Fruit Blend Mornings

Earlier this month I named the Rocket Blender as one of my favorite new household devices. The Rocket Blender consists of a small base (with no buttons), four regular-sized cups with twist lids, and two blades which can also twist-attach to the cups. The idea is you fill a cup with all the ingredients you want (and can fit), attach the blade, pop it into the base which auto-spins and blends the contents, pop it off the base, remove blade and drink the cup. The process is very simple, easy to clean, and leaves a lot of room for experimentation and variety. Each morning I enjoy creating a different blend combination and am slowly refining the process to make the most flavorful, and healthy, morning blend.

Once I began, I discovered that my favorite blends involved a delicate balance of 3 primary components: the solid fruit (for texture and fresh fruit quota), the tart liquid (for concentration of flavor which supplements fresh fruit and overrides base's flavor), and the healthy base (for the blend thickness and supplemental vitamins). The biggest challenge my blends face is balancing the flavor of the first two components with the flavor of the base, which in most cases is a scoop of protein powder and some vanilla yogurt. In my earliest blends, all I could taste was the protein powder and yogurt no matter how much fruit I added. Soon I added a tart liquid, such as orange juice, lemonade, grape juice, etc (all fresh squeezed, no concentrate), because I realized the amount of flavor that a cup full of grapes or a single orange did not equal the flavor of a single ounce of their respective fruit juice. (On a side note, removing the protein powder also removes the necessity of a tart liquid and still makes a great tasting all-fruit blend, but I include the powder as a part of my dietary needs).

So what DO I put in my blends? Well here is my current selection of ingredients, and thanks to having "Northern California's largest selection of fresh produce" a few blocks from my house this selection changes each time I go to the store:

Fresh Fruits: Pineapple, Red Raspberries, Strawberries, Lime, Blackberries, White Raspberries, Blueberries, Green Grapes, Cherries, and Bananas hidden in the back.
Tart Liquids: Orange Juice, Grape Juice, Raspberry Lemonade
Healthy Bases: Protein Powder, Hemp seed, Milk, Vanilla Yogurt

Today's mix consisted of:

Pineapple, Cherries, 1 Lime (instead of a Tart Liquid), Yogurt, Milk, Protein Powder

The Blending:


Ready to drink!


Today's Blend Conclusion:
Not quite successful. This was my first time to try each of those fruits. The ingredients were a good combination, but none were powerful enough to counter the base taste. Next time I will substitute pineapple juice for extra flavor and add more cherries to fill the space previously held by the large pineapple piece. Also, the lime was good but may need a little more of it (or lime juice). While I can't taste the lime in the mix, the sour does come through and adds a nice tart to the blend. Plus including the actual lime instead of using concentrated lime juice adds more nutrition.

The last part of this process I really enjoy is cleaning: it takes 15 seconds! Put the cup in the sink, a quick wash with water and soap from handy sponge, dip blade attachment in water, dry with towel, and done!

Finally, I supplement my blend with a single Clif Bar for more vitamins and a solid "full from breakfast" feeling. What a great way to start the day!