K9, thanks for the information on smoothies, I'm intrigued. In shopping for a vitamix I see many models. Which model do you have? Costco has a package with attachments and costs $649. Wow... Is there a less expensive model? Thanks for you help. Like Bare, I dislike cooking and want to get more veggies in my diet.

The lure of healthy, pure, easy-to-make, good tasting food is spurring me on! Vegetables that taste like dessert? I'm in!

But wowser, that Vitamix is expensive. I tried making a smoothie this morning with a hand blender .. don't even bother trying! Then I tried my expensive food processor, same result. So now I'm looking for another gadget. I see food liquifiers for sale from $25 to $500. Guess I have to head out and explore. I'm wondering if a Magic Bullet would do the trick.

Today I'm also buying an IPAD! And I'm technically inept. I've decided I need to expand my boundaries! :Screen_of_Death:

Mine is the Vitamix 5200. I got the package deal from Costco because I also like to make Almond Flour and work with other dry grains.

If you don't care about the dry grinding, check out the costs on QVC. Also, Vitamix has their own website store.

Before buying mine, I did a lot of research, and decided that Vitamix and Blendtec were the best according to customer reviews on a bunch of sites, including cooking sites. But the one offered by Montel, I think it is called the "HealthMaster" is about $200 and it has a pretty big motor. I considered it also.

Go to Amazon.com and type in Healthmaster in their search window and you will see a bunch of different prices for a variety of Vitamix, Blendtec and Healthmaster machines.

I bought the Blendtec from Costco when They had a demo. It was (I think) under $500. I love it and use it to make healthy smoothies-soups dressings etc. I felt comfortable buying it at Costco because their policy is "returns on anything within 90 days). I had nothing to loose if I didn't like it.

I like the Blendtec because it fits comfortably under the counter is id light.....
A friend bought first the Nitamix but returned it for the Blendtec because of the size. They are both good blenders.

Pat

Yes, you are right -- my Vitamix doesn't fit under my upper cabinets, but luckily, my counter extends further out toward my dining area, and I have a little nook where it sits comfortably.

Any recipes you care to share with us?

Thanks for the explanation, K9. I do eat a lot of raw celery, but I eat it with dip made with plain yogurt and the zippy spices that they sell at the craft fair at the Square, or with just some peanut butter. I also make my own cole slaw. It's not hard at all. Is raw cabbage better than steamed cabbage? I love steamed veggies, but if drinking a smoothie will make me lose weight without trying, I'll give it a try!

I bought a CrushMaster blender today. The box assures me it makes wonderful smoothies. Tomorrow I'll start chugging spinach. I never thought I'd hear myself say that sentence.

I also bought an IPAD today, although I'm finding it hard to operate without an instruction booklet. Can you imagine selling an IPAD without any guidance as to operation? Weird. My toaster oven came with more instructions than my IPAD.

Bare, I thought the same thing when I got an iPod. I expected more instructions than a tiny little pamphlet. Thank goodness my daughter was nearby to set it up for me and load it with music.

instructions
 

Lack of instruction/owners' manuals appears to be the norm nowadays. I got a new phone a few months ago (maybe it's a smart phone, not sure - I don't have the internet/texting package - just wanted the Qwerty keyboard for the ease of inputting contacts and a few other features).

Anyway, compared to my cellphone of about 3 years ago, even though this phone does way more, there is basically a quick "get started" few pages. Everything else is supposed to be either intuitive or accessed by the help button. I suppose there is a manual online as well.

I have always been a book person and even a person who actually usually reads the instruction sheets that come with things to put together. Apparently, I am not very "intuitive." Sigh . . . (Thank goodness I have kids who help me out when I really get stuck).

I got a Macbook in January, and I do find it more intuitive than a PC, even for me, but I still get a lot out of the free classes at the Apple store. I didn't pay for the One-on-One tutoring Apple offers, but they have free small group workshops on various things - my next one is I-photo. Since I now have the time, I'm trying to become less of a dinosaur. Not my first choice though, of how to spend free time. I would still rather read a book - an actual book, not on a Kindle or I-pad or whatever.

