Getting fruity with Missy (Energi SM1 Smoothie Maker)

Name: missy0303

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Product:	Energi SM1 Smoothie Maker
Date:	25.07.07 (191 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great way of getting your 5 a day intake, easy to use and clean.

Disadvantages: A noisy little minx of a machine

I have a confession to make….I have slipped up on my diet lately! I really did try but got so bored eating fruit and vegetables/salads all the time that I started having a little of the things I know are bad for me…like pizzas and Chinese takeaways etc. But then I discovered Smoothies! There is a smoothie bar right outside my place of work; therefore I have been buying a smoothie most days before starting work. These were costing me £2.79 a go though so I really needed to find something cheaper but just as good…I tried the innocent smoothies and other shop bought ones but I was limited as to what flavours I could get.

So I decided to pop into Argos to see what they had to offer in the way of a smoothie maker.
This Energi SM1 smoothie maker was listed as being £29.99 in the catalogue but when I checked the availability on the little machine it came up as only £19.99…so mind made up I marked down the number and skipped up to the till to purchase my SM1. I had received a £10 Argos gift voucher from one of the many reward sites I am a member of, and I also had just over £10 worth of Nectar points on my card so I actually got my SM1 for FREE! (Always the one for a bargain)

This product is endorsed by Rosemary Conley, who is somewhat of a diet guru for anyone who hasn't heard of her.
The actual smoothie maker is quite attractive being white with a pale lime green finish. It doesn’t take up a vast amount of room on your worktop and the wire can be safely tucked up underneath the unit.

How easy is it to set up?

Surprisingly simple actually, simply twist the jug onto the base until it aligns itself. Screw in the little tap at the side and pop on the lid not forgetting to put the clear plastic cap in place or the lime green plastic stirrer. (Don’t forget this or you could end up with quite a messy kitchen!) Once you have done this you are set to go. Add the ingredients of your own choice or follow the simple to use and delicious recipes provided in the free recipe booklet. There is also a Rosemary Conley G.I Jeans Diet included which I am still to have a proper look at as yet. This second booklet also contains some low fat recipes.

I haven’t tried all of the smoothie recipes yet, but one that I have tried and is absolutely delicious is the Raspberry Fizz Cocktail
Large handful of fresh or frozen Raspberries (I used Tesco’s frozen Summerfruits instead mmm)
1 scoop of low fat vanilla ice cream
125ml of sparkling wine or champagne (I used Gallo White Zinfandel)
This apparently serves 2…..Ahem ok then if you say so!
It was delicious! So refreshing on a warm summer’s evening, as we, on the West Coast of Scotland are experiencing some lovely hot weather both yesterday and today (long may it continue)

My daughter loves experimenting with the different fruit combinations and her favourite at the moment is Strawberry, Banana and Mango with a little Fresh Orange juice…this is also very refreshing!

My son loves Raspberries with vanilla ice cream and ice cubes.

The possibilities are endless with a smoothie maker…your only obstacle is your own imagination! You can also use fresh vegetables to make healthy drinks as well. It is a wonderful way of getting that 5 a day fruit and veg intake into both you and your family. It works out cheaper in the long term too. I know I wasted a lot of fruit and vegetables in my house because my children (even though they do like fruit and veg) got easily bored with it and this way they can add different things to it and still get the full benefit if not more!

The machine itself works very well with a rotating blade chopping the fruit to a pulp, and I was surprised at just how well this actually worked especially on the frozen fruits or harder fruits like apples. It even mashes ice cubes! A good way to tell if your smoothie is at the right consistency is to try the little tap at the side, if the liquid pours easily then it is ready to drink, if it is still thick and sticks in the tap then it needs another blast.

There are 2 settings on the blender, 0 means it is off. 1 is for a light blending action and 2 for a fast vigorous action. There is also a button for pulsing. There is no set time limit really for making a smoothie…it just depends upon your own preference for how you like it. If it is too thick then simply add a little more liquid to it.

One negative point for me is how noisy this machine is…definitely not one to use if you have a hangover, although the benefits of a smoothie if you have a hangover may outweigh this lol. I would go as far as to say this is as noisy as my washing machine on full spin!

Now on to the cleaning of the machine, I highly recommend you clean it immediately after use as you don’t want to get the blades clogged up with dried pieces of fruit, as this can damage the blade and may affect the performance of your machine. It is incredibly easy to clean, simply take the jug off (twist and lift) and rinse under the tap, use warm soapy water, once the jug is clean then fill with clean water and press the little tap lever down to clean out the tap. This can be screwed off at any time for a more thorough cleaning should it require. Be careful when cleaning as the blades are quite sharp. The blade can also be removed for cleaning but don’t forget to replace the rubber stopper when doing so. In my own opinion though as long as you’ve washed it out immediately after using you shouldn’t really need to remove this. It doesn’t state whether it’s dishwasher safe so I wouldn’t recommend that.

Overall my opinion of this smoothie maker is that it is very good value for money, it does what it says on the box and includes a free diet plan and recipe book so if you like smoothies then I would highly recommend this to anyone!

Thanks for reading
Michelle July07©

Summary: Pulverise your fruit for tasty concoctions...cocktails and dreams!

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