I had read a few posts here and on some cooking forums that inspired me to ask for a Vitamix for my birthday, and I LOVE it!!! Just had to share in case anyone is on the fence. I've had it a couple of weeks, and I've used it most days since. I really enjoy a green smoothie every morning, but one of my favorite things is using it to chop vegetables. I cook quite a bit using the Trinity (onion, celery, carrots) as a base, and with the Vitamix it is so fast to just stick these in and chop on the lowest speed for about 30 seconds. The clean up is so much easier than with my food processor. I've also used it to make the base for Chicken & Wild Rice soup, and also a really delicious low fat Baked Potato Soup. Both were very yummy! My DS really enjoys the Strawberry & Yogurt "Ice Cream" which is fantastic because I can't get him to eat either strawberries or yogurt on their own.
My only fail so far was trying to make a Bloody Mary type drink. It ended up being more like drinkable salsa. Not totally disgusting, but I decided it would be best to freeze and use in a recipe later. I do think that there is a pretty big learning curve to using the machine, and it has taken me a fair bit of time to come up with recipes to suit my needs.
I'm still excited to try making Peanut Butter, and I'm planning on trying a reduced fat Fettuccini Alfredo tonight.
If you have any Vitamix favorites, please share, I would love more ideas!