CG Fitness: Personal Training, Nutrition & Yoga

Happy Friday my Friends!

Keeping this week’s post short and simple for you with a new yummy and healthy green juice recipe! I love green juices, but too many of them in the grocery store’s are loaded with tons of sugars (and I don’t like my drinks too sweet). So, a client of mine recently purchased a green juice from Costco that sounded really yummy and refreshing but I wanted to keep all the fibers in mine…partly because I feel it’s healthier and partly because I don’t own a juicer. I also just got a new Blendtec blender (my old Vitamix still works but I’m worried that the day it stops working I will be without a blender for however many days or weeks it takes to get a new one and HSN had a great sale on Blendtec so I took a leap and got one) which has a whole juicing button. It super fancy with a nice digital screen and a few preset button options (which I didn’t have on my old Vitamix 5200). My husband wasn’t sure if I would want to change brands because I really do love my Vitamix, but I can test the Blendtec one for 30 days and if it doesn’t work as well as my Vitamix 5200 I’ll just return it. My Vitamix has been leaving some bigger chunks of ice in some of my morning smoothies so I think the blades need sharpened, which under warranty, Vitamix will pay to have done…they even pay for the shipping! So, I may end up with two blenders or I may end up sending the Blendtec back, but for now I’m gonna keep playing with it to see if it stands up to my beloved Vitamix. 

So, enough of my rambling…here’s the Green Juice recipe I created:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups filtered water
• 2 cups Organic Kale or Organic Baby Spinach (I used an Organic Power Blend–mix of swiss chard, kale, spinach, etc)
• 2 medium organic green apples, cored
• 1/2 head of organic lettuce (small)
• 3-4 sprigs of mint leaves (or more for more mint flavor) (use 1/2 cup parsley leaves if you don’t like mint)
• 1 medium organic cucumber, quatered
• 2 organic celery stalks, chopped
• Juice of 1 whole fresh lemon
• Optional: 1 (1-inch) piece of ginger, peeled

Blend all together and store in an air tight mason jar or other glass jar. This made about 46 ounces worth of delicious green juice! If you prefer a thinner consistency, you can strain the juice with a mesh sieve.

Health Benefits of Drinking Green Juice (with all the fiber)

• Healthy glowing skin
• Aids digestion
• Helps improve muscle recovery after workouts
• Hydration
• Fiber keeps you fuller
• Improved energy
• Immune Boost
• Weight loss aid
• Great way to get a whole bunch of greens into your diet in one convenient drink
• Better overall health

Always talk to your doctor or nutritionist before changing your diet and make sure to change up the types of vegetables you drink to avoid the buildup of alkaloids (especially from the greens). You also want to make sure that you don’t drink too much too fast. Too much fiber can have unpleasant consequences, so if you are drinking green juice (or even green smoothies) start slowly and build up to a quart a day if you want the maximum health benefits.

Do you like green juice? Have you ever tried making your own? (with a juicer or a blender?)

Stay Healthy my Friends!

XO,

Carrie A Groff