Does this scenario sound familiar? It's Sunday morning. You are flipping a few made-from-scratch blueberry-spelt pancakes and chopping a few fresh bananas and strawberries. You pull out some maple syrup and heat up some hot cocoa or a spicy soy chai latte. But something is missing from your homemade morning feast. Fresh juice.
You open the fridge and pull out a carton of store bought orange juice. Some fresh-pressed pineapple/orange/kiwi juice would be a perfect compliment to your spread. Hmmm..isn't there a way to get fresh juice at home?
Yes! Hop on the at-home juicing bandwagon! You won't regret it.
Juicing Research. Just google "juicers" and "reviews" and you will come up with an entire web world of juicer reviews and information. The hardest part about juicing is choosing a juicer. The quality and prices range from extremely basic $40 juicers, to hardcore extreme at-home juicers for up to $2,000.
After much research, my family settled on the Super Angel juicer. It was an investment purchase at around $900, but it has been well worth it. I juice at least 3x a week and making my own juice (as opposed to getting it from a juice bar) is priceless. Frankly, I much prefer to choose, chop and handle my own fruits and veggies. And at home juicing lets me have my very own juice bar in my kitchen, open 24/7.
My Juicers:
*SuperAngel
*Orange X Manual Press Juicer
...I love and recommend them both.
UPDATE: My current juicer (2019) is a Hurom juicer and I LOVE it. You can browse their juicers on Amazon. Amazon Hurom Juicer Store.
How to Juice
Once you have decided on a juicer, the fun part begins.
Stock up on organic fruits and veggies.
Head to a farmers market or organic food market and stock up! I highly recommend juicing with organic fruits and veggies. A few of my favorite items to juice are:
apples
oranges
grapefruit
ginger
carrots
kiwis
pineapple
celery
parsley
pears
beets
bell peppers
leafy greens (of all sorts)
lemons
pomegranate
stir ins: cayenne, cinnamon, spirulina, pepper
There are many more options, but these are just a few of my favorites.
Foods that do not juice well are anything that is mushy, dry or overly tender. Bananas and peaches can sometimes mush up in my juicer, although a half a banana is sometimes a nice addition. But don't try making banana juice with a whole bunch...it just won't work.
Juicer Food Prep
Wash all your items very well! Remove stems, seeds are usually fine to juice. However, citrus seeds (especially lemons) can be quite bitter.
oranges grapefruit citrus-remove the outer peel
apples pears-slice, juice the entire fruit (seeds and all.)
Ginger-peel slice off the skin, otherwise your juice will be brown and grainy.
veggies-wash well! You can juice whole. (De-stem if needed.)
RECIPES
*Need Juicing RECIPES? Check out my Juicing for Fun and Health Recipe Series - includes my favorite delicious, healthy morning juice, diet juice and energizing juice recipe!!*
Here are a few of my favorite produce combos to juice:
apple/ginger
*add a cayenne sprinkle for a spicy kick
apple/ginger/carrot
grapefruit/orange
straight up orange
lemon/apple/pear
apple/parsley/celery
celery/pear
grapefruit/ginger
apple/ginger/cinnamon
kiwi/green apple/celery
banana/orange/pineapple
straight up OJ
straight up grapefruit
straight up pomegranate
*Juice/Smoothies Recipe Index here*
As I have written about before, fruit juice is a highly sensitive food item. To ensure the most active enzymes and nutrients in the juice you drink, you should juice/drink it fresh. Vitamin C is incredibly delicate. Some studies have shown that Vitamin C content decreases by 2% every day after it is first juiced.
Juicing is one of the best ways to boost your weekly intake of healthy nutrients. You can easily get a few full servings of fruits and veggies in one glass of juice.
And the best part....it tastes amazing! You've probably paid $3-$7 for fresh squeezed orange juice at a restaurant. Well now you can make it yourself and drink it in your pajamas.
If you have any questions about juicing or types of juicers, feel free to comment.
Buying a Juicer? Harvest Essentials is a great resource. It has a wide range of juicers available and even a juicer buying guide which explains the differences between types of juicers. This is also the website that we bought our juicer from. I was pleased with the quality and delivery of the juicer. Check out my fave juicers below:
JUICER RECOMMENDATIONS
If you are willing to spend at least $350 on your juicer, I would definitely get a twin gear juicer. Otherwise, there are cheaper options that may not perform as well, but will still be adequate. Most store bought inexpensive juicers are centrifugal. They grind the fruit to a pulp and the juice is strained through a grinder. However some studies show that less nutrients and enzymes are kept in tact due to the high rpm and 'processing' of the foods. Also, centrifugal juicers are not capable of efficiently extracting juice from wheatgrass, leafy greens, or herbs. But if you are new to juicing, you may want to work your way up to an expensive twin gear model. A good juicer will have around a ten year warranty, and thus the cost is high. But juicing newbies should first make sure that they are going to enjoy juicing and actually use the machine.
