the green monster

it's been so hard to get this post written. the distractions have been numerous in Boston this week. hard to think of yourself in a time like this. i held my kids (8 and 4) extra tight this week. my heart goes out to the families that have been hurt by the Boston Marathon bombs.

juicing

i love juicing lately. quick, fun, easy. and these juices are not to be confused with the bottled juices at the food store.  like cran-this or juicy-that.  do you know how much sugar is added to those? do you know how much actual fruit is not? gosh well when we make our own here in our zesty kitchen we can control everything. my control diminishes of course when the kids are in the kitchen :)

juices are a great way to consume your fruits and vegetables and to help you add some amazing super foods into your diet. i'm not talking a fruit here and a vegetable there. i guess you have to be a juicer to know but in each 16 ounce mason jar of homemade juice is like a half a head of greens, 2-3 vegetables, and 2 pieces of fruit.  if you were to sit and try to eat all that you would be extremely full or may not even finish. but in a juice it's down the hatch in minutes. the reason is that during juicing the pulp is pulled out. the pulp is the cell walls of the veggie or fruit. the fiber lives here but none of the vitamins and nutrients. without the pulp you can consume more. and without the pulp the good stuff from your juice can be absorbed into your body faster for immediate use.

juicing can not be confused with smoothies. i make those too but the result is different. you cannot get the volume of fruits and veggies in a smoothie that you can in juicing. and the equipment is different. juicer vs blender. however you can still get a juice out of a blender if you really want to. just blend and strain! probably more difficult than a juicer but doable. um let me know how this turns out because i've never actually tried it!

now i mentioned fun above. and it's serious fun. even my kids get into it. i'll wash and cut an array of fruits and veggies and let them create their own concoction. the brighter the beverage the better! even more? they drink it! sometimes the best juices i come up with are discovered in this way too. for high flavor, my favorite additions to juices are ginger, lemon peel, and cayenne!

the green monster
**there may be other "green monster" juice recipes out there but i simply can't not name this as such.
*organic only!

• 1/2 head (2 cups) hydroponic spinach leaves and stems washed
• 4-5 kale leaves and stems washed
• 1/2 cucumber washed
• 2 green apples washed and cut. no stems
• 1/2 lemon with peel

1. wash all veggies and fruits even though they are organic. i like to fill a big bowl with water and just let everything float around in there for about 10 minutes. most dirt will fall off. pull the ingredients out and let dry on some dish towels.
2. cut the apple into pieces that fit into your juicer chute. no stems.
3. feed the greens first. then follow with the rest in any order.

if this is your first juice, be open-minded. drink more than one sip. by sip 3 you will love this!

enjoy - j