Without further adieu, I present the Healthy Margarita Recipe. Alcohol is optional

• 1/2 cup frozen lemonade
• handful of grapes
• handful of spinach
• 1/2 lime with peel on
• 1 1/2 cups ice

Use a Vitamix Blender for best results

So your shiny new juicer has just arrived, and you’ve got it all set up and plugged in.

What now? Do you fling yourself into a frenzy of beet greens, nettle tea, and broccoli florets? Do you fill your juicer with stalks of kale and hope it turns out tasting like chocolate milk?

We’ve got your back on this one. Try this simple, sweet-tasting recipes that will have you asking for a refill.

The Ingredients

• 4 carrots
• 1 cucumber
• Handful of spinach
• 1 lemon
• 1 apple or pear

The Directions

First of all, wash everything! Peel the cucumber and lemon, then core the apple or pear. Carefully feed the produce into your juicer, alternating between soft produce (cucumber, spinach, fruits) and three of the carrots. Finish off with the last carrot to make sure everything gets pushed down and juiced.

Pour the juice into a frosty glass and sip away, preferably through one of those fancy, curly fluorescent straws.

The Flavor

This recipe balances the sweetness of carrot, apple, and/or pear with the grassiness of spinach and the tartness of lemon. (Let’s be honest: can anyone taste the cucumber? We can’t!) It’s a great mix of accessible flavor for the juicing neophyte. Spinach is one of the easiest leafy greens to disguise in a juice—its flavor is gentle, and quickly overpowered by sweeter fruits and vegetables.

The Benefits

Juicing breaks down the cell walls of the fruits and vegetables, making the nutrients easily absorbable and digestible. Essentially, the juicing action does the chewing for you, so you can consume huge amounts of fruits and vegetables without having to gnaw on a bag of carrots all day.

It’s important to add plenty of vegetables to your juice, since pure fruit juice can lead to a spike in blood sugar.

Spinach is packed full of vitamins A, C, and B2, as well as manganese, folate, iron, calcium, and potassium. Carrots are your friendly neighborhood powerhouse source of vitamin A (and they ain’t bad when it comes to vitamin K, C, and potassium, either). And the vitamin C punch of the lemon will help your body absorb the iron in the spinach. Win-win-win!

Photo attribute: www.nicolewaterhouse.com

At our house, we’re playing outside almost daily, and my kiddos have started with their nonstop request of popsicles!

As a mother, I want to be able to give my children whatever their little hearts desire, but I don’t want to put junk into their bodies that doesn’t belong there. This includes most popsicles (bogus) ingredients: high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and artificial colors.

The amount of sugar we’re eating is alarming. The fructose in sugar and in high fructose corn syrup goes directly to our liver and is converted into fat, which can cause health issues like heart disease and diabetes.

Red Dye #40, Yellow Dye’s #5 & #6 have been linked to migraines and hyperactivity. Red Dye #40 has also shown to lower IQ levels and is banned in most countries in Europe.  We notice an immediate positive difference in our home when we eliminate these foods.

How to make your own healthy juice pops!

Even though it’s sometimes tough for me to get my kiddos to drink my juicing creations, I can ALWAYS get them to enjoy it in a frozen juice pop! You can find the frozen juice pop molds just about anywhere, even super markets. They are relatively inexpensive at about $5 for your basic set of 6 pops.

Simply juice or blend your favorite concoction and pour into the molds. Place the molds into the freezer for about 4 hours so they can set, and enjoy!

If you want to make a super fancy juice pop, try adding berries into the mold.

Or you can make a layered frozen pop by pouring one juice into the mold, filling it 1/2 of the way. Freeze for 2 hours. Pour another juice on top of the 1^st, filling the mold the rest of the way and freeze for 2 more hours. The variations on the layered pop are endless!

Try one of our favorite Juice Pop recipes!

Blended Strawberry Juice Pops (pictured)

• 2 cups Fresh Whole Strawberries
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Torini’s Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
• 1 cup cold Water
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed

Cut strawberries into thin slices. Sprinkle over with 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp vanilla syrup. Leave in the fridge for two hours until the juice starts to come out. Process the strawberries with cold water and lemon juice in a blender. Strain the juice if desired and serve chilled.

