juice recipes.

To follow up on my previous post about juicing, today I'm sharing some of my go-to recipes which are both delicious and an easy way to incorporate vegetables into juice!

My Go-To Green Juice

2-3 stalks of kale

2 small Granny Smith apples

2 stalks of celery

1/2 cucumber

1/2 inch ginger

chunk of pineapple (I'd say about the size of your palm and about a 1/2 inch think)

finish off with juice of 1/2 of lemon (squeezed by hand not juicer)

For starters, I think everyone immediately thinks of some kind of green concoction when they think of "juicing." The secret to a yummy green juice that doesn't taste like grass is FRUIT. Granny Smith apples are almost always a MUST-HAVE. I don't think I've come across a green juice recipe that didn't include them. I also love adding a little ginger, because it's such a strong flavor which tends to pair nicely with apples. The picture I used is actually a different kind of concoction, which wasn't nearly as yummy. The juice this recipes makes should be a lot lighter and transparent in color. This is it exactly.

My Dad's Sweet Beet Juice
1/2 small beet
thumb size piece of ginger
3/4 cup cranberry juice (we buy 100% juice from store, but use fresh cranberries if you can get them)
1/2 cup pomegranate juice (see previous)
1 grapefruit
3-4 strawberries
Sweetener to taste (honey or real sugar, or nothing at all depending on your preference)

Juicing is also a great way to introduce new, never-before-tried fruits and vegetables into your diet. My family doesn't eat a lot of beets, and when we first started using them in juice they were AWFUL. They have a very strong, powerful flavor, so it took some playing around with to get the juice just right. With the added fruits in this juice, everything works perfectly. This juice is just plain awesome and it tastes as good as it looks.

Each of these recipes make about 2 servings. We tend to throw in softer ingredients first and finish with more solid ones at the end to sort of push everything through the juicer, but it really doesn't matter. For the most part, we just throw in the whole fruit or vegetable. A good rule of thumb is to throw in the part of the produce you actually eat. No peels or pits. We throw in whole apples, but if you're concerned about the strength of your juicer go ahead and core them.

Remember that these recipes are NOT set in stone. With juicing, it's important to play around with how much or little of each ingredient you use according to your taste. Also, don't sweat it if you don't have all ingredients on hand, juicing is also a super easy way to use whatever fresh fruits and veggies you have leftover after cooking, or as an end of the week fridge clear-out.

These recipes are pretty complex, and I found that during a juice cleanse I really enjoyed having simpler juices for easy "snacks" throughout the day. It's easy to over-think it, so don't. Fresh orange or grapefruit juice is a wonderful treat in the morning. Apple juice with blueberries or blackberries is an awesome late night snack to kill a sugar craving.

Juices can be stored for the whole day, but I don't recommend keeping them for any time longer. We keep ours in mason jars, because they have an airtight seal. If you're doing a cleanse, keeping a couple of juices on hand during the day for easy access is a great way to fight hunger and cravings.