New Blender - and I didn't break the bank! (yet)

The failing blender issue has been temporarily resolved. We ended up getting a $100 KitchenAid 5-speed Custom Blender (KSB560) a brick and mortar Bed, Bath and Beyond for $80 with a 20%-off coupon. I've not tried it yet, but the reviews online are favorable. I do hope that this holds up better than by my poor Oster, which will be given as comfortable a retirement as a blender can receive. Goodwill will take blenders that work, and it'll probably serve the average user much better than it will serve me. It's the least I can do, especially after asking the Oster do things at a frequency it was never designed to handle.

The Ultimate Green Smoothie Variation Set

I was poking around the Vitamix site again and they have a mix-and-match green smoothie cheat sheet in PDF format. There's a quick sign-up, but what you get is quite good - 336 different variations on the green smoothie. I have been beat, dear readers, by quite a long shot. Then again, this is Vitamix - this is what they do. Maybe I'll try out the cheat sheet and share my favorite combinations here.

My only quibble is that it doesn't include basil, cilantro, parsley, or other green, leafy herbs anywhere on the mix-and-match table. They do cut the same old green taste quite a bit and make things more interesting.

Holy Bleep! (on Vitamixes)

I've been looking around at blenders to replace my poor Oster blender, which is starting to go. I've heard from multiple sources (the blogosphere, Consumer Reports) that Vitamix makes the best blender on the market and will last for a long time. I knew it would be pricey because it's institutional/professional chef quality - not to mention durable - but the base model, the Vitamix 5200, the time of this writing, is $449.00! That's enough to make any grad student gulp in terror. I guess I could just buy another Oster, but I don't want to have to buy another blender in 4 months (since I've been slacking) because I've been using it (abusing it?) the way I have. At the rate I'm going through blenders, I'll go through 2 $40 blenders a year. That's $80 on blenders a year. At that rate, it'll take me 5.625 years to get to $450. I feel great when I stick to the diet, and it helps tremendously, but I'm paying quite a bit for food as it is. That much on a blender - even a good blender - is a lot of money. Yes, spend it on food or spend it on the doctor, but sheesh - this better work!