Rise and Shine Pop

• 4 Carrots
• 2 Oranges

Cut the tops off of the carrots. Peel the oranges. Juice them up, pour into the molds and freeze!

Pina Colada Frozen Juice Pops

• 1 (5 oz) can pineapple chunks (with juice)
• 1 (10.5 oz) can coconut milk
• 2 bananas, peeled
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients and pour into molds. Place in freezer for 2-4 hours.

Don’t have a blender or juicer?

No problem-o! Simply mix these ingredients together, pour into the molds and freeze!

Cinnamon Pops

• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

What is your favorite DIY Frozen Juice Pop recipe?

The weathers finally warming up, and we’re actually getting kind of excited to stop gorging on cheesecake, jalapeno poppers, and rum-based drinks for a few weeks in order to celebrate the freshness of our favorite season.

And with that seasonal change, as always, comes the need to cleanse and detox. Whip up these detoxifying juices several times a week to cleanse your liver, brighten your eyes, and stock your system with potent vitamins in order to counteract those rainy spring sniffles.

Use organic vegetables if at all possible—that way, you’ll avoid any pesticides that come in contact with non-organic leaves and peels.

Dandelion-Spinach Detox Juice

Long praised for their liver-detoxifying properties, dandelion greens are rich in beta-carotene and have a signature bitter bite to them. Add more lemon (or toss in some agave) to taste if the juice is too bitter for you.

Spinach’s list of vitamins and nutrients is too long to list here, but let’s start with vitamin K, vintaim A, manganese, folate, magnesium, and iron (thinking of sneaking an extra handful of leaves into your juice yet?) If after you’re finished with this recipe, be sure to checkout our growing list of spinach blog archives for some other info and ideas on how to use this magical green!

• 1/2 bunch dandelion greens
• 4 cups spinach
• 4 carrots
• 1/2 cucumber
• 5 stalks celery
• 1/2 lemon, peeled

Feed the dandelion greens and spinach into your juicer. Then add three carrots and the rest of the ingredients, using the last carrot to push all the rest of the ingredients through. Drink immediately.

Carrot-Beet-Celery Detox Juice

This peppery drink offers powerful detox action from the root vegetables, while the spiciness of garlic and black pepper gives your immune system a boost. Beets are packed full of a variety of antioxidants; carrots, as you know, are an amazing source of beta-carotene; and celery is a rich source of vitamin C (not to mention that its water content makes it great for juicing).

Radishes also help to cleanse the liver and improve digestion, as well as being a good source of vitamin C. Parsley isn’t just a garnish—it can actually neutralize certain carcinogens, and it’s full of antioxidants and folic acid. Enjoy this bright drink once a week for maximum benefits.

• 1 carrot
• 1 c. beets
• ¼ c. celery
• 2 tbsp radish
• ¼ c. fresh parsley
• 1 clove raw garlic
• ¼ tsp. black pepper

Feed parsley through your juicer, followed by the celery. Add the rest of the ingredients, and top the juice with fresh ground black pepper. Drink immediately.

Photo attribute: kblog.lunchboxbunch.com

But I’m here to prevent this from happening to you or I ever again!

How to feed your juicer properly

Most juicers, unless commercial grade, appreciate it greatly when you cut fruits and vegetables into bite sized pieces. Think of feeding your juicer as you would think of yourself – do you want to eat food that forces you to chew with your mouth open? Didn’t think so! Juicers are the same.

Generally speaking, juicers fare rather well with leafy greens, so there isn’t too much cutting that is required. But for your own ease of use, I would give them a rough chop. When juicing things such as root vegetables that are tough and porous, feed them individually through the juicer. That will ensure there won’t be clogs. Fruits and vegetables that should be cut into juicer friendly pieces are:

• Apples
• Pears
• Carrots
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower

Citrus fruits require particular attention, not because of their rough outer skins, but because those skins must be removed. The white part, called the pith, is incredibly bitter, and it’s made even more bitter when pulverized by juicing. If you feed the whole citrus fruit into your juicer, your juice creation will be ruined and your efforts will be wasted.

