juicing

The other day I walk into the kitchen and found my roommate Kayleigh opening up a package she had just got. "What is that?" I asked, looking at it with some confusion. "It's a juicer," she said, "you're welcome to use it." My only experience with juicing up until that point had been at my aunt's house, where she juices frequently for her kids. I tried some that she made me and liked it, so I thought this might be a fun summer "project" of sorts - learn how to juice.

My roommate's juicer: Black and Decker 400-Watt Juice Extractor

After assembling the machine, I went out and bought an obscene amount of fruits and veggies. One of the only difficult things about juicing is picking out what fruits and veggies to combine. Luckily, there are websites with recipes to help with that. Using the juicer itself is easy. Heck, my 8 year-old cousin with autism can do it by himself! The first combination I tried was carrots and apples. Mmmmm! So delicious! Yes, it looks like you're drinking some thick, orange potion, but it tastes awesome.

What a pro!

Juicing has a lot of benefits - regulating digestion, increased immune system, and weight loss, to name a few. The worst part of using a juicer? The cleanup. The pulp from the food gets all over everywhere, and you have to clean everything. For my roommate's juicer, that's 6 pieces. The whole process, including clean up, takes about 20 minutes. But if you have the time, it's well-worth it.

Here are some yummy recipes to try:

Easy Mode

• 2 Carrots
• 1 1/2 Apples

Fresh Tropical Fruit Juice

• 1 Kiwi - Peeled
• 6 Strawberries - Medium
• 1 Orange or 2 Clementines - Peeled
• 1/2 Mango - Peeled and Sliced
• 1 cup Pineapple Chunks - Fresh
• 1/4 cup Coconut Water - Fresh or Canned

Very Berry Elixer

• 1 cup Strawberries - hulled
• 1 cup Raspberries
• 1/2 cup Blackberries
• 1/2 cup Blueberries
• 1 Cucumber - whole
• 1 Tbsp. Agave Nectar

Summertime Mojito

(virgin, of course)

• 1 cucumber 
• 1 large pear
• 1 large handful mint
• ½ lime

Antioxidant Concoction 

My own creation!

• 1 cup Strawberries
• 1 cup Blueberries
• 1/2 cup Blackberries
• A bunch of Spinach

You can pretty much put anything in the juicer if it yields juice. Yes, even veggies have juice in them! Will you try any of these?