taking into account meal preparations, which blender do i get?

[contactmaya]

Hi, and happy new year!

Im not sure if this is the place to post this, but i guess it relates intimately to  meal planning-thats what i am trying to do now. 

I want to incorporate smoothies (or thickies) into my childrens diet to increase their protein, fats, fruit and vegetable intake.

Can anyone here recommend a blender that will be used daily for the following-

smoothies incorporating

-frozen and/or fresh fruit

-raw nuts and needs of various kinds

-probably precooked rice or oats  or quinoa (or can you put i in straight?)

-beans/lentils

-various fresh/frozen vegetables

-possibly precooked or uncooked (if possible?) potatoes/starchy vegetables/pumpkin/sweet potato

soups 

-using mince meat, or mincing the meat (can you do that?)

-cream of chicken soup

-spinach soup

Ok, thats the general idea.

Can one blender do all of this?

Is it easy to clean?

Is it noisy?

 I dont understand if i should get a blender that heats things (like the vitamix) Id rather not have to throw ice in there all the time. Is this necessary with a good blender?

Anyway, i would love to get a better idea about blenders (my googling has left me confused) for above purposes.

The vitamix  seems good, but at $500, there has to be another option.

The hand mixers (immersion mixers i think they are called) seem viable, but i am not sure if they are better than the usual ones....

I think i would want to make 5 cups of a smoothie in the morning, two of them included in a lunchbox. Then i would want to make a soup of some  kind every other evening.

Thanks  in advance for taking the time to respond....  

[contactmaya]

ps. it would be nice for my kids to have a blender that whips up that kale icecream that  tastes like chocolate..so that too

[Becky Mauldin]

Hello,

The two best options I would suggest based on what you are looking for are a Vitamix or a Nutri-Bullet. 

Yes, the Vitamix is more of an investment, but it is built to LAST.  I use mine everyday and love it.  You can also get the dry container for grinding grains, herbs, flaxseeds, or any other dry ingredient.  It does not heat up the foods unless I am blending on high for more than a minute.  Most smoothies, raw fruit puddings, raw soups will not get hot in the amount of time you need to blend them.  So, don't worry about that. 

The Nutri-Bullet is a newer small blender made by Magic Bullet and a friend of mine recently bought it.  We put it to the test against the Vitamix and found it to be very similar in how well it blends.  It has a smaller container, so is better for one person or small batches of foods....it may not make enough for your needs.  The motor is not as strong, so it may not last as long as a Vitamix.  I love how it comes with several containers, one of which can be used to grind dry things. 

I have a short video on my website that compares the Vitamix and the NutriBullet, so you can see how they compare: http://www.getpurevitality.com/articles/nutrition/vitamix-vs-nutri-bullet/

I hope this helps you make the best decision for your family. 

Becky Mauldin, N.D.

[contactmaya]

Thankyou! I looked at the website, and  should have added another important consideration-the ability to grind grains into flour!  I didnt realize you  grains with blenders. This is great. Another consideration i should have mentioned was that i  have recently started a gluten free diet for my children (i seem ok with it), and so the ability to grind grains will become increasingly important. For eg, we are now eating  creamed rice for breakfast in place of oatmeal. Thats ok for now, but there isnt much rice in those packets. On the other hand, i could just throw in a grain into the smoothie and not have the  creamed rice/ oatmeal at all......

do most blenders grind grains? what about potato?