Mood Changer Juice, by Diane

The local juice shop by me has this delicious juice called the Mood Changer. It has all kinds of ingredients that have mood boosting effects, and it's really good! A few mornings ago, I was prepping to my make typical AM green juice (apple, kale, parsley, lemon, ginger, and cucumber) but I had some strawberries that were about to go bad. I realized that all of the ingredients except the parsley and cucumber were in the Mood Changer juice, so I threw the strawberries into the mix. I kept the parsley and cucumber too, because why mess with perfection and hydration! This combo turned out to be SO good, I will definitely have it on regular rotation now! The apples I've been using are fresh picked from a local orchard, and having them fresh and in season definitely helps as well.

Ingredients:

1 small green or yellow apple, preferably tart or sweet and sour like a Cameo
1 inch ginger (use 1/2 this if you don't like the taste)
10 small-medium strawberries
1 small handful parsley, leaves only
3 large leaves of kale, stalks included
1 small cucumber, peeled
1/2 lemon, rind removed


Directions:

Juice the first three ingredients together, then the greens, then the cucumber and lemon last. Stir and drink immediately!

Green Turmeric Juice, by Diane

I came across this recipe from the website Juicing Vegetables as a good juice for inflammation and energy. I decided to give it a try, and it was just ok. Taste-wise I would reduce the lemon to a 1/2 because it's pretty bitter, and maybe even add in an apple or something to improve the overall flavor. But, I knew that health-wise it was good for me and that helped!

Ingredients:

2 inches turmeric
3 large carrots
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1 cucumber
1 lemon

Directions:

Juice in the above order and drink right away!

Spicy Green Apple Juice, by Diane

This is the current juice recipe on heavy rotation this summer! It is hydrating, refreshing, and perfect for the heat. Lots of great health benefits in here too! I used red delicious apples here, but any apples would do. If you don't like your juice as spicy, cut back on the amount of ginger. Customize your greens the way you like as well!


Ingredients:

2 small apples
1 1/2 inches ginger
1/2 large cucumber
2 large handfuls of greens (I use a kale spinach blend)
1/2 large lemon, peeled


Directions:

Juice all ingredients in the order listed above and enjoy!

Asian Pear Green Juice, by Diane

This juice was born when I bought a giant crate of asian pears and didn't know what to do with all of them. Asian pears are a cross between an apple and a pear, and are juicy and crunchy and soooo good! I created this recipe to highlight the taste of this amazing fruit, and the result is delicious, slightly sweet, and very hydrating and healthy!

Ingredients:

1 large asian pear
1/2 inch ginger
3 large leaves kale, stems included
3 celery stalks
1/2 lemon, peel removed


Directions:

Juice in the above order and enjoy fresh!

Spicy Tropics Juice, by Diane

This juice is super hydrating, energizing, and provides an amazing kick midday that will keep you going! The fresh pineapple is amazing for inflammation and pain as well. If you want it sweeter, you can either add more pineapple or a sweetener. This one is a keeper!


Ingredients:

6 cubes fresh pineapple
1/2-1 inch ginger
1 inch slice jalepeno, seeds and ribs removed
1 large handful cilantro
1 large handful parsley
3 large leaves/stems kale
1/2 lime, peel removed
1 orange, peel removed
1/2 cucumber, peeled if not organic
1/2 cup coconut water

Directions:

1. Juice all ingredients in the order above and enjoy!

Cacao Pear Juice, by Cheryl

This is another good drink from "Superfood Juices"! I had this for breakfast, but I would definitely drink it as a dessert drink or as a sweet snack rather than have it for breakfast. It was my first time juicing pears and I didn't realize that the juice would have a little thickness to it, which I thought was great for this type of drink. Also, cacao offers more magnesium than any other food. Magnesium plays an extremely important role in the body as it aids in the absorption of calcium, promotes detoxification, and helps ease symptoms of PMS and menopause. You do need to pull out the blender though in order to blend the cacao powder, almond butter, and other things so that's the only annoying thing about making this drink. I would make this again though and I think Jon will actually be excited to drink one of my juices :) Yum!

Ingredients:

4 extra-ripe pears
2 teaspoons almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Directions:

Juice the pears. Transfer the fresh juice to the blender, add the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.

Acai Yam Juice, by Cheryl

I'll add a better picture when I make it again!

I recently bought the book "Superfood Juices" by Julie Morris in order to have a bunch of different juice recipes at my fingertips. This is my first recipe from the book and it was a hit! It's sweet, creamy, and milky and has great things like antioxidants from the acai powder and healthy fats from the almond butter, not too mention all of the benefits of carrots and yams (although I used a sweet potato). Just don't smell it before you drink it... I didn't think that I would be able to drink it after that, but the taste is much better than the smell! Yum!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound yam, well scrubbed (I used one sweet potato)
2 carrots
1 cup coconut water
1 tablespoon acai powder
1 tablespoon almond butter

Directions:

1) Juice the yam and carrots.

