Jan 27, 2009

Therapeutic Juice Drinks

OK juicin' Lucys i have some NEW Juice for your Joints!

Blood Sugar Balancer: helpful for diabetes and hypoglycemia
3 carrots
2 lettuce leaves
1 handful string beans
4 brussels sprouts
2 apples

Healthy Bone Tonic: Supplies calcium for maintenance of healthy bones
6 carrots
4 kale leaves
4 sprigs parsley
1/2 apple

Calming Nightcap
2 ribs celery
1 apple
3 carrots

Healthy Heart Cocktail
6 carrots
1/2 apple
1/2 inch slice fresh ginger

Enjoy and Juice It Up!

The Benefits of Pineapple


Pineapple has an enzyme called bromelain. It helps digest protein, which is good for those who like to eat a lot of meat and dairy products. Bromelain will also help reduce the swelling and pain in joints. I provided a few good concoctions for those who'd like to try it. When pineapples are on sale, these are some good one's to try. These recipes are ONE serving.

Pineapple/Celery(one of my favs actually)
2 ribs of celery
4 rings of pineapple

Pineapple/Grapefruit
1/2 grapefruit (must be peeled but leave as much of the white rind as you can b/c this has a lot of good stuff for you)
2 rings of pineapple

Pineapple/Strawberry/Apple
1 Red delicious apple( i use whatever i have)
2 rings of pineapple
6 strawberries

From Snowy Colorado, i leave you with an Aloha Juicers!

Jan 26, 2009

Welcome TuityFruity

Every morning I open THE JUICIN' LUCYS and when I read that a new Lucy has joined and sharing with us their experience about how great they feel I know this is a good thing we are doing.  Welcome Tuity.  Now, I have known Tuity for 30+ years and Tuity, daughter#3, has always been the one that has eaten all the right things(she never eats meat), exercised and taken care of herself faithfully over the years.  She always looks great.  Tuitys the one we have all envied with that gorgeous figure and nature girl look.   And now she is telling us how much better her body feels since she has been juicin' it up!  Talk about inspiration...Thanks Tuity!  What a good idea to freeze to mug.  You have opened a whole new world for us.  We can take our juice with us everywhere now.  When we get those awful hunger pains all we have to do is swig on the juice and kill the pain and get that burst of energy.   Tuity, you are always thinking!  Keep on sharing with us and keep those juicers runnin' Lucys.

Jan 25, 2009

Juicin for Change!

Hello Lucy's! My juicin' journey started on January 5th and I really can't believe what my body is experiencing. It's the craziest thing for me NOT to crave something sweet on a daily basis but i don't(really!). I have lost 3lbs and i feel more balanced and healthier than i have ever felt.
I juice(mixing all sorts together) in the morning and have a Kashi whole grain "plain" waffle with it. Then on my way to work at noon, i bring juice with me. Just rinse your bottle with water and put it in the freezer overnight-it will keep your juice cold a lot longer.
I keep healthy snacks at work such as almonds...and will eat these while drinking my juice. Honestly, i have never felt fuller after i finished my juice. Then for the evening, i always have a meal. So i juice at least 2 meals a day and it seems to have been really working for me.
Now that 4 weeks is approaching, my cravings for mac'n'cheese, etc. has lost all its appeal.
Thanks Lucy's for making me get my 14 year old juicer out(yep,the 1st gift given to me by my then boyfriend-now my hubby). Still juicin' strong and working like a champ!
I will be juicin like this forever! How can you not when you actually see and feel the difference almost immediately.

