By Sarah O'Toole of The Seasonal Diet
Juicing has become very popular in the last few years. I jumped on that bandwagon right away and I’m so glad I did! The health benefits of fresh juice just can’t be beat. I love having instant energy, getting those vitamins and minerals streaming into my body, and easing my digestion. I also love that it’s light enough to drink before an early morning run or at the end of the day without that weighed down feeling.
But, did you know that your Blendtec is the perfect tool for making fresh fruit and vegetable juice? It is! The great thing about Blendtec's is that you can make whole juice, or go the traditional juicing route, just make sure you pick up a nut milk bag (found at most health food stores). Blendtec is big on whole juicing and keeping the fiber contained in the drink. However, if that's not you're thing, you can use a nut milk bag to strain the juice. Below are my current four favorite juice recipes.
They all use the best organic summer produce, but feel free to experiment with whatever you have on hand. My only advice is to use produce that’s in season, as it’s not only the healthiest but also the tastiest. If you’re not sure what’s in season, just look around your health food store or farmers market. Usually the produce that’s being advertised or is on sale is the seasonal stuff. I make the four juices below for my husband and myself when I don’t want to do all the chopping and cleaning required for using our juicer. I hope you give these a try. Pick one or make them all and have a little juicing blending party!
4 Summer Juice Recipes
Serves 2
1 cucumber, chopped
1 head of chard
2 lemons, juiced
2 green apples, chopped, with cores removed
1 inch ginger, peeled
1 handful parsley
Serves 2
1 cup blueberries
1 cucumber, chopped
1 green apple, chopped, with core removed
1 lemon, juiced
1 inch ginger, peeled
2 nectarines, chopped, with pits removed
1 orange, peeled
1 grapefruit, peeled
1 carrot, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 inch ginger, peeled
1 cup strawberries (with tops on or off)
15–20 mint leaves
1 grapefruit, peeled
Instructions
- Place ingredients for each juice in your Blendtec in the order listed and secure lid.
- Press the Whole Juice button. If your Blendtec doesn’t feature a Whole Juice button, blend on a Medium to Medium-High speed for 50–60 seconds.
- Next, strain the liquid over a large bowl using the nut milk bag. Discard the pulp and enjoy your juice over ice.
- If you choose not to strain, you can enjoy the juice (pulp and all) over ice.
- These will keep in the refrigerator, tightly sealed, for 24 hours.
About the Author
Sarah runs TheSeasonalDiet.com with her husband, Peter, where they help people regain energy, eat less sugar, solve pesky stomach troubles and find support through an online community of people wanting to eat more plants and learn the benefits of a Seasonal Diet.
Website: http://theseasonaldiet.com
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/467401296670504/