neverhomemaker: juice

Showing posts with label juice. Show all posts

Basil-Infused Lemonade

>> Monday, May 25, 2015

This weekend starts all our summer traditions of sorts. The carousels and pools open up for the season. Our backyard is usually primed and ready for outdoor enjoyment (we’re even thinking of creating a DIY home theater out there this year using a white tarp!). And I start making lemonade on the regular.

But not just any lemonade! I love using basil from the garden to infuse the drink with extra flavor. So, if you’re looking for a last-minute beverage to serve at your cookout today, try this classic lemonade recipe with a twist!

BASIL-INFUSED LEMONADE

What you’ll need . . .

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice*
1/2 cup Sugar in the Raw
1/2 cup water
Handful fresh basil leaves
3 cups water

* You can also use other citrus fruits if you don’t have enough lemons. My tip is to have at least half of the juice from lemons, though. This batch was half lemons, half some limes and oranges.

Method . . .

Squeeze your lemons to get your juice (I just use this old school juicer), then pour into a pitcher with the 3 cups of water. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and half cup of water. Toss in your washed basil leaves, then bring to a simmer over medium heat until all sugar has dissolved. Let cool and then take leaves out.
Pour the syrup into your pitcher and mix well.
Pour over ice to serve. Optional: Garnish with more basil leaves.

Happy Memorial Day, friends. Let us all remember the men and women who have died serving our country.

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Beet + Carrot Juice: A Better Balance

>> Wednesday, February 5, 2014

A lot of our juicing experience so far has been dictated trial and error. We toss in what we have in the fridge and just hope it will taste good. Often, this method works out just fine. I mean, taste is definitely a huge part of juicing, but I guess we let the health benefits overshadow at times.

I've been trying to use less and less fruit in our juices, too. For example, I squeezed together this blend of some sweeter vegetables -- with only a couple fruits -- to make strides toward lower sugar, higher nutrient content.

(I added half a lemon, too, for some bright flavor.)

BEET + CARROT JUICE

3 large carrots
2 large beets
2 Granny Smith apples
1 inch (or so) ginger
1/2 to whole lemon, with rind
Filtered water

// HOW TO:

Wash all fruits and vegetables. Run all ingredients through your juicer. Then fill juice container to top with filtered water -- or to taste. The water in this recipe is to thin out the juice so it isn't quite as intense, better balanced. Mix (stir in the froth -- don't separate!) and serve immediately.

The magenta beets totally take over the color. No surprises there!

I'm hoping to write a recap of how we're approaching our juicing in the next week or so. We definitely aren't making it every day or even every week. The early weeks in January, we were excited and went a little overboard, but I think we're striking a better balance, especially where the budget is concerned!

Want more juice recipes?

I'd love to make an entirely veggie blend, any palatable suggestions?

And don't miss our 90 healthiest recipes of 2013! Lots of delicious, wholesome foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and beyond. Includes both vegan and vegetarian recipes to please the entire family -- even toddlers!

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Curious George Juice

>> Thursday, January 9, 2014

I'm a fruits + veggies artist now.

Portrait of Stephen in carrots, romaine, cabbage, apples, and lemons.

Mix this up to make a colorful beverage that serves 2-4.

This combination was inspired by a Curious George episode I watched with Ada. George becomes interested in a local juicer's recipes and decides to create his own. One of his mixes is a huge hit. His special ingredient? Cabbage! And it's really quite delicious and beautiful, isn't it?

Now, the baby carrots aren't a usual staple in our house, but we had a huge bag leftover from the holidays/entertaining . . . so, no better way to use them up, right? (Oh, and if you've seen some nasty news about baby carrots, I found this post that puts a lot of that misinformation to rest, at least with regard to the organic varieties.)

As you can probably tell from my recent explosion of juice posts, the whole process/drink is addicting. I'd say we drink homemade juice every three days or so. We try to keep it as veggie-heavy as possible to cut down on excess calories and sugar. A little lemon zest or ginger can go a long way toward brightening the flavor of vegetables. And beets, for example, have their own natural sweetness, all while boasting high levels of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins A, B & C, beta-carotene, beta-cyanine, and folic acid.

Anyway, purple cabbage.

George is such a clever little monkey.

I might just have to try out his actual recipe from this episode!

I'll be back tomorrow with an earthy garlic knots/pizza crust recipe featuring pure cabbage juice. This one is a KEEPER, you guys! We're in love with it -- plus, it's PURPLE!

One-Bowl Juice Pulp Bread // Muffins Recipe

>> Sunday, January 5, 2014

As with any new toy, the juicer has certainly consumed my attention this past week. And I'm already learning so much about certain fruits and veggies. Likes and dislikes. Opportunities to save and interesting flavor combinations. So far, I really like apples, romaine lettuce, carrots, and lemons + limes. They are all tasty, easy to clean, and yield a lot of juice.

The kale in this photo, on the other hand, probably gave up 2 drops of juice total . . . and mostly just ran through the machine into the pulp drawer. I don't think, necessarily, all kale in general is like this -- but ours was particularly dry.

Live an learn.

