Juicing

Resources:

• How I'm cleaning my fruits & veggies using the salt & lemon juice soak on this page.
• Read about the stages of detoxification your body will go through as you do a juice fast.
•  Get a Vitamix 5200 for your juicing, vegan or raw food lifestyle!! We use ours every day for either juice, smoothies, or soups! The kids love making slushies in it, too!
• GET FREE STANDARD SHIPPING ($25US/$35CN) USE CODE *** 06-007254 *** to get your free shipping! (Disclaimer: I'm an affiliate so I will get a commission if you use my code for the free shipping - thank you for helping me stay home with my son! : ) 1-800-848-2649  or vitamix.com

 Juicing Blogs I like!
The Juicing Duo

The Juicing Blog

30 Day Juice Fast  (only has a few entries but has a couple recipes)

40 day Juice Fast

Follow us day by day as we go through our 60 day fast:

Juice Fast ~ Day 1 ~ 3/18/12:   TIRED, grumpy, hungry and want a diet dr pepper so bad!! I know it will get better though.  Wish I could sleep through the next 3 days!!  Breakfast: slushie with watermelon, orange and pineapple juices.  Lunch:  spinach, kale, cuke, red grape, green grape & orange juices.  This was actually pretty refreshing! I am adding a few splashes of sparkling mineral water to each drink too.  I have not been drinking any other water today, so I need to get that going! Going to bed early so I don't think about food! Never realized how many commercials are food-related - geez!

Juice Fast ~ Day 2 ~ 3/19/12:   Down 4 lbs!  That made things a little better.  This morning I     am feeling kind of cranky and headache-y - but the pollen count here is so high and that is probably why!  Going to have a carrot/watermelon juice for breakfast, RR & K did this already.  I will have mine after I take D to school.  Laid low all morning.  Very hungry,  very irritable (worse as the day drags on).  Really makes me aware of how often I was snacking during my day.  Lucnh & dinner drink is spinach, cuke, pear, grape, orange, watermelon & carrot juices.   Early bedtime again.  Got a lot more water in today.  ** I just caved and ate a small piece of watermelon & half of an avocado.  UGH!  SO HUNGRY!!!!!!!**

Day 3 ~ 3/20/12 - It's very appropriate that on the first day of Spring, pollen counts are out of the ballpark!  We (me & kids) are feeling like crap due to the pollen.  It makes my head feel like it will explode! (Or is that being off caffeine, day 4?!) Also - my mouth/tongue feel so gross (since yesterday) - like they are coated in something disgusting.  Hoping lots of water will help that today.  Anyway - good news is I lost 2 more lbs,  Katie has lost 3!  Not sure about Randy - he leaves for work at 5:15 before we are up!  I am thrilled - only 44 more to go - in 57 days,  quite doable with as much as I have to lose.  Last night was hard cooking dinner for my little one-  I made him a quesadilla and the butter, cheese smelled so good! And heating up Saturday's leftover Bahama Breeze onion rings for him almost did me in, lol! The coconut and batter - yummmmm!  But today is a little better, except for the headache.   I think by tomorrow or Thursday things will be much better!  I am not sure what juice I'll have for breakfast. K had apple, coconut water, watermelon and carrot - she said it was gross! She did take an apple to school too - she was hungry by 10:30 yesterday, and I don't pick her up til 1 for work.  I'll make her something fruity for lunch and she has asked for a salad for dinner.   Y'all have a great day!  UPDATE: At lunch we went to Smoothie King - she got a Pineapple Surf,  I got just bananas, pineapple & a little coconut blended.  No dairy, no protein powder, and no sugar for either of us.  It was strange tasting at first, but mine grew on me!!  That will be a nice treat once or twice a week.   Still feel pretty weak and tired today.  

Day 4 ~ March 21 ~  Felt more alert & energetic when I woke up this morning! I've been trying to get 7 - 8 hours of sleep every night, so that might be helping!  Lost another pound, too - down 7 so far! Apple, pear & watermelon juice for us for breakfast - it was good, but almost too sweet!  I need to drink more water - so far, I've only had one cup. 

Day 5 ~ March 22 ~  Feeling better, but still hungry.  The juice is so hard to get down some meals - I am just not a fan of veggies, and the fruits are so sweet.  I end up diluting most of them with water.  I just ate 2 rings of fresh pineapple and that seemed to help!  Katie is struggling to - it's just strange to drink so much! I lost another pound today, too - that makes 8 since Sunday.  : )  We had fresh orange juice for breakfast, and lunch was watermelon, carrot, red grape juice.  

