Is it Possible to Love a Kitchen Appliance?

Okay, that might be the oddest question you read today.  Unless of course you frequent one of the many WLS forums, in which case you probably have read half a dozen weird questions today;  if you have a four year-old, you have probably been exposed to at least 20 odd queries. If you frequent a hentai site or two, you've seen things I never EVER want you to tell me about.  Ever. 

Anyway...I think I may have a crush on my new blender.  It's definitely puppy love; only time will tell if it's a forever relationship based on trust and mutual respect.  If you're a weight-loss surgery patient (or candidate), I'm sure you've put at least a little thought into the blender you'll be using to make smoothies, soups or the like.   I have a stick blender--and I love that little guy.  It can whip up gravy and sauces, scramble up omelets so fluffy they want to levitate above the frying pan.  But to use it as my tool of choice for pre/post-op protein shakes and lump-free soups would have been a messy undertaking at best.

I looked into the NutriBullet, which seemed fantastic for individual servings.  It appeared to be compact, powerful enough to handle frozen fruit and ice cubes, and performed well in the YouTube reviews I watched.  Then I took a look at the Vitamix (a.k.a. the Auction-A-Kidney-And-Refinance-Your-Mortgage 5000).  Holy wowzers, that thing looks like the blender version of a Blackhawk crossed with a Lamborghini.  I love having shiny new toys--who doesn't--but at 400 to 500 dollars, I just couldn't justify that purchase.  If I were a professional restauranteur, maybe it would be a great investment, but to whiz together some Syntrax and almond milk with some ice?  Overkill.

Then I stumbled across the Ninja blender series.  I actually saw it on an infomercial and resisted the siren song of "just four easy payments of $44.99" despite how badly I wanted to give in and call that 800 number.  Then, lo and behold, I saw the same basic system at Tarjay.  The price was $20 higher, but I'd be saving shipping and handling, right?  Hmm.  Ponderponder.

The breakthrough happened when I checked into the same system at Bed, Bath & Beyond.  When you sign up online with them for their email newsletter, you get a 20%-off one item coupon.  Armed with that fantastic little coupon, I hotfooted it over to BB&B yesterday.  It doesn't have all the toys that come with the package sold on the Ninja website--but I saved a good chunk of change in shipping costs, and the coupon brought the price down to below-Tarjay range. Yes, it cost more than the NutriBullet--but instead of a single-serve cup, I now have IMMENSE COSMIC POWER.  No.  No, I don't, actually.  No immense cosmic power; more's the pity.  But what I do have is a 9-cup blender, complete with an 8-cup mixing bowl/dough hook/3-cup bowl insert, two single-serve cups with travel lids, and a blender that blows the doors clear off of anything else I've ever owned that dared call itself a blender.

I made the most amazing whole-food smoothie last night to christen my new purchase.  I tossed in--with reckless abandon and practically no measuring, mind you--kiwi, pineapple, cucumber, spinach, protein powder, white grape juice, ice cubes, hemp seeds, and vanilla Chobani yogurt.  Vroooooom.  I ended up with a full container of cool green goodness that made a delicious liquid breakfast.  And it's only the beginning.  So many possibilities, so many options to explore...

It's true, I admit it.  Resistance is futile.
I'm in love with a Ninja.