Also known as my secret weapon/best friend. This little gadget allows me to do so much more than I ever thought I could. It purees, it chops, it can even make cashew cream! (which at some point I’ll share a recipe for that too…because you’re probably all like “cashew huh?”)

Now clearly my model is old – my mom gave it to me for Christmas about 4 or 5 years ago (thanks Mom!) but it’s still kicking. I don’t know where she got it, but a quick search on Amazon shows you can get one for about for about $40. I highly recommend it. It also has a bigger mixer-type addition, but I generally stick with this little guy. And that’s the biggest hit for me – it’s little! It fits in my teeny tiny UWS kitchen. So score for all. If you don’t believe me and all it’s glory – here’s proof.

See those almonds? See those blades? They’re sharp right? Two pulses later and voila.

So you’re probably thinking what the heck am I supposed to do with some chopped almonds? Fair. And I actually don’t have a need for them at this moment either but they’re great for making homemade granola or pie crust or to just toss on a salad. But let’s talk about one of my favorite uses for this contraption – breakfast smoothies! (See what I did there – you thought you were getting just a boring kitchen gadget post and bam! in comes a recipe. I’m sneaky…like a NINJA).

Now I’m pretty flexible with what I actually put in my smoothies, so you won’t get a must-follow ingredient list here.  But let’s be honest, if you can cut fruit and put in a blender, you can make a smoothie. It’s not rocket science.

My personal favorite ingredients are: frozen blueberries, 1 banana, a handful of spinach, a scoop of each of one of TJ’s powders, a tablespoon of chia seeds, and almond milk. If you toss all these in the Kitchen Ninja, blend it up, you’ll end up with a great tasting and healthy breakfast. Now I admit, it’s not exactly a work of art. But if you remember from art class reds and greens together make brown. And we have a whole plethora of colors going on in there. But the best thing about this – aside from the health – it’s fast! I find it usually keeps me full well into lunch, R may need a morning snack. Now if you’re an eggs and bacon person, this might take a bit to get used to especially with the spinach. Raw spinach for breakfast? Yes! This amazing trick was taught to me by an old coworker of mine. I tried it at home – the spinach blends right in. You never taste it. Don’t believe me? Try it yourself! You may be amazed too…