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Fresh Smoothies at Home with the Nutri Ninja Compact System

by Katie Wallace | Updated: March 15, 2016

Does your family enjoy smoothies? We love blending up fruit and yogurt into a cool, healthy treat. Smoothies are an easy way to add fruits and veggies to your kids’ snacks, especially when you want to sneak in a few greens or extra nutrients. The Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ Compact System is my go-to tool for making smoothies, because it makes blending simple and mess-free.

Why We Love Our Nutri Ninja Compact System

This Nutri Ninja Compact System has been a great addition to our kitchen. It offers several blending modes, can handle frozen ingredients, and makes clean up easy. I also appreciate the safety features built into this blender. It won’t even turn on if the lid isn’t locked into place. This gives me peace of mind with little ones nearby.

You can use this compact system to blend a smoothie, mix up fresh salsa, or even make cookie dough. I love kitchen tools that do more than one thing. Nutri Ninja makes it easy to make healthy snacks, smoothies, and sauces without needing a bulky appliance.

Nutri Ninja blender safety release top

Smoothie-Making Made Simple

I’ve found the Nutri Ninja Compact System to be easy to use and very efficient. It comes with two types of blades:

The pro extractor blade (metal) works well for fruits with seeds, like blackberries and citrus, creating smooth juices full of flavor and nutrients.

The high performance blade (plastic) is great for frozen fruits and thicker smoothies. We even used this blade to mix cookie dough.

Nutri Ninja Compact System with two types of blades

Each blend cycle runs with a helpful countdown timer and adjusts based on the ingredients. The Auto-iQ feature is designed to know when to pulse and when to blend for best results. We’ve had great results with all our smoothie recipes. Try a few of our favorite smoothie combinations below and see what you think!

strawberry banana smoothie kids snack

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 banana
  • 2 cutie oranges (peeled and segmented)
  • 3–4 frozen strawberries
  • scoop of vanilla yogurt
  • ice

Place everything in the blender and use the blend setting to combine until smooth. If the smoothie is too thick, just add a splash of water or orange juice. For a thicker texture, add extra ice.

avocado spinach smoothie recipe

Avocado Spinach Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 banana
  • apple juice
  • avocado slices
  • spinach leaves
  • scoop of vanilla yogurt
  • ice

Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth. The avocado makes this smoothie super creamy, and the apple juice adds just the right amount of sweetness. It’s a great way to give kids those extra greens.

island berry smoothie recipe

Island Berry Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 banana
  • mango slices
  • pineapple chunks
  • lime juice
  • mixed berries
  • ice

This one tastes like a tropical vacation. Add all the ingredients and blend well until smooth. Even with minimal liquid, the Nutri Ninja’s strong blades blend everything thoroughly. It’s perfect for making icy fruit drinks that taste crisp and smooth.

Nutri Ninja Blender Settings

The Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ Compact System includes Smooth Boost Technology, which gives you control over power levels. This helps you achieve the perfect texture, whether you’re making a creamy smoothie or a nutrient-packed juice. Each setting is designed to handle different ingredients and textures, making it easy to customize your drink.

For fruit smoothies, I usually start with the low setting to begin blending, then switch to blend to fully incorporate any remaining chunks. The pulse option gives you short bursts of power for quick control, great for chunkier blends.

Additionally, the low and chop settings work well for mixing soft ingredients or prepping things like salsa and cookie dough. The blend and extract settings deliver high power, perfect for turning whole fruits and veggies into smooth, drinkable juices. Combined with the two blade styles that come with the system, these features give you lots of flexibility for everything from thick smoothies to homemade sauces and spreads.

Nutri Ninja blender is easy to use

Extra Features We Love

  • This system comes with a double-walled stainless steel cup that keeps drinks cold for hours
  • Two on-the-go Nutri Ninja cups with Sip & Seal lids
  • Precision processor option for chopping or making dough
  • Safety lock system for peace of mind

My girls love trying the smoothies we make together. These drinks are naturally sweet, filling, and full of energy-boosting ingredients. Smoothies have become one of our favorite midday snacks.

toddler drinking smoothie

Final Thoughts – Nutri Ninja Compact System

We’ve used the Nutri Ninja Compact System to make smoothies, fresh salsa, and cookie dough. It’s versatile, powerful, and space-saving, which is perfect for a busy family kitchen. Whether you want to make fresh juice from whole fruit or blend a creamy smoothie in seconds, this system does the job.

If your family loves smoothies as much as we do, the Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ Compact System is worth trying out. It’s become one of our favorite kitchen helpers for making healthy, homemade snacks.

Nutri Ninja Compact System blender review

Nutri Ninja healthy snacks and smoothies

Katie Wallace
Katie Wallace

Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 4 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, photography, and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist, and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!

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Hi, I'm Katie and we are the Wallace family! We homeschool, go on adventures, and travel internationally with our four kids. I hope you enjoy our creative ideas on Create. Play. Travel.

