Happy Monday, friendly faces! 😀
Can I interest you in a thick and creamy smoothie that’s loaded with protein and tastes like a slice of apple pie?
Then keep on reading 😀 I’ve got a double whammy for you guys today with a review and a recipe, so let’s skip the fancy intros and get right into the good stuff, mmmkay? I’d like you to meet the newest member of my kitchen appliance family — the Ninja Ultima blender…
I was first introduced to the Ninja Ultima when I attended Healthy Living Summit last fall, and while I’m no stranger to high-powered blenders, there were two things about the Ninja that really stuck out to me. First, the dual stage blending technology…
The Ninja comes with a removable second blade that you can use when you have tougher things to blend like ice, frozen fruit, and nuts. Both blades work together to ensure that everything gets blended so that you’re left with smooth results and no grits or chunks. This also removes the need for a tamper.
Second, the single serve cups…
The Ninja comes with three individually sized cups (and travel lids) with a special blade that lets you attach the cups right to the base.
This is awesome in terms of convenience. I’m going to be honest with you guys here — even though I already owned a high-speed blender, I usually found myself using my little Magic Bullet because I didn’t want to go through the hassle of busting out (read: cleaning) a giant container when I was only making a single serving. Sure I could have just made a big batch in one go and stuck the leftovers in the fridge, but I find that the taste and texture of smoothies changes when they’ve been hanging out in the cold for awhile, and I prefer them when they’re fresh. In short, single serve cups are brilliant.
But what about the system as a whole? Here are my thoughts…
What I liked about the Ninja Ultima Blender:
- The blender is extremely powerful. It doesn’t have a problem chewing through tough ingredients and does so without leaving any chunks behind.
- The dual blades remove the need for a tamper while ensuring that everything gets blended smoothly. The blades are easy to add/remove depending on what you’re making, and the accompanying instruction booklet makes it easy to know when you need them and when you don’t.
- The single serve cups are super convenient and make clean up a breeze. They’re perfect for situations when you need to grab a snack and go, attach right to the base via a special blade, and are really easy to wash.
- The large container is incredibly easy to clean as well. All the pieces are dishwasher safe, and you can easily clean it between loads by adding a few drops of liquid soap to a container that’s been half-filled with water and turning the blender on.
- It has so many uses! In addition to making smoothies, it’s perfect for juicing, pureeing, emulsifying dressings, chopping veggies, mixing batters, grinding meats, milling flours, and making nut butters.
- It’s a lot cheaper than the Vitamix, yet comparable in power and performance.
What I didn’t like about the Ninja Ultima Blender:
- It’s loud… like really loud. Living in a condo, there’s no way I’d feel comfortable using it in the early morning or later evening. And to be perfectly honest, a pair of noise-cancelling ear muffs wouldn’t hurt either 😆
- The blades are super sharp. This is obviously a good thing, but it means you have to be really careful not to cut yourself when you’re cleaning it.
And what would a review be without a little demonstration? I’ve been playing around with my Ninja for a few weeks now, and although I loved using it to blend soups and chop veggies, my favourite blender creations will probably always be smoothies… and this latest creation kind of blew me away.
An apple pie protein smoothie. Nevermind the fact that we’re talking apples in spring time– they’re a year-round fruit as far as I’m concerned. They’re also a fruit I don’t normally associate with smoothies, but I only had one banana left in my fruit basket when I set out to make this bad boy, and I wasn’t willing to risk my last one. What I did have was an abundance of apples…
At first, I was worried that the lack of banana would lead to a lack of thickness and creaminess, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Not only is this smoothie eat-with-a-spoon thick thanks to the oats, but it’s incredibly creamy thanks to the almond butter and Greek yogurt. The yogurt is also responsible for giving it a serious protein punch, as well as adding a nice hint of sweetness (or tartness if you choose to go the plain yogurt route). I’m kind of smitten.
I’d love to know if you make this (or any!) recipe! Tag @runwithspoons on Instagram and Twitter, and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy and delicious recipes straight to your inbox!
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Apple Pie Protein Smoothie
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 smoothie 1x
Ingredients
- 1 apple, peeled and cored
- 1/4 cup raw oats
- 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt*
- 1 Tbsp. almond butter
- 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk**
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- dash of ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into any standard blender and blend until smooth.
Notes
* You can sub out the yogurt for some vanilla protein powder OR use plain Greek yogurt, but you may have to add a little bit of sweetener.
** Use regular dairy milk to add even more protein.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
Disclaimer – Ninja Kitchen provided me with the Ninja Ultima Blender free of charge in exchange for a review. I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.
I only read the recipe and I am literally drooling. Will try it for tomorrow breakfast. Hope my son loves it. Thank you for sharing it! Cheers!
