One Juice, Two Juice, Red Juice, Green Juice

 It’s an unfortunate week when your juicer and blender both decide to croak when you really want to use them.  Last week I had such an itch to make a smoothie then when I went to turn the blender on, but it was broken, so I had to settle for some water.  Then yesterday I decided to use my juicer.  Well, It was dead too! What?  After all the nonsense I was on a mission to have a smoothie, so I ran out and picked up a new blender and juicer.  And let me tell you, when I got home, that smoothie tasted incredible.

Going along with my last post about buying seasonal, farmers markets are also a wonderful place to get seasonal fruits and veggies for smoothies and juices.  I have always been a fan of smoothies and juicing fresh fruits and vegetables.  Since I got my new blender and juicer yesterday, I have an urge to blend and juice everything in the house.  I guess it’s not a bad thing.

I know the concept of juice cleanses and juice diets are a bit of a “taboo” topic right now.  So I’m just clarifying, I am not a nutritionist or an expert juicer I just find the juices delicious. I don’t juice to lose weight, I make them to help maintain my healthy lifestyle and help me get all the nutrients my vegetarian body needs.  Juicing provides the body with the most optimum and easy to ingest nutrients with minimal waste from the fruit or vegetable.  And they taste really good!

I love a good green smoothie or juice in the morning to prepare me for the day or a yummy fruit smoothie for an afternoon snack.  I think it is important to understand that juicing can be fun and it doesn’t have to be a diet.  Juicing is a great way that I use to help satisfy hunger and have a yummy snack during the day. 

Here are a few of my favorite juices and smoothies.  I will probably be making all of these really soon! J

Morning Green Smoothie

Total time: 10 mins          Serves 2

Ingredients

·         2 ripe medium bananas

·         1 ripe apple or pear

·         2 cups of chopped kale leaves

·         ½ cup organic orange juice

·         1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed

·         A handful of ice cubes

Place bananas, apple (or pear), kale, orange juice, flaxseeds, and ice cubes in blender.  Pulse a few times, then puree until smooth.  Enjoy!

Power Carrot Orange Juice

Total time: 15 mins          Serves 2

Ingredients

·         1 medium orange, peeled and wedged

·         1 medium apple, wedged

·         1 medium yellow tomato, wedged

·         4 large carrots, peeled

First process the tomato, then orange, then apple, and finally the carrots through the juicer.  Pour over ice if desired, serve immediately.

Avo-Berry Smoothie

Total time: 5 mins            Serves 2

Ingredients

·         1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

·         ¾ cup organic orange juice

·         ¾ cup strawberries

·         ½ cup raspberries

·         A handful of ice cubes

Blend the avocado, organic orange juice, strawberries, raspberries, and ice cubes until smooth.  Enjoy!

I hope you liked the recipes and decide to give them a try! Using seasonal goods from the farmers market to make juices and smoothies is a great way to get your fruit and vegetable servings if you aren’t a vegetarian.  If you are, they taste delicious and absorb very useful nutrients into body faster than just eating the fruit or vegetable. 

Go Green and Stay Keen, 

Julie