#juicytime

So let me start by saying that pretty much all the juices I make are experiments. Unless I got the recipe from some other knowledgeable source, I whip these little concoctions right out of the creative part of my mind.

This one didn't quite do it for me, so it doesn't deserve a cute and/or creative name. From henceforth, any "failed" juices or flavor combos that I deem unworthy will be known as EJBs, or Experimental Juice Blends, followed by a number. I expect there will be quite a few of these, so I advise you to follow any recipes titled EJB at your own risk.

How did this go so wrong? Well, it's not horrible, I just don't like the way the flavors came together. I basically picked fruits that sounded good to me separately, but maybe they just don't belong together? Who knows, but here's the ingredients:

8 carrots

2 sweet potatoes, peeled

1 container of strawberries

1 grapefruit

Ginger root (to taste, I never really measure my ginger)

Doesn't sound too bad right? I basically knew I wanted to sweet potato juice, I was really craving it actually. I don't enjoy super-sweet juice, and the recommendations I saw only called for carrots, sweet potatoes and a little ginger. I knew this would be too sweet for me, so I figured I could add grapefruit, since i love them. Then as I was heading to checkout, I saw the strawberries, and if you remember my Dark Knight juice recipe then you know I like strawberry juice.

Yeah, well, not as good as I would have liked. I don't even want to list the health benefits, which are many when it comes to all the ingredients used. Click on the sweet potato link above to read a short article about its greatness. I will wait until I create a successful recipe then dazzle you with the wonderful side effects.

If you decide to try this juice, let me know your thoughts. If you modify or omit something, tell me that too so I can try it. I think of us as a community of juice scientists...ooh, I'm coining a new title: master juice-ologist! By the end of our journey, we will hopefully be able to claim this title proudly.

Better late than never, right? Sorry it took me a few days to sit down and write this up, but here's the recipe for the juice I've named Orange Glow:

1 Bag of whole carrots (I think it was a 1lb bag)

1 grapefruit, peeled

Ginger root (I like ginger so I use more than most people, try starting with a "thumb's" worth in this recipe)

1 apple (I threw it in because it was sitting there, looking lonely)

I think I've mentioned before that I like to juice my ginger first, followed by a firm fruit/vegetable to make sure I get all that wonderful ginger essence. Always be sure to wash your produce. I fill my sink with cold water, add some salt and squeeze the juice of a lemon then let them sit in there for at least 5 minutes.

Health Benefits

Carrots: Vitamin A helps strengthen the eyes and maintain body-tissue health

Grapefruit: helps with digestive health, aids with weight loss, can help diabetics reduce the amount of starches and sweets in their systems

Ginger: antioxidants, calcium, anti-inflammatory, reduces risk of atherosclerosis

Apple: potassium, vitamins A & C, antioxidants, very beneficial for those suffering from or at risk of Alzheimer's Disease (click here for more info)

I do not list all of the benefits of each ingredient, it would make my posts too long. So what I'm doing from now on is linking back to the pages I'm using to get my information. That way, if you want a more in depth look at the benefits you can click and see them for yourself.

When you first start juicing, it's easier to acclimate your taste buds to the juices with more fruits (unless you just love veggies anyway). After posting this on my instagram the other day, people asked me for an exact recipe, so here it is. 

I don't pretend to be a juice expert. I mostly experiment and when I get a tasty combo I share it with you. This one was particularly delicious. Also, the health benefits I list come from information I research on the internet. Clearly I'm not a scientist and have not performed any experiments to prove these claimed health benefits, but I can tell you that I feel amazing when I juice!

Here's the recipe:

Container of Blackberries

Container of strawberries

4 carrots

2 apples

1 lime

Make sure you wash all of your produce. I like to juice the blackberries first because they're a little softer and sometimes need something like carrots to push all the juice through. This made about 32-36oz for me, and I have a Jack LaLane juicer.

This is what your juice will look like (more or less):

Health Benefits

Vitamins A, C & K

Phytochemicals

Antioxidants

Protection against brain-aging

Reduces risks of cancer

Zinc