Juicin'!!

JUICIN'

I love to juice...sounds bad doesn't it lol..but I'm not talking about the steroids kinda juicin' folks.  I'm talking about homemade, yummy juice that you make.  I am always trying to find good ways to keep my body healthy and ready to get through each day...cuz' man life sucks it out of you so you have to work at keeping the good in!  And I found that a giant juice every morning helps keep me on track.  Three years ago I researched all kinds of juicers and found one that I liked, it had good reviews and wasn't too expensive and best of all NOT HARD to clean...because let me tell you that's REALLY important.  If you have to go through multiple steps to clean something and it sucks time from your day you won't want to do it anymore...am I right?  So if you are in the market for one make sure to read the "REAL" reviews from folks online about quality, ease of use, noise it makes and ease of cleaning...those are important.  Mine is either 850 or 900 watts...you want a higher wattage motor because you want to SQUEEZE as much juice as you can....veggies and fruits aren't cheap so you don't want any juice left in those babies after they go through.  PLUS have you priced those fancy, gourmet juices at the stores and Starbucks?  They are super expensive for the amount you are given and you never know what ELSE they may be sticking in there.  At least when I make it, I know EXACTLY what I'm drinking KWIM?

I have a Breville that I got off of Amazon for about $180 and I'm extremely happy with it...it wasn't the $300 model but it does exactly what I want  it to and its lasted well after 3 years.  I wanted something I didn't have to peel all the fruit and veggies carefully.  Also make sure it is able to do loose lettuces and spinach...some of them have issues with juicing those items.  The only thing I do on this is core my apples and cut up oranges & lemons to get peel off before putting them through.  I love it!

And homemade juice is EXCELLENT for your body and health....it doesn't get better than that.  There are a ton of juice recipes online and you can find ones that will help with immune systems, weight loss, muscle strength, gastritis, brain boosting, etc.  I have my faves I make daily and I always use a ton of veggies in them as well....good way to get those extra servings of fruits and vegetables in.  I tend to graze a bit during the day...supper is my big meal most of the time.  I'm never too hungry during the day so I might have a Greek yogurt, a banana with peanut butter, a handful of nuts or a bagel.  But I drink a juice I made each morning...that's my breakfast every day!

The thing about juice is that when you juice veggies and fruits you extract all the antioxidants and vitamins out into your juice and you drink it instead of eating it and NO chances of slathering those veggies with sauces or butter LOL.  Plus fresh is best...so use fresh when you can!  I use organic if fresh isn't available as much as possible...obviously in the winter where I live fresh fruit isn't the easiest to find.

For me I noticed it helps:
-my skin look vibrant and clear
-give me the energy I need to start the day and is filling
-helps with my Chrohn's, keeping it stable and healthy
-helps give a boost to my immune system
-I take vitamins and supplements but I always feel that you get the best does of vitamins from the foods you choose to eat.

These are three of my favorite combinations to drink although I mix it up all the time depending on what is in season and what taste I want.  I HATE CARROTS though so I always stick a few in my juice so I get their benefits without the taste LOL.  So if you hate some veggies or fruits this is a great way to get them in your body :)

Fruit Juice
-2 apples
-1/2 cucumber
-handful of small carrots
-3-5 large strawberries
-1/2 cup blackberries or raspberries
-1/2 cup of blueberries
-cup of spinach
-coconut water

Citrus Juice:
-pineapple chunks
-2 oranges
-1 lemon
-grapefruit chunks (I hate grapefruit but its good for ya)
-kiwi
-1 banana
-coconut water

Veggie Juice
-2-3 med sized tomatoes
-1 apple to cut some acidity for me
-1/2 a cucumber
-garlic clove or two
-3-4 celery stalks
-a few carrots
-some lemon juice
-spinach or broccoli

Research the veggies and fruits that give you the most bang for you buck as well.  I know lemon is great for helping keep your kidneys clear & for good digestion, blueberries are high in antioxidants, and carrots great for your eye & heart health.  So research what you think you need the most and make sure to add those things in to your juices.

I usually make a double batch so I can have one in the morning and one the next morning.  Sometimes I make the kids some juice too although Riley isn't too hip on it LOL but Alexa does like it!  But it really is easy to do, no big deal to me and I love knowing that I'm drinking some good stuff that is homemade.  I feel like I'm drinking a giant dose of HEALTHY after I've drank up!

Do you juice?  What's your fave combo to juice up?