17 Piece Party Blender from CVS

My husband has wanted a Magic Bullet blender since forever. Those infomercials are addicting and they do make you think "wow! now that's cool!" However with the price being $50-150 (depending on which version you get), I always said it didn't seem worth it. We have a blender, why pay $50 or more for a mini blender?

Then at Christmas time we were given the 17 Piece Party Blender from CVS for less than $25. We couldn't wait to try it out and now we leave it on the table to use it all the time. The regular blender has been downgraded to sitting under the cabinet as this mini blender deserves a prime spot on our tabletop.

What does it come with?
The 17 Piece Party Blender comes with the following: 1 blending station, 4 blend-n-serve mugs, 4 sipping rings, 1 tall blending jar, 1 short blending jar, 2 storage lids, 1 shaker lid, 1 steamer lid, and 2 different blade assemblies (flat and cross-blade).

How does it work?
This mini blender is very easy to use - even easier than a regular blender. You fill up one of the mugs or the blending jars with the ingredients of your choosing. Twist on the blade you want to use, then simply place the whole thing upside down on the blending station. Little knobs hold the cup in place until and the blending starts immediately. This little thing is so powerful that it chops and breaks up everything in minutes.

Once you are done blending, simply remove the blade and put on on of the sipping rings and serve. The sipping rings serve for comfort only but are not really necessary. The product only has 4 sipping rings although technically all 6 mugs are exactly the same (except one is shorter) so you can drink out of any of them.

When would you use this?
So far our main and favorite use of this blender has been for smoothies, shakes and drinks. When you have a group of friends over, simply give each one their own mug and tell them to fill it with whatever they want! I've learned that you need to have a good amount of liquid to make it blend well, and ice cream should be thawed for a few minutes before blending. Each person then brings you their mug and you blend it for them. In just a few minutes, everyone has their own personal shake!

Now that we have this blender, I have been trying out way more shake options. I take any fruit in my fridge, any juices, and ice cream or yogurt, then blend it together and drink. You can also add things like brownies to make a brownie shake or caramel sauce, etc. It's really up to you to experiment.

Outside of drinks,you can also use this to make salsa, soups, grate cheese and more. My husband has used it once to make salsa and it came out great. It also crushes ice like you wouldn't believe! We've put ice in our shakes and this thing tears right through it in minutes.

Storage and Cleanup
Cleaning the product is very easy. Just remove the sipping wring and hand wash the ring and the cup. Rinse the blade and you are done! Unlike blenders that need to be completely taken apart, this mini blender cleans quickly and easily. Even better is the fact that you don't need to use additional glasses since you blend and drink all with the same product.

The box the product comes in is huge so we've gotten rid of it. We leave the blending station on our counter (unplugged for safety). Then all the rings and blades go into a brown paper bag in the cabinet right underneath. The mugs can be stacked and stored in the cabinet as well. This makes it easy and convenient to grab a mug and blend away whenever I want a drink.

Overall
I'd recommend this blender to anyone and everyone who likes smoothies, salsa, or other home made concoctions. A blender is still nice for when you wan to make a whole bunch of something at once, but this mini blender saves time and effort for when you just want a drink! You'll find yourself willing to try many more blended things because this product works so efficiently! Check it out at CVS and enjoy!!