2) Pour the juice into a blender and add the remaining ingredients. Blend well into a creamy mixture.

Orange Gingerade, by Diane

This is my current staple juice and it is PERFECT for the summer! So simple, and very refreshing. It has amazing nutrients like vitamin C, protein, and the ginger packs a great anti-inflammatory punch! Today I followed the recipe but also added 100% papaya pear juice and it was even better!!

The recipe uses a lot of ginger so if you're a ginger newbie I would suggest cutting it in half. I love the spice that this amount of ginger brings, and it's part of the refreshment for me!

Ingredients:

1.5 cups mixed greens (I love kale, chard, and spinach)
1 inch ginger
1 extra large or 2 large naval oranges

Directions:

Layer ingredients in this order: 1/2 of the spinach, all of the ginger, then remaining spinach. This helps to ensure that all of the ginger gets juiced. Then juice the orange to rinse out any remaining greens. YUM.

Tropi-Kale Juice, by Diane

This is my new summery juice fave. It tastes like the tropics in a glass, and I can barely finish juicing everything before I've downed the whole giant mason jar. I originally created it as part of a juice fast, and I had no problem downing both the jar in the forefront and the background all day long. Yum! I've also added papaya juice to this combo and it's even more heavenly!


Ingredients:

1/2 pineapple
4 large kale leaves, including stems
5 minneola oranges (they taste more towards a combo of an orange and a tangerine)
1-2 cups coconut water


Directions:

Juice away! :) Add an umbrella for flair!

The Non-Juicer's Juice, by Diane

This juice started from cleaning out the fridge from last night's dinner (tilapia po' boys with jicama apple coleslaw and sweet potato fries). I knew the leftover veggies and fruits would go to waste so I made this creation. I call it the non-juicer's juice because it's the perfect recipe for newbies who can't fathom drinking veggies or those who hate the taste of greens and beets. It's sweet and tastes kind of like a kid's juice drink, but very nutritious and of course, anti-inflammatory!


Ingredients:

4 small fuji or gala apples
1/2 sweet potato, peeled
1/2 jicama, peeled
1/4 inch knob ginger
2 cups coleslaw mix (shredded green and purple cabbage with carrots)

Directions: Juice and enjoy! You could also make this in a vitamix or blender but I would peel the ginger.

Bright Green "Neon" Juice, by Diane

I make fresh juice all the time, but this one is my all-time favorite and has been heavily in rotation since last spring so I thought I'd post it! I call it Neon because the flavors are so bright they really do wake you up! I love it as an early morning or afternoon pick-me-up instead of coffee. Plus, it's incredibly healthy and supports your immune and cardiovascular systems! It sort of tastes like an apple jolly rancher candy, without the sugar!

Note- if you don't like the tart taste of green apples, switch to a green pear instead!


Ingredients:

1 green apple
15 green grapes
1 large stalk celery
1/4 lemon, peel and white part removed
1 small piece ginger
1 cup spinach
1 small bunch parsley

Blend all ingredients whole in a juicer and enjoy!!

Apple-Beet-Carrot-Ginger Juice, by Diane

Before...

...After!!!

This year for Chanukkah I asked for a juicer, since juicing seems to be the latest health craze here and I've been pretty interested in it for a few months. Juicing involves taking fresh, raw, and hopefully organic fruits, vegetables, and plants and extracting the juice into a very healthy drink. The skin and leaves and even cores of most items are left on because you are trying to get the most nutrients possible in your drink. The idea behind juicing yourself (or going to one of the many juice bars that are popping up here) is that you drink what you juice on the spot, rather than drinking bottled juice, because there are several key enzymes that disappear after even a few hours of being extracted. 

I had been drinking Naked's Green Machine for a while now because of it's healthy ingredients, but hated the amount of sugars in the drink. So, after hearing several friends proclaim that it was making them feel amazing, I decided to ask for a juicer for Chanukkah. I started out with this recipe, because it's the sweetest and most "juice" tasting juice recipe I know while still being mostly veggies. It is an acquired taste because of the beet, but one that very quickly becomes delicious and is surprisingly filling. I have been using this basic recipe to add in other things like pears and cucumbers, too. So far I feel a bit better and it's definitely the healthiest meal of my day!!

Ingredients:

2 apples (I like gala for their sweetness)

4 carrots

1 small beet

1/4 inch slice ginger

Few drops fresh lemon juice (to keep the apples from browning)

Directions:

1. Prewash all ingredients with an organic wash to make sure you are getting rid of pesticides, etc. since the skin will remain on. Chop off any brown spots or rough ends.

2. Place ingredients whole in juicer, adding in the lemon drops after the apples.

3. Drink cold and immediately!