Green Juice

In the last few years I have dabbled here and there with various detoxes and the raw food movement.  A very good friend of mine from childhood has become a main player in the raw food movement  here in Chicago and I took a detox lifestyle class with her before I got married.

While I haven't found the lifestyle to be sustainable for me, I continue to dabble and find that my interest in a more wholistic approach to health and eating continues to grow.  It plays itself out in a myriad of ways, from focusing on eating local and seasonally whenever possible, to changing cleansers in my home, to turning off the tv and trying to slow down life as much as possible.  Just browsing the Recent Recipes section of my blog I can read the changing of the seasons just in the foods I'm cooking!

In the last year I have gotten into juicing.  I was thrilled when I first bought my juicer.  I was lucky that the woman at the checkout counter of Macy's was a longtime juicer who stoked my enthusiasm even further and gave me some great pointers (as well as some extra discounts!).

It's easy to juice in the spring and summer.  Everything is incredibly fresh, the days are getting warmer and our bodies are craving lighter fare.  However, I am making a concerted effort to keep juicing throughout the fall and winter.  If there's any time that our bodies could use an extra dose of fresh fruits and vegetables it is now!

One of the simplest and most cleansing juices is a simple Green Juice.  It has natural detox properties and helps readjust your body's pH levels.

Whenever at all possible, use organic fruits and vegetables when juicing!

GREEN JUICE

1/2 bunch of kale
1/2 bag baby spinach
1/2 cucumber
3-4 celery stalks
1/2 lemon, rind and pith removed

I juice all of this then run a bit of filtered water through the juicer to get out as much of the good stuff as possible.  I sometimes add a bit of sparkling water and tonight added a dash of hot sauce.  I also added a spoonful of Greener Grasses just to up the nutrient value.

The holidays are a time of great joy, but can really do a number on our bodies.  This holiday season my goal is to keep the fresh juices flowing to try to help with energy and weight control.  My exercise regimen has slacked off incredibly the last few weeks, but I ran a 5k yesterday and am heading back to the gym tomorrow!