Tag: Juicing

Juice-licious.

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How good does this look? I’ve said it before and will say over and over! It’s not a matter of having time for anything – it’s really a matter of making it. Yes, juicing can be messy and take 7 minutes of your time, but really…if you think of the amount of time you spend trolling though facebook, instagram, watching tv. etc everyday I think you can take a few minutes to juice it up! Not to mention, these store bought juices can be a litttttle pricey. Actually, let’s be real here, A LOT of pricey!!! This weekend I made a quick juice for some extra nutrients and energy. I used:

  • raw beets (sliced, not cooked) [pottasium(essential for healthy nerve and muscle function) and manganese (which is good for your bones, liver, kidneys, and pancreas).]
  • green apple[antioxidants lessen your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke]
  • lime [weight loss, skin care, improved digestion, relief from constipation, eye care]
  • kale [great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content]
  • ginger [relieving digestive problems such as nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness and pain]
  • carrots [beta carotene and fiber content. This root vegetable is also a good source of antioxidant agents]
  • cucumber [ decreasing swelling and irritation of the skin and providing vitamin K]
  • grapefruit [vitamin c/maintain healthy heart]

It’s important to remember to have more veggies than fruit but whatever gets you going is better than nothing at all in my eyes. For 2 days worth of juice it was $11. That’s 5.50 a juice. Can we stay steal!?

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Plan + Prep + Get Healthy.

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Happy Monday folks! Hard to believe, yesterday was the first day of fall. I am trying to figure out where the last 9 months have gone (Thank God for social media so I can remember). With the arrival of fall the weather is changing, well, faster than I would like. Bring out the sweaters and boots but let’s not make this an excuse to stop hitting up the farmers markets, or exercising. It’s easy to sort of slack off when the seasons change. We become tired earlier, or maybe sometimes it’s just too cold out to exercise. Is it really?? Ha, I have used that excuse more than once.

I am writing today to encourage the planning and prepping behind healthy habits. When you buy your produce, wash it, cut it and prep. Juicing can be time consuming during the week but if you plan ahead it might alleviate some of the stress we put on our time restraints. Instead of Facebook stalking, check out some recipes you might like to try for the next week. Like anything, it will only seem like a lot of work if you wait until the last minute. I constantly get emails regarding “cleanses” and cleaning out the toxicity in our bodies. You know what I say to that? Eat better. It doesn’t take a cleanse to suddenly get healthy, it takes progress and healthy habits. Instead of the starbucks, drink water with lemon. Instead of the pastry try oatmeal. You get the point.

As we are headed toward a new month let’s try to focus on what we can do better rather than what we aren’t doing. We are all guilty. It’s Monday. Cheers to a new week. New goals, new outlook and a promise to ourselves to push our limits daily.

Got juice?

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I made such a yummy juice this morning. There was beets, kale, carrots, cucumber, ginger, grapefruit, lime and green apple. Who needs wine when you have juice? Ha, who am I kidding, I LOVE wine. Have you made any juice recipes that i should know about? It’s Friday which means a two day break AND the weather calls for sunshine?? Score! I don’t plan on doing much this weekend except hitting up the farmers market, getting a good workout in tomorrow and probably a little cooking/ baking for next weeks posts. Hope you all have a great weekend!

And That’s A Juicing Wrap!

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We are finishing up our second week into the new year and it feels great. I hope that these last couple of posts have enlightened you a little bit about what juicing is and the important addition that it can really be to your health and wellness. I have received a couple of messages this week from a few people saying that they were inspired and went out and bought a juicer. Nothing makes me happier! Just because I am “healthy” doesn’t mean that I am into drinking gross drinks…and just because they are green doesn’t mean I want to pound them down either. The best is knowing what your drinking, enjoying it and reaping the benefits at the same time. Only a week into this juicing regimen and I am feeling great and full of energy. Let me know if you tried any of the recipes, or if you came up with any that you want to share.

No matter the color of the juice, I am glad you are drinking fresh ingredients that will add to the glow of your skin, aid in your digestion and provide more energy in your life. Happy Friday! 🙂

Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.

My Life This Week.

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It has been such a great second week of this new year. Sunday I met a girlfriend at Barefoot coffee and ended up sitting for 3 hours talking about life, goals and my upcoming half marathon that I have commited to run February 3 (she was kind enough to write up a training plan). Holy Cow is right….I can’t believe I am actually doing it. This has been something that has been on my radar for a while, but I sprained my ankle before the last one I signed up for so that was a no go. As of Tuesday my 4 week impromptu training has oficially begun. I bought some new shoes- any excuse to buy new workout clothes/shoes sounds like a good one to me. As we know this week I have been doing a juicing series that is hopefully encouraging people to make this habit a part of their weekly routine to staying healthy. Don’t even try to give me an excuse because the benefits outway the time 15 minutes it might take to juice and clean up. Let’s face it, you would probably on Facebook or some social network if you weren’t juicing (truth).

