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

Blend 'em up or juice 'em down?

To blend or to juice? - that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to chug a frosty glass of sweet green nectar, or to slurp up a creamy concoction with a spoon…ahem.

You get the point. Personally, we’re big proponents of the blend and juice theory (otherwise known as “get your greens whenever you can, however you can”), but if you’ve ever vacillated between the two, you know that each version has its pros and cons. So we’re here to help you decide.

There’s no right answer—it all comes down to what you want out of your veggies.

Juicing: It’s all about VOLUME

The biggest pro of juicing is that it enables you to get a ton of nutrients, fast. Are you planning to sit down and eat a head of kale, a plate of spinach, a couple of carrots, and a pear? Of course not—but with juicing, you can drink it all up in mere seconds.

Juicing reduces fruits and veggies to pure, liquid nutrients — no fiber involved. Basically, juicing does the chewing for you, so all the vitamins are delivered into your system much faster than they would be if you gnawed on a stalk of celery.

If you’re sick, or have a sensitive digestive system, juicing is especially beneficial, since your body doesn’t have to work hard to get a huge rush of nutrients. Of course, you have to be careful—pure fruit juice can make your blood sugar levels go wild. Add plenty of vegetables to your juices to avoid a spike in blood sugar.

Blending: It’s all about FIBER

When you blend a stalk of kale, all of the plant’s valuable fiber is still contained in the smoothie. The high fiber content of a green smoothie is part of why it’ll keep you much fuller than a glass of juice.

The blending action destroys the cell walls of fruits and veggies, making them easy for your system to digest, but the presence of fiber helps your body regulate your blood sugar levels. If you’re looking to replace a meal with something green, a smoothie is your best bet.

And let’s not forget that smoothies give you the option to add fancy, non-veggie ingredients like hemp, flax, or chia seeds.

Photo attribute: www.melodybeefarms.com

What do you think? Weigh-in using the comment form below!

This morning I had an epiphany. After slowly coming to consciousness from what appears to be a chocolate-induced full-body coma (I don’t remember much of what happened last night, but there’s evidence – a few dozen individually-wrapped candy bars wrappers littering the perimeter of my living-room couch like plastic Sloppy Joe’s rum cups line the gutters of Duval Street the morning following the last day of Fantasy Fest in Key West), I realize I need a shower. I also need some water. And some fresh juice.

And then it hit me! It was a shockingly joyous and exhilarating revelation, like the first time a four-year old discovers he can burp! One, Two, Three…they ran through my cranium so fast, I could barely keep up with the incredible wave of inspiration. I scrambled to jot down what was suddenly flooding my thoughts.

I grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote furiously. When I was finished, I sat back and took a deep breath. I raised the paper eye-level, and adjusted my focus, so that I could decipher the meaning of it all. And that’s when I realized I had become the humble recipient of a powerful, unexplain-able force - divine intervention, indeed – I’ve been called on to release the Ten Commandments of Juicing.

Having the blessing of the juice and fruit Gods reining through my chosen blood, I now bestow this incredible fountain of righteousness and wisdom on the meaning of juicing; to codify the path of the harvest believers to live a life of happiness, health, and of course, juice.

