So, I realized after I wrote the last post, while still in the aftermath of my mini-meltdown I didn’t actually give out the recipe for the beet juice. And it’s probably my favorite juice for a few reasons. One, it tastes really good! Two, it has some very nice medicinal qualities: beets are a wonderful liver cleanser and a very good cathartic (yes, it’ll get your bowels moving!). Three, it’s pretty and that bright colored juice has lots of powerful antioxidants. I think it’s a great recipe and I want to give it to you. But there’s one problem.

 

I think juice is a bad idea.

 

Why? To start with, when you drink juice, you lose the fiber of the fruits and veggies you just juiced. That fiber helps to slow the rise of your blood sugar, so eating the whole fruit lets you eat sugar without the spike in your blood sugar. Also, most juices are mostly fruit, so we get lots of sugar and calories.  I’m not really good at drinking pure veggie juice yet… In any case, the main reason why I don’t really drink juice is because I have no space for empty calories. I’d rather eat my calories than drink them, so I drink lots of water and teas and not juice.

 

My pink fingers from those beautiful beets!

 

But this juice is an exception. I drink little glasses of it in the morning and it’s a tart little start to the day. One word of warning – strong beet juice like this can make your stools red. So if you see red in the potty the next day, don’t worry, it’s just the beets!

 

 

First, juicers. There are two main kinds: masticating and centrifugal. Masticating juicers are the exactly what their name means – they chew up the produce. It’s a grinding juicer that presses the juice at a low temperature, which allows you to keep the most nutrients in your juice. They are a quieter and more efficient for juicing greens, but they run a little more expensive. The centrifugal juicers are powerful and fast and cheaper, but they can generate more heat to your juice and break down your juice nutrients. In the pictures I’m using a masticating juicer, but I’ve made juice with my high speed blender too. Try this out with whatever you’ve got – I used my high speed blender and strained the pulp before I got an actual juicer. I used a jelly bag to strain the pulp out. It was messy but it worked too!

 

Ingredients

2 medium-large beets

6-8 carrots

2 apples (we like Fuji)

2 lemons

1 to 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger

 

Wash all your fruits and veggies well.

 

Cut the produce into pieces that will fit in the juicer. See my last post to see why this is important…

 

 

If you’re using a masticating juicer, alternate the hard veggies with the apples.  Save the lemons for last. When you’ve juiced the beets, carrots, apples and ginger, squeeze the lemons into the juice. You could juice the whole lemons, but the peel is very strong and can overpower your juice or make it bitter, so I don’t.

 

 

Pour your juice into your container and add some water until it has the taste you like. For the best nutritional value, drink over the next 2-3 days.

 

Try this out and let me know how you like it! Also, if you have a favorite juice you like to make, please share in the comments below!