I used my Black Friday Super-Charged Power Tool Blender to make my first Smoothie in months this morning; Smoothie #1 didn’t exactly turn out quite as well as I had anticipated, but I blame that entirely on poor advance planning (primarily the fact that I was absolutely terrified to use bananas that were two weeks old). As usual, I’m not without a few comments about my first Smoothie-making experience in months. And, as usual, I am happy to share my observations and thoughts on the blender, the smoothie, and my final consensus with anyone who has the patience to read 400 words in a single sitting. (I believe the average American’s reading span is somewhere around 50 words.)

The Blender: Black and Decker Cyclone purchased on Black Friday for only $25 from Macy’s. 

• Cuter than you might expect for a blender from a brand known for its durable power tools, but not as cute as the blenders in the $100+ bracket. 
• Superb blending abilities. 
• Eight speeds.
•  Crushed my ice in two.two seconds or less. 
• Blended my yoghurt, mandarin oranges, and milk with the crushed berries into a delectable Smoothie--capital “S” intentional. 

The Smoothie: Blackberry, Yoghurt, Orange Smoothie.

• Needed bananas to put more Smooth and Cream into the Smoothie.
• Needed a little something to sweet to make it stand out from the six.two million other Smoothies that I’ve drank in the past. 
• Had too many blackberry seeds. Must write the blackberry makers in the area and tell them to genetically modify their blackberries so that there are less seeds. (Blackberries are noxious here in the Pacific Northwest, so I am less concerned about a Blackberry Blight than I would be about certain other edible plants.)

The Consensus of One: It’s much easier to form a consensus when you are on your own. 

• Must make more Smoothies.
• Must buy bananas and use them for smoothness, potassium, and taste in every single Smoothie that I make.
• Must buy Thai Milo and Coconut Cream to make the highly-addictive Banana-Milo Smoothies that I drank every single day I was in Thailand. 

Recommendations: Try to get more friends and family members on the Smoothie bandwagon. Smoothies are tastier than Orange Juliuses when made correctly and are far less expensive. Plus, it’s easy to feel healthier when you’re drinking fruit, yoghurt, and milk for your breakfast instead of downing some dry Lucky Charms. 

Just sayin.