My Favorite Things

So I haven't blogged in a while, and I really don't have any stories or deep thoughts that I feel compelled to spread to all the masses. But I do have a few things I love. Besides the obvious ones like Jesus, Cody and coffee, I thought I'd ease into blogging by sharing my thoughts on a few things that are dear to me.

The Magic Bullet



Okay, I've owned the original (pictured here) as well as a knock-off. I love them all. A skeptic might think, "I'll never use it" or "why not just use the blender I already have?" I'm here to tell you, this Bullet will change your life. Or at least make you a little happier. It's space-efficient. It blends really well. It grinds coffee. It makes hummus. It cleans up in about 5 seconds. And it has a clever name. What more could you want?

What I use my Bullet for is primarily fruit smoothies. I'm not big on eating fresh fruit, even though I know I should. But the FDA says I need 3-4 servings a day, so what can you do? Fruit smoothie! Throw some frozen fruit and some juice in a blender, and you've got your 3 servings of fruit in one delicious beverage. The Bullet is awesome because you stick your ingredients in the cup, screw on the blender attachment/lid, and stick the cup into the blender base. 15 seconds later, you've got a fruit smoothie you drink straight from the cup, and all you have to clean is the lid, which I must confess we usually just rinse off and use the next day. I love these smoothies and if you're around me much, you've probably seen me toting one around.

What's my favorite recipe, you ask? I'll tell you. It's the strawberry-peach smoothie. Fill the cup halfway with frozen strawberries, and the other half with frozen peaches. Add about half a cup of OJ and half a cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze (mmm, a post for another day). You can use milk instead of Breeze but it kinda foams up during blending, which I'm not a fan of. Blend it up and there you go - a tasty, nutritious and portable snack for about 150 calories.

I could go on and on, but I'm sure no one cares about this nearly as much as I do. So I'll end with my top 5 Magic Bullet recommendations:

1. Use frozen fruit in your smoothies.
You can use fresh fruit and just add ice, but I think frozen fruit does double duty and keeps the smoothie from being watered down. Plus, it's so darn convenient.
2. Make hummus.
The Bullet is the perfect size for a recipe of hummus. It's really fun to make, plus you feel kind of hip that you're the kind of person who makes your own hummus. Plus, hummus has healthy olive oil and good fiber and protein. So it's healthy and cool!
3. Grind coffee in your Bullet.
No need to have a separate coffee grinder, what a waste of valuable kitchen cabinet space! The Bullet has you covered.
4. Make your own baby food!
My sis-in-law is making all of my nephew's baby food because she's the best mom ever. I think it's cheaper, plus you know exactly what goes into the food. Which in her case involves millet, because, again, she's awesome.
5. Buy the generic brand.
No need to go hoity-toity to buy the original from the infomercial or Bed Bath and Beyond. Macy's and JC Penny both make excellent generic versions, and they both have a 1-year warranty, so if you wear out the motor (as we did on our original Bullet), you can return it easy peasey.

So I'll leave you with some links to buying your very own Magic Bullet!
The Official Magic Bullet Website
Amazon - the original Bullet, but cheaper
The JC Penny knock-off (my bullet of choice)
The Macy's knock-off