Your juicer can take a beating!

Now with all this said, don’t be afraid to push the limits of your machine. You never truly know what your juicer can handle until you put it to the test. If you can minimize the amount of work that you have to put in prior to actually juicing, you increase your likelihood of sticking with your healthy habits. Besides, cleaning up after juicing is work enough, so the least amount of prep required, the better.

Currently I am obsessed with this green lemonade - it’s full of antioxidants that make our cells feel amazing. The only prep that is required is the peeling of the lemon and cutting of the apple. Other than that, this is full of user friendly greens!

Green Lemonade

Makes 1

• 1 lemon
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 granny smith apple
• 1 cucumber

Peel the lemon and chop the apple, kale and cucumber into juicer friendly pieces. Feed it all through a juicer and drink immediately.

We are quickly entering into my favorite season: The season of STRAWBERRIES!

As my most desired snack as a child, and my low sugar go-to fruit as an adult, I simply can’t get enough of this delicious red berry! My family loves strawberries so much that when they are in season, we each eat about a pound a week (so that’s 4 pounds of bright red strawberries in our refrigerator!)

Not only are strawberries delicious, they are super healthy for you, too. They are loaded with antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K and act as a natural anti-inflammatory. Strawberries help fight in the battle of breast, cervical and esophageal cancer.

Strawberries are even good for your eyes! The Archives of Opthalmology recently published a study in which strawberries were found to be one of the fruits that can lower the possibility of contracting age-related macular degeneration by over one-third when you consume 3 servings a day.

Incorporate Strawberries into your day!

Strawberries complement foods so nicely that you can pair it with every meal.

Breakfast: Try slicing up strawberries to add to your oatmeal. I love the way the cold berry blends with the warmth of the oats. If you eat good ol’ old fashion oats, you might find that you no longer need to add sugar (like brown sugar, honey, etc) since the strawberries add amazing flavor.

Lunch: To add dimension to your yogurt, try adding some diced up strawberries!

Dinner: Sliced strawberries are the perfect topper to a spinach salad with walnuts and a vinaigrette dressing.

Dessert: Dip strawberries into a fat free, no sugar added pudding! Drizzle no sugar added chocolate syrup over whole strawberries.

Snack: Nibble on dehydrated strawberries as a snack on the go. Don’t forget juicing and blending, too!

Strawberry Blending and Juicing Recipes!

Blended Strawberry Juice (pictured above)

• 2 cups fresh whole strawberries
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Torini’s Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Cut strawberries into thin slices. Sprinkle over with 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp vanilla syrup (this is the same syrup you’d use to flavor coffee, tea, milk, etc). Leave in the fridge for two hours until the juice starts to come out. Process the strawberries with cold water and lemon juice in a blender. Strain the juice if desired and serve chilled.

Strawberry Lassi

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 cup greek yogurt
• handful of ice cubes

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend till mixed. You can play with the taste of the Lassi by trying different flavored greek yogurts.

Apple Strawberry Juice

•  5 apples
• 1 cup of strawberries

 Cut the stems off of the strawberries and apples. Juice the rest and enjoy!

The Subtle Strawberry 

• 1 cup of blueberries
• 1/3 cup of strawberries
• 1 apple

Cut the stems off of the strawberries and apple. Juice the rest and enjoy!

What are your other favorite foods to add strawberries to?! Tell us in the comments!

Being a tea addict is undoubtedly a good thing because, quite frankly, the stuff is amazing! But the superstar of all tea is Matcha Green Tea.

What is matcha green tea powder?

It’s a premium tea powder which is unique to Japan, used for brewed beverages and recipes. It is renowned for its numerous health benefits, including it’s richness in nutrients, antioxidants and the wonder that is chlorophyll (not bora-phyll!)

The benefits associated with consuming matcha are due in large part to the fact that the whole leaf is ingested, as opposed to just the brewed water. By comparison, nutritionally and in terms of antioxidants, drinking one cup of matcha tea is equivalent to drinking ten cups of the brewed stuff.

