Juicing

For the last few years, my husband and I have started the New Year by doing a mini juicing cleanse for the first week of the month. Nothing huge. We just replace one meal every day (usually lunch) with a juice. It never ceases to make us feel energized and fresh. Juicers can be expensive. Not to mention good produce. But I swear, its the best purchase we've ever made. I use that thing all the time. Whenever I need that extra boost of healthy fruits and vegetables, (or if I've been eating like crap) I just run 'em through the juicer and voila! Its amazing. Its great because you can not only make mixed juices, but also regular fresh juice. Like orange and apple juice. Free from any extra sugars or additives they usually have in store bought. I thought I would share with you my two favorite cleansing juice recipes.

Queen of Hearts

Ingredients:
5 or 6 Kale Leaves
2 Sweet Apples (Such as Honeycrisp/ Gala or Braeburn)
1/2 Red Cabbage
1 Red Beet
1 Bunch of Grapes

Directions: Juice together. I suggest straining it as well. Sometimes you can get bits of leaves in there and personally, if I get one of those it makes me gag.
Don't be afraid of the beet! I promise you won't taste it! The sweetness of the apples and the grapes overtake it. You can also add half a lemon if you really just can't bear the thought of tasting the beet. Although you won't, I swear! Just make sure to peel the lemon and cut the ends off. They can be hard on your juicer.

If you still don't want to try beets, let me share with you some of the great health benefits they offer. Aside from offering numerous vitamins and minerals, they cleanse the blood and liver and may prevent many different forms of cancer. They are also good for your mental health and can help with strengthening your memory. Since having 2 children has fried my brain, that's one thing I love about them. Oh, and its also a natural aphrodisiac, so....

Dragon Juice

Ingredients:
10 Kale Leaves
2 Green Apples
2 or 3 Celery Stalks
1 Handful of Parsley
Either 1/2 Lemon (peeled) or 1 Small nub of Ginger

Directions: Juice, strain and serve. One note about juices. They can last up to a day and a half, but no more. They will start turning brown and smelling, so its best to drink them freshly juiced!

Most of you have probably jumped on the Kale bandwagon, but in case you haven't tried it yet, here is some motivation. Kale is high in iron, more so than beef! Its high in vitamins and antioxidants, making it another great cancer fighting vegetable. It is also good at cleansing and detoxifying your body and promotes a healthy liver immune system and can lower cholesterol. Do you need anything else?

There are tons of great recipes online and many great juicing recipe books as well. Its really fun to experiment. You can juice pretty much any vegetable you can think of! Enjoy!


Note: These are my opinions and I am in no way a nutritionist expert or a doctor. Juicing may not be for everyone. Use your judgment and be sure to consult your doctor if you have any concerns.