis%252Fblog

  9. Nicole

    January 16, 2012 at 8:42 am

    I tell my kids that green juice is kiwi juice. Works like a charm :)

  10. Lisa (modmama)

    January 16, 2012 at 8:45 am

    So glad you all love your vitamix!
    I got mine 2 weeks ago but have been stuck on Kim Snyder’s ‘glowing green smoothie’ and a combo of kale, frozen blubes/mango/raspberries with almond milk.
    I’m officially inspired to bust out that recipe book. I haven’t yet, but you may want to check out the yahoo group created by the vitamix lady http://www.vitamixlady.com. There’s a ton of recipes and tips there and she is a vitamix demonstrator. I came across it on the chow hound vitamix review page (I too, spent a few nights agonizing over vitamix vs blendtec)

    • whoorl

      January 16, 2012 at 8:59 am

      Lisa, thanks for the Kim Snyder rec! I am totally going to make that smoothie this week.

    • mary

      January 16, 2012 at 12:07 pm

      I’m on kim snyders glowing green smoothies and love them. I have lost 7 lbs since the begining of December. Nothing makes smoothies the way a vitamix does. I would be lost without mine and fat.

    • Jodee

      January 16, 2012 at 10:47 pm

      I bought my Vita Mix about 8 years ago. Then, mostly out of curiosity, I bought a Blendtec about 3 years ago. Used it 2-3 times and have had it in storage ever since. I found it to be SO not user-friendly. >:-( I just got it out of storage and am now putting it up for sale on craigslist, hoping to get back at least SOME of the money I wasted on it. In the meantime, I just purchased the Vita Mix Creations GC on QVC and can’t WAIT for it to arrive!!! By the way…I’m still keeping my older Vita — after 8 years it still runs like a champ! To me there is absolutely NO comparison between a Blendtec and a Vita Mix — VITA MIX RULES!!!

  11. Page

    January 16, 2012 at 9:56 am

    I freaking LOVE my friend’s Vitamix, but have not bit the bullet and bought my own yet. With a new little one in sight in the next couple months, it’s immersion blender city for me for a while, sadly. You have a blast with that sucker! Wait ’til you watch it pulverize cocoa nibs. I AM TELLING YOU. It is the greatest satisfaction watching that sucker go to town.

    • whoorl

      January 17, 2012 at 8:14 pm

      It’s so amazing! Cocoa nibs….yummmmm

  12. Torrie @ a place to share...

    January 16, 2012 at 10:04 am

    okay, this is a totally simple one compared to yours (which looks delicious btw… & i will definitely try it), but it’s our go-to breakfast when were in a hurry and rushing out the door~ http://torriesessions.blogspot.com/2010/11/go-get-those-presents-smoothie.html

    we were drinking a spinach smoothie every day (spinach + 3 types of fruit & a little water), and was planning to get back into it this month, but i just saw your comment to danielle about spinach… on my way to read the article (thanks for sharing!)…

  13. GreenInOC

    January 16, 2012 at 11:33 am

    You might want to try making Chia gel instead of adding the seeds directly to the Vitamix. There’s something about the seeds being both soluble and insoluble fiber which makes them so good for you – I “think” that may be partly mitigated if they are ground up. Don’t trust me though, I’m an idiot!!

    The gel is super simple – put one tablespoon of Chia in 9 ounces of water and stir with a fork to make sure all the seeds have contact with the water. Let sit 10-15 minutes. Viola – Chia gel! Add it to your smoothies, substitute up to 1/3 of your fat in recipes with it, add it to any drink or soup.

    Have you tried “Mamma Chia” – it’s a drink available at Mother’s and Whole Foods (way cheaper at Mother’s, FYI). It is beyond delicious! My favorite is Blackberry Hibiscus. It’s a great treat if you are out running around and want something yummy, filling and not bad for you!

    • whoorl

      January 17, 2012 at 8:13 pm

      Thanks for the info!

  14. Kat Meller

    January 16, 2012 at 12:53 pm

    I’ve been doing soups (broccoli cheddar and loaded potato are big winners) with my VitaMix. But I have to say, I too LOVE LOVE LOVE my VitaMix and anyone that might have thoughts of “taking” it ……. well they had just better get those thoughts out of their head because I have already claimed it as MINE!!

    I will have to try your smoothie – maybe for breakfast this week (with the blueberries since green doesn’t go over well here either). Thanks for sharing.

  15. Miss Virginia

    January 16, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    Freeze a bunch of bananas and put them in the vitamix (maybe like 5). Use that long black stick thing to really puree them and it turns into banana soft serve ice cream! (freeze bananas that are not very ripe so that it won’t taste too much like banana flavor…mostly like vanilla ice cream). We love to add peanut butter in the vitamix too, for a peanutbutter/banana ice cream. Also, my kids love to add all types of toppings to it (chocolate chips, whipped cream, sprinkles, you could go the berry route, etc). It sounds gross, but it is SO GOOD!

    • whoorl

      January 17, 2012 at 8:13 pm

      Going to try for sure!