Here are a few juicers I like:
SuperAngel- twin gear, $800-$1200 (*best counter top)
Omega Model 9000- centrifugal Juicer, $199
Green Star 3000- twin gear, $469
Champion 2000- single gear, $219-$369
Jack LaLanne’s Power Juicer™- centrifugal, $99+
Hurom Juicer - new fave!
Orange X Manual Press Juicer: I also own a manual press juicer for juicing orange, grapefruit and even pomegranate juice. It's super easy to clean and squeezes my fruit bone dry. Fresh OJ in a snap.
Browse thousands of recipes in my recipe index.
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cansammi says
I used a juice recipie for years, using only celery,spinach, carrots, and parsley.. I lost my recipie book.. I am trying to remember how many ounces of juiced liquid you use for each vegetable, that
combined with make a 7 OZ glass of liquid. in particular, to avoid toxicity of any one vegetable... Is anyone familiar with a juicing guide or a recipie using these ingredients only? ty
bequjuice.com says
The grapefruit will make it bitter. Go lighter on the grapefruit and use more apple and carrot. If apples are green, granny smith, for example; that will also make the juice bitter. Use golden delicious.
NaturallyMariam says
I'm currently using the Omega 8005 juicer, excellent juicer great price range, 10 year warranty and juices everything especially greens well. My next juicer will be a Norwalk sometime in the future.
Kdiddleva says
I thought it has to do with juices ozidating and losing their nutritional value
Abbottlv says
mine was the same. it is the grapefruit. Try only 1/2 of a grapefruit and remove the seeds. more work but worth it
Daytripper027 says
You are so right about how expensive it is to eat healthy versus eating junk. It's crazy. I don't know how shopping for produce is where you live but I'm sure it's way more than most places in the US. My suggestions would for you to grow a small garden if you can. People in NYC have done wonders with small spaces for personal food growing. My other suggestion would be for you to leave the city and shop out in a rural town. Stock up on fruits and vegies when you can.
Daytripper027 says
try adding some honey to taste. that would counter the bitterness and it's still a healthy sweetner.
Kathy Patalsky says
Juice is not a smoothie. Food proc. And blenders create smoothies which include fiber. Juice crams more fruits/veggies into one glass because you r not including the fiber.
the bendy yogi says
i enjoy juicing too! you should check out urban organic - they have a juicing box that you can get delivered weekly (more deets here: http://yogadeals.blogspot.com/2008/12/urban-organic-not-oxymoron-but-delivery.html)
the bendy yogi says
i enjoy juicing too! you should check out urban organic - they have a juicing box that you can get delivered weekly (more deets here: http://yogadeals.blogspot.com/2008/12/urban-organic-not-oxymoron-but-delivery.html)
the bendy yogi says
i enjoy juicing too! you should check out urban organic - they have a juicing box that you can get delivered weekly (more deets here: http://yogadeals.blogspot.com/2008/12/urban-organic-not-oxymoron-but-delivery.html)
prokitchentools says
I love my juicer. I travel a lot with my work and must admit maintaining a healthy diet isn't always easy. But the juicer comes out at weekends and makes me feel 100% healthy again.
prokitchentools says
I love my juicer. I travel a lot with my work and must admit maintaining a healthy diet isn't always easy. But the juicer comes out at weekends and makes me feel 100% healthy again.
prokitchentools says
I love my juicer. I travel a lot with my work and must admit maintaining a healthy diet isn't always easy. But the juicer comes out at weekends and makes me feel 100% healthy again.
Kathy says
Green juice is THE BEST.
Try this:
Green apple
Celery
Kiwi
tad of lemon juice
fresh ginger
spirulina powder
..the Breville is a good choice!
Kathy says
Green juice is THE BEST. Try this:Green appleCeleryKiwitad of lemon juicefresh gingerspirulina powder..the Breville is a good choice!
Kathy says
Green juice is THE BEST.
Try this:
Green apple
Celery
Kiwi
tad of lemon juice
fresh ginger
spirulina powder
..the Breville is a good choice!
jengarcia says
I am buying this one: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=632&f=23382&q=juicer&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
Does it have your approval?
Also, I was thinking of starting to drink "green juice" for one meal a day. What are your thoughts on that and do you have any good recipes?
jengarcia says
I am buying this one: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=632&f=23382&q=juicer&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1Does it have your approval? Also, I was thinking of starting to drink "green juice" for one meal a day. What are your thoughts on that and do you have any good recipes?
jengarcia says
I am buying this one: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=632&f=23382&q=juicer&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
Does it have your approval?
Also, I was thinking of starting to drink "green juice" for one meal a day. What are your thoughts on that and do you have any good recipes?