MEAL IN A DRINK

(re-post)

 

Many years ago when I was married and the children were young we bought a Vita Mix blender at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.. It was a beautiful machine with a stainless steel receptacle (or whatever you call the blender 'bowl')but what got us handing over $99 for it was the demonstrator showing us how we could have a "meal in a drink". This was intriguing enough as he put in pineapple juice, a banana, and an entire slice of whole wheat bread. Then, to add "protein", he took an egg and as he went to break it on the rim of the blender container he dropped the entire egg into the contents. Of course the audience gasped. He played up to us and looked shocked and then shrugged and put the lid on and turned on the motor. Then he offered samples and we realized it had been an on purpose 'accident' and the machine could, indeed, entirely pulverize an egg shell and "give needed calcium". (This was before the raw egg in food issue.) I loved the whole performance so much I stood through it several times. And I loved that blender across the many years it served us.

This came to mind the other day when I realized my winter diet is nowhere near as fruit and vegetable rich as in the summer and may account for the more sluggish feeling I associate with cooler weather.
So into my great old Waring blender I put soya milk, plain yogurt, four canned pineapple rounds, a handful of raw broccolli crowns, half a stick of celery, a small raw carrot, tablespoon or so of energivita yeast, teaspoon of ground flax seeds, half a pear. NOT a raw egg, shell and all. (I do make Caesar salad dressing and use the contents of an organic raw egg, carefully wash the shell before I break it, taking the advice of someone else who also uses a raw egg and hasn't poisoned herself with either the fear or the actuality of salmonella.) Blended it all magnificently. A banana would have enhanced the flavour, but it was a tasty drink and satisfied my hunger, which is always the key to the worthiness of what we put in our mouths. Some things satisfy, for a short time, our craving to eat. What our body actually needs is satisfied by food that takes away our hunger and lets us get on with life until the 'need' gradually builds again. A constant search for food means we haven't 'fuelled' properly. I felt full after one glass so put the other in the frig and had it before bedtime. Woke up feeling quite perky. I'm looking forward to experimenting with other recipes where I can 'drink' a goodly assortment of veggies.

Posted on November 28, 2004 at 08:20 AM | Permalink

Many years ago when I was married and the children were young we bought a Vita Mix blender at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.. It was a beautiful machine with a stainless steel receptacle (or whatever you call the blender 'bowl')but what got us handing over $99 for it was the demonstrator showing us how we could have a "meal in a drink". This was intriguing enough as he put in pineapple juice, a banana, and an entire slice of whole wheat bread. Then, to add "protein", he took an egg and as he went to break it on the rim of the blender container he dropped the entire egg into the contents. Of course the audience gasped. He played up to us and looked shocked and then shrugged and put the lid on and turned on the motor. Then he offered samples and we realized it had been an on purpose 'accident' and the machine could, indeed, entirely pulverize an egg shell and "give needed calcium". (This was before the raw egg in food issue.) I loved the whole performance so much I stood through it several times. And I loved that blender across the many years it served us.

This came to mind the other day when I realized my winter diet is nowhere near as fruit and vegetable rich as in the summer and may account for the more sluggish feeling I associate with cooler weather.
So into my great old Waring blender I put soya milk, plain yogurt, four canned pineapple rounds, a handful of raw broccolli crowns, half a stick of celery, a small raw carrot, tablespoon or so of energivita yeast, teaspoon of ground flax seeds, half a pear. NOT a raw egg, shell and all. (I do make Caesar salad dressing and use the contents of an organic raw egg, carefully wash the shell before I break it, taking the advice of someone else who also uses a raw egg and hasn't poisoned herself with either the fear or the actuality of salmonella.) Blended it all magnificently. A banana would have enhanced the flavour, but it was a tasty drink and satisfied my hunger, which is always the key to the worthiness of what we put in our mouths. Some things satisfy, for a short time, our craving to eat. What our body actually needs is satisfied by food that takes away our hunger and lets us get on with life until the 'need' gradually builds again. A constant search for food means we haven't 'fuelled' properly. I felt full after one glass so put the other in the frig and had it before bedtime. Woke up feeling quite perky. I'm looking forward to experimenting with other recipes where I can 'drink' a goodly assortment of veggies.