My youngest daughter came home this weekend to celebrate the 4th with Ed and me. To make her feel special on her arrival, I had a little surprise ready for her when she walked in the door that involved Mason jars.
The iconic Mason Jar… we all know and love them. Just take a look at Pinterest and you know how popular they are. DIYers use them for many different purposes other than what they were intended for.
They are used to make chandeliers, painted to use as vases, to hold homemade Sugar Body Scrub, to store leftover paint, or simply to collect as decorations for your home. The list goes on and on.
Recently I found another smart way to use them.
There is a personal size kitchen blender that uses Mason Jars exclusively so that you can whip up your favorite smoothies or recipes. Best of all, it requires no container-to-drinking glass transfer.
I knew my daughter would love it. She, unlike many of us DIY’ers, uses Mason Jars for their intended purpose and has quite a lot of them.
She has lived and worked on different farms since she graduated from college. She is into natural foods and now works showing people how to make delicious recipes using nature’s bounty.
I love giving surprises – little or big ones that you give to others because you found something so perfect for them that you had to get it even though it is not their birthday or a special occasion. I like to make the surprise into one.
When she got home and saw the blender and that it used Mason Jars exclusively – she smiled big time! To help celebrate the 4th, we whipped up two Blueberry Smoothies and drank them right from the Mason Jars we made them in – right from the base of the blender.
No waste, mess or big blending container to wash. My daughter doesn’t have a dishwasher in her apartment so the less to clean up, the better, plus she gets to use her favorite Mason Jars in another way now.
There is an attachment that fits into the blender. All you have to do is twist the Mason jar on to the attachment and press down on the Mason jar for the blender to blend.
It comes with 4 different Mason jar sizes, including a mug style jar, lids and two blades – one for blending another for grinding. But you can use any regular mouth Mason jar you own.
If you are on the run, it comes with 2 sippy lids too!
CHEERS! to one great invention and getting to give fun surprises that put a smile on someone’s face.
Here is the recipe we made: I made mine without yogurt and honey.
Blueberry Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 frozen banana - thaw for about 10 mins
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 cup vanilla yogurt
- 1-1/2 tsp. flax seed meal
- 1-1/2 tsp. honey
- 2/3 cup frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Chop up the banana and then add all the ingredients to the blender. Mix and enjoy.
You can find out more about the Mason jar blender and grinder at the Tribest website.
Lindsay says
You are both adorable!
Diane Henkler says
Thanks Lindsay XO
Denise says
Love the pic of you and your daughter. She’s a doll!
Heather Carter says
What a great photo of the two of you! She is a doll and like her Mom, it sounds like she is following her heart, inspiring others, and in doing so, encouraging us to follow suit. Well done, ladies!
Sue B. says
I love the picture of you and your daughter, love your article about the smoothie in that amazingly brilliant blender AND I am especially loving the comments that go along with this article! The comments are filled with tips and ideas that are inspiring me to make smoothies and get creative with iconic Mason jars! Thank you for sharing your gift of creativity and glimpses into your home and life!
Chris Wilson says
I have a bunch of mason jars Diane…thanks for the idea! I don’t like using plastic containers.
Donna Stuart says
What a wonderful picture of you and your daughter. Was wondering how you painted the mason jar on the inside? Thanks!
Diane Henkler says
Hi Donna –
The Mason jars with the flowers in them are painted on the outside. 2 light coats of crafts paint or chalk paint. Let the first coat dry before applying the second. One it is dry, take a piece of 100 or 220 grit sandpaper over the raised lettering and measurements to expose them. Apply dark wax if you want to darken the paint or clear wax to add a subtle shine. Buff the was with a soft cloth to bring out the shine.
The smaller Mason jars in the front of the photo with lids on them are holding leftover paint from previous projects.
Allie says
OMG, I really want one now! I’d love it if you shared this on Worthwhile Wednesdays
~Allie
Linda Weeks says
another good tip! I’d love to get into the smoothie thing! …and like everybody said, you and your daughter are lovely! …i always wanted a girl, but got stuck with a wonderful son, who is now 30 years old – is your daughter married yet? My son is not….
anyway…
I’m gonna get right on that Tribest website! Happy 4th! (a little late)
Diane Henkler says
Hi Linda – I was blessed with 2 girls. My youngest is 24. She is not married yet. My older daughter will be 27 in a few days. She has a boyfriend. Both live hours away. We love when they come home or we go to visit them. I do have two nephews ;-)
Teq says
A great picture of mom and daughter sharing a moment together.
Sheryll & Critters. says
You two look beautiful. And I am loving your baby girls outfit & pearls. Perfect outfit to compliment her blue eyes.
I want that blender and it is now on my wish list. Was just trying to crush some Flaxseeds that I toasted yesterday. I read somewhere that you need to crush or grind them to get the full benefits.
Happy Belated Fourth!
Sue says
Blueberries. New gadgets. 4th of July. Daughters home for a visit. Precious time together. Does it get much better than that? Love this post, Diane! As always, thanks for sharing a snippet of your life with us.
Antionette Blake says
Awesome, you guys looks great and probably feel good with your new smoothies!!
Cussot says
I LOVE that blender, how fantastic! Mason jars actually fit in my old Oster blender and I use them all the time.
Diane Henkler says
Hi Cussot – You just brought back a happy memory for me. I can see my Mom’s Oster blender perfectly in my mind sitting on the counter in the green kitchen in the house I grew up in. I remember when she got it, we thought it was so cool. It was a real powerful blender and could whip up just about anything in a minute. :-)
Cussot says
Funny thing – mine is actually my late mother’s! It was one of the things I saved from her kitchen. One of the things I got rid of was her cast iron frying pan that was older than me. Still regretting that moment of madness, I must say.
Sandra Schneider says
I have been following your blog for years. This is my favorite photo ever! What a lovely mother-daughter moment!
Diane Henkler says
Hi Sandra – Thanks – I am trying to add a more personal factor to the blog and not just have it be all tutorials. When my girls come home – life around the house gets a new infusion of happy energy. My daughter left last night since she had to be at work today. Both of them live 5 hours away in opposite directions. The house is quiet again – just Ed and Me, actually just me since Ed went out for a free round of birthday golf with a friend this morning. Enjoy your day.
[email protected] says
Now I want a blueberry smoothie! I never knew these blenders existed. Thank you for sharing!
Joan says
How cute are you too? What a sweet looking girl you have!
Tina says
The pic of you and your daughter is adorable!