treats - juice cleanse (day 2)

i was a bit apprehensive about continuing the cleanse after my exorcism remake the night before, but i decided to give it one more try.

it made more sense to me to completely eliminate celery, my bitter enemy (pun definitely intended), and stick with fruits and veggies i know i like.


day 2

there's a juicing method called "drinking the rainbow" where you go for a red juice one day, orange the next and so on. this method will help your body get a diverse mix of nutrients from the variety of produce you consume. i was hoping to do this last night, but had to push to day 2.

rainbow red
the goods:
- 1 bin of strawberries
- 1 bunch green grapes
- 2 red apples
- 1 pomegranate (juicing instructions below)

the how to:
- juice the strawberries and grapes on low
- cut the apples in half (coring optional) and juice on high
- add pomegranate juice to final juice

pour pomegranate juice into blended mixture

the results:
the pomegranate adds a bit of tartness, but it's oh-so good. tastes very much like candy and extremely kid-friendly.

rainbow red juice

juicing a pomegranate
the tools:
- 1 pomegranate
- sharp knife
- bowl of cold water
- food processor or blender

the how to:
- cut off the crown of the pomegranate
- using your knife, lightly quarter the fruit from crown to bottom, only going a few centimeters below the skin

gently quarter your pomegranate

- soak pomegranate in bowl of water for several minutes
- keeping the fruit in the water bowl, gently crack along the slit quarters; the seeds should fall to the bottom of the bowl

- place seeds in food processor or blender and lightly pulse until it becomes a liquid

- optional: run juice through sieve to strain the juice from the pits

mean green (alternate)
the goods:
- 2 apples
- 9 sprigs kale
- 1 zucchini
- 1 bunch wheatgrass

the how to:
- wrap wheatgrass into kale bunch and juice on low
- turn juicer onto high and toss in zucchini (peel on) and apples
*if you take the skin off of the zucchini, juice on low

the results:
the wheatgrass gives this bright green mixture a savory flavor, while the apples add a hint of tartness.

mean green (alt) juice

tie die
the goods:
- 8oz blueberries
- 4 carrots
- 1 red apple
- 4 sprigs kale

the how to:
- bunch kale and juice on low
- pour in blueberries on low
- juice apple and carrots on high

the results:
a tie-died fruit and veggie mix with a smooth blueberry finish.

by the end of day 2 my chompers are a bit sore because they want to be more active, but i'm not hungry or sick. i did decide to completely eliminate my food network viewing to help reduce temptation, so aside from my painful withdrawals from not watching CHOPPED, i'm feeling great.

treats - juice cleanse (day 1)

after watching the documentary "fat, sick and nearly dead," i was very inspired to not only try juicing but attempt what they call a "reboot" as well. in the film, they were challenging people to take a 10 day juice-only diet.

that all sounds fine and good, but i wanted to do something a little more realistic. having spoken to some juice cleansing friends as well as scouring the internet for juicing tidbits, i learned that your body feels a bit crummy during the first 3 days for the cleanse. guess i should push passed 3 days and go for 5! and why not challenge myself a bit and actually try for 7.

lucky number 7 it is! 7 days of fresh fruit and veggie juice creations that i put together in my own kitchen. that's realistic, right?


day 1

fat flush
the goods:
- 3 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1/2 cucumber (skin on)
- 1/2 bunch parsley

the how to:
- juice all ingredients on high
- if you do peel your cucumber, juice on low
*hint - bunch up your parsley and wrap around your cucumber to maximize your juice

the juice will separate, so give it a good stir before you drink it

the results:
a muddy green juice with a very strong celery taste
drink twice a day

fat flush juice

mean green
this recipe is actually from the movie "fat, sick and nearly dead."

the goods:
- 6 kale leaves
- 1 cucumber
- 4 celery stalks
- 2 green apples
- 1/2 lemon
- ginger (to taste)

the how to:
- juice lemon on low
- juice the rest of the ingredients on high
- be sure to wrap the kale around the cucumber to maximize your juice
- if this is your first mean green, start without the ginger and add in as needed

the results:
a bright green, full glass plus half a mason jar. the lemon and green apples make it very tart.

mean green juice

i wanted to do a second fat flush and fruit mix later in the day, but i ended up getting sick during my mean green juice. i'm going to blame it on the celery. i've decided to eliminate that ingredient since i strongly dislike celery in any form and will substitute another leafy green in its place.

wish me luck for day 2!