Vitamix Smoothie: Pomegranate, Orange, Raspberry

1/2 pomegranate
1 peeled orange
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup coconut milk

Place all ingredients in blender. Start Vitamix on variable 1 and increase to 10 then flip to high. Blend approximately 30 seconds. At this point, if it's not cold enough, add a couple cubes of ice and blend or serve over ice. You could also use frozen raspberries and not have to add the ice at the end. Enjoy!

Non-paleo adult only alteration: Add about 1/4 cup of light rum, vodka, or tequila before blending.

Things I Love: My Keurig

Most households have a standard coffeemaker.  That big old thing that sits on your counter and usually has a half of a pot of coffee sitting in it from sometime in the past 24 hours.  Maybe you brewed it this morning and now it's dinnertime, and if you don't have a self-timing coffeemaker, then it's starting to turn into sludge.  Sounds wonderful doesn't it?

Meet my Keurig.  It's a single cup coffee brewer.  What's nice about this brewer is that you have a fresh cup of coffee whenever you want it.

The one I have is the Cuisinart Keurig.  Some of the great features of this particular one is that it has a self timer, you can set your brewing temperature, it has an auto off feature, it can brew 5 different sizes, it has a removable drip tray so you can fit your travel mug underneath of the brew spout, and it has a on-board storage location for your "my k-cup" brewer.

This coffeemaker is so easy to use that anyone can brew a good cup of coffee.  All you do is make sure the water chamber is filled with water, turn on the brewer, open the top, place a k-cup into the brewer, close the lid, choose a mug size, and press a button.  There you have it, the perfect cup of coffee every time.  

One of the great things about Keurig is they offer a wide variety of k-cups.  They have over 200 different varieties of coffee, tea (both hot and iced), hot chocolate and other beverages.  You can never say that you're bored with their selection!  My favorite k-cups include Green Mountain Coffee Nantucket Blend, Wolfgang Puck Jamaica Me Crazy Coffee, Timothy's Colombian Decaf Coffee, Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice Herbal Tea and Twinings Earl Grey Tea.

But the number one suggestion I have is that if you're going to get a Keurig, be sure it's one that you can use the "my k-cup" with (not all the brewers will accommodate the my k-cup).  This will allow you to brew your own variety of coffee in the Keurig of your choice (and save some money too!).  Some of the brewers come with a my k-cup and some you can buy seperately.  The Cuisinart one has a location on the side to keep it in.  This is nice because you always know where it is and it protects if from getting dusty or damaged.

Here are some tips on using the my k-cup brewer.  First, you will need to make sure that your coffee is ground to the correct grind setting. The k-cup will need a coarser grind then your automatic drip coffeemaker.  My sister had suggested that it's more like the french-press grind.  If the grind is too fine, it will foam or you will have grinds in your cup (either way, not a good scenario).  

Second, you will not want to fill the mesh basket to the top.  You should leave about 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch at the top when filling the my k-cup.  You can always use less if you want a weaker cup but if you use more, you will definitely have grinds in your cup!

So, that's it, my Cuisinart Keurig brewer.  It's a must for the single person who won't drink a full pot of coffee in a day or for anyone who just likes a freshly brewed cup.  It's also great for households where there are different coffee drinkers and they like different flavors or brews.  Oh, and don't be fooled!  It's not just for coffee or tea!  It's great to heat up just the right amount of hot water for instant hot breakfast cereals too!  Enjoy!