It's finally juicing time!!!

I wanted to write this blog like two weeks ago, but never sat down and did it. But at least I am doing it now!  I really want to spend some time and talk about juicing and how amazing it is. I'm going to talk about a lot of different things, so let me know if you have any questions.

Before we get started though I want to share a website with you:  Kris Carr

This website is filled with recipes, tips and info on how to live a healthier lifestyle overall! In my opinion, she's pretty funny and entertaining too.

Ok--back to juicing. Before we get started I just want to throw out that all the info in here is my opinion based on my own research. Please do your own and find things that work for you! If you really want to get into juicing first I recommend that you spend a lot of time looking up different styles, types and brands. There are TONS of different types of juicers and some are great, good and bad. Some cost more, but there are some good ones at lower prices out there too. I found a channel on YouTube, rawfoods, that gives great info on juicers, recipes and the like!  I now watch his videos regularly, I think they are great. After our own research we decided to get an Omega Mega Mouth Juicer BMJ330. We practically got it for free because of coupons and gift cards I still hadn't used from the wedding (I was saving them for something we really wanted and then I finally found something!)

This juicer has a large 3" feed shoot and is fast. This juicer doesn't get as good a juice yield as some other styles, but for now it works and we have found if you push produce through really slow you do get a lot more juice out of it. Eventually we want to get an Omega NC800 Juicer, but we will have to wait for that puppy! 

See it's a totally different style...also more expensive. But this kind will give you much more juice and will do other things besides juicing also. So once you have found a type and style you like then you really need to figure out what you want to juice, how often, where's the best place to store it, etc. We use ours almost every day so we keep the base on our counter-top and the rest gets cleaned and sits in a drying rack. I throw it in the dishwasher about once a week to get a better clean on it besides just us cleaning it.

As far as the juicing goes, there are things that are great to juice, some are okay and some I wouldn't recommend at all. The big thing to remember is that with any juice you need a base which needs to include firmer water-rich veggies like carrots and cucumbers. You also want to try to use about 75% base juice and then throw in your extras like kale, cilantro or broccoli. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THROWING SOME LEAFY GREENS INTO ANY JUICE YOU MAKE!!!  Kale is the most nutrient rich per calorie veggie that's out there (I've found that at a few sources, so I imagine this is true).  The firmer fruits and veggies will give you the most juice. Softer fruits like pears and grapes will work, but your pulp will not be as dry.  Things I DO NOT suggest juicing are berries and other soft fruits like peaches, mangos, etc. You will get very little juice. Instead you blend those and drink them in a smoothie. And bananas will not juice! I know it seems like a no brainer, but I've seen some things.... I've only created one juice so far that I thought was gross, it's honestly kinda hard to mess this up! As long as you are throwing in some apples, carrots, lemon, or something to kind of "cover up" the taste it'll be good. I promise!

                                            Base Juice 75%                    Extras 25%
                                                Celery                                Collards
                                                Cucumbers                         Kale
                                                Carrots                              Cilantro (great for detox)
                                                Apples                               Parsley (great for detox)
                                                Zuccinni                             Lemon
                                                               the list goes on.......

Here is an example of a juice I've made a few times:

• 2 apples (these are golden delicious, but I use red delicious a lot too)
• 4 celery stalks
• 3-4 kale leaves
• 1 cucumber (in this pic it's not peeled, but I would recommend you peel unless you have organic ones)
• 1/2 lemon
• small piece of ginger root (go easy on this it can really overpower!)

I wanted to include this so you could see what kale looked like.
I never knew what it was till recently!

There is always going to be a little pulp in the juice and there is always foam on top. This is the case no matter what juicer you buy; it's just the nature of juicing. If it really bothers you you can spend the extra time to strain your juice, but it doesn't bother me at all. This particular recipe made about 3 1/2 c of juice.

You can also throw some other things in there like green superfood powders or aloe juice (after you're done). You can't taste either one and they add so many awesome nutrients that you need!  Juicing is so amazing because you can get so many things your body needs and craves in such a short amount of time. Would you sit there and eat all that produce in that picture? I wouldn't. So instead I can juice it all and within 15 min. or so my body is already absorbing all that deliciousness! Yes, maybe I'm not getting any fiber, but with my huge salads I have for dinner and my smoothies, I think I am okay. :-)

That's about it. My husband and I are both starting to get to the point that we crave juice every day. I'm not lying when I tell you that the juices TASTE AMAZING!!  Some maybe don't look very pretty, but it's good. Have fun, experiment with different veggies and find some that work for you. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Peace, Love & Juice