Today, we’re featuring a video of my youngest son, Alex, making an Easy Blueberry Banana Yogurt Smoothie. Smoothies are one of the easiest ways to get my kids to eat a few servings of brain boosting fruit at breakfast, plus by adding some Greek yogurt into the smoothie, they get a little extra protein to give them a kickstart in the morning.
Blueberry Banana Yogurt Smoothie
Recently, BigKitchen asked me to review the Breville Hemisphere Mini Blender. I have gone through a lot of blenders over the years, and actually have an older Breville blender but stopped using it because it was difficult to clean (the blender body had to be taken apart to clean it), and when it wasn’t assembled properly, everything would leak out, causing a huge mess.
Thankfully, Breville redesigned the body, so this Breville Hemisphere Mini Blender has a one-piece body, so there is no need to take the blender jar and blade apart to wash it, and there is no chance of leaking. Another feature I like about the new Breville blender is the dial that makes it easy to start blending slowly and gradually ramp up the intensity. Although the name of this blender includes the word “Mini,” this is not a small blender – the blender jar has a capacity of 54 ounces and the blender has a 600 watt motor.
I tried using this blender to crush ice, make smoothies and a Watermelon Mint Freeze. Although the blender did well for making smoothies and frozen virgin pina coladas for the kids, it did not crush ice or the frozen watermelon cubes very well, although in all fairness, I’ve had many blenders with the same issue. However, there are some tips and tricks that I tried that resulted in successful smoothies and frozen drinks. In fact, my son is now using this blender for his morning smoothies at college with great results for which I am thankful since that means he’s getting some healthy fruits into his system to start off the day.
Here are a few tips for using the Breville Hemisphere Mini Blender:
- Add liquid items first (juice), then softer/less solid items (fresh fruit), and finally harder items (e.g., ice, frozen fruit)
- Use cut-up pieces of fruit, not whole
- When making frozen drinks, first blend all ingredients except for the ice, then add ice and continue blending until smooth
- Don’t overload with ice – start with less ice then add more if you want
And now, I am excited to announce a generous giveaway from BigKitchen!
GIVEAWAY (This Giveaway is now closed)
One winner will receive a Breville Hemisphere Mini blender ($130 value) from BigKitchen.
This giveaway is open to US age 18 or older, and will end at 12:01AM EST on Friday, September 21, 2012. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
To enter the giveaway, please use the widget below to sign in and answer the questions.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- ½ cup frozen banana slices or one medium banana (cut-up)
- ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup orange juice
- Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.
Disclosure: I was provided a Breville Hemisphere Mini Blender for this review. All opinions in this post are my own.
I love the Bodum Burr Coffee Grinder! 😀
I love your honesty about your experience with the blender. I think it’s a real challenge finding a blender that really kicks butt and does all the things you need it to do… which this seems like it does most of those things. My father is on a smoothie kick and I bet he could use a new blender. He’d probably love this!
Thanks Brian – it is hard to find a blender that does everything well. My college son is actually using this blender for his breakfast smoothies and it works great for that.
Wonderful video, smoothie and giveaway! I love bigkitchen.com!
Great video! I’d love to blend up one of those babies! 🙂
All of the seasonal (fall, in particular) things on BigKitchen are so cute!
oh love this!
This video is too cute. Your son is a natural. Plus I love that the duck and the monkey were there for moral support. So cute 🙂
Thanks Sommer, Alison and Beth – the duck and monkey definitely provide moral support! BigKitchen has a wide array of kitchen products – love them!
This is the perfect recipe for the kids to make at home. They do love their smoothies growing up. Such a healthy habit we never talk about. I wish I got into the habit of making them at home when my son was growing up. Your youngest is so adorable!
Thanks Shulie – smoothies are so easy to make and homemade ones are the best since you know exactly what goes into them. I think kids naturally like smoothies because they’re sweet, creamy and frosty like milk shakes. I like them since they’re an easy way to get into at least 2 servings of fruit in the morning.
I love these videos, and this smoothie is simple and sounds tasty!
I like the Black and Decker 4 slice chrome toaster
mneuhouser at gmail dot com
Love the recipes!!! And what a cutie in the video, already an expert smoothie maker 🙂
Your sons are so sweet, Jeanette! And I really want the Calphalon waffle maker on Big Kitchen. I need one!
I like the teapot and teacup sets.
like the nordic bbq chicken theigh holder
I really want a waffle maker from Big Kitchen!
What a cute blender and very useful too! Love your review and video Jeanette! I also like the Breville Brushed Stainless Steel Two Slice Panini Press from the Big Kitchen Store too!
I would love a Wok!
I like the ACME juicer to make fresh veggie juice!
I actually need a new blender as mine is on its last cycle so thank you so much!
I love the selection of dutch ovens, and the purple Le Creuset Bean Pot!
I really want one of those gorgeous Dutch ovens. But I need a blender!
This Breville Hemisphere Mini Blender sounds fabulous for the homecook and I love your smoothie recipe! My blender just broke so this would be perfect timing! I also love the Vitamix in the Big Kitchen Store for a commericial grade blender as well but it is obviously larger than the Mini Breville – and the Mini Breville is prettier and cuter too!
I love their Luigi Bormioli glassware.
I love the Cuisipro Stainless Steel Deluxe Food MIll Set!
Perfect for the season. Loved it!
Love the review – your son is adorable!
I love contests! I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at those stand mixers and immersion blenders! I also like the stainless steel cookie cutters 🙂 Thanks for hosting this!
Love all the product reviews and the breville blender is my fav so far.
I LOVE the Black Cat Kitchen Brush!!!!!!! lol
Hi, Jeanette! Smoothies are on my list of “things to do/eat” for breakfast and snacking so that I can get the rest of this extra weight off. I LOVE the Le Creuset griddle/skillet. Would be great for indoor grilled veggies!
Definately the Dutch Ovens! I love being outdoors camping, and nothing tastes better than Dutch Oven breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert!!
I like the CALPHALON CONTEMPORARY 12 PIECE NONSTICK COOKWARE SET!
We make smoothies for the kids every afternoon for snack, Strawberry/Banana with a scoop of supergreens. My blender just died tonight making one so I would LOVE a new blender.
This is one of my favorite smoothies!
I have an old blender and have been thinking of buying a new one for a while now. I’d sure love to win this Breville mixer form BigKitchen
What a great video! Alex is a natural in front of the camera…and he makes a beautiful smoothie!
I love just aboit everything on their site! They have SO much!
i’m ordering the halloween cookie cutters!
I loved watching your Son make a smoothie! You’re my favorite food site:-)
Love your site!
Thanks everyone for your comments and your participation in this fun giveaway!
Great video…and the blender using in this video is also very cute…
So has anyone instead of a blender used a margarita machine? Wondering if I can do 2 different things with one machine? My old blender is on its way out. Any suggestions?