thisisallison

You haven’t had good juice until you’ve juiced it yourself! The orange juice you buy has added sugar but oranges are naturally sweet and don’t need added sugar. Fresh orange juice actually tastes better and is better for you. I’ve been juicing on and off for years and today I’m sharing a few of my favorite recipes with you. But first let’s start with some basic info.

Juicing vs. Blending

The process of juicing extracts the juice from fresh fruits or vegetables. What’s left is juice in the pitcher, and the skin of the fruit or vegetable in the pulp container. The juice contains vitamins and minerals found in the whole fruit you eat. So why not just eat the fruit? Well you can. I’ve read several articles for and against juicing. Some say you ingest more nutrients via juicing and other articles suggest the majority of nutrients come from eating whole fruits. For me, it’s a matter of whether I want to chew or drink that day! That simple. In addition, I juice vegetables that I normally would not eat, such as beets. A bottle of juice contains more fruit and vegetables than most will eat in a day. It’s one and done for me and I don’t have to worry about getting more servings. Juicing is also great for those who are on the go. Blending is what most people typically do they make a protein shake or smoothie. If you place fresh fruit and vegetables in a blender, the pulp and the skin remain in the blender with your juice. On the other hand you can juice fruits and vegetables and a good juicer will pull the pulp and skin into the pulp container. If you use the blender method you will need a large bowl and cheese cloth to separate the pulp and juice.

How to Buy Fruit & Veggies for Juicing

Rule #1, buy fruit and vegetables that you actually like that are in your budget. It takes a lot of fruit to make eight ounces of juice or more. I choose fruit and vegetables that I can buy in bulk. For example, my go to staples are oranges, carrots, apples, lemons, and celery. Most of my juice recipes include these staples and then I add other items such as fresh ginger, beets, kale, spinach, and more. I like to buy fruit that is ripe and vegetables that are firm. I highly suggest you purchase from a discount store in your area. In my area I prefer Walmart Grocery, Food Lion, Aldi, and Sprouts Farmers Market. If you can afford organic go for it but it’s not necessary to buy items that are labeled organic. Be sure to rinse or wash your vegetables before juicing! Another helpful tip, frozen fruit is commonly used for blending smoothies and fresh fruit is for juicing. However you can use fresh fruit and vegetables for blending as well.

Here are a few of my favorite juicing recipes!

• 2-3 Beet Roots ( I remove the leaves and stems but it’s ok to juice)
• 3 large carrots (I remove the tops but it’s ok to juice)
• 2 oranges including the skin (Cara cara navel oranges make sweet juice!)
• 2 apples, including the skin
• 1 lemon, including the skin
• 1 thumb of ginger root

• Wash produce and remove any stickers.
• Add produce to juicer according to your juicer’s instructions

Depending on the size and ripeness of your produce this recipe should yield 16-32 oz of juice. Drink immediately or store in containers specifically made for storing juice. Enjoy! 

This is Allison’s Green Lemonade

• 1 large cucumber, including skin
• 2 green apples, including skin
• 2 lemons, including skin
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 3 kale leaves
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 thumb ginger (optional)

• Wash produce and remove any stickers
• Add produce to juicer according to your juicer’s instructions

Depending on the size and ripeness of your produce this recipe should yield 16-32 oz of juice. Drink immediately or store in containers specifically made for storing fresh juice. Enjoy!