Blend Your Way to Health

Another name for a Blender…          a Healther….

Whether you are a cooking novice or a pro, you will have to agree that the three most essential tools for your kitchen arsenal are: a Good Sharp Chef’s Knife, a Heat Resistant Spatula, and a Blender. No matter which type you choose, from one speed to multiple settings, your blender can take you through your day and allow you to prepare delicious and nutritious meals with just the flip of a switch.

Imagine you wake up with just 30 minutes to get ready for work and head out the door for an eight hour workday. You cannot even conceive how you will nourish your body with anything that you can simply grab and go. Enter “The Blender,” and a refrigerator full of produce. You can throw in a handful of leafy salad greens, plus a handful of fresh or frozen berries, a scoop of protein powder, a small cupped handful of nuts and a dash of cinnamon. Add 10-12 ounces of water and blend. Pour your shake into a 20 ounce Thermos water bottle and you’ve got your energy to go. (See Energy to Go recipe below)

Your chef’s knife is also an “essential tool” when you need to mince garlic for dressings or marinades or to chop vegetables for steaming or to make nutritious soups. It’s next to impossible to eat healthy without the use of a good sharp chef’s knife, and the skills needed to use it effectively. You can choose either a “pointed” French chef’s knife, or the recently popular Japanese style “santoku” knife which has a rounded tip. Most professionals prefer the eight inch version of either one. Choose a knife with a good weight. You have to feel it to know if it’s right for you. I love my Viking brand eight-inch chef’s knife.

The heat resistant spatula can be used for scraping out every last drop of your morning shake, or for hot items like sautéing vegetables, flipping eggs and stirring soups. These spatulas can be purchased at any kitchen store. Le Creuset has a version that also serves as a spoon for more versatility. If you’re going the Le Creuset route, pick up an 11 or 15 inch cast iron skillet which is perfect for sautéing vegetables, making soups and even cooking meat in the oven. Le Creuset has outlets so look for one in your area for the best deals.

Your skillet and spatula will certainly come in handy when you come home from work, open the fridge and stare at that chicken breast sitting on the bottom shelf. You have to prepare it, but plain chicken breast just doesn’t thrill you. To spice things up a bit, take 1/4 cup of  balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup of water, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, plus 1/8 teaspoon each of sea salt and ground black pepper. Throw it all in your blender and whirl away. Meanwhile, rinse the chicken in the sink, pat dry and slice into 1/2 inch thick long pieces. Pour half the marinade in the bottom of an oven safe skillet. Add the chicken pieces and cover with the rest of the marinade. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (See Easy Marinated Chicken recipe below)

While the chicken is baking, blend 1 clove minced garlic with the juice of 1/2 lemon plus 2 teaspoons of olive oil, a dash of sea salt and ground black pepper and you have a fabulous dressing for a salad or for steamed greens such as broccoli, kale or bok choi. For a little extra pizzazz, slice 1/2 red onion and sauté with a little olive oil. Meanwhile, chop the florets or leaves. Fill a large sauce pot with one inch of water. Place a steamer basket in the bottom and cover with a lid. When the water begins to boil, add the leafy greens to the steamer basket. When the onions have softened and browned a bit, about 3 minutes, add the “green stems” and sauté until they become bright green. Toss everything in a large mixing bowl with the dressing and serve with the marinated chicken. (See Steamed Greens & Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing recipe below)

Want to make a cream of broccoli soup or corn chowder that you can enjoy throughout the week? Use your chef’s knife to chop half an onion into one-inch pieces. Add the onions to the skillet with a 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Add 2 cups of frozen broccoli or corn, plus 1/4 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon sea salt. Use the spatula to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Sauté until the onions are soft and fragrant and the frozen vegetables are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add everything to a blender and gradually pour in about 2 cups of milk as you blend away until you reach a creamy consistency. Pour the soup back into the skillet or saucepan and heat until it begins to simmer, about 5 minutes. (See Corn Chowderrecipe below)

Your blender just saved the day as it has done for me for as long as I can remember. Whether you use your blender to make smoothies, soups, sauces or dressings, your blender offers you a plethora of ways to turn plain food into tasty morsels and to combine flavors and nutrients in a way that only a blender can do.

If you don’t already have a blender, please do yourself a favor and get one now. I love my one speed Oster Beehive blender and have been making all of these recipes and more with just this one tool. I still use my knife to cut bigger pieces into smaller ones which makes the job easier on my Oster, but otherwise, the Oster makes eating healthy a breeze.