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!
