Juicy Gossip: 2COP Juice

It's day five of our seven day juice diet. I feel great. I am sleeping better. My body feels lighter, more energetic. But you don't have to do a 100% juice diet to reap the benefit of juicing. Even juicing once a day will improve your health and how you feel. The intense concentration of vitamins you get from juicing is like pouring energy straight into your veins. For that reason, I like to juice for breakfast. It helps me start my day with a clear mind and high energy. However, if you prefer to juice for dinner you will be getting all the nutrition you need without filling your stomach full of food that may sit heavy all night long.

A friend  of ours received a juicer as a wedding gift. It had been sitting in the attic for over a year. He was interested in juicing, but didn't know where to start. I invited him over and we made four or five juices so he could taste the difference and ask any questions he had about the equipment or the fruits and veggies. He went home and decided that he would juice for breakfast each morning. Other than that, he has changed nothing about his daily activity or diet. (I've known him since 1983 and rarely a day goes by that he doesn't have his BBQ or steak; a true carnivore.) He has now been juicing a little over 3 months. He just told me that he has lost 15 pounds. And he wasn't even trying! He feels healthier and more energetic as well.

Some of you have asked for specific juice recipes to try. I have lots, and I'm trying new combinations all the time. I will share one or two every couple of days. If you want something specific and I haven't posted it yet, let me know.

There are sweet juices and savory juices. Sweet juice does not mean it only has fruit in it. Certain veggies when combined with fruit will give you the nutrition of the veggie and the sweetness of the fruit.

I typically like to start my day with a sweet juice. Fruits are natural carbohydrates. Your body uses carbs for energy. I want to start my day with energy. Drinking a juice with fruit is like pouring energy straight into my bloodstream.

Side note on carbs...carbs themselves are not bad for you. Our bodies require carbohydrates for energy. What is bad for us is processed carbs. If it has white flour in it is processed. If you look at the ingredients of most wheat breads on the shelf they will have enriched, processed white flour in them. If you want the "staff of life" carbohydrates, you should look for 100% whole grain. If it says "enriched", "refined", "bleached", "unbleached" it is processed. In fact, "enriched" means that they have added vitamins back into the flour that were stripped away in the refining process. Crazy, isn't it? If we stick with the whole grain before refining, we get all the natural nutrition and carbs that the body can process well. Unfortunately, even white rice has been processed.

The bottom line is, when you get your carbs from fruit and whole grains your body can process it into energy and it doesn't sit and turn into fat. So don't be afraid of carbs, be afraid of PROCESSED CARBS!!

Anyway, that's why I like to start my day with sweet juices and end it with savory juices. One of my favorites is Mickey Mouse Juice. Click to see why I call it Mickey Mouse. Perfect example of getting veggies in with my fruit, but the juice is sweet and perfect for morning.

Another favorite is this 2COP juice. The name reminds me what ingredients I need...2 C's an O and a P.

2COP Juice

3 Carrots

1 Cucumber

1 Orange

1 Pear

This juice is has a good variety of vitamins while the fruit is the dominant flavor, making it another great morning drink. 

How frequently do you juice? Is there a fruit that you haven't been able to work into a juice yet?

Juicy Gossip: Blueberry Oatmeal Smoothie

I love berry smoothies. Maybe that should be LOVE, not love. One of my favorites is this sweet green smoothie. It's deceiving because it looks green (and is super healthy) yet it tastes sweet like you would expect a fruit smoothie to taste.

I first saw this recipe for the Blueberry Oatmeal Smoothie on onearabvegan.com. I like the idea of getting some whole grain into the smoothie and I know oatmeal can blend up as fine as you would like it. I'm going to give you some variations on this one. I like variations because I don't always have the same ingredients available.

I also found that making this smoothie by her original recipe it was very "drink like". Does that make sense? It was smooth and runny. By changing just one thing I made it more frozen and "icy'. It can also be made with any other berry and the flavor will change accordingly.

Blueberry Oatmeal Smoothie

1/2 Cup Frozen Blueberries

1 Large Ripe Banana

1/3 Cup Old Fashioned or Rolled Oats

1 Cup Almond Milk (or Soy Milk or Rice Milk or Skim Milk)

1 Tbsp Shelled Hemp Seeds

1 tsp Chia Seeds

Put the liquid in the blender first, then add all ingredients. Blend everything together until smooth.

If you like it thicker and icier, use a frozen banana. (Since I have a thing about eating bananas once they get a little soft and have brown spots, I peel them, break them in half and freeze them in freezer baggies. So I always have a supply of frozen bananas for smoothies.)

You could also make it thicker by sticking with a fresh ripe banana and adding a scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder.

If you aren't familiar with Chia Seeds, I think this is a pretty good source for the Top 10 Benefits of Chia Seeds.

If you don't have blueberries, use strawberries or blackberries or a mixture of both.

The smoothie in this picture is blueberry and is made with a frozen banana so make it icier. You don't taste the oatmeal at all, but get the nutritional benefit of the grain.

Do you have a favorite flavor that you would like to be able to incorporate into a smoothie?