Day 6 ~ March 23 ~  Down another pound!   Today was hectic - Randy had to have dental surgery, and I'm off my routine.  I had some clementine juice this morning, then a salad and some corn & beans for lunch.  That may be the end of the every day weight loss, lol! It was nice to eat something fresh and healthy.  And now that I'm off caffeine - it was a joy to discover that Chick Fil A offers CAFFEINE FREE diet coke! YES!!!  : )  Good day!

Day 7 ~ March 24 ~  Lost 2 more lbs ~ yay!!  Today we have been in the car and on the go all day, so I didn't have my juice.  I had lots of water, and some fresh fruit from Chick Fil A for breakfast, then for lunch a fruit only (with a scoop of wheat germ) smoothie from Smoothie King.  I have been feeling so much better, but kind of weak.  I wonder about protein - I have looked up the grams per serving for what we juice, and some days I don't feel like I'm getting enough protein, especially the last 2 days.  I'm also looking into The Daniel Fast.  It's fruit/veggie/grains only - no animal products, no sweeteners, and only water to drink.  You can BLEND your fruits/veggies into a smoothie for a meal, but can only drink water for the 21 days. I really like how I feel with the juicing, but not sure how long I can do what I'm doing now.  And I want to give my body the fuel it needs, while still losing weight. We may do a 10 day fast (which means 3 more days of what we've been doing) and then transition to the Daniel Fast for 21 days.  I want to stay away from fast foods and alot of processed foods once I get to my goal, and the Daniel Fast may work for that long term, as well.  
 Day 15 - ACK!  Sorry y'all  -  the pollen finally took me down and I've been sick as a dog this past week. Sinus infection, beginnings of an ear infection - yuck!  I'm on a ton of medicines and I'm feeling miserable.  So the fasting has changed a bit while I try to get to feeling good again.  We're doing more of the Daniel fast food list for lunch & dinner, plus juice in the morning.  We got our vitamix and it rocks!! David had lemon ice the first day, and RR has been making crazy cool drinks for himself - like one with beets, beet greens, bananas, strawberries, ginger and apples - he loved it!  He is still feeling bad from his dental surgery last week.  To put it bluntly - we're a hot mess this week, lol!  I'll keep you updated with how things are going this week....

So now it's April 18th.  I've not been juicing every single day, but I sure miss the energy & vitality on the days I don't have at least one.  Getting back on track tomorrow.  We've been eating so much more fresh food - veggies, fruits, etc - that makes me SO happy!! But the juice is what keeps the weight loss going.  If you do a fast - I suggest not going off at all - once you start eating, it's so hard to go back to juice!!  I have been continuing with the water every day - at least 100 oz a day is making a big difference!!  Sorry for the downtime - my oldest is getting ready for Senior Week & graduation, and my hubby had some complications with that dental surgery, so it's been a hectic couple of weeks.  Back to juice at least 2x a day tomorrow!


Recipes:

** From Juices & Smoothies by Suzannah Olivier & Joanna Farrow
* my own blend

** Citrus Sparkle: makes 1 glass

1 pink grapefruit
1 orange
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Cut fruits in half, juice. Pour mixed juices into a tall glass, stir in the lemon juice, serve immediately.

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** Pink Sparkle makes 2 tall glasses

1 pink grapefruit
1 white grapefruit
2 pears
ice cubes

Cut one slice from one grapefruit, and a few thin slices of pear. Set aside. Juice remaining fruits, serve over ice, garnish with fruit slices. (If juice fasting, omit slices - juice entire fruits). (If too tart, add a dash of agave nectar)

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**Sweet, Sharp Shock makes 1 large glass

1 1/4 c red grapes
1 red skinned apple (Gala)
1 green skinned apple (Granny Smith)
crushed ice

If desire, slice a few grapes and a sliver of apple for garnish, set aside. Roughly chop remaining apples and push through juicer, then juice grapes. Pour juices over crushed ice, garnish with sliced fruit.

(Grapes are good for cleansing - so great during detox! )

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** Pomegranate Plus makes 2 glasses

2 pomegranates
4 fresh figs
1/2 oz ginger, peeled
2 tsp lime juice
ice cubes

Halve the pomegranates, remove seeds. Quarter the figs, roughly chop the ginger. Push figs, ginger and pom seeds through juicer. Stir in lime juice, serve over ice!

(Pomegranates are very refreshing in hot weather - serve this ice cold to quench your thirst!