But I figured this folly was an opportunity to experiment with using pulp in fun ways. So, I made bread! And, then again today, I made this same bread recipe -- doubled it -- and baked muffins. The pulp gives baked goods flavor, any residual nutrients, and lots of fiber. This mix includes beets, carrots, oranges, limes, and celery.

(PS: Don't have juice pulp? Sub in shredded carrots, apples, or other fruits/veggies 1:1 ratio!)

(Also: I promise not all recipes going forward will involve juicing. But some will. I'm hooked!)

JUICE PULP BREAD/MUFFINS
(makes 2 loaves or 24 muffins -- use any pulp)

What you'll need . . .

3 cups white-whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
Heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon (or other spice)
2 cups (fluffed, not packed) fruit/veggie pulp
1/2 cup olive or canola oil
1/2 to 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other milk, even water)
1/2 to 3/4 cup maple syrup (depending on sweetness desired)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method . . .

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. If you've baking bread, lightly grease your bread pans; muffins grease muffin tins.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, flax meal, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon together. Then mix in the pulp and follow with the oil, almond milk, and maple syrup.
Mix until just combined. Batter should be like normal quick bread or muffin batter, so if it is too thick, add more liquid -- milk.
Then divide into half for bread or portion out into individual muffin tins.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes for bread or 20 to 25 minutes for standard muffins.
Repeat with rest of batter -- bread is done when set in middle and lightly golden brown.
Let cool before serving or storing in your refrigerator (or freezing!).

We made our bath of muffins this morning, and I'm happy to report that we have a great centerpiece for our breakfasts this week. Ada loves this bread. It's sweet without being overly so. The pulp really just injects it with flavor. Oh, and it goes great with . . . juice. So, more pulp.

What to do next?

Have you tried/made pulp bread, crackers, or other baked goods?

Twenty Fourteen

>> Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy 2014, everyone! I hope you're all recovering from your late nights and fun parties (which I enjoyed following on Instagram). I sure am recovering -- but mostly from this nasty cold. Now I have no voice! Anyway, to speed up my healing process, today we went out and did perhaps the most stereotypical thing health conscious people do on January 1st.

Today we bought . . . a juicer.

It's not a purchase we take lightly, though. I've been grinding and squeezing juices in various ways for years. But after spending some time with juice fanatics over the holiday, we decided that 2014 is the year of juice for us. At least, we'd like to make a more regular habit of it.

We've been looking at juicers for years and had some good recommendations from family + friends. We decided on the Breville Juice Fountain (850 watt). It grinds whole fruits and veggies, features two speeds, and is overall a sturdy, reliable machine. It was even the juicer featured in Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.

So far, sooo good.

For our first juice, I followed the recipe for Kris Carr's "Immune Booster" (all the ingredients above, juiced) from her amazing Crazy Sexy Kitchen cookbook, which I received as a gift for Christmas last year. I've been wanting to make all those juice recipes, but my blend and strain method wasn't cutting it for ingredients like beets (did you know beets are great for runners? here's why!).

So, in short, this bright green mix was delicious. I don't feel magically better and, sadly, my voice is still absent. I don't see any big detox-juice fasts in my future, but it was a nice addition to my daily eats. Stephen and I have decided to approach this juicing thing pretty casually.

Here's what I mean:

We're looking at the machine as a way to use up leftover produce instead of buying it in bulk for the purpose of juicing.
We're aiming to juice a couple times a week versus every single day.
We're so excited for the upcoming CSA season for lots of fresh, organic ingredients.
We like watering it down to feel like we're drinking more!
We want to use the pulp. Any ideas? What you see above is in our refrigerator waiting for a home. I was thinking muffins?

I'll be back with some more (re)new year stuff tomorrow. Until then -- how was your holiday?

Any big goals or resolutions for this year?

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Reader Question: Juice Fast + Training

>> Thursday, April 25, 2013

Briana asks:

"I finally watched Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead a couple weeks ago and Joe's journey with juicing has inspired me. My own eating habits aren't the best especially since I have increased my mileage. I am training for my first half marathon that's in late May. What I'm wondering is if you have any experience with juice fasts combined with regular running?"

\\\ /// \\\ /// \\\ ///

I wrote back to Briana right away because I don't have any specific experience with fasting -- with or without food -- so I'm not the best person to ask. However, her question stuck with me because I think it's a common one these days. I see variations of fasts popping up in my Pinterest feed almost daily.

I've dabbled with juicing, even going to great lengths to make juice at home using my blender versus buying a juicer. In my own experience, when I've had fresh juices -- plain carrot is a favorite -- I feel this amazing rush. Whether that feeling is psychosomatic or not, I don't think anyone can deny adding juice to the everyday diet can be a good thing.

But can it stand alone? I'm not so sure.

And support running? I'm really skeptical.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, a juice fast is when a person chooses to consume only 100% fresh fruit and/or vegetable juices for a set amount of time. I've seen fasts from a few days to months at a time. Proponents claim a number of benefits, including a cleansed and regulated colon, a strengthened immune system, increased mental clarity, increased energy levels, and more (source).

A lot of these quick detoxes or more long range plans look enticing, but when combined with an athletic training plan, my first thought is: BAD IDEA. Since I don't have any first-hand knowledge, I thought I'd toss this question out to you guys.

