Tuesday 21 April 2015

Adventures in juicing + Let's grow together {Link-up #15}


If you would have told me two weeks ago that I would start drinking vegetable juice, I would have shaken with laughter and called you crazy. I've always been deeply suspicious of veggie juices, hate Caesar's, have never tried a V8, and never even had a green beer for St. Patrick's day. Green drinks freak me out. Don't ask me why, because I don't know; they just always looked so unappetizing to me.

But then, two things happened.
First, one of my co-workers started juicing and she loves it. She is positively raving, and she is a very honest person; when she tells you something is great, she is convinced that it really is.
Second, I have had the nagging feeling for quite a long time that we don't get enough veggies in our diet. While we both eat a ton of fruit, veggies are a different story; I find it much more difficult to get the recommended amount every single day. Add to that the onset of wrinkles, tired-looking skin, and a few extra pounds, and the glowing reviews and promises of younger skin and a healthy body gave me the incentive to go for it and purchase a juicer. I went with the Breville JE98XL which I bought from Amazon, and couldn't be happier. It's my new favourite toy! I can't get over how it demolishes whole apples or lemons in just seconds, it's incredibly powerful.

I figured I would approach this juicing thing slowly, avoiding anything green and trying fruit-based juices first. (All recipes yield about 30 oz, enough for 2 tall glasses.)

Here is the very first recipe I tried:

  • 1 apple
  • 1 beet root
  • 12 medium carrots
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 2 oranges
It was deep-red due to the red beets, but I figured I could tolerate that colour easier than anything green. After tentatively taking the first sip, my immediate thought was "this tastes like dirt". Yikes. Had I just spent $180 on a tool I would end up never using?
I took a few more sips, sort of got used to the taste and managed to finish it - but by no means was that a drink I was dying to drink again. 

Okay, on to the second one:
  • 1 orange
  • 2 carrots
  • 1.5 cups pineapple 

This one was sweet, non-dirt-tasting and delicious. However, it was really sweet and mainly fruit-based; my goal was to get more veggies into my diet.

Was I ready to try a green juice?
GREEN JUICE IMAGE BY LECIC / SHUTTERSTOCK


I put on my big-girl panties, kept reminding myself of "glowing skin" and "rewinding the clock", and threw the following ingredients into the juicer:
  • 2 green apples
  • 4 stalks celery
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 thumb ginger root
  • 1 lemon
The resulting juice was a pretty light green (see first picture) and not all that scary looking. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, took a sip - and I liked it. In fact, it was delicious!
I'm completely amazed at my ability to drink a green beverage. This may seem like nothing to you, but it's a big fricking deal to me!
I'm on such a high that I may actually throw some kale into the mix tomorrow, just because I can. Oh yeah, I got the green juice down now! (This is probably the folate talking, it's making me reckless.)

How do you feel about juicing? Yay or nay? Any thoughts on drinking green liquids?  





Farm Girl




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19 comments

  1. I have tried juicing before and I was surprised by how easy it was. I really didn't that hungry and the complicated part is in the morning making all the juices but then you are set for the whole day! But this program encouraged you to sweet solids (salad) by the 3rd day at dinner and then slowly incorporated nuts and chicken on your menu. Great diet!

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  2. I'm very suspicious about the whole "juicing" thing. I'm kind of like you, it's always just put me off in some sense. I'm not exactly sure why, but it just always has. Maybe I just find it really strange that people drink vegetables. I mean, I can totally see drinking fruit juices, but I guess I just never think about vegetables having juice inside of them. But now that you've talked about it and everything, I think that I might have to give in (just a little- p.s. I just realized that I have drunk orange/carrot juice, does that count?) and try it out. By the way, I'm glad I'm not the only one that's never had a V8 ;)

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  3. I make smoothies all the time at home and want to invest in a juicer. Like you, I know I need more veggies in my diet. I need to get on the juicing train!


    www.kristajacobs.blogspot.com

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  4. We do not have a juicer because P is convinced I would get tired of cleaning it...which let's face it, that is true :) I do buy juice out (from a juice bar) every once in a while. I think it is a great way to get more veggies. I want to get a vitamix at some point, you are suppose to be able to use it as a juicer substitute. I throw kale into our smoothies sometimes, and you can't even really taste it.

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  5. Way to go for getting your green on! We have a juicer too and love it. Although, I must admit I make way more smoothies than I juice. I really should use it more. Thanks for sharing the recipes!

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  6. Those both sound really good. I've been skeptical of green drinks too. But maybe I should get up the guts to try.

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  7. Oh these sound so amazing! I have made smoothies with fruits/veg but I haven't tried juicing yet. I need a machine first! I've had a few store-bought ones and they are so yummy <3 What a perfect sweet (+ healthy) treat for summer!
    ~ Samantha

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  8. I tried green juice a few months ago after not drinking it for awhile. I love it now. This reminds me that I should be making more green juice to drink. It is so hard to get all your veggies in.

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  9. hi miriam! each time i come back here after one of my many blogging breaks, it seems like you have grown so much as a person and as a blogger again. you seem so happy, that's great! :)

    as for green juices, i love them! only problem is that our juicer doesn't really work that well. i have to cut everything in the smallest pieces and it takes so much time that i usually opt for something easier.. like an apple, or a cookie.. ^^

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  10. Haha yup, I'm the same. I won't give up my sweets for juice, veggie juice isn't that good haha. It's shaping up to be an addition to our diet, not a replacement for a meal. That juicer I bought works amazingly well, no chopping necessary! I put everything in there the way it is, apples, carrots, even beets - it can handle them all. I get enough juice for two in less than a minute (not including the washing or peeling time - I peel the oranges before I put them in).
    Thank you SO much for your sweet words, they mean so much! I am very happy, and keep finding new passions. It seems like I'm on a path of growing into the person I am meant to be - it's an exciting time!
    I hope you're doing well and are happy!!
    Big hug!

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  11. It really is. I like salads, but the juice will help to get even more veggies. Can't have too many! It will be interesting to see if it makes a difference in my skin - my skin has always been my trouble child, prone to breakouts, discoloration and wrinkles. Veggies, do your magic!

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  12. I can't recommend the one I bought enough (link is in the post). It can handle whatever you throw in - beets, apples, celery, whole cucumbers, carrots, no chopping necessary! Quite the machine. I have yet to try a store-bought green juice, I never thought I would be able to get them down - the colour was too off-putting for me. But not any more!

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  13. Do it! They taste mostly like the fruits and lemon you put in, just a bit more tart. Really good!

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  14. Pinterest has hundreds of recipes, I keep finding new ones I want to try. I haven't made smoothies yet with the juicer, but want to try it out. Such a handy machine!

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  15. I took a look at the Vitamix, wow! They claim on their website that bit can pulverize dry black beans. That's powerful! Looks like it would be a great substitute for a juicer, with the added benefit of being a lot smaller in size and prettier to look at. And less clean-up! The clean up is the most annoying part for sure, but you can stick everything into the dishwasher so it's not too bad.

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  16. Hop on, it's fun on here! I'm really loving it so far. Plus, the other day I discovered cocktail recipes: fresh fruit+veg+alcohol! Now we are talking!

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  17. I always figured, why spoil a perfectly nice fruit juice with the taste of vegetables lol?
    But I have to say, I quite like the tartness of it. It still tastes like fruit, but less sweet!

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  18. I don't think I could substitute juice for a meal - I need to chew on something haha! So far I use it as an addition for our diet. But they are more filling than I would have thought, I was pleasantly surprised!

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  19. That's something I can definitely get on board with! :)

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