Matcha is known for delivering sustained energy because when the amino acid L-theanine, a known relaxant, is combined with caffeine, this drink gives users a sustained calm alertness, as opposed to the buzz characterized by coffee.

Since I discovered this powder I have used it in many applications from cheesecake to a savory salmon sauce. But the way – matcha finds its way into my life the most through my morning almond milk latte.

Every morning after my daily lemon juice shot, I make myself this smooth and silky sipper. Its full of antioxidants, to battle all the free-radicals I will likely be exposed to during the day. And it provides me sustained energy, needed in this frenetic world in which we live.

I sweeten my almost milk matcha latte with coconut sugar, as matcha needs some form of sweetness since the natural flavor is bit bitter. Once enhanced, the flavor becomes palatable and the result is a drink that cannot be described in words – only sounds! Mmmmmm!

Almond Milk Matcha Latte

Makes 1

• 1 ¼ cup vanilla flavored almond milk, warmed
• ½ cup hot water
• 1 tsp matcha green tea powder
• 2 tsp coconut sugar

Combine hot water, matcha and sugar in a blender, and buzz until smooth, or about 1 minute. This step is needed to prevent the matcha powder from lumping. Pour the mixture into a glass and top with almond milk; stir. The milk can be served warmed or chilled.

Don’t remember how to make your own almond milk? Here’s a refresher!

Does anyone remember Iron Man 2? The special effects were memorable, but it was Gwyneth Paltrow’s tiny premiere dresses and shorts that had everyone buzzing.

One of the foods that helped Gwyneth get in shape—and maintain her legendary glow—for the worldwide movie premiere was a sweet juice made from our favorite powerhouse veggie: kale.

This isn’t Country Time—Gwyneth’s “lemonade” has a green, grassy flavor, of course, but it’s so simple (3 ingredients + water!) and so healthy that you can pump up the lemon or agave until it’s just perfect for your taste buds.

Drink it first thing in the morning; it will kick-start your immune system and give you a healthy, daylong glow that will make you feel like a movie star.

You’ll need:

• 1 bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves washed
• 2 lemons (kick it up to 3 if you need the extra immune boost)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar (or more to taste)
• 1/2 cup cold water

Make the kale lemonade

1. Juice the kale and lemon.
2. Mix in the agave nectar. Stir well.
3. Swirl in the half cup of cold water.
4. Taste. More agave? More lemon? It’s up to you.
5. Drink it down!

Don’t forget, cruciferous kale is a fantastic source of dietary fiber, manganese, and vitamins K, A, and C. It’s also anti-inflamatory, antioxidant, and it’s even been shown to have anti-cancer properties.

Photo attribute: easyrawfooddetoxdiet.com

During my pregnancies, I didn’t have Morning Sickness – I had All Day Sickness that lasted the entire nine months.  There wasn’t much that would bring me relief, so I was willing to try anything and everything. This is when I discovered a little root called ginger.

You can find ginger root at your local supermarket or specialty store. It typically costs about $1.99 a pound and will survive for up to 3 weeks if stored in a plastic bag in your refrigerator.

To relive my nausea, I’d peel the root and slice a one inch chunk into 15 pieces, then boil the chunks in water for 30 minutes, and viola! I had a tea that settles the tummy. Little did I know that the power in ginger was oh so much more than it’s awesome soothing abilities.

What else can ginger do for you?

•  In addition to helping with nausea, ginger also relives bloating and gas!
•  Ginger contains antioxidants and phytochemicals. It’s a natural anti-inflammatory that helps arthritis, asthma, and even migraines.
• In the battle against heart disease, it prevents cholesterol from oxidizing and lowers your LDL (lousy) cholesterol. Ginger also lowers your triglycerides, which are important as a mechanism for storing your unused calories.
• Ginger helps prevent blood clots, which then lowers your risk of stroke and heart attack.
•  In the home, ginger is used to treat coughs, colds, and congestion. Ginger also acts as an antihistamine to help with allergies.
•  Ginger juice can also be used on snake bites. As a natural pain killer it provides immediate relief for tooth aches and minor burns!
•  The University of Minnesota conducted a study that found ginger may slow the growth of colorectal cancer cells (colon cancer).
•  A study conducted at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center found that when ginger powder was applied to ovarian cancer cells it induced cell death.
•  Heartburn sufferers can find relief in the root. It also helps protect against ulcers and gall stones.
•  And ladies…ginger can help with those awful menstrual cramps!

