juicing

[Meegie]

so... my birthday is coming up. I think I'm going to get a juicer :)

I have wanted one for a really long time, but I think I'll finally take the plunge.
Also, I have noticed that my diet has been TERRIBLE lately. Seriously. Really bad. I basically only eat the one shift meal I am afforded per day at the restraunt I work at - if I'm not at work, I don't even think to eat... (and, even though it's a veggie restaunt, it's lots of potatos and cheese. not the best for you)... yikes.

I feel like making juices would be a really great way to get the nutrion that I need...

I'm excited to make both some simple things (plain apple or orange juice) and some more complex "green" juices.

Who else has a juicer? Do you love it?
What kind of juices do you make?
Has anyone here ever gone on a juice "fast"?

I'd love to hear what everyone has to say! Thanks!
_________________
"there are only two seasons in western pa. theres just construction work and snowstorms and either way, they cause a delay"

[WorkAndPlay]

We have a shitty little juicer that I love despite it being shitty. I don't really do the juice-as-a-meal thing, and I would suggest that smoothies are probably more nutritious and offer more potential for adding bulk and protein to your meals. But we do make a lot of juices to substitute soda (my girlfriend had a terrible Diet Coke habit of which the juicer has finally managed to ween her) or alcoholic refreshments (I am a sucker for summer cocktails, and non-alco versions keep me from getting shitfaced before sunset whenever the temperature rises above chilly...).

The juicer also comes in handy when seasonal fruits are in abundance. Super ripe berries and such just don't keep long enough to be palatable after a day or two (mushy!), but virgin strawberry margaritas or currant mocktails are super easy ways to deal with a leftover pound of overripe deliciousness.

Some of this summer favorites have been:

- watermelon, green apple & mint juice
- mango, cucumber & mint juice
- blackberry juice with cinnamon syrup & sparkling water or blended with ice
- strawberry, orange & basil juice
- fresh pineapple juice. Just pineapple. It is so good...

But the Objectively Best Juice in the world that can ONLY be made if you have a decent juicer (or a shitty one, and willing to spend a lot of time wrestling unruly stalks into a tiny little hole...) is this one, and YOU MUST TRY IT:

Fresh rhubarb juice, mixed with a dash of vanilla syrup (I make my own by making a simple syrup and letting some split vanilla pods steep in it) and topped off with a bit of sparkling water.

This drink has BLOWN MINDS all over the city, and it only works if you use super fresh, home-juiced rhubarb as a base. IT IS SO GOOD YOU WILL WEEP, THEN LAUGH, THEN WEEP! I would recommend getting a juicer just to make this drink.
_________________
The plural of anecdote is not data.

Check out what I'm cooking at Chomp!

[Meegie]

I never would have thought of rhubarb juice! I will definitely try it!

yesterday, one of my coworkers made fresh squeezed orange juice with soda water. Oh my goodness. So good.
_________________
"there are only two seasons in western pa. theres just construction work and snowstorms and either way, they cause a delay"

[kitchen]

here's the link to the juicing thread from 2011.

to be honest, i kind of fell off the regular juicing wagon at the end of last summer, but we still pull it out occasionally and i just juice whatever's in the fridge:

- ginger, apples, celery/carrot, & spinach/kale
- cucumber, limes, ginger (my faaaave)
_________________
THE MUNDANE IS TO BE CHERISHED

[daysleeper]

O M G!

I was just coming on to post about juicing!

I've been juicing the past couple days. I try to limit juicing to produce that doesn't blend well, otherwise I go the smoothie route. I don't want to lose so much fiber.

typical juice fruits/veggies:
Kale (even blended, its too tough)
Collards
celery
apples (these could go in the blender...)
carrots
beets
whole lemons/limes
herbs (though I'm going to migrate these

smoothie fruits/veggies:
spinach
pineapple
all melons, berries, stone fruits
cucumber
zucchini
banana


I really have no method. I have a cheap juicer and a regular ost*er blender, and a stick blender. I throw a bunch of veggies and fruit together and whirl it to a puree. If its too "green" tasting I'll add a banana. The taste has never been a problem for me. I don't juice tomatoes or broccoli -- that makes everything gross, and I much rather eat them in their whole state. nom nom.


Last night I designated a "juice box" so that I'd be ready to juice in the morning. It took me about 10 minutes to pulverize my breakfast vs. 25 minutes yesterday.

Here's a list of my juices so far this week, some are a combo juice/smoothie, straight juice or straight smoothie

Kale
cucumber
apple
banana
parsley
dill
carrot

kale
apple
parsley
dill
celery
carrot
lemon

cucumber
zuchini
cherry
peach
spinach

My goal is 3-4 veggies and 1-2 fruits per drink. Each one comes out to about 32 oz and I eat it as a meal or snack.

So far I don't feel any different, but green smoothies were pretty influential in my weight loss and its the easiest way for me to get enough raw vegetables in my diet. I figure in 2 weeks I'll be beautiful again ;)
_________________
Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." -Bob Marley

Blog!

[arabella]

I've been starting my mornings with a big green juice since I can't get green smoothies and I've become hooked and now I want a juicer too!! my morning one is kale, spinach, celery, cucumber, lemon, ginger. it's very green. the standard drink comes with an apple which makes it delicious but I have been subbing the ginger instead.

I've been doing a lot of research and while there is a ton of conflicting "research" out there, here is what I'm going with:
- I want a masticating juicer for max leafy green veggies functionality
- drink the juice on an empty stomach for maximum nutrient absorption
- make it a green / veggie juice - pure fruit juices are too much sugar
- I am not worried about the fiber because I get a lot of fiber in my diet anyway

[pony j]

My juice this morning (er, I guess it's afternoon) was a huge success:

* 1 bunch spinach
* 6-8 carrots
* 5-6 beets (I wouldn't have used this many but they were getting soft and we wanted to use them up)
* 1 large stalk ginger (about 2x4 inches)
* 2 lemons
* 1 apple (all we had left!)

After all this went thru the juicer, we added it to the blender with half a cantaloupe & some ice. Nommmm.
_________________
<3 free range glitter pony <3

dirtywestgeekwveveggierap