Hey! It's Green!

This recipe is "Deep Green Heart" on page 201 of The Juicing Bible (see link to left).

DEEP GREEN HEART

• 2 apples
• 2 cups of leafy greens (I used Kale)
• 1 carrot
• 1/4 lime

We peeled the lime first, then put in two wedges as our 1/4 portion of lime.  I also guestimated at how much kale to put in, because I've never been good at measuring "stalked" greens into cup sizes.  I mean, do I tear it up, or what?  So I used about 2.5 stalks, figuring that one stalk is about a cup, then the half stalk for good measure.

Again, remarkably good.  I was afraid the kale would be bitter, but really it's not.  You can really taste the lime, and it appears that in most recipes, the apple is what gives the most liquid volume.  We are now officially out of apples, but I will have to run to the store later tonight and get more.

Everything Seems to Turn up Orange

I got this recipe from page 167 of "The Juicing Bible" by Pat Crocker (see link at left) and it was excellent!

CRAN-APPLE

• 2 apples
• 3 carrots
• 3/4 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen- I chose fresh)
• sliver of ginger (optional, not in original recipe)

I was drinking this so fast I forgot to take a picture.  So in actuality, the recipe makes about a glass and a half.  It is refreshing and tart, like lemonade- but has a nice earthy carrot aftertaste.  I made the first batch for my husband, then in the second batch for me, I put in a dime sized sliver of fresh ginger root.  I have a love for ginger that I don't believe the husband shares with me, but he said it still tasted pretty good.  I don't know what that ginger did to my drink, but it increased it's awesomeness by 100-fold!  And I'm talking FRESH ginger, not that powdered junk (that I still like, but not in my juice).  I was shocked to find it at my local Wal-Mart.  Yes, I shop there.  I have no choice.

I am actually very surprised by these juice blends.  It's very hard to believe unless you've tried it for yourself, but the juice is actually thick and filling.  All literature I've read advise you to savor your juice, but I'm telling you, I couldn't stop guzzling it down it was so tasty!  Anywho, I haven't even started the juice fast yet, but I'd really like some more juice :)

New "Wing-It" Recipe

Day two of having the juicer, and I made myself a little breakfast out of some random veggie fare:

• 2 Tomatoes
• 8-ish stalks of celery
• 3 handfuls of baby carrots
• 1 Granny Smith Apple

This ended up making quite a lot of juice because naturally tomatoes are reeeaaaally juicy, and I used twice as much celery.  Needless to say, my filter basket clogged with excess tomato pulp, so next time I want tomato, I might do it a little differently next time.  Also, I'm not sure I liked this one as much because it was actually really sweet.  This is what I get for not following a recipe!

We actually don't have a lot of fruits and vegetables right now other than celery, apples, etc. but our shopping list is growing and we need to get more sometime soon.  I love celery, but it has a really distinct taste that seems to come out above all other flavors.  I might be a little more sparing on the celery in the future.  I wonder if I can juice a sweet potato?

Juicer Arrives Early

So to my delight, our juicer showed up at our doorstep 2 days early (see link to left- thar's MY juicer), so I decided to rinse it up and take it for a test drive.  I was going to try to take pictures, but I was so hypnotized by the juicer's macabre twirling components that I just plain forgot!  Anywho...

Our spontaneous recipe:

• 4 stalks of celery
• 2 handfuls of baby carrots
• 1 Granny Smith apple

This very simple recipe actually produced 8 ounces of juice!  You also do not need to trim the celery (except for the cup end where the stalk is attached to the heart, and where the dirt usually collects- I cut that off) just stick the whole thing in there, tops and all.  Although on this first run we did cut the tops off because it wasn't until after the fact that occurred to me.
What we got was a brownish-orange, celery-scented concoction that was refreshing and savory at the time.  It is very difficult to describe, but tasty nonetheless.  I'm going to start incorporating a juice a day until December 4th, when I actually start the fast.  I will also start to note changes I begin to feel as the fast goes on.

I plan on incorporating usually "yucky" veggies to my palate, including raw cabbage, kale, and *gasp* BEETS.  They're so beautiful in color but so... incredibly... yucky.  I remember back in preschool when Ms. Lee made me eat my beets (soaked in standing Grade D hamburger patty juices, which I did actually eat) or I couldn't go outside and play.  I either hid them or chewed them down, suppressing my gag reflex.  I really can't recall, I just remember resenting them ever since.  BUT, I'm all about second chances, and this juicer is going to help me forgive you, beets.

On a side note, prior to testing out the juicer, the husband and I went out to our local greasy spoon for some greasy food.  Thought we might get our last taste of good ole' American style junk before flushing our systems completely.  Sound reasonable?  You betcha.  Tasty it was, but I'm actually looking forward to the juice fast.  I've got a book chock full of neat recipes, and another on the way so lack of ideas will elude me.  Woo!

A New Beginning

So, about a week ago I watched the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" by Joe Cross.  I don't know why I chose to watch it, because normally if I were to watch a documentary, it would be historical in nature.  I must say, this documentary has absolutely changed my perspective.  If you have Netflix streaming, I would highly suggest watching it (check out the links to the left if you like as well).

Anyway, what I pulled out of that documentary was that the quick and plentiful absorption of micronutrients (MICRO, nor macro- think antioxidants and vitamins) can not only flush you of excess waste and fat, but also help with certain health disorders.

About 5 years ago, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.  It's kind of one of those "is it in my head or what" diseases that affects my nerves.  You can bump into me the wrong way and send me crumpling to the floor.  Although Mr. Cross does not cover this disease (I believe his was Uticaria or something) I am hoping to re-balance my system to maybe lessen my symptoms- All the while living an overall healthier lifestyle.

So, I am in the "week before" phase of beginning the juice fast, and I thought I would chronicle my journey here.  I have to wean myself off caffeine, start eating a little healthier, stop taking vitamins, etc.  My wonderful mom bought me a nice juicer for my husband and my joint birthdays.  I linked it to the left.  We got it from Amazon, but Omega has their own website with more information on the juicer HERE.  I will probably end up linking it to the left.

Today my husband and I are planning to be a little bad and getting us some fast food today before we kick off our juice fast.  I am hoping that the fasting will help me crave fruits and vegetables more often than my local greasy diner :)