Looks like this might be a good source according to the reviews:

http://downloadbookz.com/ipad-for-dummies.html

Hi, thanks for the good news. The reason you are having more energy is that the body is now releasing stored energy.

Some quick ideas: drink 10 glasses of water a day, best if you can drink it at or near room temperature since cold drinks especially during or after a meal can contribute to sort of 'congealing' food in our tract.

Also, get moderate exercise several times a week - ideally 30-45 minutes brisk walk 4-5 times a week.

A great morning routine (learned this from Japanese practices - and they as a population group have one of the longest lifespans), which promotes cleansing, is to drink a full glass of water first thing when you get up, (then, ideally next brush your teeth so that your mouth feels fresh, and you will be less inclined to want to eat immediately); wait about 45 minutes, then have your breakfast/coffee/tea etc.

Best sources of protein: nuts, avocadoes, olives, beans, soy, and legumes.
Second best sources of protein: cold-water fish like salmon, mackeral, trout, sardines, and tuna.
Third best sources of protein: fowl. For bacon or burgers, turkey is the best choice.
Poorest sources of protein: red meat, dairy. (Doesn't mean you 'can't' have red meat, but limit it and choose the leanest meat available; the best choices are wild game, buffalo/bison, grass-fed cattle, organically raised cattle).

Healthy fats: the goal should be to consume more omega-3 essential fatty acids (from cold-water fish - listed above in the protein list, flaxseed, flaxseed oil, hemp seeds, soybean oil, walnuts, raw almonds, range fed chicken eggs, and high quality fish oil);
and consume more monounsaturated fats (the best is oleic acid, found in olives, extra virgin olive oil, almonds, peanuts, pistachio, pecan, canola oil, avocado, hazelnut, cashew, and macadamia nuts),
and consume less saturated fats (ie, mainly from meat and dairy, and also in coconut and palm oils).

[We also need some omega-6 essential fatty acids - found in meat, chicken, corn oil, processed foods, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, dairy, safflower oil - but these are in such abundance in the modern diet that we are all likely to be getting plenty of these without having to work at it. Ideally, in order to promote a normal inflammatory response - which lessens allergies, arthritis, heart disease, bloating, etc, plus causes many other good things to happen - in the body, omega-6's should be in close ratio with our consumption of omega-3's. But with the typical Western diet most people are greatly overconsuming omega-6's and underconsuming omega-3's, so they are out of balance, promoting inflammation in the body].

And avoid trans fats (labels like 'hydrogenated, or 'partially hydrogenated' .

Low-glycemic carbohydrate eating will go along way to promote all of the above ideas, since there will gradually be less cravings for the high-glycemic carbs that often accompany poorer protein and fat choices; thus, it is easier to accomplish other changes, and to eat less just because of a natural change in your appetite. Again, it is not necessary to be 'perfect' in all of these choices in order to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight or other health improvements; but the rate, and consistency long-term, of weight loss, feeling good, and other health improvements is a direct correlative of how consistently healthfully we eat.

The body is an obedient and marvelous 'machine' that responds exactly as it is 'supposed' to based on how we fuel it. Sharply spiking your blood sugar with just one snack or meal can cause cravings that can last for hours, or even days, for more high-glycemic foods, which, if consumed, will set off an additional cycle of cravings; this becomes an endless cycle. This is unnecessary misery that we can learn to avoid bringing on ourselves.

So, it is important to always eat something when hungry, since that is a natural message from the body - that is, when it is not coming from a blood-sugar crash which was caused by a blood sugar spike; just eat something that is not moderately- or high-glycemic.

Boomer, I saw this story and remembered your recent bought with food poisoning.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_tainted_eggs

IslandGal .. I'm looking for a relaxing tape to put me to sleep at night (hoping I can figure out how to put in my new IPAD). I think you mentioned a website where you could download a good relaxing tape. Could you please share the site again?

P.S. I made my first smoothie ... spinach/bananna/strawberry/almond milk/isolate protein! It was delicious and even Fireboy liked it. However, sadly, I think it must have contained about 2,000 calories.

What is isolate protein and why do you put that in your shake?

Hi Bare,

Louise Hay wasant relaxing enough for you???? She always puts me to sleep.

Have you listened to her yet? :shrug: