Confessions of a Half-hearted Juicer

Confession #1: I let lettuce shrivel in the fridge.
Confession #2: I forget there is one lone apple in the back of the fridge.
Confession #3: I'm so frugal we didn't get an ice maker for the fridge.
Confession #4: I've been known in the past for going on fad diets and then tiring of them real quick.

Do you get the picture? I have a love/hate affair with fresh produce and my fridge. It's like out of sight, out of mind. As much as I love our farmer's market, I dread going and seeing only large bunches of veggies. If I had all the money I've wasted on fresh produce over the year I could buy an apartment in Paris. Well, maybe just go to Paris for five days and stay in a student hostel (shiver, been there and done that) but you get the picture.

All my family and friends juice and are healthier for it. My friend Mary C has a VitaMix , the Cadillac of juice extractors.  It pulverizes veggies like no one's business. Thanks to her daughter, who favors the single serving making Nutribullet, she's also become a whiz mixing with additives like hemp protein and flax oil.

Then there's my daughter-in-law Shannon who has a Ninja, a large high-powered blender. She is the queen of smoothies. She loves them as a runner. The grandkidlets just plain love them. Do they know they're healthy?

What did I have? A fear of juicing. Not because of the thought of all that healthy stuff coursing through my brain but my household budget hasn't allowed me to consider an appliance that is almost a hundred dollars. Add in the fact I neglect to use my veggies and I like to chew them besides.

Well, I decided to apply my repurpose credo to juicing. What did I already have? A mini processor and an immersion blender.

Hmmmm. Now to figure out the waste issue. I bought a small pint of local blueberries. A resealable package of spinach.  A pack of organic shredded carrots. And one small green juice drink rather than all the bunches of kale, heads of broccoli, cucumbers, and other green things that would otherwise die a meaningless death under my watch.

First I pulverized my spinach, blueberries and carrots in the processor by processing, adding a bit of the green juice, and processing some more.

Then I poured the semi-solid concoction into my immersion blender cup and really let it go to town. That's all it took.

And it was pretty tasty.

Yes, I had more dishes to wash. But for a first try it was pretty successful. If you have a regular blender and use frozen fruit and a banana (sniff, I'm allergic!), it will be even thicker. I like a bit of crunch in my drink but if you don't, you can buy carrot juice in small bottles as well.

The leftovers? Most will be used tonight as ingredients in dinner. No waste.

Only time will tell if I decide I like the ease of a Nutribullet or the Ninja. If it is worth it, I can save up for one. But, for now, my make-do plan is working. I like veggies I can sip down and drink up! 

Frugal Cheater's Healthy Drink

1/2 cup spinach
1/2 cup shredded carrots (or carrot juice)
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup "green" juice
1 banana (optional for additional sugar and smoothness)

Process or blend veggies until as smooth as possible. Add juice and optional banana. Process again and drink. 

Epilogue: I am still juicing after a week. AND I discovered Earthbound Farm Organics has a packaged baby kale, shard, and spinach blend that is perfect. No waste.  Feeling so much better. So I may just have to save my pennies up for an upgraded machine after all.

Earthbound Farm makes it easy to get your power greens. Click here for more info

Caution: Remember that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. There is some research saying that too many servings of kale and other greens can affect your thyroid function. Too much fruit and not enough protein affects diabetics. Not eating a balanced diet is just not a good thing. Use good judgement when juicing and talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns due to your own health situation.   
 
So, are you a juicer? Do you prefer to drink your veggies and fruits rather than chew? What is your favorite smoothie, homemade or bought?
  

  

 
       

Tina Radcliffe Juices Her Way to Writer Health

Tina Radcliffe Juices Her Way to Writer Health

I’ve got the juice bug. Inspired by Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, the movie (available on YouTube for free right now, also free for Amazon Prime and available on Netflix free streaming), I purchased a Breville Juice Fountain Plus and began my REBOOT!

I started last Monday and I’ll tell you how it REALLY was. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I spent napping or wishing I could be put out of my misery. I was in severe caffeine, processed sugar, flour, and processed food in general WITHDRAWAL. No less pain than a junkie. Trust me. Severe headaches as I was a total java addict.

By Wednesday afternoon I was beginning to show signs of surviving detox.

Thursday I felt great. Not just good but great with lots of energy I haven’t had in a long time. I’m going as long as I can on this juice fast, but don’t let that intimidate you. You can juice one meal, two meals or check out the three day and five day REBOOT on the Reboot with Joe website.

Basically, it’s five 16 oz. juices a day, 80 percent veggies and 20 percent fruit. A fruit only juice is recommended in the am only as it will raise your blood sugar and plunge it.  I started working my way up to five juices. Frankly three was filling me up. But it’s good to have options if you are hungry. Strangely enough, I am NEVER hungry.  I have a few cups of hot water with lemon in the am, herbal tea at night and lots of water during the day, including a pitcher of TAZO tea (unsweetened) that I keep in the fridge.

