Juicing or fruit and veggie smoothies have really picked up the past few years. We’ve certainly been on board for several years now and have experienced the benefits since we started. Eating a wide variety of fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains and nuts, is an excellent way to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. So if these are already part of your regimen, awesome! If not, smoothies and juicing are a great way to fit them in.
“Most people have no idea how good their body is designed to feel” ~ Kevin Trudeau
I find smoothies to be the best, easiest way to get in all of the nutrients in one sitting. Even though I still eat fruits and veggies throughout the day. Everyone has their own method of pulverizing fruits and vegetables into their preferred blend, but I’ll share mine and the reasons why I make them the way I do.
Locally Sourced
“At home I serve the kind of food I know the story behind.” ~ Michael Pollan
We buy all of our produce from a local farmers market. Because, until I can actually grow my own stuff, I have to get it from somewhere…and I prefer knowing where my food is grown.
We buy our produce once a week so whatever we buy is for that week only. We don’t freeze anything. We either refrigerate or leave it on the counter. I’m not against freezing, but it’s just not something we really do.
I’ve read that fruits, once cut open, lose their nutritional value in about 30 minutes, and freezing them only retains so much. This is why I like to cut all of my fruits fresh and throw them in the blender as I cut them. It does make it a bit more time consuming, but it’s just what I do!
My Personal Concoctions
You can find a ton of different recipes online, and lots of them that serve a different purpose i.e. detox, smooth skin, etc. There are some veggies that have a more distinct taste that will overpower the smoothie (beets and kale in particular) and may turn you off from ever using that veggie again. But I promise, there is hope!
I use beets in the majority of my smoothies. The first few times I tried it, however, it literally tasted like dirt. I couldn’t even stomach it. But the benefits of beets are too great not to find a way to incorporate them somehow, so I played around with different mixtures to find the perfect blend that offsets the dirt taste.
A few of my general tricks
- Sweet fruits like berries are a great way to mask the taste of the bitter vegetables. Bananas tend to overpower other tastes as well
- I incorporate an extra juicy fruit like an orange or pineapple to water it down a bit so it’s not as thick and easier to drink
- When making one for breakfast, I like to add filling fruits such as mangos, avocados, and bananas so it can hold me over longer
- I always add roots to my blends whether its ginger or beets
- Lastly, at the end of the week, whatever is left over, and on the brink of spoiling, I typically just throw any and everything in so nothing goes to waste
Beet Smoothie:
1 whole beet
Half a pack of strawberries, or entire pack of blueberries (if the small pack)
Handful of spinach
1 orange
1 cucumber
1-inch piece of ginger
1 cup of water
Optional: sliver of aloe vera and/3 teaspoons of chia seeds
Green Smoothie:
2 handfuls of spinach (or kale if you prefer)
1 green apple
1 orange
1 avocado
1-inch piece of ginger
1 cup of water
Optional: 2-inch sliver of aloe vera and/3 teaspoons of chia seeds
Sweet Breakfast Smoothie:
1 banana
Small back of blueberries
Half a pack of strawberries
1 orange
Weekly Routine
We’ve been juicing for 6 years now. And as much as I would love to every day, realistically, between our conflicting schedules, and life, we juice at least 3 times a week.
Saturday and Sundays they serve as breakfast. During the week, since I’m not a morning person, I make them when I get home from work, and before our workouts (other than yoga, you don’t want to juice right before yoga).
Blenders
- We’ve been using the Health Master for over 6 years now. It sells at a MUCH lower price today on Amazon than when we bought it back then. It’s been good to us all this time, even though I have not been good to IT…dropped it a few times. But it’s still kickin’ and blendin’ and I highly recommend it!
- The Nutribullet is a newer version of these blenders that is also pretty convenient because you can use the blender as a travel cup. I have not personally used it but know plenty of friends who have and who enjoy it.
- The Vitamix is a pricier option but what most restaurants and juice bars use, so I’m sure it is a very reliable and durable one and comes highly recommended by those who use it.
Supplements
Long story short…I don’t use any.
I’m not against supplements, I honestly haven’t done any research on them to be for or against. My personal theory, however, is that if it comes prepackage (other than chia seeds), I don’t put it in my blender. BUT if someone has a compelling reason why I should, I’m all ears!
If juicing is not for you, cool! Just make sure you’re still getting your daily dose of fruits and veggies somehow. And I highly encourage you to opt for the organic fruits and veggies.
If you have some tasty recipes you recommend, do tell!
~ACE
Photos: unsplash.com