1. Thou Shall Put NO Task Before Juicing - get your juice in the morning. Not only will it give you the energy and nutrients to tackle your full day, but it will help you get into a consistent routine and give you something to look forward to each day.
2. Thou Shall Not Imitate Juice - many find supplement and vitamins to be a quick and easy alternative to juicing. The problem is that a growing body of researchers have found dietary and nutritional issues with vitamins and supplements, so I can’t suggest taking them. Besides, can anything really replace the taste of fresh juice?
3. Thou Shall Not Take The Name of Juice In Vain – when your juicer clogs, don’t curse it. It’s little motor can’t take that kind of harsh criticism. Unclog it, and try chopping your fruits and veggies into smaller chunks.
4. Remember To Juice on Holidays – I love holidays as much as the next guy, but it’s easy to get caught up in the whole “eat, drink and be merry” thing! Remember to juice on the holidays to keep up your regiment. Try some seasonal spices, fruits or veggies to keep it fun!
5. Honor Thy Juicer – keep it clean and use it properly. Your juicer should last quite a while, as long as you treat it with care!
6. You Shall Waste No Pulp – check out all the cool things you can do with juice and veggie pulp!
7. You Shall Not Commit Fruit-dultry – we know those Ring Dings look pretty awesome right there on the corner of the supermarket isle (damn those clever marketing reps!). We must avoid temptation to turn away from our juice to junk food!
8. You Shall Share Thy Juice – juice for your kids, neighbors, friends, and for get-togethers. This post was written last winter, but it’s still pretty cool. It’s my 4 favorite holiday drink recipes using fresh juice to entertain with!
9. Thou Shall Read Thy 877MyJuicer Blog – keep in touch with us! Post to our Facebook wall, join our mailing list, and Tweet at us!
10. Thou Shall Share Us – tell your friends about the blog, so they too can get a massive 15% off coupon on any product from the store!

Now go, and spread the mighty word of Juice!

This winter came and left in a blink of an eye. For most of the nation, our winter was especially warm. And now it’s getting warmer!

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?

Juicing is quickly becoming all the rage, with juice bars popping up all over the place. Not to mention the juice cleanse craze that seems to be sweeping the nation. I bet small appliance stores are having a hard time keeping juicers on the shelves, with everyone wanting to get in on the action.

But before you up and buy a juicer of your own, there are few housekeeping rules to know.

The organic versus non organic war rages on, and I don’t intend to weigh in here; however, there are a few things you should be concerned with when juicing.

There is a term called the “Dirty Dozen”, and it refers the fruits and vegetables with high levels of pesticide residue. Sometimes eating organic can get pricey, especially in winter climates. But with this list we can be sure that we at least know what we’re getting into, and therefore can make educated decisions about what we should be consuming organically.

Whether you eat organically or not is especially important if you’ll be juicing your fruits and veggies.

The Dirty Dozen, in terms of the highest to the lowest pesticide residue measured on average:

• Apples
• Celery
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Spinach
• Imported Nectarines
• Grapes
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Potatoes
• Domestic Blueberries
• Lettuce
• Kale/Collard Greens

When I first came across this list, I was surprised and a little bit saddened as some of my favorite fruits and vegetables have the dishonor of being named dirty. But I also felt empowered that at least now I knew.

Immediately I began buying the aforementioned produce organic or local, via the farmer’s market, because I believe buying local and knowing my produce purveyor provides me the luxury of asking key questions, such as “is this sprayed?”

I also set out to find what fruits and vegetables were more safe, containing less pesticide residue. Luckily I also found “The Clean Fifteen”- such cute names they give these lists! Happily, this list contained some of my favorites as well!

• Onions
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapples
• Avocados
• Asparagus
• Sweet Peas
• Mangoes
• Eggplant
• Domestic Cantaloupe
• Kiwi
• Cabbage
• Watermelon
• Sweet Potatoes
• Grapefruit
• Mushrooms

So many options, no?!

How to juggle between buying organic and non-organic

Now when I am feeling the budgetary pinch, for whatever reason, I tend to stick with the clean fifteen for my juice and smoothie contents. Also I have found that frozen organic varieties tend to be cheaper and last longer, due to the nature of them being frozen.

So the next time you juice, ask yourself, am I being “clean” or am I being “dirty”?

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

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

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!

What is the Chicoine family’s Marathon of Health all about?

Dr. Ed Chicoine, a quiet chiropractor from Vancouver, Canada, and his family of 6 started their Marathon of Health on May 8, 2011. The family had resolved to run about 12,500 miles(!), from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, crossing the Canada to Quebec, then heading southbound through New York to Boston, cutting through Tennessee and across the southwest to Pheonix. They’ll be coming through our neighborhood in San Diego, before turning north and heading home!

While the feat is physically amazing in and of itself, it’s the message they are bringing to towns all across the nation that are inspiring thousands.

