Juices
I love making fresh juices, from the color, to the smell, to the taste. I do my best to juice every morning. The objective is to enjoy first thing in the morning, following a run, and before I've consumed anything else. I can literally feel the vitamins absorbing into every crevice of my well-being. It's an exhilarating way to start the day. I do tend to shy away from juice later in the afternoon, as I feel it can conflict with whatever I've eaten prior to, but if it works for you, go ahead and listen to your body.
I pick my juice ingredients based off of...you guessed it, my senses. Typically, I will take a mental inventory of what I'm craving and refer to the rainbow. Immune booster: yellows and oranges. Antioxidants and heart health: reds and purples. Detox and Popeye Power: greens. The key is to keep your juices vegetable based, because even natural fruit sugar spikes are no fun for your gut or your mood.
Don't be shy to introduce something new here and there. Add some spices (sparingly, at first) like turmeric or cayenne, herbs like parsley or cilantro, or something zippy like apple cider vinegar. The fun with juicing is to experiment and listening to what your body is truly asking for. You might find a new favorite based on the random leftovers you have in the fridge that day.
Here are a few of my favorite staples and I will add more to this tab as the seasons shift:
Mood Lifter:
1 Grapefruit
1/2 Fennel Bulb (with fronds, if you like)
1 Head of Romaine
Immunity Booster:
Carrots
1 Orange
1 Lemon
Lots of Ginger
Pinch of Turmeric
Detox:
1 Green Apple
1 Lime
2 Celery Stalks
1/2 Cucumber
Spinach
Parsley
Pinch of Cayenne
Dash of ACV
Happy Heart:
1 Red Apple
1 Red Beet (with leaves, if you like)
1 Lemon
Lots of Ginger
The Antioxidant:
1/4 Red Cabbage
1 Beet (use those greens, they are edible!)
1 Gala Apple
1 cup Blueberries
1 Lemon
Lots of Ginger (lots)
Eye Doctor:
1 Sweet Potato
1 Gala Apple
2 Carrots (optional)
Ginger
Dash-Chinese Five Spice
Spicy Pineapple:
2 cups pineapple
1/4 cucumber
1 bunch kale
1 small serrano chili
Mint, small handful
Coconut Water, to taste
Coastal Canteloupe:
1 cup canteloupe
1 cup honeydew
1 lime
Ginger
Lemongrass
Mint, small handful
Watermelon Cooler:
2 cup watermelon
1 cup strawberries
1 cup jicama
1/2 cucumber
Basil, small handful
As for the pulp and the scraps, I do compost. I'm a little obsessed about food waste. I don't have a giant compost bin, either; in fact, I have two buckets specifically designed for small living spaces. They are like air-tight paint buckets and as long as you devote only fruit and vegetable scraps to the bins, it doesn't smell and makes the best compost tea for your garden. Happy garden, happy environment, happy people. It's a win-win all around.
Enjoy!