Addressing my Nutritional Deficiencies – Juice!

I am sure regular readers of this blog have heard me complain about how hard it is for me to get the desired and required 5 – 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Well, you will all be happy to know that you might not have to listen to me whine (about that) any more.

A few days ago, my family surprised me and they gave me a juicer! I have been talking about getting a juicer for two or three years now, but have always balked because I was worried about the space it would take up. I was also worried that it would be time consuming, make a big mess and that I’d use it for a week and then it would sit on a shelf collecting dust next to my commercial grade food processor.

What I can tell you so far is that all of my worries have turned out to be true. The juicer has a hundred parts (okay, only 5) that need to be cleaned every time you use it. It takes me about 15 – 20 minutes to make a batch of juice (but that’s because I hate waste, so I run the pulp through twice and then sort it out and save it in baggies for other uses afterward.)) Every bin in my refrigerator is overflowing with produce, as is every horizontal surface in my kitchen/dining room area.

But I don’t care – I’m addicted to it! I have made five or six different recipes in the last two days, and most of those have been double batches. I have drunk the juice of foods that I would never eat in raw form unless tricked (beets, kale, celery). I have never felt such a constant supply of calm energy. I could seriously quit drinking coffee (though I normally only drink one cup a day, in the morning, so it’s not that big a deal).

All of the juice I have tried I have really liked or even loved. Pictured above is the “Mean Green” juice from the documentary “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead.” It’s a mixture of Kale, Cucumber, Celery, Granny Smith Apples, Lemon and Ginger. Sounds gross – tastes great! I have also tried Tomato, Carrot, Parsley; Beet, Orange, Carrot; Orange, Carrot, Strawberry; Tomato, Red Bell, Celery, Ginger.

Yesterday I baked 1/2 cup of vegetable pulp (what’s leftover after juicing) into a loaf of whole wheat bread. It’s delicious! We are mixing veggie pulp into our dogs’ food and they love it. Tomorrow I’m making bran muffins with fruit pulp.

I think I’ve gone crazy. But I love it!