Jan 24, 2009

Juicin' with kids

As a mom and a preschool teacher, I want to make sure the kids in my care are getting healthy snacks. The other day, I took my juicer and fruits and veggies to school with me. Juicing would be our project! I wasn't sure how the kids would react or how open they would be to drinking their recipe. They LOVED being able to prepare the fruits and vegetables as well as pushing the button to start the juicer. They even enjoyed helping cleaning the parts. But here's the best part...they LOVED the juice!!! But we had to do more than just make juice and drink it. I wanted to make sure they got everything they could out of this experience. So first, they tasted a small piece of each item I brought and we made a graph of whether they liked the way it tasted. Then we juiced a small portion of that item and graphed whether they liked the taste of the juice. The only juice they didn't like was broccoli juice - they said it tasted sour. Finally we juiced all the fruit and veggies together. Although they said it looked "weird" because it was a brownish orange color, they loved the way it tasted! They drank what I gave them and asked for more. They even wanted to share the juice with kids from the other classes.
What we juiced: strawberry, blueberry, carrots, grapes, broccoli, apple, pear and nectarine.
Make sure you include children in your juicing. Allowing them to be part of the preparation and making the juice helps them want to be more involved. Remember kids love using kid-safe knives to help cut the fruit and veggies into pieces.

Jan 23, 2009

Fruit & Veggie Thesaurus


Isn't it frustrating when fruits and vegetable have a few different names? Makes it real hard to try new juices. 
Check out this comprehensive and handy dandy Cooks Thesaurus. 
It shows pictures of the fruit or veggie in question along with all it's alias. 




Or go to www.foodsubs.com to see all the food categories. 

(pictured is swiss chard)


Thai Veggies Identified


Always wondering what the difference is between bok choy and baby bok choy (pictured). 
Not sure what chinese broccoli looks like. 
Too scared to ask the grocery clerk where the ginger root is. 
Well check out this link to three pages of Thai Veggies Identified

**Note: A lot of these veggies are found in other culture's gardens, not just in Thai cooking. It is a great reference for exotic Asian veggies.** **Do your research before you juice anything weird** 

Jicama Juice


Juicin' Jones' New Favorite
I love munching on crunchy jicama sticks while working on set and they are extra yummy in my salad. When my shoots have a bigger budget, I can sneak in the request to the caterer. I crunch crunch all day and it satisfies my thirst (it's the desert, man) and my crunch factor. So I set out for the Latino supermercado to find some to juice, and it is really yummy! Hubby even likes it. 

The root vegetable Jicama (pronounced “HEE-ka-ma”) has a flavor similar to that of water chestnut. Jicama is rich n beta-carotene, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, iron and potassium.  Select jicama that is firm and heavy for its size. Overly large or shriveled jicama is likely to be woody and tough. Jicama can be stored whole and unwrapped in the refrigerator for several weeks but storing it in plastic accelerates mold growth. Once it is cut it is best to use within a day or two. It can be used in salads or peeled, sliced and served with dips. In Latin America it is common to serve jicama with a squeeze of lemon or lime and a dash of salt. Jicama can be juiced, grated into salador grated to the size of rice grains and used as a rice replacement.

Jicama juice is mild, thick and creamy, like potato juice. It is best not to peel jicama before adding it to your juicer, since it has best nutrients contained near the skin even after the skin has been pulped away.

Simply wash them properly, slice and feed them into the juicer.

Carrot Pulp Ideas


CARROT SLAW
This carrot salad is inspired by Cherie Calbom's, author of Juicing for Life, liver cleansing recipe Carrot Salad. She says to take the pulp of the carrot juice and add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cherie says to eat this salad every day to add fiber to diet and help cleanse the liver. 

Here is a little twist to the recipe. After juicing carrots, add an apple or two, few radishes, yellow pepper, and one quarter onion. The pulp will be the slaw, then add yummy raisins and chopped nuts if you like! Then add the tablespoon lemon juice (or juice a lemon with rind off) and olive oil. YUM YUM. 

**Notice that there are NO green veggies in this recipe which makes it an option for those juicers with family members that are on the heart drug cumidin and their doctor forbids them to eat green veggies. (that is YOU dad and uncle Woody)**

CARROT SOUP
2 pints carrot juice 
1 squash
2 cups carrot pulp
Blend together in the blender

Add 
1 tsp. curry
dash of cayenne
celery, minced
wild rice, soaked
sunflower seeds, sprouted for crunch
parsley and lemon as garnish

This is a raw food recipe, feel free to heat it up if you like. 

