Juicing

While I was in Jacksonville, Florida, resting and recuperating at the home of my fabulous in-laws, my mother-in-law and I decided to break in her juicer.  She had been saving it in her cabinet for over a year... just waiting for the right time to give it a whirl ;)

As complete novices, her juicer (the Jack LaLanne something or another) is perfect.  There were a few learning curves to it, but overall it's really easy to use and easy to clean. Anyone that says they don't use their juicer because it is too hard to clean has obviously never had to use their bathtub as a sink and their toilet as a disposal. 

However, I would never attempt to use a juicer in a hotel room (blender, yes; juicer, no way).  As tempting as the fresh veggie and juice blends are (and they REALLY are addicting!), 1) I would not have the fridge space for all of the veggies, fruits, or juices; 2) I could not efficiently clean the darn thing using the aforementioned bathtub/toilet method; 3) I don't have an adequate work surface; 4) It produces some pretty aggressive sounds and I'd rather not deal with noise complaints.

So, for now, I will juice with my mother-in-law in Florida and dream about having an apartment that can accommodate such activities.

Enough of the back-story... here are a few pictures of the beautiful juices we made:

You might notice the Tervis mugs we use.  Basically anything with a lid that fits under the spout of the juicer will work, and I recently found a good deal on these 21oz Luminarc glasses that I will use once I am able to set up my own juicing mecca.

And here are just SOME of the fruits and veggies that go into them:

Writing this is making me hungry... you wouldn't believe how filling/satisfying one of these juice concoctions is until you try one! 

So there you have it... Go out and buy a juicer!! I know they can be expensive (upwards of $400 if you look at the high-end versions), but you can find the Jack LaLanne or something similar for $70 or less! My MIL got hers for $10 at a yard sale! The results from juicing are really remarkable.  When I was drinking 2-3 juices every day, I noticed positive changes in my sleep, skin, energy level and mood.  Must be all those yummy vitamins :)

I'll post individual recipes for my favorite juices soon, so if you see a post with a color for a title (i.e. orange, green, or red), get excited!