Saturday, June 9, 2012

Juicing Fast- Day 1

So day one is today. Yay!

Before I get into what all I have drank today and how much I spent on groceries, I want to talk about the preparation leading up to today. It was not a lot, but it was there, and everyone should do it! So first off, I watched the documentary I talked about in my previous post. I then did a little research just to make sure it was something I could really do. Then I realized, I did not have a juicer. Sad day. So I searched and searched looking at the Breville website (Breville is the type of juicer that Joe Cross used in his documentary) but I did not necessarily have the money to spend on one that nice. I looked at Wal-Mart and at Target, but nothing was really catching my eye. So I turned to amazon, where I found a Hamilton Beach Big Mouth juicer which fit my budget, $74.50 after tax and shipping and handling, and after reading the reviews, seemed like it would work perfect (I was right). After finding my juicer I decided on purchasing a juicing cookbook to go along with it. Now, when you're looking for a juicing cookbook there are all sorts of kinds, you need to find one that fits your needs so you are not spending money on something you may only use a fourth of. I chose to go with The Healthy Green Drink Diet written by Jason Manheim ($15.25 after tax and shipping and handling). I chose this book because it has a small portion (maybe a fourth) which explains everything there is about juicing in a "juicing for dummies" kind of way, which is great for a first time juicer like me! But the rest of the book is FULL of different recipies for not only juices but smoothies as well (hello 2 in 1). I like the fact this book had that specific ratio as far as information and recipies because a lot of them had way too much info and no recipies or no info and only recipies, but like I said, this is my first time so I wanted a healthy balance.



Yesterday I treated myself to a "last supper" with friends at my favorite workplace the Olive Garden, just as kind of a good luck here you go, you can do it present to myself! This morning I woke up a little later than ideal but was ready to go! I went to the farmers market here in Topeka. The farmers market is great because you can get a ton of fresh and organic produce for an amazing price. This morning I went later than expected so I did not exactly find everything I wanted like I usually do. I did however, get:
6 peaches
3 large cucumbers
5 trees of broccoli
All for $9 
I still had some produce on my list so I decided to take a field trip over to Dillons grocery store. Dillons again has some great prices and sells very good quality produce. There I bought:
6 large carrots
1 large bunch of spinach
2 large bunches of kale
1/2 lb of ginger
2 lemons
4 limes
7 granny smith apples
7 oranges
1 bunch of celery
All for $24.49

Total spent on fruit and veggies: :33.49
All in all I did not break the bank and got enough fruits and veggies to last me about 5 or 6 days hopefully, it is all about trial and error.

It is important that you get your produce in a refrigerated area as soon as possible so they do not go bad, especially in the hot summer season. I immediately went home and cleaned out my fridge and put the new food in so I would not be tempted by other foods I am trying to stay away from. 

I do not know about you, but as soon as I get something new, I like to play with it! So I decided to dive in and try a few juices. First I tried orange juice, words cannot describe the greatness of this juice. It tasted so refreshing and clean, there is a huge difference between the fresh stuff and the stuff you buy at the local grocery store. Second, I tried apple juice. This juice was very good, but, it was a tiny bit bitter, mostly because I used granny smith apples I would recommend using a type of apple that will be sweeter such as a gala. Finally I wanted to drink some lunch! I decided to make the juice similar to the one Joe Cross uses and calls the Mean Green. Ingredients are as follows: 
1/2 lemon
1 piece ginger
4 celery stalks
6 leaves of kale
2 whole green apples
1 cucumber
It would take me forever to try to eat all of that in one sitting with it being on a plate! This particular recipe makes enough for about 4 cups of juice which is great because I can take some on the go and drink it all day! I was skeptical at first, but, IT IS DELICIOUS! I had to put a few ice cubes in my first glass because it just was not as refreshing when it is not ice cold. All in all I was very pleased with it and I cannot wait to keep going!

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