New year, new you…right? Not necessarily in my home because we believe in good eating all year long. There’s really no point in depriving yourself of the good things in life and if you lead a balanced lifestyle you can enjoy the odd high calorie/sweet treat. As in everything moderation is key.
Our family is pretty late to the ‘smoothie party’ because we’ve never had a blender that did what it was supposed to…until now! I was thrilled to have Ninja Kitchen send me the Nutri Ninja Auto IQ Pro Compact system with Smooth Boost. That seems like it’s a mouthful to say but trust me, the Auto IQ and Smooth Boost features are what makes this system so great for making the ultimate smoothie. I had some doubts, most likely brought upon by the failings of past blenders in our home, but we have all enjoyed our Nutri Ninja blended smoothies so far.
For the first smoothie, I really wanted to put the Nutri Ninja through its paces to find out what it could really do. Yep, you guessed it…I went full-kale on the Nutri Ninja. For me, the ultimate smoothie no-no is remnant chunks of greens in an otherwise delicious smoothie.
I’m pleased to say that the Nutri Ninja handled the kale extremely well and the smoothie was enjoyed by all, even my 21 year old son who won’t touch kale with a 10 foot pole! I think the key to this smoothie is that the pineapple basically hides the ‘green’ taste of the kale and all you get is the tropical fruit flavours of pineapple, banana, and mango.
For the second smoothie, I wanted ingredients that were more ‘local’ in flavour. I bought some fresh squeezed Blood Orange juice from The Cherry Pit at Calgary Farmer’s Market and added a banana. You might notice a common theme here…banana! I’m a huge fan of what bananas add; they improve all smoothies in texture, taste, and nutrition.
I am so glad that we picked and froze those beautiful Evans cherries last summer. If you’re a fan of smoothies, the best thing you can do is preserve peak summer fruits so that you can enjoy them all winter long!
While all-fruit smoothies are delicious, I wanted to experiment a little with this third smoothie. That meant using the chocolate fudge sauce that was a gift from Jesse at Burnt To Order and involving tea somehow. This smoothie was a bit more work but it was worth it. I steeped the chai, then strained it and added a bit of honey. After about 15 minutes it became a chai syrup which I set to cool before using in the smoothie. In addition to the chai syrup, I added Greek yoghurt and a half of a banana. The chocolate fudge sauce got drizzled onto the sides of the cup, then stirred into the smoothie.
Some features of Nutri Ninja Auto IQ Pro Compact system with Smooth Boost
• Nutrient & vitamin extraction AND high performance all in one machine
• Next generation Auto-IQ™ Smooth Boost™ Technology that takes drink customization to a whole new level
• Features 1200-watt motor base
• Includes two 24-ounce Nutri Ninja Tritan Cups with two Sip & Seal Lids, 24-ounce stainless steel Nutri Ninja Cup, 40-ounce blend & prep bowl with dough/chopping blade, 48-ounce XL multi-serve Nutri Ninja, and 30 recipe inspiration guide
• Additional attachment available is the first-ever coffee & spice grinder blender attachment
• Available at major US retailers nationwide in September, starting at $159.99 MSRP
And here are the recipes! 
Mixers like these, especially if used daily, are really hard to come by. Good to know about this Ninja!