First, here's some information/personal experiences:

Do Juice Cleanses Work? 10 Truths About the Fad (Huffington Post)
My 14 Day Juice Fast (HighExistence)
How I Ran 20 Miles Whilst Fasting (Running On Juice)
Beginner's Guide to Juice Fasting (Living Green)
Burning Runner: Preparing for a Juice Fast (Competitor)
The Juice Clease: A Strange and Green Journey (New York Times)
10 Tips for Before, During, After a Juice Cleanse (MindBodyGreen)
Intense Exercise During Juice Fast? Is it Even Possible? (Nina Cherie, Ph.D)

I am inclined to keep eating a balanced diet while training -- complete with all the food groups -- adding in juices for an extra boost.

Briana's question inspired me to make a fresh batch of juice at home last night. I combined 3 apples, 2 blood oranges, and 8 carrots with a good amount of water + blended in my Ninja blender (or, as we affectionately call it, the poor man's Vitamix) + ran it all through some cheesecloth to strain. 8 cups of juice in all.

I guess my (somewhat ignorant, but I don't mean in the pejorative sense) answer is that I don't think drinking ONLY juice while training for a half marathon is a good idea. I think adding juices to your diet might help you clean up messy eating habits and give you some of the benefits without having to make a drastic change. I'd wait until the race is completed to try a full-on juice cleanse.

What's your take on this question?

Can you smash 20-mile runs drinking only juice? I'm not promoting or condemning the practice. It's such a massive trend these days, I think it's an interesting topic for discussion!

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Palate Cleanser

>> Thursday, January 10, 2013

Juicing . . . it's everywhere.

Everyone I know has seen Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. If you haven't, you should definitely seek it out or risk getting left behind in the whole juicing r+e+v+o+l+u+t+i+o+n. Also, if you haven't updated your queue in a while, consider adding the following . . .

More Business of Being Born

Back to juice now. I know the high-glycemic, citrus-only juices aren't all the rage. They aren't even the best for you to pound glass after glass, but I have somehow made a habit: A small glass of grapefruit juice most every morning.

Harmless enough . . .

If you're feeling sluggish and perhaps seasonally or otherwise sad, I beg you to freshly squeeze fresh oranges or grapefruits and drink up. Even if you use an old-timey juicer like me. Just a small jolt of the stuff gets me feeling like my body -- mind, blood, and bones -- is impervious to the common cold, the flu, etc.

It may be more mental than anything else. A simple sugar rush. But it's like liquid sunshine -- and in dark, cold, and dreary upstate NY, I need as much of that as I can get. Veggies can have a similar, almost intoxicating effect, as I learned when I "juiced" carrots last month in my Ninja blender.

I'm not one to jump on new health trends, but drinking juice definitely has a positive impact on my mood. I can't pinpoint exactly why or how -- but why question it? My brother-in-law is sending us a legitimate juicer soon, so expect more liquid-talk in the coming months.

What's your juice? Is there something specific -- above all other foods/drinks -- you consume daily that you feel positively impacts your health and well-being?

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Carrot Juice

>> Tuesday, December 4, 2012

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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Breakfast for Lunch

>> Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Our good days are really good. Our bad days are really bad. Ada certainly thrives on extremes. I was super productive on Monday. Yesterday? Well, yesterday was quite awful. I'm pretty sure Ada is getting 4 teeth in at once (again -- extremes!), so her naps have been preceded by an hour or more of crying.

Poor thing. Oh, and poor Ada, too! (Hahaha . . .)

So, though Ada is becoming an independent 10-month-old, exploring everything from climbing stairs to sorting through boxes, there are still days when I don't find time to grab breakfast until, well, 1 pm. Typing that out just made me feel like I'm losing this mom thing somehow.

I'm sure other moms can relate. Between nursing, nap wars, chasing around, solid foods, and comforting -- taking care of the baby can mean ignoring mom's needs. On days like this, I like to forget the house is a complete disaster.

Exhibit A.

Instead of dwelling on that laundry pile, I make a gigantic breakfast for lunch.

Scrambled eggs, potatoes, avocado, and freshly squeezed orange juice. You don't need a recipe for this meal. Obviously. But did you know that mayo (or, in this case, fake mayo) can make your scrambled eggs over-the-top delicious?

Fluffier.
Creamier.
Tastier.

Just add a heaping tablespoon per 2 eggs, along with a splash or two of milk or almond milk like you usually do. Oh, and eat with lots of ketchup. I know that's a love or hate thing, but I LOVE ketchup with scrambled eggs!

My favorite oranges for making orange juice are Valencias. I have this simple hand juicer and usually three oranges does the trick.

Nothing like fresh juice to get a fresh perspective on a bad day. It's nutritive and nurturing, really.

Unfortunately, today has been another challenging day. (I just wish those teeth would come in already! So far, we're only 1 for 4.) So, I need to take advantage of the silence while I still have it and get a few things done.

Do you have any meals or specific foods/drinks that are particularly healing for you? Either mentally or physically. Fresh juice has got to be one of my favorites for this purpose. It's a rare treat, too.

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