I’m wanting to make this but wonder if unsweetened applesauce could be substituted for the apples?
I’m on a full liquid diet and this would be a treat before bedtime.
Amazing recipe! Planning to make it today or tomorrow and i hope everyone in my home will love it! hank you Amanda for your awesome recipe
I’m so glad you like it, Alice! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I hope your family likes it as well 🙂
Great recipe! I have made it yesterday and everyone in my home sweet home totally loved it! Thank you Amanda for your awesome recipe.
Awesome recipe..I just had to try this because it sounded so good! I added some spinach to mine and I didn’t have almond butter so I just used regular almonds.
I have been using Nutribullet for a couple of years. It works well but I should get hands on this Ninza blender soon.
Awesome recipe, Amanda! I’ve been making this all week and it’s come out so good every time
five-star!
I have made smoothies w/apples. One of my favorites is the “Sweet Lettuce Smoothie” (from the Vitamix cookbook).
1 C. (160 g) green grapes
! C. (55 g) romaine lettuce, washed
1/2 medium apple, halved
1 C. (240 ml) ice cubes
Blend for just under a minute (45 sec. or so)
You can see that it doesn’t even suggest peeling or coring the apple. The peel is healthy (wash, first) and so is everything else in the apple. The seeds have vitamin B 17 in them, which we tend to lack in our U.S. diet, They also contain arsenic, but in such a minute amount that it doesn’t matter. : )
(Sorry for the poor rating! I could NOT get it to change!!!! It would NOT let me do anything else w/the ratings!!! How frustrating!) : ( I wanted to give it a five-star!
I have made smoothies w/apples. One of my favorites is the “Sweet Lettuce Smoothie” (from the Vitamix cookbook).
1 C. (160 g) green grapes
! C. (55 g) romaine lettuce, washed
1/2 medium apple, halved
1 C. (240 ml) ice cubes
Blend for just under a minute (45 sec. or so)
You can see that it doesn’t even suggest peeling or coring the apple. The peel is healthy (wash, first) and so is everything else in the apple. The seeds have vitamin B 17 in them, which we tend to lack in our U.S. diet, They also contain arsenic, but in such a minute amount that it doesn’t matter. : )
(Sorry for the poor rating! I could NOT get it to change!!!! It would NOT let me do anything else w/the ratings!!! How frustrating!) : ( I wanted to give it a five-star!
I have made smoothies w/apples. One of my favorites is the “Sweet Lettuce Smoothie” (from the Vitamix cookbook). 1 C. (160 g) green grapes
! C. (55 g) romaine lettuce, washed
1/2 medium apple, halved
1 C. (240 ml) ice cubes
Blend for just under a minutes (45 sec. or so)
You can see that it doesn’t even suggest peeling or coring the apple. The peel is healthy (was, first) and so is everything else in the apple. The seeds have vitamin B 17 in them, which we tend to lack in our U.S. diet, They also contain arsenic, but in such a minute amount that it doesn’t matter. : )
Sorry for leaving 3 comments. Tried to DELETE the first two. Couldn’t see how to delete them! Is there a way?
DW
I just had to try this because it sounded so good! I added some spinach to mine and I didn’t have almond butter so I just used regular almonds. It is so thick, I moved it over to a bowl! It tastes just like pie and is super delicious. I am so happy because my fiance doesn’t care for baked apples and I don’t want to make a big apple pie when the “I want apple pie” feeling hits. This will be my go-to! Thank you for being experimental and sharing!
I love this smoothie! I made it today for the first time and added a tablespoon of hemp hearts. I used skim milk and plain icelandic yogurt and added an additional half teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Have you tried making this as an overnight smoothie? I like to prepare most of the smoothie the night before to save time in the morning. Do you think I should add the yogurt the night before or add it in the morning with the apple?
Thanks for all the awesome recipes, haven’t been disappointed with any of the spoons recipes I tried
I’m so glad you liked it, Gidde! I’ve never tried this particular one as an overnight smoothie, but it’s something I do quite often with other recipes and never have a problem. You’d probably be fine putting the yogurt in overnight!
Hi! I recently came across a smoothie recipe of yours that my friend pinned on Pinterest and I quickly found a bunch more that I was eager to try right away. I’ve been trying out a new one of your dessert smoothies every day this week and they are to die for! I’ve seen so many recipes that provide a few of the ingredients of popular desserts but you use just the right combination of everything to make it feel like I really am drinking a liquid version of my favourite sweets. Anyway, just thought I would let you know that your smoothies are so good that I felt compelled to write a thank-you comment 🙂 Keep it up, excited to try the rest of the recipes I found!