Making Changes…Let the juicing begin!

Well you would think between Deena and I, we could manage more than 1 or 2 posts a month, but apparently that’s not the case!  So here I am for my monthly blog post, although I really do have good intentions to write more.  Deena and I were just talking about it today, in fact.

I’ve been in a bit of a health rut.  Not sure “rut” is the right word.  I’m just stuck facing so many things I WANT to change and know I SHOULD change, that it is almost overwhelming to the point of just not doing anything at all.  It’s much like house cleaning.  I look around my house at all the things I need to clean or organize and I just become overwhelmed that I don’t do anything at all.  When instead I should be tackling one thing at a time.  Baby steps.

So I’ve done that.  I’ve decided to make one change every couple of weeks, or at least until it’s become part of my lifestyle, then I move on to the next thing on my list.

One thing I’ve wanted to do for a while is buy a juicer.  I’ve been hesitant for many reasons…do I want to invest $100+ in another appliance?  Would I actually use it?  Will it be easy to use?  Where would I put it?

But I followed on Facebook as my dear friend, Jessica, bought a juicer.  She would post pictures of her ingredients and then report back on how great she felt juicing.  She encouraged me, without realizing, to just do it! 

And so I introduce the Breville Juice Fountain Plus:

I compared prices and found that it was $150 pretty much everywhere. So armed with my 20% off coupon, I headed to Bed Bath & Beyond for my purchase.  I mentioned to the cashier that the coupon indicated in the fine print that Breville was excluded, but he kindly gave the coupon a try anyway, and the register took it.  Score!   All signs were pointing to me owning this appliance.

It’s about the size of a large coffee machine or Keurig, but honest to The Man Himself, it has become a permanent fixture on my counter.  I’ve made a lifestyle change, yay me!  I was juicing every morning, but I’ve cut down a bit to maybe 4 or 5 mornings a week.  It’s not that it’s time consuming to make the actual juice, but clean-up takes a few extra minutes that I sometimes don’t have.  I could leave clean-up for later, but then the pulp dries and it makes clean-up twice as long.

So what do I juice?  Here’s a sample list of ingredients for my morning juice:

So far I’ve stuck to fruity, green drinks.  Main staples are apples and/or pears and bananas.  Then I add a green or two to get my servings of veggies.  Kale and spinach are my favorite adds.  They pack a nice dark, leafy green punch without altering the flavor of the drink.  Other greens I add, but in smaller amounts, are cucumbers (I usually cut one in half) or a few stalks of celery.  These two veggies have a strong flavor so only add more if you REALLY like them.  🙂  Finally I will sometimes add a lemon and some ginger for a little medicinal kick.  Both of these ingredients have numerous health benefits so I like that I’m starting off my day on the right foot!

The juicer in action:

In order to get 2 full glasses, I have to use 2-3 apples or pears, 2 bananas, and a large bunch of kale or spinach.  Pineapple is another great add and will result in a large amount of juice.  I just don’t buy it as often as I do apples and pears.  My next experiment will be more of a vegetable flavored juice (think V-8).  I’ll report back on how that one goes!  I’m open to suggestions as well so if you have a great juice combination you like, please share!

So far I’ve been able to rely on a full glass of juice for breakfast to give me the energy I need to get me through a gym workout.  I am usually hungry before the lunch hour, which works with my schedule, because I am home in time to eat a healthy snack of some sort in the morning.  But there have been days when a juice will hold me over until lunch.

I am very happy with my purchase and feel good about my choice to get more fruits and vegetables into my diet.  You should definitely give it a try!

Happy Juicing!