Juicing

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Smoothies and Juicing
As part of my arsenal in the kitchen, I own a juicer and a top of the line VitaMix. If you are thinking about getting healthier as part of your New Year's resolution, juicing and smoothies should be on your radar.

Who hasn't heard about the benefits of fruits and vegetables? And who hasn't been bombarded with how many you should eat each day. First off, it is hard to eat that much, and second, like many Americans, I'm not a vegetable lover. Recently, I have gotten into roasting my vegetables, and eating lots of soups, but adding them to my blender and drinking them seems to be the easiest way for me.

Here are some of my favorite recipes for juicing. I don't have a very expensive juicer, one I picked up at Wal-Mart one day, but it has worked for over 4 years now and shows little wear.

 Cranberry Supreme Juice
2 Granny Smith Apples
1 red apple
1/4 cup mint leaves (a good reason to grow mint)
3/4 cup cranberries
honey

 Cut up apples to fit in the juicer. Add mint leaves to juicer first, followed by the cranberries and apples. Pour into glass, chill and enjoy. This makes about 2 good size glasses.

 Sunburst Juice
10 carrots
1 ripe papaya
1 lemon

 Cut papaya in half and take out seed. Slice to fit juicer. Add to juicer followed by carrots. Squeeze lemon separately and add to the juice. This is about 2-3 servings. Shake before drinking.

 Limeastic Juice
2 large cucumbers
1 lime w/zest
1 granny smith apple
1/4 cup mint leaves

 Add the mint to juicer first then add cucumbers and cut up apple. Zest the lime and squeeze juice. Add to the rest of juice and chill.

Get up and Go Juice
1 cucumber
1 slice of fresh ginger 1 inch
1 granny smith apple
4-5 celery stalks

Add cucumber to juicer first, followed by ginger, apple and celery. Chill and serve.

Pineapple Sizzle Juice
3 cups of fresh pineapple
1 cucumber
1 carrot
1 piece of ginger

Add the pineapple to juicer first followed by ginger, cucumber and carrot. Chill and serve.

Hot Tomato Juice
1 cucumber
3 large ripe tomatoes
3-4 celery stalks
1/4 cup basil leaves
1 clove of garlic
pinch of salt and pepper

Add basil and garlic first followed by cucumber, tomatoes and celery. Shake well before serving. This is your all natural V-8!

I will share my smoothie recipes tomorrow. So, if your juicer is gathering dust...whip up a few of these to have on hand. To get the best benefit drink within 24 hours.

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