Yesterday I headed up to the city to meet an old classmate of mine for some coffee, and a hike up to Twin Peaks. Coinsidentally, along with the coffe there was a bowl full of fresh juice packed in mason jars on the counter. She said it was her friends company- SoW – they juice in the morning and then drop off at various locations throughout the city! Could this have been any more perfect?? I chose the beet juice which consisted of

  • Red beet
  • Carrot
  • Orange
  • Apple
  • Turmeric

Once again, to my surprise….it was delicious! 

Juice and cofee were followed by a great hike (it was a great active rest day…those hills are no joke) that allowed for probably the BEST view of San Francisco. If you haven’t been there, it’s a must! Back to 6 miles today and a great workout at FNS! Hope you all have a great Thursday.

That which you focus your attention on becomes your reality so choose wisely!

You Want Me To Juice Whaaaaaat??

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Do you think green juice is the only juice that is healthy? Well, it’s false. Although it is true that green veggies provide many nutrients we can also benefit from other fruits and veggies as well. If you are just getting started with juicing, or have picky eaters in your family- or children that won’t drink their vegetables, this may be a great place to start.

{Keep In Mind}

You can always add a green or two such as kale, chard, collards, or dark green lettuce and no one will even know it’s there. OR you can even add some spinach and parsley and people won’t taste a thing. Have fun with this….these are yummy!

Moraccan Beet

  • 1 small bunch of mint
  • 1 dark lettuce leaf
  • 1 beet (boiled), with leaves
  • 1 cucumber, peeled if not organic
  • 1 lemon, peeled if not organic

(serves 1)

Hawaiian Breeze

  • 1 orange
  • 1/4 fresh pineapple, peeled if not organic
  • 1/2 cup coconut water

(pour into glass and serve with ice, serves 1)

Lemon-Lime-Blueberry Refresher

  • 1 cucumber, peeled if not organic
  • 1 apple
  • 1 cup blueberries (fresh preferred, if frozen-thaw)
  • 1/2 lemon, peeled if not organic
  • 1/2 lime, peeled if not organic

(served chilled, serves 1)

Pink Lemonade Sparkler

  • 2 apples (green preferred)
  • 1 lemon, peeled if not organic
  • 1/4 beet with leaves
  • 1 cup chilled sparkling water

(juice all ingredients and stir in sparkling water- pour into glass, served chilled. serves 1-2)

Razz and Spazz

  • 1 apple
  • 1 cup rasberries, fresh or thawed if frozen
  • 1/2 cucumber, peeled if not organic
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

(start with raspberries then apple, cucumber & mint, served chilled, serves 1)

{Benefits of Fruit}

  1. Fruits are low in calories and fat and are a source of simple sugars, fiber, and vitamins, which are essential for optimizing our health.
  2. Fruits provide plenty of soluble dietary fiber, which helps to ward of cholesterol and fats from the body and to get relief from constipation as well.
  3. Fruits contain many anti-oxidants like poly-phenolic flavonoids, vitamin-C, and anthocyanins.These compounds, firstly, help human body protected from oxidant stress, diseases, and cancers, andsecondly; help the body develop capacity to fight against these ailments by boosting our immunity level. Many fruits, when compared to vegetables and cereals, have very high anti-oxidant value, which is something measured by their “Oxygen Radical Absorbent Capacity” or (ORAC).
  4. Anthocyanins are flavonoid category of poly-phenolic compounds found in some “blue-fruits” like blue-black grapes, mulberries, acai berry, chokeberry, blueberries, blackberries, and in many vegetables featuring blue or deep purple color. Eating fruits rich in blue pigments offers many health benefits. These compounds have potent anti-oxidant properties, remove free radicals from the body, and thus offer protection against cancers, aging, infections, etc. These pigments tend to concentrate just underneath the skin.
  5. Fruit’s health benefiting properties are because of their richness in vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, anti-oxidants, which helps the body prevent or at least prolong the natural changes of aging by protecting and rejuvenating cells, tissues and organs. Their overall benefits are manifold! Fruit nutrition benefits are infinite! You are protecting yourself from minor ailments like wrinkling of skin, hair-fall, and memory loss to major ailments like age-related macular degeneration (AMRD) of the retina in the eyes, Alzheimer’s disease, colon cancers, weak bones (osteoporosis)…etc., and the list of fruit nutrition benefits never ends!

Important Note: You can add superfoods to ANY smoothie such as chia seeds, flax seeds, and spirulina.

While these juice blends might be tasty- remember fruits contain too much sugar. Try and add greens to every drink to get the most benefit!  80/20 Rule.  A juicing diet should consist of the 80/20 rule. This rule means 80% Alkalizing food and 20% Acidifying food. A normal pH should be between 7.35-7.45. A pH level below 7.0 indicates an acidic forming diet and above 7.0 is Alkaline. You can find a list of Acid/Alkalizing foods here

Back To The Basics Of Juicing.