As far as recipes there great juice recipes on the Reboot site, and many come with the Breville, and you can get this free for Kindle juice recipe book on Amazon-.Breville Health Full Life: Juice Recipes for the Juice Fountain® Plus. There’s some REALLY good stuff in there, obviously valuable no matter what kind of juicer you have.

It’s trial and error to find what you like and what gags you.  Also, if a fruit or veggie is on sale I buy it and then go home and go to the Reboot site and search for a recipe to use it in.

Here’s my yummy breakfast today:

Spiced Celery, Apple and Carrot

4 celery stalks

2 apples (red)

3 inch piece of fresh ginger

3 carrots whole and unpeeled

Clean up is easy. I toss the parts in a sink of warm water to soak while I drink and then clean them and let them air dry. The pulp is collecting in a shopping bag on the side of the machine. You can use it for cooking, compost or toss it.

Serve your juices over ice, at least until your taste buds acclimate.

Another favorite recipe?

Apple, strawberry, pineapple and cabbage with lemon!!

BTW on a side note, I am trying to send an author friend to REAL REBOOT CAMP. So if you have a chance, go and vote for her here.

So what do you think? Is juicing in your future? Have any questions?

Tina Radcliffe is a Love Inspired author who resides in Arizona. Her latest release is Mending the Doctor’s Heart. You can find her at www.tinaradcliffe.com

Edna and Lucy, friends for life

Hello, everybody!! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I've got a new addition to our little family.

 

No, not one of these, although I'd totally go for one of these sweet things!

Our new friend is quite the newfangled contraption around here. We're awed, taken-aback, and thrilled all at once when she gets going. This is Lucy, meeting Edna.

I wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen when I introduced another silver, shiny, ultra-functional appliance. Lucy is a super juicer and she was at a yard sale for super cheap! I was hoping everything worked correctly. In the Fall, we get apples by the box, and her previous owner said she could juice 50 apples in several minutes.

 

                   REALLY???? 50 in several minutes?? That is some serious power.
So, I brought her home and tried her out... not giving her a name yet because I didn't want the kids to get attached and have a repeat of the grill-that-didn't-make-food episode.

I put in some spinach and about 5 apples. Yes, it took about a minute or two to make all this yumminess!! (What? That doesn't look tasty? *ahem* It sort of wasn't. Live and learn.) Edna was quiet but I knew what she was thinking. "Very powerful but no one is going to EAT that."

We decided to try carrots. Small children started chopping carrots for Lucy. (We named her. We liked her. It was time to make something delicious that did not involved spinach.)

ooooooooo! Fresh carrot juice!! I set it before Edna and said, "Look at this delicious healthy beverage!" There was no comment. I passed the glass and everyone exclaimed over Lucy and her power choppers/squeezers/whatever it takes to get liquid from solid.

Then dear Edna asked me what 'd do with the pulp. "Huh? Feed it to the chickens, of course."

She said that Lucy was quite clever, actually. how else to grate all those carrots for carrot cake?
Hm! What a good idea! So with cups of the pulp, I added 1/4 cup applesauce to moisten it up, then mixed in
4 eggs,
1 cup vegetable oil,
2 cups white sugar,
2 tsp vanilla,
2 cups flour,
2 tsp baking soda,
2 tsp baking powder,
1/2 tsp salt,
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon,
1 cup raisins (or pecans but I only had raisins)

I was a little worried about this collaboration since I'd only ever grated carrots (with the juice!) before, but the applesauce was perfect. I could probably try to sub the applesauce for oil next time to cut down on the calories and make it even more healthy!

Mmmmmmmm..... With cream cheese frosting. So, I got my healthy juice (since I'm not eating sugar) and the kids got both a healthy juice and a delicious treat!!

So, sweet Lucy will be making appearances now and then as she and Edna come up with more recipes. They're over in the corner chattering away. I think they're talking about the handsome trunk we refurbished. He's quite a hunk. You remember the photo of him before? Well, brace yourselves. This is Mr. Turn-of-The-Century after my girls and I spent a lot of time (and calories, hopefully) stripping off his canvas.

                                                                          Ta-dah!

And we named the juicer after Lucy Stone. She was a suffragist and abolitionist from the mid-1800's, the first woman in Massachusetts to earn a college degree. She married, but wanted to keep her maiden name. They actually passed a law (The Lucy Stone Law) because it wasn't exactly legal before then. Can you imagine? So, dear Lucy the juicer, squeezing every drop of goodness from wonderful life, is getting along fabulously with Edna, the pot-stirrer and magic-maker!

 Ok, until next time, my friends!