Two Generations of Healthy Lifestyles: Favorite Green Juice

After years of buying green juices in the store, last summer, I finally decided to get one of  my own. I have always loved the feeling that I get after drinking a green juice, yet I wasn’t even getting the full benefits. It wasn’t until I went to The Nectary, a juice store in my home town, that I learned about how much more beneficial a fresh green juice is than one that has been sitting on the shelf for weeks. Sure enough, when they made me a fresh, cold-pressed juice I immediately could tell the difference.

Since buying my juicer, I have been on a juicing craze; the feeling you get after consuming just one will get you hooked. There are many things I love about juicing, the fact that I am getting an abundant of macronutrients and micronutrients, and the fact that I am getting a large quantity of fruits and vegetables that I would never be able to just sit down and eat. Juicing makes getting your daily servings of fruits and vegetables easy!

When I juice, I look to have a mixture of textures, flavors, and variety as to get as much nutrient diversity as possible. In addition, having a mixture of textures helps my juicer from getting stuck when it is breaking down the fruits and vegetables to extract their juices.

Today I will be sharing one of my go-to green juice recipes; it is a combination that I use often for it has great balance between sweet and savory, and many micro and macronutrients.

I start by chopping up what I have in the fridge, which always includes carrots, cucumbers, and apples. This time I also had oranges, parsley, and ginger, so I threw those into the mix as well. I always aim to have 2-3 either apples or oranges, or a combination like I did here, for their sweetness mellows out the strong flavors of all the dark leafy greens and ginger.

• Carrots: Rich in vitamins A, B, and C, Iron, Calcium, Potassium, and Sodium
• Cucumbers: Moderate source of vitamin A, Iron, and Potassium, also have a high water content so are great for flushing toxins out of your body
• Parsley: One of the riches sources of vitamin C
• Ginger: Great for the digestive system and the liver, and increases nutrient absorption
• Orange: Good source of vitamin C and choline, which improves mental function
• Apples: Good source of vitamin A, C, and riboflavin, and are high in two important phytochemicals: pectin and boron

–The Juicing Bible, by Pat Crocker

Carrot, cucumber, apple, orange, parsley, ginger

Next I go into the garden and look to see what kinds of dark leafy greens look ready to pick (any dark leafy green will work so buy or grow whatever is your favorite :)). Today I chose a combination of Rainbow Chard, Lacinato and Red Russian Kale, Collard Greens, and Lemon Balm.

• Leafy Greens: excellent source of vitamin A, C, chlorophyll, calcium, iron, folic acid, and potassium
• Lemon Balm: Antioxidant, antihistamine, antiviral, antibacterial, nerve relaxant, antidepressant, and stimulate bile flow, which emulsifies fat.

-The Juicing Bible, by Pat Crocker

“Nitrates, concentrated in green, leafy vegetables…, not only help deliver oxygenated blood to your muscles by helping dilate your arteries but also enable your body to extract more energy from that oxygen- something never before thought possible.”

–  How Not to Die, Michael Greger, M.D,

Finally, I added a mixture of powdered chlorella and spirulina, and whisked it into about 4 ounces of water, then added that mixture into my juiced fruits and vegetables prior to consumption.

• Chlorella: A freshwater green algae, rich in protein and phytonutrients such as chlorophyll, amino acids, and vitamins that hydrate and protect skin cells.
• Spirulina: A blue-green algae that delivers beta carotenes, chlorophyll, protein, and vitamin B to skin

– Chlorophyll mask, Cocokind

The result of juicing all of these amazing plants: one glass packed full of nutrients sure to uplift your mood and cleanse your body!

MY FAVORITE GREEN JUICE RECIPE: 

Ingredients:

• 4 carrots, I used rainbow carrots
• 2 small english cucumbers
• 1 apple
• 2 Oranges
• 1 cup parsley
• 2 inch piece ginger
• 4-6 cups of leafy greens, I used rainbow chard, collard greens, and kale
• 10 leaves lemon balm, or peppermint, or whatever other herb you like
• 1/2 tsp spirulina (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chlorella

Directions:

1. Chop all vegetables small enough to fit easily into your juicer.
2. Juice all ingredients, alternating between different types of fruits and vegetables until all ingredients have been used.

*Note: If you do not have a juicer but have a high speed blender, blend the ingredients in 1/2 batches for about one minute until everything is broken down, then strain through a nut bag, used to make nut milk.

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and the feeling of green juices as much as I am. Be sure to check out Adrienne’s favorite Green juice recipe that she is sharing today on her blog!

I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week, let me know how your juices turn out!

Much love and kindness, 

Tori ❤