The Marathon of Health is aiming to raise at least $5 million of more that will be donated to various charities such as Kid SportCanada, Right to Play and Get America Fit, and other organizations whose mission is in helping to raise awareness and support for children’s fitness not only in North America, but also across the globe.

They’re also collecting signatures for their petition in an effort, as their website states, “To create one strong voice and demand change from the food, fitness and health industries, and government.”

Preachin’ Veggies

The group is speaking to children and families about adopting and sticking to a healthy, physical lifestyle and diet. Fruits and vegetables are the centerpiece of that message, as they discuss how these foods are loaded with vitamins and nutrients. All it takes is a little will power and practice to begin swapping out sodas, snacks and other foods that are loaded with calories, sugar and preservatives with fruits and veggies.

And maybe we can learn a thing or two from the Chicoine family, too. I’m in no position to run across two countries. But their efforts are inspiring; it’s helped to remind me of the importance in sticking to a healthy lifestyle, diet and exercise, and be more conscious when I recognize that the daily grind of life is getting in the way.

Your very own Marathon of Health!

Here’s some tips we can take away for sticking to your own healthy, physical, everyday regiment if you find life getting in the way like I do!

• Early to bed and early to rise. Sleep has been proven to dramatically increase our energy levels and overall health, especially in individuals who are used to being up late at night and getting up late in the morning, who then make the switch.
• Doing some morning stretches (5 minutes worth, even!) helps relieve joint and muscle pain.
• Eat a big, hearty breakfast, a medium-portioned lunch, and a small dinner.
• Brisk, morning walks (15-25 minutes), even just a few times a week, will strengthen your heart and probably lengthen your life span, in addition to all the short-term benefits.
• Eat more fruits and veggies. Our second grade teacher was right after all!
• Forgo the elevator. Take the stairs once or twice a week, at least.
• When parking your car, park as far away as possible, whether while shopping or at work.

Any more tips you’d like to share? Please do so in the comments!

The other day, I covered the details of what to eat for breakfast while cleansing, so today I want to cover lunch. Lunch is a crucial time – usually we’re at work or out and about, or otherwise needing the use of our brains.

So it is essential that we give ourselves the fuel required to perform our daily duties, while still being able to cleanse our bodies – we’ve all had ‘diet brain’, and it’s no fun.

One of the reasons that most cleansers fail out of the gate is because by the time lunch rolls around our resolve is weakened. We’re flat out hungry by at that point. But there are ways to cleanse our bodies without the feeling hungry or weak.

Fiber is so important during a cleanse because it allows us to feel full while still staying within our boundaries. There are a variety of fibers that are good for a cleanse, including bulgur, quinoa, millet and barley. Taking care to make sure that we have enough fiber in our diets while cleansing will ensure that we don’t get hungry, thus we reduce the cravings!

Another reason why cleansers fail out of the gate is a lack of planning. On Sundays, I like to prepare meals and little fixins’ for the whole week ahead so that there’s never a time where I find myself wondering what to cook for lunch or dinner. I like to have a variety of soup when I’m cleansing because they’re easy to prepare in large batches and they’re super healthy and filling!

One of my favorite go to cleanse soup recipes is made with carrots. I simply juice a pound of carrots, then heat the pulp, the juice and quinoa altogether. I refrigerate it and have it as a go-to lunch – it’s filling and surprisingly delicious, and keeps me going throughout the whole day.

A new product on the market that is rather that is excellent for cleansing is kombucha. This fermented tea contains more probiotics than Greek yogurt and has the natural sweetness and effervescent that makes it feel like a treat. It also helps incredibly with helping our digestion do what it needs to do (be prepared for a lot of bathroom trips during a cleanse!)

Kombucha is a nice addition, and helps get us going without the need for dairy.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention water. Water is important every single day of our lives, especially while cleansing. Our bodies are composed of over 50% water and we need it to carry out even the most basic of tasks. Sometimes thirst manifest itself as hunger, so be sure to drink at least 2 liters of water a day while attempting any type of cleanse or detox.