My daily juice recipe

These days we try to make fresh juice at least 4 times a week. Here is what our juice usually consists of (this is for 2 adults, 1 small child, and a baby):

Daily Green Juice:
3-4 cups of dark leafy greens (kale, collards, or spinach)
a pound of carrots
1/2 large cucumber
1-2 celery
1/2 lemon or lime
small piece ginger
a sweet fruit such as: oranges (3-4), pineapple (1/3), apples (2-3), or grapes (1 cup)

This makes enough for about 8-10 oz for each adult, 6 oz for the child, and 2 oz for the baby.

Note: For our baby, who is 14 months right now, we don't include pineapple, oranges or lemon/limes  since they give him a rash around the mouth. Instead we use apples or grapes for sweetness.
However, most of the time, we will just juice greens and carrots for our baby and blend that up with some fruit and a little water and raw almonds (or sunflower or pumpkin seeds) to make it into a smoothie for him which he loves. We use fruits such as frozen mangoes, berries, and banana.

We also add to our juice sometimes (remember these are all raw):
- zucchini- It tastes bland and goes well with any other juice, especially carrot. The pulp is actually really good to eat plain too; it's still somewhat moist and just tastes like grated zucchini.
- broccoli
- bell peppers
- parsley

What do I do with the pulp? (I get this question all the time)

Since carrot pulp makes up the bulk of our pulp container, I mostly just use that and discard the rest (it is not very much and most of the juice/nutrition has been extracted so there's no flavor, just a small mass of tasteless stringy stuff).

This is what I do with carrot pulp:
- Add to oatmeal with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, dates, vanilla, almonds, for a "carrot cake" taste
- Add to cooked grains, such as quinoa, for a warm, savory pilaf with italian seasonings, garlic, and a little Earth Balance "butter"
- Add to smoothies for some extra fiber
- Add to muffins or baked goods (I'm just now experimenting with this)

Juicing video: How does it work?

Here is my son is giving a short demo of how to juice:

As you can see, it is not very difficult, and is a lot of fun for kids to do by themselves! (But it can take awhile, for the slow pokes, so I let him put some in first, then I do the rest so it doesn't take all morning....)

It is important to note that...

Juicing shouldn't replace anything, it should simply be an addition to your normal diet.

When we first started juicing, it was tempting to think "I just got all my fruits and vegetables for the day, so I don't need to eat anymore, or make our usual green smoothie." But I didn't start juicing to replace my smoothie, or my salads. I started juicing to ADD a glass of nutrition to my day. So even though we started drinking this juice in the morning, we STILL had our green smoothie for lunch (along with a sandwich), and STILL ate salad for dinner (along with whatever else we were having). It is important not to decrease the amount of fiber you normally eat.

That's just my two sense on the subject. :)

Dinosaur Juice

My 3 year old loves Dinosaur Juice. 

In the morning, I wash and cut up a bunch of fruits and vegetables and arrange them on our big cutting board (these include: apples (green and red), oranges, carrots, celery, cucumber, spinach, tomato, broccoli, small piece ginger root, etc). 

When he wakes up, he comes into the kitchen and starts making his juice. He picks what he wants, then puts it in the juicer, and watches the juice come out- it's really easy for him to do and is a lot of fun too. He always reaches for the carrots first, and usually asks if he can have one to munch on. :) 

Today I put some broccoli out and he added some of that to his juice, but then took the rest for himself to eat! (He didn't actually eat it all, but I was happy he even wanted it!). Today when I handed him his juice, I said "Here is your carrot juice!" (because it was mostly orange). Then he looked at it and started crying. "What's wrong?" I asked. "It's not green!" So I went over and put a handful of spinach through the juicer real fast and added it in. :) I didn't realize he liked it green so much! I guess calling it "Dinosaur Juice" the first time was a good idea! 
 

Tate's Special (aka Dinosaur Juice):

2 large carrots (tops cut off)

1 orange

1 small red apple

small handful spinach 

piece of ginger (size of a pinky nail)

(He also likes it when I add cucumber, tomato & a little celery.) 

Important note about juicing:

My son is used to drinking a daily smoothies with leafy greens such as spinach in them, but I still dilute his juice a little, and don't give him too much. I didn't give him a full glass of that juice pictured above, fyi (usually I give him about 1 cup). If someone is not used to eating lots of greens, or even if they are not used to lots of fruits and veggies, I would only give a little juice at first and gradually increase, since it is a lot of nutrition all at once and can have a detoxing affect on your body (detoxing can come with its own side effects such as more frequent bowel movements, headache, etc, since the body is cleansing itself of toxins). If you are going to start juicing, I recommend first increasing your fruits and vegetables and decreasing the toxins you are consuming (from animal products, processed food, etc). After your body has adjusted to that (and you might even experience some detox symptoms from that alone), then adding a juice to your day won't be such a shock to your system, and will be a welcome addition to your already healthy lifestyle. :)

Juicing and my new routine

Since December my life has been consumed with learning a new way to buy, prepare and eat food. Taking out meat, dairy, and adding lots of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and cooked grains, I have completely transformed my diet. 

Now, almost 3 months later, I have pretty much figured out how to make this work for my family, and I have developed a passion for food that I just didn't have before. Real food tastes better. The food I used to eat has lost its appeal. I feel energized, healthy, and excited about life and what the future holds.

While my new way of eating has become almost second nature now,  I have been struggling in other areas. Since the beginning of this new year, I have been trying to figure out how I could get into a good routine of daily exercise, daily prayer and scripture study, keeping my house clean, and going on dates with my husband (on top of playing with and taking care of my children which has always been the first thing on my list). 