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The struggle is real when charging our family’s de The struggle is real when charging our family’s devices! 😀 We try to balance screen time with learning and adventures while traveling. 

Phones & tablets can be helpful for language learning and some games/entertainment. 📱

Our watches double as GPS tracking for our kids, and the drone is fun for capturing unique video content!

💬 Which devices do you bring when traveling with your kids? 

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschool family, worldschooling, exploring with kids
The struggle is real when charging our family’s de The struggle is real when charging our family’s devices! 😀

We try to balance screen time with learning and adventures while traveling with our kids. But phones & tablets can be helpful for language learning and some games/entertainment. 📱Our watches double as GPS tracking for our kids, and the drone is fun for capturing unique video content!

💬 Which devices do you bring when traveling with your kids? 

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschool family, worldschooling, exploring with kids
Girls spa day! 😊🌸 We got pedicures at a nail studi Girls spa day! 😊🌸 We got pedicures at a nail studio near our house, and it was such a fun way to spend time together. 💕🇲🇽 @teenglowtravel @just.sylvie.xo 

💬 What activities do you enjoy doing with your daughter? Comment below👇

One thing we love about living in Mérida, MX is how affordable beauty treatments can be. It’s easy to enjoy a little pampering without breaking the budget!

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschooling, exploring Mexico, worldschooling
The house search is on! 🏠🌴 We’re looking for a lon The house search is on! 🏠🌴 We’re looking for a long-term rental house in Mérida, Mexico. Our wish list includes:

 • 4 bedrooms
 • spacious family room
 • workspace / homeschool room
 • pool to cool off from the heat
 • space for hosting! 

Do you think we’ll find our dream home in Mérida? 😁☀️🌴 We still have one more house to look at!

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschooling, exploring Mexico, worldschooling
Cerrado los lunes! 😟☀️ We showed up at the zoo onl Cerrado los lunes! 😟☀️ We showed up at the zoo only to discover it was closed on Mondays. 

Thankfully, our family has gotten pretty good at pivoting when plans change. Instead of heading home, we set off on a mile-long walk to Centro Histórico Mérida and turned an unexpected detour into an adventure.

We explored local markets, enjoyed tacos and sopa de lima for lunch, and let the kids burn off energy at a park. The Mérida heat definitely called for a treat, so we stopped for fruit bars that cost just 40 pesos (about $2.50) each. We made it home just in time for Juliet’s nap!

Next time, we’ll check the zoo schedule before we go. But honestly, this unexpected change of plans turned into a pretty great day!

✨ Takeaways:

• Travel helps build resilient kids. When plans change, they learn to adapt, stay positive, and enjoy the adventure anyway.

• Some of our best experiences happen when things don’t go as planned. The zoo will still be there another day! 🦓🐊🦛

• We’re growing in Spanish every day. The kids are becoming more confident with pronunciation, casual phrases, and new vocabulary as we navigate life in Mexico.

💬 What do you want to know about our life in Mexico?

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring! 
➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures 🌎🩵

homeschool family, travel with kids, adventure family, worldschooling, kids who travel, merida mexico, family travel
Hola from Mérida! 🇲🇽☀️ Our first week has been cha Hola from Mérida! 🇲🇽☀️ Our first week has been challenging and rewarding as we settle into life in Mexico with our 4 kids!

• We’re finding our new normal, discovering favorite stores, trying grocery delivery, getting used to air-drying clothes and doing dishes (no clothes dryer or dishwasher). 

 • We’ve almost finished all steps for receiving our family’s permanent residency cards. Praying for successful completion!

 • Also experiencing frequent tropical afternoon downpours, magnificent and soaking! 🌴

 • Being without city water for 20 hours, which impacted washing dishes and taking showers. We used our rooftop water tank sparingly. 

 • House hunting & touring several long term rental houses; we hope to find a good fit for our stay-at-home lifestyle and hosting too!

I keep reminding myself that we moved here! We’re not just visiting for a few weeks. 🤯😄

Overall, we’re grateful. ☀️🙂 It’s been a good first week, and we’re excited to continue settling in and discovering what life in Mérida has in store for our family!

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschooling, exploring Mexico, worldschooling, Mérida Mexico
I can’t believe in 2 days, we head to Merida, Mexi I can’t believe in 2 days, we head to Merida, Mexico to live there for two years! 🇲🇽 Our goal is to gain dual citizenship, work on learning Spanish, and get to know the local culture. We also look forward to welcoming baby # 5 in October, another GIRL! 🩷🦩🥰

North Idaho has been so good to us, and we will miss our friends and family! 

Thanks for praying for our family on our journey! 🩵🌎

Hi! We’re the Wallace family 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschooling, exploring Mexico, worldschooling
So many fun squishies, NeeDohs, and dumplings! 🥹🍕💧 So many fun squishies, NeeDohs, and dumplings! 🥹🍕💧 @needohofficial @hallmark
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