Carrot Juice

I've decided that my best bet for sticking with healthy eating is to eat like Ada eats. Eat when she eats, too, versus this habit I've gotten into of making her a meal, waiting for her to eat, and -- ultimately -- pushing mine back or skipping in favor of a high-calorie snack.

All the while, my stomach growls at me. Then, almost as if out of spite, it demands to be fed sugar. That's not fair. I can't push the blame on my stomach. It's my brain. My conscious decisions. This morning, I needed a pick-me-up. So, I thought I'd juice some baby carrots that were hanging out in the fridge.

Problem is, we don't own a juicer.

I filled our beloved Ninja blender (or, as we affectionately call it, the poor man's Vitamix) up halfway with carrots. Then I added about a cup of water and put it on the highest blend setting for five minutes. I had to stop once in the middle to scrape down the sides.

Then I used some cheesecloth and a spoon to strain the mixture into a large glass. But who was I kidding? The fastest way to get the juice out was by squeezing the cheesecloth with my fist.

A mess ensued. (Passive voice intended.)


Yes. It was messy. It was relatively time-consuming. And . . . honestly? It was worth it. I have this gigantic jar of carrot juice just for me at snack time. I don't have to chew carrots, which I actually hate doing. Drinking it feels like getting an instant infusion of health.

Seriously. I've been so dehydrated and have been eating so much crap lately, I feel like I have a hangover when I wake up. This perked me up immediately. I also imagine I'll be able to see in the dark with all the beta-Carotene coursing through my veins. (PS: Carrots are sweet, no? Plain was sweet enough for me -- though I did add a squeeze of minced ginger).

The drawback with juicing is having to use so much to make so little. I don't know if I'll do it often. Now I have all this pulp left. Any ideas for what I should do with it? I was thinking carrot muffins.

PS: You can see what Ada's eating today over on Writing Chapter Three.

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