It's not that I never did any of these things. I actually accomplished most of them pretty regularly (besides going on dates- that has been hard to do with a newborn). 

 But the problem was that I didn't have a routine that worked and so I was constantly thinking of what needed to be done and then doing it, instead of being in the moment and just enjoying life. I felt I was swimming as hard as I could, but still just barely able to keep my head above water (and sinking periodically, despite my best efforts). I didn't feel organized and was constantly disappointed at my inability to keep everything together the way I would have liked. 

Now that my baby is 5 months old, and my older son is 3, I have been feeling that I could start to have some predictability in my life if I could only develop a routine that would work with the needs of my family. After talking to other moms, researching online, and personal pondering and praying, I got some great ideas and knew I was close to starting something that would change my life for the better. But something was still missing....

Then, I got a juicer on Valentine's Day. I was literally jumping up and down with excitement! I could not wait to start my day with a wonderful fresh glass of juice. Adding the nutrition of 3 carrots, 2 oranges, 1 apple, 1 cucumber, a handful of spinach, etc, to my body in a single glass of fresh juice...it seemed too good to be true! 

 After drinking my first glass of juice, I felt a surge of energy and clarity of mind. I realized that this morning juice would give me the energy needed to work out in the morning, and I began to see in my mind a routine coming together....

This is the routine that I put together and have been doing since Monday:

I get up at 7am and nurse my baby. Then I read the scriptures and pray. Next I wash my face and put on my work out clothes. :) After that, I start prepping the fruits and veggies for the juice. I wake up my 3 year old and he helps put in his choice of fruits or veggies. When his is done, I add more greens for my husband and I. Then the 3 of us enjoy our juice. :) I clean up (wash the juicer parts, cutting board, etc), then go downstairs to work out (eliptical, dance, kickboxing, run up and down the stairs, weight lifting, sit ups, etc). On my way downstairs I bring a bag of dirty laundry and put it in the washer. When I'm done working out, I check on the laundry (put in dryer if it's done), go upstairs and eat breakfast, shower and get ready. My husband is home in the mornings so it is nice to have him help with my boys while I work out. Then I take the kids on an outing (play group, play date, the park, the grocery store, etc) or do something as a family. When we get back we eat lunch (green smoothie & veggie or nut butter sandwich), clean up, then read scriptures as a family and say family prayer before my husband leaves for work. 

The afternoon consists of the going to the library, playing outside or inside, doing art projects, dancing or singing kids songs, errands, etc, and naptime (during which I make food such as hummus or granola, or prep for dinner).

After nap, I check on the laundry, get outside if its nice weather, and then make dinner. After dinner I spend 10 minutes to clean up, and then my son plays downstairs or occasionally watches a short show (such as Dinosaur Train). Before coming upstairs, we put toys away and straighten up downstairs. 

Then start the bedtime routine- bath (a couple nights a week), pj's, then snack and stories. Before leaving the upstairs living room, we straighten up. Then it's brush teeth and go potty time. After that, he gets in bed and we say prayers and sing a song, then lights out. 

You may be wondering where my baby comes in. Well, throughout the day, I nurse him every 2 hours, change diapers, and put him to sleep for naps. When he's awake I either carry him, or he sits in his high chair or on the floor playing with his teething toys. We all try to talk with him and play with him as much as possible. We try to include him in whatever we're doing, such as story time, or bath for example.

After they are both asleep (between 9 and 10pm- hopefully it will start to be closer to 9), I run the dishwasher, check on laundry, sweep if needed, do any food prep for the next day. Then I work on blogs or write in my journal. After that I wash my face, brush my teeth, and while I'm in the bathroom, I wipe down one area (sink, tub, toilet, mirror, floor...by the end of the week, the whole bathroom has been cleaned). Before I get into bed, I pray.

I began this new routine this Monday and it has worked out wonderfully so far! It feels great to start the day with juice and a work out- that alone gets me excited to wake up (and I'm not a morning person so that is huge for me). 

My routine has given me the peace of mind that I can fit everything in, so when I am juicing I don't have to be stressing out about the laundry not being done, or when I am feeding my baby I don't have to feel helpless that I can't be cleaning up the living room as I see my 3 year old make a mess of it. There is a time for everything and as long as I do the little things in my routine throughout the day, everything will get done. 

(And by the way, we just went on a date as part of a trade with another couple- we watched their kids one night and then they watched our kids. You can't beat free babysitting! Looking forward to doing more of that!)

I have to thank my husband for buying me this juicer. The presence of that awesome machine has motivated me to get up early and make a highly nutritious beverage out of pure raw fruits and vegetables. That delicious concoction gives me energy and I feel happy knowing that I'm doing something great for my body and my health. I also love that my family also gets to experience the health benefits of this as well (which totally eases my fears that my son is going to be malnourished due to his extreme picky-ness).

I also have to thank God, who knows the desires of my heart and has blessed me with the ability to see more clearly a way to accomplish what I need to every day. This new routine has helped me relax and more fully enjoy the beauty of my life and the people in it. As I consistently make time to talk to my Heavenly Father and learn more about Him from the scriptures, I feel  blessings pour out of heaven into my life. I know that He knows me personally and loves me and I am extremely grateful for all the little (and big) things that He gives me to help me be happier every day.

I feel that as I listen to my body and follow more closely the Word of Wisdom (which states that we should eat lots of vegetables, fruits, and grains, and only eat meat during times of famine and sparingly in the winter), I am blessed with not only physical health, but spiritual blessings (such as a greater understanding of God and His plan for me). 

I just can't believe I am only now realizing how important vegetables & fruits are and how amazing it can be to drink fresh juice and work out in the morning! And this is only day 3! Can't wait to see how I feel after a month of doing this!