eek! we're moving this week. as a general rule, we try not to buy groceries the week before we move, but we still want to avoid eating from fast food restaurants.
a great way to burn through some leftover produce is to juice. we do this a couple times a week weather we're moving or not... it just feels nice to know you're cleaning out your liver, getting loads of vitamins efficiently and treating your body well.
i never follow specific recipes, i just use whatever sounds good and is available in my refrigerator. i usually go two ways: sweet & fruity or mellow & slightly savory.
some people are automatic spinach haters.. but the flavor is SO subtle that you can and should add it to any juice. a cup of spinach contains ALL the vitamins you need for the day and tastes like nothing. its protects against eye diseases, has anti-inflammatory properties, is a great source of iron, has tons of vitamin B & C, is loaded with flavonoids to reduce free radicals... and on and on and on.
also, it's best to drink the juice immediately after you make it. vitamins and minerals begin to deplete after the fruit has been ravaged. this goes for store-bought juice too, which drives the point home that juices that have been sitting on a shelf for several weeks isn't very healthy.
don't be freaked out by the color of the juice... spinach makes things green, beets make things awesomely pink and sometimes you'll get a lovely... brown. it's all good for you!
the recipes makes two glasses, so share with a buddy.
sweet & fruity recipe
half a lemon, peeled
1 cucumber, peeled & sliced (cucumbers help mellow-out any acidic flavors in the juice)
1 large orange, peeled & quartered
2 small apples, cored & sliced
1 cup spinach or kale or both.
handful of berries (blueberries is another anti-oxidant boost)
...want to add kick? throw in half an inch of peeled ginger root!
or just play around with it. add pineapple, pears, mangoes.. whatever is in season.
slightly savory recipe
3 carrots
3-4 medium tomatoes or 1 cup cheery tomatoes
1 cup spinach or kale or both.
2 apples, cored & sliced
3 celery stalks, shucked & chopped
1 clove of garlic (people either love it hate it)
3 beets, scrubbed & sliced
add pepper to taste
some people aren't big water drinkers, but a delicious way to get hydrated is to mix some freshly-juiced fruit with water to create flavored water. we had a box of strawberries that needed to be consumed STAT, so we juiced them and added them to a pitcher of water. it tastes amazing (really) and is a tremendously better alternative to drinking soda or gatorade... and a healthful option for kid 'juice' with a fraction of the calories.
do you have any favorites? anything that has surprised you?
thanks for the info! do you guys have a juicer or just use a blender?
ReplyDeletewe have a juicer - it's hand me down from my mom, and i think can be found on the market for 60 bucks or so. it removes ALL the solids and yield pure juice.
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