Impressive, right? My husband calls it the miracle spice!

Juicing with ginger!

Ginger can be added to almost all your favorite juicing recipes! The daily recommendation is 5g, so I usually use recipes that call for 1 inch of ginger.

Kick start your morning with this simple recipe (pictured above):

• 8 medium Carrots
• 3 Apples
• 1 inch of Ginger

Remember to wash your fruits and veggies before juicing, especially fruits that have a wax coating – like apples. The ginger adds a nice finish to the juice and you’ll find yourself with a boost of energy!

Here is a yummy recipe that will also get you going. Literally.

• 3 medium Apples
• 3 large Pears
• 1 inch of ginger

This recipe is a mild laxative, so it’s great for regulating bowel movements.

For a sweet green juice, try this:

•  1 cucumber
•  1 carrot
•  1 green apple
•  1/4 cup parsley
•  1/4 cup mint
•  1 stalk of celery
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 1/2 lemon (peeled)

Cucumber is great for your skin and the celery is a natural diuretic, helping with the unwanted water weight!

What is your favorite Ginger juicing recipe?

Tell us in the comments below!

Well, this marks the end of the Anatomy of a Detox series, and, in my humble opinion, I believe that having an arsenal of healthy go-to recipes is essential for a detox success. When it comes to the food, it’s imperative to eat clean. So if you find yourself in the center aisles of the grocery store, you are lost – turn around and head back to the perimeter!

You’ll notice that when you undertake a cleanse or simply embark on a clean eating lifestyle, you will find that your grocery store trips will be quick, because you get to skip the interior of the grocery store altogether. However, you will also notice that you will be in the grocery store far more frequently than before, because the emphasis is on freshness – fresh fruit, vegetables and proteins. But trust me when I say that you’ll get used to it!

I will end this series by sharing a few of my favorite clean recipes, and bid you good luck in your detoxification efforts!

Beet, Apple, Mint Juice

Serves 1
Press 1 small beet, 5 chopped carrots, 1 cored apple and ¼ cup fresh mint through a juice extractor and serve immediately. Alternately, in a blender, blend all ingredients and strain through a fine mesh sieve; serve immediately.

Green Machine Smoothie

Serves 2
Combine 6 chopped romaine leaves, 4 chopped kale leaves, ½ cup fresh parsley sprigs, ½ cup frozen pineapple, ½ cup frozen mango, 1 inch fresh ginger and ½ cup cold water. Blend ingredients until smooth.

Grape Fruit, Carrot and Ginger Juice

Serves 1
Press 2 chopped grapefruit (peel and pith removed), 5 chopped carrots, 1 inch fresh ginger (peeled and chopped) and feed through a juice extractor; serve immediately. Alternately, in a blender, blend all ingredients and strain through a fine mesh sieve; serve immediately.

Toasted Coconut Muesli

Serves 1
In a bowl, combine 2 tbsp toasted unsweetened coconut flakes, 2 tbsp cooked gluten free rolled oats, ½ sliced apple, ¼ cup thawed frozen berries, ½ cup almond milk.

Quinoa, Poached Egg and Cucumber

Serves 2
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 sliced garlic clove and cook for 1 minute. Add 5oz rinsed spinach and steam, covered, until wilted, about 1 minute; season with coarse salt.

Rinse pan and add 2 inches of water and bring to boil. Add 1 peeled and thinly sliced carrot and cook until tender; about 1 minute. Remove from water and combine with spinach. Reduce heat to simmer and poach 2 large eggs for 3-4 minutes. Divide 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa between 2 bowls. Top with egg, spinach, carrots and thinly sliced cucumber. In a bowl whisk 1tsp white wine vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp coarse salt and drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle with red chili flakes and 1 tsp fresh chives.

Good luck on your detox, and share with me any questions, concerns, or comments, as always!