Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Juicing

For my birthday this past summer I decided I wanted a  Breville Juicer.  I really had no idea what to do with it, just that I wanted to begin to make my own juice.  The idea of green juice was intriguing to me, even though I had never had it before.  My ever-so-patient husband yet again went along with one of my whims and for my birthday I became the proud owner of this fancy new machine. 


Isn't it pretty?

On the way home from buying this we stopped by Whole Foods and picked some up some fruit to practice with. Since we really had no idea what we were doing, we decided to start simple.  Our first juice ever was apple pineapple.  I believe the recipe was 1 pineapple and 4 apples.
Green apples have a lower sugar content than other types of apples, and are therefore better for juicing.
 
 
 
I am not going to lie, at first I was a little skeptical because of the smell.  It had an earthy scent to it.  It wasn't a bad smell at all, just not what we are used to smelling when it comes to juice.  Because there is no added sugar or water, you smell the fruits, not the sugar. My girls tried it with no hesitation and loved it.  I have to say that on a hot summer day, this juice is amazing.  It would also make great homemade Popsicles for the kids.
 
 
We have since tried several more recipes and have started making up our own as we go along. We recently started phasing out fruit and just juicing vegetables. 


I wanted to share some of our favorites with you:

 Pineapple, 1/2 lemon, 3 green apples, 1/4 cucumber and a small handful of parsley. Split 3 ways of made the perfect portion sizes for kids.  This one was my 3 year olds.

You can juice a lemon with the skin on, as long as it is organic.
 
 

Strawberry Watermelon:  1/4 watermelon (no rind of course) and a cup of fresh hulled strawberries. One of my personal summer favorites. 
Watermelons yield a lot of juice since they are mostly water.
 
Mango Limeade: I believe this recipe was 1 mango and 2 apples, 1/2 lime..
Make sure your mangoes are ripe or this juice will be very tart.
 
 
Our first ever attempt at a "green" juice.  It came out a little less green and a little more brown, but it was still very good.
Immune Support
handful parsley, 3 kale leaves, 1 cup blueberries, 1/2 lemon, 1/2 cucumber, 2 green apples.
I add ice to my juice because I prefer it very cold.
 
 
This one is my personal favorite.  I absolutely love juiced carrots- they give you an energy boost that you can't get anywhere else.
 
 4 green apples, 3 large carrots, 4 stalks celery.
We juice for more than 1 person and we use small apples.  If you are juicing only for yourself, cut this recipe in half.
 
 
Pineapple, 1 large honey crisp apple, 4 oranges peeled. So good, especially for kids!
Juices that are mostly fruit do have a high sugar content so they are not good for daily consumption.  For kids, I would cut them with water or ice. Any leftovers you can make into Popsicles.
 
"we stayed up way too late and need an energy boost" juice: 4 stalks celery with leaves, 3 carrots, 3 green apples, 1/4 of a lemon, quarter size slice of fresh ginger.
When juicing be sure to only use organic fruits and vegetables.
 
 
My newest juice concoction: kale, apple, orange, celery, lemon. I love the bright green color of this one. 
When juicing lemons, only use 1/4 unless you want a strong lemon flavor.
 
We juice roughly 3 times a week so far.  If one of us is feeling run down we may add an extra day to boost our nutrients and help kick our immune system into gear.  You should drink your juice on an empty stomach in order to properly absorb the phytonutrients in the juice.  If you have never juiced before, I recommend starting simple like we did with just two kinds of fruit.  Work your way up to green juices, as they have a much stronger flavor.  Also remember that juices are not low calorie, so don't over do them. 
 
As for the expense- it can be a little pricey if you are buying tons of overpriced fruits and vegetables and not using them.  Keep it simple and buy in bulk.  Juice fruits and vegetables you  like. We buy carrots, celery, kale, apples, oranges, lemons in bulk.  Those are basic ingredients to make some very delicious juice combinations.  I also always have ginger and garlic on hand so I can throw those into a juice if I need to. (garlic and ginger are both immune boosting). We will get a pineapple occasionally if they are priced well. I also buy cucumbers to juice but usually the girls eat those before we get the chance.  You don't need to go overboard to get the benefits.
 
If you have any questions about juicing please feel free to contact me. I will try to answer any questions as  best as I can.
 
Until next time:
 
Happy, Healthy Cooking!
 
 
 

No comments:

Post a Comment