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.

juicing 101.

Being a young college girl, I've probably heard of every single diet trend on the planet. However, I never really gave a single one a try until my dad approached me and asked if I would do a juice cleanse with him. I thought, "How L.A.! Count me IN."

Just kidding.

Kinda.

Anyway, trusting my father, who is a certified physical trainer and has always been a health nut, I gave it a shot. Nothing but fresh fruit and veggie juice for 4-7 days.

Why in the world I would do that/Benefits of Juicing:

• For starters, the point of this cleanse is to give your bowels a break by not eating solid foods in order to cleanse the body of toxins. This is exactly what it sounds like.
• Juicing is a super easy way to introduce your body to a diet centered around fruits and veggies. Your system is getting a break from artificial sugars, grains, meat, dairy, etc.
• I hate eating vegetables. Especially cooked vegetables. ESPECIALLY LEAFY GREENS. With juice, it's so easy to sneak in vegetables with fruit and create something that actually tastes really good.
• No cooking or heavy meal prep is necessary.
• Anyone can try anything for less than a week.

Soon I'll be sharing a few of our favorite juice recipes, but first I wanted to introduce juicing in general and share my experience with this type of cleanse.

My dad bought this juicer, and we love it. It's super powerful and super easy to clean.

We also used this website as our main resource, and we both watched this film and found it inspiring, even if it seems a bit dramatic at first. I strongly recommend you watch the film even if you aren't down with the juice thing because it addresses food in general and how important a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is!

During and after the cleanse, I had a huge amount of energy. It's amazing to me the difference in how I feel after drinking a juice vs. eating a meal heavy in meat and carbs.

Even though I'm not a huge believer in any kind of temporary diets, I really loved how introducing juice into my diet has made it so easy for me to get in more nutrient-dense food. I now love replacing meals with a juice or two, especially in the early mornings when I find it hard to stomach a heavy meal.

My dad and I have only tried the cleanse once, and since we're going to the beach next week, this week we're juicing most of our meals. He's actually juicing everything and having just one smoothie a day, while I'm simply replacing at least one meal a day with a juice. I love having a smoothie with a side of fruit when I wake up, drinking a juice with more veggies in it for lunch, and then eating a real meal of solid food for dinner.