CARROT CAKE
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare 9x13 in. (23 x 33 cm) pan.
Mix together the following:
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1-1/2 cup canola oil
1lb carrot pulp
8oz pineapple pulp (optional)
2-1/2 cup all purpose flour
1-1/4 baking powder
1-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt. In separate bowl blend sugar, brown sugar, oil. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a 9x13 in. greased baking pan. Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool and Frost with Cream Cheese frosting if desired. 
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbs. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/4 cup confectioners sugar 
Blend together and frost cooled cake. 
cream cheese frosting

Enjoy LUCYs. 

Jan 21, 2009


Oh Mama! This stuff is good! Thanks to Jones and Squeeshie who put me on the right tract, I ran out to the library and grabbed me a few Juicing books ( The Idiot's Guide to Juicing and "Smoothies and Juices") I found tons of receipes! The kids are very courious, so I've been juicing things they enjoy...kiwi, apples, oranges, and toss in a cucumber ( hush, hush)- They LOVE IT! I plan on getting something new from the grocery store each shopping trip, Like those fruits and veggies you always pass up because they look like something from under the river bed, or things you have no idea what to do with... I'm in the learning stages now and look forward to feeling my best in the weeks to come! Juice it UP ladies!!!

Jan 20, 2009

potpourri

This is a good way to use any rinds or cores of fruits after juicing.I made a pot of potpourri this weekend that had the following ingredient's in it but you could use what ever you have left over after juicing and see if it has a good smell to it.
You need a pan or pot depending on how much have to put in it.
Vanilla
Cinnamon
I uses the rinds of four oranges chopped
the core of a pear
the tops of 6 strawberries
2 tablespoon of Cinnamon
1 tablespoon of vanilla
3 cups of water
put on a low setting on your stove and monitor and water through out the day to keep liquid in the mix. This mixture can be turned of on on and left on the stove for a least 3 days.
from AKA Fruity Squisher

Jan 19, 2009

MASHIN' MAMA Welcomes New LUCYS

 Welcome New Lucys.  It's such an inspiration for us too see how many new Lucys are Juicin' up to feel and look great.   I was at a Whole Foods Market that I had to drive 70 miles to get to, and found a wonderful book titled "The Complete Book of Juicing" by Michael T. Murray.  Being a diabetic I needed a reference that would inform me on how many sugars and calories(like I count calories) I am juicin up.  This book is packed full of info and easy recipes to follow.  Well worth my $14.95  and I'll be blogging info from this book soon that may help you out with your juicin. 

Lucys, give your juicin 28 days and you will feel fantastic.  Do it for 12 weeks and take a long look in a full length mirror at yourself.  We are all Divas so love what you see and tell yourself you are lookin beautiful.  Look how your skin has improved.  Tighter younger looking skin and we all want that.  Youthful vitality.  Just the other night I was out on the town which doesn't happen often enough and let me tell you, the looks and flirts I was getting from the younger and older gents was a big boost for the old ego, especially at my age Lucys.  Before the juicin' it just wasn't happening for me.  Need I say more fellow Lucys?  Now listen to Mashin' Mama and keep on juicin.  If you fall off the wagon for a few days as I have regretfully done in the past,  get back on and ride that wagon for at least 12 weeks and you will be so excited about yourselves. Tell your stories of how you look, feel, and maybe even a little more to share with us.  :)   



 


Jan 8, 2009

Always Listen to Mashin' Mamma

Ok, Mamma is always right! My husband and I went to a nearby Mexican restaurant for dinner (we had a gift certificate that was going to expire). We ordered appetizers, the normal bean dip, guac, and other little nibbles because we couldn't decide on entrees. Well, my husband and I have been juicing at least twice a day for the last couple weeks and after just a few bites of the restaurant food we were done. It tasted yucky and pointless to eat it so we asked for the check. 

We both realized how much we love and prefer FRESH food and that no matter how free (thanks auntie) we prefer real food. Our bellies were heavy and bloated, and we looked at each other and said we should have juiced and made some yummy soup or salad instead. 

