Juice junkie pt. 2

Continuing to take breaks form this -space- for the moment due to some crazy changes happening in our household. Not much time to sit in front of my computer! Anyways, the reason why we are here today is to discuss my obsession over smoothies/juicing which I have discussed before. Silas freaks out if I go into the kitchen (it's blocked off by a baby gate) so my time to eat during the day is minimal. Now, let's not get crazy here and replace food with juice/smoothies, but it makes it easier to get through the day if I have a couple of these vitamin packed drinks rather than snack on chips or what have you. I love, love our vitamix and it really is my favorite household appliance. I can pound one of these out in about 15 seconds with that gorgeous piece of machinery. Worth every penny.

Now, lets talk about the ingredients. I really put little thought into what I'm about to make. And I mean, little. I tend to just toss in whatever we have going on in the freezer and fridge. One thing I love to experiment with thought is color. I absolutely love creating a juice that looks beautiful. It really makes it more fun to drink. Vibrant pink (beets, raspberries), bright green (kale, cilantro), orange (mango mixed with tangerines). I usually start with a base of coconut water because it contains a good amount of potassium and electrolytes, but if I don't do that than it is always filtered water. Next I go with something on the sour/tart side. Citrus (grapefruit is my fav!) is a good go to for that. Next up is a little something sweet- mango, banana, pineapple. Those are my go to choices and sometimes I end up adding all three. If I feel like going green it's always kale. Raw kale, stem on. Ginger is also my must have. So you can see how easy and fun it is to create your own mix. I have a couple of "go to" combinations, but I also love to experiment. This week I bought a small watermelon and added it to everything. It tasted amazing. Definitely got my wheels turning for some new summer inspired juices that are thirst quenching, but still so good for you.

Most recently I've been adding some super foods to my drinks. I've always been a big hemp seed person  - delicious, nutty, and lots of protein, and Chia seeds have been big in my house too. After doing some research though I knew I wanted to a little more. Maca and camu powder were my choices and a bit more affordable than the others that I wanted (Goji berries! Why do you cost so much?! Also, Bee Pollen!!). Obviously it's best to do your own research on what is right for you, but there are so many ways to get nutrition packed into your daily juices.

Here are a few of my recent favorites:

Carrot. Grapefruit. Ginger

2 cups of carrot juice
1 ruby red grapefruit peeled
1 1/2 piece of ginger

*Blend until smooth and chill.

Watermelon. Pineapple. Mango. Banana

2 cups of watermelon
1/2 cup of pineapple
1/2 cup of mango
1/2 banana

*I use mostly frozen fruit. Blend until smooth.

Kale. Maca. Pineapple. Mango. Banana. Coconut H2O

4 stalks of kale, stem on
1 tsp of maca powder
1/2 of pineapple
1/4 mango
1/2 banana
Coconut H2O

*Blend until smooth adding coconut H2O until you get a consistency you want.