Magic Lime-aid

What makes this recipe magical? When I tried to make frozen lemonade, it was a little too tart, a bit watery. Just okay. But this recipe is amazing simply because you can have a glass of frozen sweetness without any added sugar! I was freezing after running around outside and I still made this recipe because it's so good.

1 lime

1 cup green grapes

1 handful ice cubes

Cut the ends off the lime and throw it in the Vitamix along with the grapes. Make sure the ice is on top. Select Variable 5 and let the fruit blend until it turns one color (about 10 seconds). Work up to Variable 10, then set on High, pushing everything down with the tamper. Blend for 30 seconds.

Taste score: 10/10

Likes: Wow. When I was in Colombia, I had the most delicious limeaid. I thought I would never get to taste it again but this recipe proved me wrong. Grapes are not my favorite. I'll eat them but I could never get excited about them. Their high water content blended with the delicious lime make this a real treat.

Dislikes: I would like to try this without so much ice, so it's more like a glass of lemonade than a frozen version.

Nutrition score: 10/10
Grapes have lots of antioxidants, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and manganese. Yes, they have a lot of sugar (which is probably why this recipe tastes so good) but it's all natural and much better for you than the refined version.

Strawberry Broccoli Smoothie

I feel like this one should be prefaced with the fact that many health conscious people preach the "good news" about green smoothies. To me, throwing in vegetables ruins a perfectly good smoothie, but I wanted to see for myself. For someone who hates veggies, this is a good way to sneak some in my diet. So when I didn't have time to make lunch one day and needed something quick and filling to hold me over, I gave it a try- my first green smoothie!

1/2 cup frozen broccoli
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup orange juice
3 ice cubes

Dump the ingredients in the Vitamix. Select Variable 1 and increase speed to 7. Blend for 20 seconds, pushing down ingredients with the tamper. Then blend on High for 10 seconds.

Taste score: 5/10

Likes: I think the 2:1 fruit to broccoli ratio is just right. This tasted like a regular strawberry-orange smoothie, without the pulp or seeds. I will definitely sneak some veggies in my fruit smoothies again, just maybe not this one.


Dislikes: If I said I couldn't taste the broccoli I would be lying. But it's not so bitter when blended with the sweetness of the fruit, and tasted more like a hint of green instead of a mouthful. Next time I'll add different types of fruit so it settles better in my stomach.


Nutrition score: 7/10
I used fresh squeezed orange juice (not from concentrate) but it contains a lot of sugar. Apart from that, I also used frozen broccoli which doesn't have as much nutritional value as fresh veggies. But broccoli is anti-carcinogenic and can prevent all sorts of cancers.

Frozen lemonade

2 lemons
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup ice cubes

Peel the lemons and place ingredients in the Vitamix. Select Variable 1 and increase speed to 7. Blend for 20 seconds, pushing down ingredients with the tamper. Then blend on High for 10 seconds.

Taste score: 6/10

Likes: After a long day of classes, there was nothing I needed more than this sour frozen treat. It tasted just like the frozen lemonade you buy at amusement parks but without all the corn syrup. The Vitamix could handle the seeds just fine, and I liked that I could eat it with a spoon or slurp it with a straw.

Dislikes: It was very tart, which I didn't mind, but since I didn't want to add too much sugar, I  could have diluted it with a little water. Also, the Vitamix strangely couldn't pulverize the pulp as well as the seeds, so I might run it on High for a little longer.

Nutrition score: 7/10
This frozen lemonade Vitamix recipe is pretty simple. Lemons are an excellent source of Vitamin C and they have lots of anticarcinogenic flavonoids.

Raspberry Peach Sorbet

1/4 cup plain yogurt

2 cups any combination of frozen peaches and raspberries

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Add all ingredients to the Vitamix. Select Variable 1 and increase speed to 8. Blend for 10 seconds, pushing down ingredients with the tamper.

Taste score: 10/10

Likes: Whoohoo! This sorbet has a key ingredient: vanilla. The great thing about this sorbet is the texture. It's velvety smooth with no seeds or ice crystals. Peaches and raspberries aren't even my favorite fruits, but this frozen treat was deliciously sweet and my favorite recipe so far. Perfect 10.

Dislikes: It could use more sugar but...I will resist!

Nutritional score: 9/10
This recipe gets a point off because of the added sugar. But peaches are a good source of Vitamin C and raspberries are anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, and antioxident little gems. Enjoy!

Strawberry sorbet

2 cups frozen strawberries

1 cup ice

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup apple juice

Add all ingredients to the Vitamix. Select Variable 1 and increase speed to 8. Blend for 10 seconds or until the sound changes. Makes 3 cups.

Taste score: 6/10

Likes: The texture was perfect, and it tasted really fresh. The sorbet was very refreshing, because it didn't taste like that awful artificial sugar-ed up version you can buy in the cartons.

Dislikes: I shouldn't have added so much ice, because it tasted more like strawberry italian ice than strawberry sorbet. Next time I would add some raspberries to make the flavor more interesting.

Nutritional score: 7/10 

Strawberries have a magic chemical called phenol which protects your heart, prevents cancer, and is anti-inflammatory. The only downside to this frozen treat is the added sugar, which you could go without but it would probably taste a little tart.