I have a Vitamix vs. a Blendtec, and I love the Vitamix. But I do think had we gotten a Blendtec we would have been happy with that as well. The Blendtec’s height fits under the cabinets and the Vitamix does not. You can’t go wrong with either one IMHO.
Green Smoothies that are hit here:
1. pineapple, mango, coconut water, ice if not using frozen fruit, and a few handfuls of spinach
2. 1-2 apples, 3-4 leaves of swiss chard, thin slice of lemon, about 2-3 cups of blueberries, about 2 cups of water, ice if not using frozen fruit
3. 2-3 water, several leaves of kale (stems removed because they can taste bitter), thin slice of lemon or lime, agave to taste if desired, and 2-3 cups of Costco’s frozen mixed fruit blend.
3. 2-3 cups water, pears, grapes, kale, and ice.
And our favorite treat which isn’t a green smoothie but yummy is below. The recipe came from one of Dr. Furhman’s books but I adapted it a little:
Healthy fudgesicle sub: about 1/2 cup milk or milk substitute, 2-3 ripe bananas, 1 cup of raw cashews, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 Tbsp cocoa powder or karob powder. Blend till smooth, pour in popsicle molds, and freeze. These taste creamy like fudgesicles. My kids eat this for breakfast most days.
If you have a dehydrator, in the Blendtec you could blend up whatever fruit you liked to make fruit leather. Apples and blueberries blended with a sliver of lemon makes a delicious treat eaten straight out of the blender or dehydrated into leather.
Hummus and pesto sauce are two other staples I make often.
Happy blending!