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** Honey Watermelon Tonic makes 4 glasses

1 watermelon
4 c chilled water
juice of 2 limes
honey
ice cubes

Chop watermelon into chunks, discard seeds. Place watermelon in large bowl, pour chilled water over it and let stand for 10 minutes. Strain the watermelon chunks, push them through juicer. Stire in lime juice, add a dash of honey. Serve over ice.

(Watermelon helps calm digestion and will cool your body off on a hot day!)

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** Celery Sensation makes 1 large glass

2 celery sticks
small handful of watercress
1 3/4 c grapes
crushed ice

Juice the grapes, celery and watercress. Pour juice over ice and serve.

(Celery has one of the lowest calorie counts, so this is a great juice for fasting! )

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** Veggie Boost makes 2 glasses

3 tomatoes
1 fresh red chili
9 oz carrots
1 orange
crushed ice

Quarter tomatoes, roughly chop the chili. Scrub carrots, rough chop them as well. Quarter the orange. Juice carrots, then tomatoes and chili. Follow with orange. Stir juices together, pour over crushed ice.

(This juice contains a good supply of Vitamins A, C, & E. It will revitalize your lagging energy level, and the beta carotene boost from the carrots and tomatoes fights off cancer! )

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**Wheatgrass tonic makes 1 small glass

2 oz white cabbage
3 1/2 oz wheatgrass

using a small, sharp knife, roughly shred the cabbage. Push through a juicer with the wheatgrass. Pour into small glass, serve immediately.

(Wheatgrass is a concentrated source of chlorophyll, which battles fatigue. Filled with enzymes, vitamins and minerals, it is a nutritional powerhouse. I have a friend who grows this and has been trying to get me to try it for years - I'm finally seeing the light! : )

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**Clean Sweep makes 1 large or 2 small glasses

1 celery stick
11 oz carrots
5 oz green grapes
Several sprigs of parsley
ice

Roughly chop celery and carrots, push 1/2 of carrots, celery and grapes through juicer. Juice parsley, then juice remaining carrots, celery and grapes. Serve over ice .

(This juice is great for detoxing your body! Great to drink on a regular basis.)
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** Bright Eyes makes 2 glasses

7 oz carrots
6 clementines
ice cubes

Scrub carrots, then chop into large chunks of similar size
Quarter the clementines, discard any seeds - you can juice these without peeling since they are thin-skinned!
Push clementine quarters through juicer, repeat with carrots. Pour the juice over ice cubes in tall glasses.

(This juice is packed with vitamin A which is essential for healthy eyes, and Vitamin C to give your immune system a boost! )

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**Mixed Salad makes 2 -3 glasses

1/2 cucumber
1/2 iceberg or romaine lettuce
2 large, ripe pears
3 oz fresh spinach
6-8 radishes
crushed ice

Using a small, sharp knife, chop the cucumber into chunks. Roughly tear the lettuce into pieces. Quarter the pears, remove the core. Push all ingredients through a juicer. Pour over crushed ice.

(f you are noticing your juice has an overpowering cucumber flavor, try peeling them before juicing - the flavor is more intense in the peel! This juice has calcium, zinc, Vitamin K, beta carotene and more...Super health-enhancing properties!)

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**Orange Blossom makes 2 glasses

1 small avocado
small handful parsley
3 oz tender asparagus spears
2 large oranges
squeeze of lemon juice
ice cubes
mineral water

Halve the avocado, discard the pit. Scoop flesh into blender. Add parsley (remove tough stems first). Roughly chop the asparagus and add to the avocado. Blend thoroughly until smooth, scraping the mixture down from the sides of the blender if necessary. Juice the oranges, add to the mixture with lemon juice. Blend briefly until mixture is very smooth. Pour the juice into 2 glasses until 2/3 full, then add ice cubes and mineral water.

(This drink is great for your skin because it has Vitamin E. Drinking it regularly should make a difference in problem skin!)

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*  Good Morning Sunshine!   makes 2 glasses

1/4 watermelon
1 lb carrots

Scoop out watermelon chunks,  scrub carrots and cut into pieces.   Push all through juicer,  mix well and serve cold - yum!  This is a delicious wake up drink!

* Aimee's pretend pina colada

 makes 2 glasses
2 bananas, sliced
1/2 cored pineapple
2 cups ice
1 cup unsweetened coconut water with pulp

Throw it all in the blender or vitamix, blend til icy and delicious!

More recipes to follow!