I now know that my body, palate and habits are changing, for the better! Thanks for encouragement Lucys, can't do it without you. Let's keep on keepin' on! 

Cheers to US!

Welcome, Green Diva!

Yeah!  
Lucys, let's celebrate, raise your glass of juice and toast to Green Diva!  Another Lucy to help us all stay on the path to feeling great and looking fab! 

We are looking forward to hearing about your juicin journey. 



Jan 4, 2009

What Did You Juice Today?






Let's continue this like we did last month. It really helped me to keep up the juicing habit. Sure do feel a difference since the Lucys started this blog. Thanks for your support, Lucys! 

Fruity Squishier said...

This weekend I juiced a papya , ginger nectarine and a apple and mixed it in with a bottle of sparkeling water...Yumm

Yams are Yummy
















Since I read that yams can be added to any fruit juice, giving the juice a smooth, milkshake-like taste. I tried it by itself and it was yummy! A nice thick sweet surprise that can easily cure my sweet tooth. After a few sips by itself I added a few carrots, ginger and green pepper. 

Sweet potatoes, more commonly called yams, are great sources of nutrients. The darker the color, the higher in vitamin content. They are one of the greatest sources of beta-carotene. They offer plenty of vitamin C, potassium, carbohydrates, calcium, and a good source of fiber. History has shown that people can live exclusively on sweet potatoes and remain healthy and strong. Carrot and sweet potato juice is tasty and outstanding for complexion. Look for firm, not too large yams that are tapered at both ends. Skin should be smooth without brown spots. Will store in the refrigerator for two weeks.

GIve it a try, Lucys. Tell us how you like it. 

Welcome, KatBJuicin'!

KatBJuicin' has caught the fever, too! We can't wait to hear her tips and tricks after a few weeks of juicin' with the lucys. 

Jan 2, 2009

Juicin' Lucys 2009















Fresh green juice is one of the very best gifts that you can give to your body.

Green veggies include cucumber, celery, spinach, lettuce, sprouts, kale, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, parsley, etc.

They give our bodies an instant boost of nutrients, enzymes, vitamins and minerals that the body can easily assimilate, absorb and digest. Studies show that nutrients in fresh juice are absorbed into the bloodstream within 30 min of consumption. 

Juicing: 
  • gives us energy
  • boosts our immune system
  • speeds up our body's cleansing process
  • adds many more veggies and fruits to our diet
  • prevents premature aging
  • helps fight disease
  • keeps our family healthy
Green Juices contain lots of chlorophyll which: 
  • makes our bodies strong
  • detoxifies our liver
  • rebuilds our blood cells
  • alkalizes our body
  • fights cancer
One of the biggest health benefits of juicing  is the CELLULAR CLEANSING of our body's systems; our lymphatic system, digestive system and cardiovascular system. 

All changes to a person's health starts at the cellular level by oxygenating and cleansing the system of toxins and other foreign invaders. 

Happy New Year Lucys and let's keep it plenty Juicy in 2009. 

Welcome, Brevillegirl!

Brevillegirl has the juicer we covet.  Welcome to our juice club, sisters are juicin' it for themselves! 

Blendin' Bindy's First Juice

Oh - I juiced for the first time - loved it!  

I mixed all this together:

2 pears

2 apples

Blueberries

Strawberries

2 large hunks of Broccoli

2 carrots

Tangerine

I used a lot of fruit because Kevin and Eric (her kids) were eager to try it.  They didn't care for it but I loved it!  It tasted like a smoothie to me.

Tomorrow I'll do one with a more simple light taste - maybe apple, kiwi and something else for the kids. And I'll sneak in some spinach.

By the end of 2009, I won't have any teeth because I can see that a large glass of juice is very filling and I won't even have to chew food anymore - I can just drink it all!

Welcome, Blendin' Bindy!

Blendin' Bindy has juicin' fever, too! Bindy has been very successful on her journey to optimal health. Congrats on your awesome weight loss! Bet you are jazzed about juicin' and have even more energy!