Everything Tastes Good When Your Hungry

So today's mix tasted great.  I am not sure if it was because it was good or because the last 2 days' were so bad.  It had: kale, chard, pear, apple, asparagus, watermelon, tomato, cucumber, scallion, blueberry, lemon and broccoli.

The Save

So yesterday's juice was bad. What to do with the left overs?
I squeezed in some grapefruit juice and it made it much more palatable. Tomorrow, a fresh batch with lesson learned.

Roots

I got this big idea to put a bunch of roots together today. I used dikon radish, beet, celery root and turnip. I only used parts of each. I won't bother to tell you what else I used because it tasted like starchy soap. I think the turnip was to blame. On the plus side, it has calcium, vitamin C and B6.

Permission to be a Couch Potato

Fig Infused and Balsamic Vinegar

Inspired by a fellow blogger, I attempted a new chicken dish.  Please check Eat GFCF for the recipe.
So I tried it, with alterations.  Instead of raspberry jam, I used the pulp and some juice from sweet dark cherries (I'm such a juice head).  I used some balsamic vinegar but also substituted fig infused vinegar for some of it.  It is a little sweeter and thought it might help make up the difference for the jam.  (and I was looking for an excuse to use it).  I didn't have fresh rosemary so I used general poultry seasoning.  It still resulted in a nice new way to give chicken a kick.  I think it needed a starch and a glass of wine.  I had neither but a bed of fresh spinach worked out.

Holy Juice Batman

Today I used more veggies and fruit with a little less leafy product. I was prepared for a little extra juice but when my back up was full before I started the cucumber....wow.
Tip: finish with the cucumber, the basket is easier to clean.

the list:  kale, green leaf lettuce, cucumber, lemon, 2 pears, one apple, 2 tomatoes, and asparagus.

The Lighter Side of Green

Today I used only one kale leaf and no chard. It made for a lighter feel to the drink.
The mix: romaine, spinach, kale, cucumber, tomato, orange, 2 pears, and yellow carrots.

Shelf Life

I was out of town this weekend, so today's juice is mainly last weeks produce. I am a little surprised that it made it.
The list: kale, chard, turmeric, apple, orange, grapefruit, and blueberries. I threw in some chia seeds, for this morning, but not in my to go lunch cup.

The Leaves

The base of most of my juices are kale and chard. They seem to produce a fair amount of juice and have a lot of good vitamins. I use spinach most of the time as well.

Today I added to it: orange, peach, scallion, and tomato.

Juice to Go

Kale, chard, carrots, orange, grapes, tomato, and grapefruit in a coffee cup to go. Drink some now, save some for later. :)

It tastes better fresh and the vitamins probably start to die off with time, but it is still a better snack or lunch than many alternatives.

Leaking Vitamins

I am not completely sure why the water turned purple. My current theory is that I used some chopped kale and the vinegar may have helped draw out the color.


Today's juice: purple and green kale, rainbow chard, tomato, spinach, grapes, blueberries, pear, yellow carrots, cauliflower, orange, and half of an apple (I wanted to eat the rest).  It was a really nice blend.

Shopping

I knew something was wrong when the fridge wasn't full after my grocery trip. It is only Tuesday and I am almost out of kale. I do have plenty of spinach left. They did not have any chard this week so I think I just did not adjust correctly.
Today's juice: kale, scallion, turmeric, oranges, half a jalapeño, and a grapefruit. Not my best effort, but ok.

The Details

I thought I would add some general details about what and how I juice.
My vinegar wash has a little over a cup of vinegar in that big bowl that I pictured in a previous post. I really am not sure if that is the perfect mix, but it works for me so far.
The produce I use is almost always labeled organic. I was told by Paul, the gentleman that runs my favorite, local Sustain grocery store that there are somethings that can't be labeled/found organic but they are grown that way. I think that may go for some of the more small farm, exotic stuff. Some of the grocery store chains have also begun to carry organic goods. Whole Foods is another option but they are just too far from me to go to very often.
I wash my juicer right after I juice.  Sometimes, I use the dishwasher and occasionally I soak the wire basket in a strong vinegar-water bath.

Chia and Wheat Grass

Picked up a couple of things to throw in the juice, chia seeds and freeze dried wheat grass juice powder. The rest: kale, spinach, orange, grapefruit, and a scallion. Tasted mostly of grapefruit with little chewy bits coming through the straw.

Giant Chard

Using what I have left: chard, kale, 2 colors of carrots, apple and orange.

What Not to Juice

My frozen berry treat got a little more exciting today. Just a tip for juicing frozen berries: don't drop the bag in the juicer! Oops

Pulp and Eggs

The not raw part of my morning was some pulp in 2 eggs, one yolk.
The juice was a greens mix with, celery, orange, carrots, apple and tomato.

Green Monster

There is usually a couple of colors in the juice, but today all I could see was green.
It had: kale, romaine, chard, pear, turmeric, garlic, tomato, and parsley.

Confetti and Bubbles

Today I used the leftover prep from the last juice and added a little bit of hot pepper. A great kick start to my day!

Why We Wash

Today's dirty veggies were washed last night. There was: kale, romaine, chard, spinach, carrots, celery, ginger, tomato, pear, apple, and orange.

Raw Food Makeover

After

Before

The juice: ginger, pineapple, grapes, tomato, chard, parsley, kale, yellow carrots, garlic, and dandelion.

Piña

A simpler one today: pineapple, celery, spinach, carrots, and acai juice from the frozen packets I wrote about before.
It was good but I think the acai left a little bit of an odd background flavor.

Plug It In

Important lesson learned today: plug in the juicer, it works a little better that way :)
The juice: turmeric, asparagus, kale, beet greens, rainbow chard, grapes, parsley, pear, orange, blueberries, and an apple. I am getting the veg to fruit ratio down to how I like it, so I am consistently liking the final product.