the good juice

 I’m not sure what I like more…the look on my husbands face when I drink the “green juice” or the fact that I get a healthy bolt of energy after drinking a glass of freshly juiced fruits and vegetables.  It’s probably both.

With an increased effort to take my nutritional intake up a notch I’ve invested in a top of the line juicer to help me achieve this goal.  I use a Breville juicer  to make a blend of spinach or kale, celery, cucumber, carrot, and some fruit- either pear, apple, pomegranate, plum, peach, or pineapple and a small piece of gingerroot for a spicy kick.  

    

An efficient and well-designed juicer extracts all the liquid and nutrients from fruits and vegetables, peel and all.  It couldn’t be easier.  I also love the fact I can go through my refrigerator and use up all those leftover veggies before they cross over the “line” if you know what I mean.

But more than health, more than nutritional balance, more than even the time-saving benefits of a cleansing breakfast in a glass (or the look on my husbands face), the reason I love to juice everyday is because of my “inner budding scientist” and that “artist at heart”.  

Juicing allows me to bring my own creative interpretation to nature’s bounty, to bring some order to the chaos of the fruit bowl and a little sense to the vegetables.  Juicing lets me take A + B and make C.  What’s more, there’s lots of noise, and things splash about, and different sizes and shapes go in and liquid comes out, it may be slushy or smooth or frothy and thick, and sometimes it’s sunset pink but other times deep crimson or vivid green.

There are few times in life when you can give such free rein to your inner artist and feel safe in the knowledge that the results will rarely be less than excellent or beneficial. What could be better?

Enjoy!

Shannon

Green Machine

This has become my favorite morning starter, but it changes depending on what I have on hand.

For 2 servings:  Juice 1 unpeeled cucumber, 1 good handful of greens-spinach, kale, or Swiss chard, 1 apple, a celery stalk and a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger in an electric juicer.  Divide between 2 glasses.

Suggested reading: Squeezed  250 juices, smoothies and spritzers  by Jane Lawson