... super juice

This time of year gardens are full, sometimes too full with one veggie or another. Our solution? Juice!

Beets, carrots, and cucumbers are a plenty in many of my friends gardens, leaving them with the daily question, "what else can I make with all of this?" Juicing is a great solution because it preserves so many of the vital nutrients often lost in the cooking process, while concentrating all those veggies into an easily storeable way to consume your extra fruits and veggies.

I do realize this requires a juicer, and not everyone has a juicer, but a blender and a fine mesh sieve can do in a pinch, and it's worth it, I promise.

Also the left over pulp can be combined with some quinoa, or bulgar, an egg, and some seasoning, to make some pretty amazing veggie burgers.

I came across this Super Juice recipe, via my husband. He recently got on the juice kick, and we have now gone through several different juicers to find the one that is just right. I can make fun of him all I want for being persnickety, or "on trend", but in this case, he's definitely on to something.

I have tasted many juice combos in my life and this one might just be the best (well, good enough to share at least!). Earthy beets, combine with sweet carrots and apples, along with bright and fresh cucumber and a hint of ginger to make one amazing and super healthy juice! This juice is packed with more vitamins and nutrients then I would care to shake a stick at. You can't help but feel amazing after you drink it, and the fact that it tastes like a treat makes it all the more worth the prep work.

Recipe (for 1-2 glasses of juice):

- 1 apple, peeled and chopped, or not, depending on the variety and quality of your juicer

- 5 small to medium carrots, peeled and chopped into 2-3 inch secions

- 1 medium to large beet, peeled and chopped, or not, depending on the variety and quality of your juicer

- 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped into large sections

- 1 1/2-1 inch piece of ginger, peeled

Directions:

The above amounts are really just a jumping off point. If you like more of one thing and less of another, follow your gut. Also feel free to multiply proportionally. My husband usually makes three to four times the above recipe. The beauty of a juicer is that it does the really hard work for you. Just make sure you prep your veggies to match the ability of your machine. Once all the fruits and veggies are prepped just juice, combine, and enjoy!

With the Kids: Just like with the Rainbow Salad from a few weeks ago, have them help you pick out which veggies/fruits that are the ripest. Either in the garden or at the store. Talk about how to tell when fruits and veggies are ripe. Older kids can feed the fruit and veggie pieces into the juicer, while younger ones can make sure all the juice is getting in the glass. If there are a few picky kids in the bunch, let them pick a fruit or veggie to sub in. Try small batches to see what works and what doesn't. Challenge the kiddos to come up with their own juice recipes!

 

But please, don't stop there! Here are a few more recipes worth trying, especially with the kids! 

- Healthy Juice recipes from Mother Nature Network.

- Juicing recipes for picky eaters from the Red Tricycle blog.

- A few kid friendly juice recipes from Inhabitots

 

Let the juicing begin!

 

~ Jordan

 

*Last time in Recipes: Summer Rainbow Salad