Beyond Smoothies: Blend Your Way to Fall Comfort Food

So, smoothies, right? Those have been a thing forever now, and you might have jumped on the bandwagon of liquified goodness and bought a Blendtec or a Vitamix or a Ninja or even ALL THREE if you’re an overachiever like that. But maybe - and I‘m not accusing anyone of anything, I’m just saying that maybe - that blender has been sitting there in all its powerful glory on your countertop and gathering dust. Sure, the first week you made a smoothie every single day, and maybe you Instagrammed some sweet pics of all that fruity goodness, but then you got busy and it was back to Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts (or nothing at all). It’s not your fault! Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts are Glucosia’s gift to mankind (she’s the goddess of sugar), and blending gets boring when you’re doing the same berry-banana-almond milk dealio all the time. But I am here to blast you out of yawn-town and help you take your blending game to the next level! Way beyond smoothies, your blender can do a billion other things, and you are about to break that baby out and make its wildest dreams come true - helping you get fit and healthy like never before.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

I have probably made a double batch of these Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes every month for the past three years, and I just never get tired of them. They’re moist, flavorful, and full of whole grains to give you long-lasting energy. You may be hesitant - wheat berries, what the heck are those? But they’re readily available online and can sometimes even be found at the regular ol’ grocery store - if you're not used to the taste of hard red wheat, which some find bitter, go with white wheat (all the nutrition, none of the deprivation). This is a thinner batter, which means it’s easy to pour straight from the blender onto your griddle or skillet and get that perfect circular pancake shape. They freeze well and will keep for weeks, so you can throw them in the toaster or microwave anytime you need a fast, hearty breakfast. I love them with strawberries and blueberries on top, but Aunt Jemima (or the real tapped-from-the-tree deal) is also delicious. You can even veganize them with coconut oil, non-dairy milk and a banana in place of the egg if you desire. A note: don’t get distracted by bumping your Big Band/Swing playlist while you’re making them like I did once and leave the batter on the counter for too long; it will thicken in a sort of unpleasant gloopy way and be more difficult to pour. The end product will still be yummy, but take my tip and avoid the hassle. Want more breakfast from the blender? Click here and check out some awesome recipes (including sausage...WHAT).

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This Roasted Butternut Squash Soup hasn't yet eclipsed the popularity of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, but I'm really not sure why. It's packed with deep roasted squash flavor and the sweetness of sautéed apple and onion and finished with a splash of cream (I've veganized with some unsweetened almond milk and veggie broth instead of chicken broth; those were great choices if I do say so myself). This doubles beautifully if you've been tasked with feeding your whole crew and you can even throw it in the freezer in individual portions for when you're freezing and chilled and just need a big bowl of comfort. Since it's mostly just veggies, it's really, really good for you, and it whirls up in the blender faster than you can say "sweater weather." If I could only eat one soup for the rest of my life, it would be this one. And if this goes as well for you as I know it will, you'll be wanting more blender soups: here's a link. (You're welcome.)

Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

The first thing you should know about this Creamy Cauliflower Sauce is that it does not taste "just like Alfredo." Anyone who claims that it does has not tasted real Alfredo in a long time. The second thing you should know is that it's totally delicious anyway - like, use it as a dipping sauce delicious. I'm not really a person who's into "hiding" vegetables in my dishes - I like to just go whole-hog...err...whole-cauliflower...and dive right into the flavors that good veggies always reveal when you prepare them the right way. Just looking at this picture makes me feel like I'm at the natural, healthy, nobody singing a pretend Italian birthday song version of Olive Garden (sorry, I know it's a crowd favorite, I just worked there for a year and I've seen things I can't unsee, though I will always love their Pumpkin Cheesecake). Just like with regular Alfredo sauce, you can toss extra goodies in, like chicken or broccoli, but it's really amazing on its own. Thank you, blender, for making pasta a healthier choice (here are some more blender sauces when you're carb-loading).

5-Minute Asian Peanut Coconut Dressing

What have you got to dress your salad right now? I mean right now, on the door of your fridge. I have some ranch, and some Caesar, and my parents were in town over the weekend so I even have some Brianna's Poppy Seed (which is totally legit), but what I'm wishing I had was this Asian Peanut Coconut Dressing. That gorgeous Thai salad in the picture looks like the perfect thing to throw underneath, but I'm pretty sure this could be drizzled on just about anything and I would eat it. The ingredients are all my favorite stuff: cilantro, peanut butter, and that lifesaver of the kitchen, red curry paste. When your dressing is this flavorful and full of this much good stuff, it's kind of like, any excuse to eat more veggies, right? If you want even more of the blender dressing goodness, click here.

Classic Green Monster

I know, I know. I said we were going to move beyond smoothies. But I couldn't tell you how to make your blender's dreams come true without referencing the one smoothie to rule them all. Let me be honest with you: I am no health nut. I love hamburgers Ron Swanson style and perfectly crisp french fries and long walks with a slice of pepperoni pizza. Which is why when I tell you I love this smoothie so much I would marry it, you can trust me. The green color of the beverage you are about to relocate from mason jar to mouth can be a little off-putting at first, but once you taste it, you'll associate it with vanilla and bananas dancing the fandango on your palate and everything will be all right. I like to use frozen peaches and a tiny splash of coconut extract in mine; then you're in tropical paradise with just the press of a button. And if this brings you back into the path of 24/7 smoothies, check these out too.