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If you’re anything like me you are wondering what all this juicing buzz is about. It seems like the latest and gratest attraction when it comes to losing weight, right? Wrong. Despite what you think, juicing is not at all a new thing and should not be considered a meal replacement, but rather an additional way to consume vitamins and minerals that we are lacking in our diet. I can remember when I was growing up that my mom would juice vegetables/fruits and I would just think she was crazy for drinking a yucky green drink- and now I am actually excited to dive in and spike my drink (not with vodka) but with kale, spinach and loads of other vitamins. Who knew? 🙂 Many of us consume a lot of calories with little nutritional value- this can help change that. I made my first drink last night (pictured above) and it had spinach, cucumber, lemon, carrot, and a red apple. NO LIE, it was soo good I forgot to take a picture before I drank most of it…oops!  (The glass was full.) On a side note, I have no idea where this juicer was purchased or what year for that matter. I posted a link to newer ones below.

Here’s a little Juicing 101.

1. Why juice?

We can consume far more vegetables and fruits through juicing than the time it takes to properly chew and digest in a days time. Also, if we actually ate vegetables there would be no need to juice, but we don’t. This allows a variety of foods you wouldn’t eat to be disguised while still recieving the benefits.

2? We can juice parts of the plants we wouldn’t normally eat such as stems, leaves and seeds.

(For example)

  • beat stems/leaves
  • celery leaves
  • lemon seeds
  • asparagus stems
  • broccoli stems
  • radish leaves
  • ribs of kale

3. Juice is broken down so it spares your digestion. The estimated time juice is put to work in the system is about 20 minutes after consumption. If your digestive tract is off- you will know by your transit time. Juicing will definitely aid in speeding this process up.

4. When we have ailments, juice is therapy for this reason. When the body has to work hard to break down veggies- it can spend alot of time on the digestive process. Juicing does the work for you. When you drink fresh juice, all the nutritents can go to work right away and heal your body to then disperse energy for rejuvination.

5. How long can juice be stored?

Ideally, you want to consume juice right after it is made. If this is not possible for the sake of time, it must be kept in an air tight jar or container and consumed no longer than 24 hours after. Say the juice turns brown- Don’t drink it. It has become oxidized and most of the nutrients has been depleted.

6. Will juicing cost a lot of $$$?

No. The cost of a glassof juice is less than a latte.

  •  3-4 carrots
  • 1/2 lemon
  • chunck  of ginger root
  • 2 ribs of celery
  • 3-4 green leaves
  • 1/2 cucumber

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$2-3.50 depending on the time of year and where you purchase. 

*Warning: As a result you might experience the following:

  • more radiant skin
  • fresh breath
  • stronger hair/nails
  • less cellulite (ladies this should be an incentive)
  • improved digestion
  • vital nutrients
  • fewer cravings for unhealthy foods
  • more energy
  • less medicine

JUICING IS DIFFERENT THAN A GREEN SMOOTHIE. 

Vegetable juice is all you drink when juicing. In a smoothie, the whole vegetable/fruit is consumed. Both are ways to consume raw (uncooked foods) that are at their highest nutritional value.

What are “Raw Foods?”

Fruits, berries, root vegetables, vegetables, green leaves, nuts, seeds (both unsalted/processed), dried fruits, cold pressed oils, honey, seaweed, sprouts, and superfoods such as spirulina, chia seeds, flax etc. 

When juicing remember…

1. WASH all produce before juicing.

2. Always peel orange, tangerines, tangelos, grapefruit before juicing (contain oils that can cause stomachaches).

3. Remove pits, stones, hard seeds from fruits such as plums, apricots, cherries, mangoes, apples, grapes etc.

4. Stems and leaves of most produce can be juiced.

5. Cut fruits and veggies into sections or chunks to fit in juicer.

6. 80/20 Rule.  A juicing diet should consist of the 80/20 rule. This rule means 80% Alkalizing food and 20% Acidifying food. A normal pH should be between 7.35-7.45. A pH level below 7.0 indicates an acidic forming diet and above 7.0 is Alkaline. You can find a list of Acid/Alkalizing foods here.

6. Choose a good juicer. While this is an investment for your health, I don’t think you need to spend hundreds of dollars on a juicer- but don’t be cheap either. In between priced should be suitable. Here are some to check out on Amazon.

7. Juicing should NOT BE considered a meal replacement but rather an addition to the day. Remember, ADD, ADD, ADD to your diet.

8. You don’t need to have a specific recipe when juicing. Take a chance and experiment because what I like might not be what you like…Good luck!

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and do not recommend stopping any medication w/o consultation from your doctor.

Who’s Ready To Juice?

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New Year….”new diet” seems to be all the rage these last 4 days. How about we make it all the rage 365 days a year? How does this happen? We start now! I just ordered this book, “Crazy, Sexy, Kitchen” and can’t wait to start sharing with you these amazing recipes that will transform our health together. Next week I will be doing a juicing series. This is something that is new to me as well. I am familar with smoothies (no not the chocolate milkshake from In & Out kind of smoothie), but fruits and superfood kind of smoothies (chia seeds, flax seeds, kale etc). I can’t wait to change  up my routine and start experimenting with the benefits of juicing! If you don’t like to cook leafy greens and vegetables- then this is might be an easier route for you to follow. Who’s ready to spike their drinks with loads of vitamins??

Lets Do This!

Book Can be found here.