by Andrea Rodgers
I lived it. I used to be a juice addict. If it was in the produce section of the store, I’d try and juice it. I made and drank SO MUCH DAMN JUICE.
Beet juice, carrot juice, tomato juice, orange juice, banana juice (why?!?!), juice mixes, cabbage juice…
Yes. That’s right. CABBAGE.
You live and learn. My new jam is whole juice, meaning I use my high powered blender to blend whole fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds into a juice. I do have to add liquid though. I usually use water, coconut water, tea, cold coffee, or occasionally, juice. The benefit of whole juice compared to a juicer made juice is that you get all the nutrients of the produce, especially fiber. And that fiber aids with the digestion of all those nutrients, especially the fructose in fruit. Yeah whole juice is not just a sugar bomb.
This is my current go to “recipe”. It is easy. It is fresh, green and really, really good for you. That does mean it might be a little bit of an acquired taste. It’s not cabbage juice acquired, so don’t be scared. But we could call it a “No Chew Breakfast Salad”. But we won’t.
What makes it so healthy and worth starting your day with? It is plant based, vegan and I’m pretty sure paleo. Plus, it is chock full of the good stuff. We’ve got vitamins C, A and K1 in the house with the lemon, celery and spinach. Minerals, like potassium, folate and iron, from the veggies and hemp seeds. We’ve got fiber from the produce. The hemp seeds contain protein and omega-3 fatty acids. The adaptogenic mushrooms, cordyceps and reishi, are full of antioxidants, fight inflammation and reduce fatigue.
What’s not to love?
What you’ll need:
- 2 big handfuls of baby spinach
- 2 celery ribs
- ¼ of an unpeeled cucumber
- ½ of a lemon, peeled
- 2 TBS hemp seeds
- 1t cordyceps powder
- 1t reishi powder
- Cool water, about 1½ cups
Throw all of the ingredients in a high power blender. Blend for 60 seconds on high. My Blendtec has a whole fruit juice button. Pour and drink up! Makes 1 large serving.
Feel free to switch it up. I have subbed coconut water for the water. Added an apple, blueberries or pineapple for sweetness, because as is the sweetest ingredient in the smoothie is spinach. Switched up lime for the lemon and added mint leaves. Sometimes I throw in parsley or cilantro if I have it laying around. Feel free to leave out the cordyceps and reishi if you don’t have them, and toss in some flavorless powder you do have. Occasionally, I grate fresh ginger into it. Get fancy with it. Make it yours!
Cheers and bottoms up!
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