Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The juice was worth the squeeze


...literally. Yay for our new juicer! Wow, juicers have come a long way. Our new Breville comes with just a few dish-washable pieces that a child could put together. I remember as a kid, the rare times my mom would break out the juicer, it'd be an all night affair - cutting up the fruit into little pieces and forcing them through with the pusher thingy. This new gazillion-horsepowered baby sucks down and pulverizes a whole apple in one second flat.

Below, a concoction I personally found really nice for our first try - grapefruit, my funny carrots, and apples. I'm attempting to ease the kids into fresh juice and will try more complicated recipes later on. Unfortunately, they weren't too keen on the grapefruit. The sip the little one is taking is just about all she had.


The following week, the juice was a huge hit. The orange, carrot, and beet combination was not only sweet and delicious, but the most gorgeous shade of bright PINK - something that always sweetens the deal for the little one.

If you're a juicer - please pass along some good-tasting recipes!

21 comments:

  1. Congrats on your juicer, Wendy. I love mine. I find it so useful for a quick and easy lunchtime vegetable fix, or using up produce that is not bad yet, but not at its prime, either.
    I absolutely adore melon juice, and your kids would probably like it, too. Cantaloupe and watermelon are favorites - especially if you chill the melons before juicing them. Another old standby of mine is apple-carrot-celery. I just use one or two celery ribs. The predominant flavors are carrot and apple.
    Have fun!

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  2. Yum!! Fun and beautiful post! I love juicing too..it is amazing how powerful and strong some of the juices can be! cantaloupe is strong! I love pineapple too..and apples of course! yay..have fun!
    It feels like time for a juice fest party!

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  3. Though have never tasted this combo, it sounds yummy.

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  4. When we invested in a juicer (back in the day) we had high hopes for healthy, delicious snacks galore. It turned out to be such a messy process that we soon abandoned all hope and off it went to the Goodwill. Sounds like maybe it is time to try again...especially with the fruit trees surrounding us. Any particular brand you recommend?

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  5. The grapefruits that are available here are really sour. But should taste good when combined with sweet apples and carrots. I'll try this combination one day :-D... when I have a new juicer he he... I am still using those old type that require lots of cutting ;-(

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  6. Yay for a juicer! Love that you juiced your carrots - I have such a hard time juicing mine. LOL
    Try adding some spinach in, not too much, just a bit. Great vitamin content, very little taste. Just about anything with cover up the taste of it.
    My faves are orange pineapple and apple cherry.

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  7. Ohh and try juicing a honeydew melon sometime!

    And try apple cucumber. It sounds odd, but I swear it tastes just like a sour-apple jolly rancher.

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  8. hmm, I have been thinking about a juicer for quite some time now, the regular blender just can not make a perfect texture. This would be a perfect way to have kids eat more veggies, and get more nutrients! Your daughter looks enjoying it!

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  9. Hi Wendy - thanks for coming to visit my blog and allowing me to find your interesting blog! I don't juice myself (yet), but my sister and her husband are fanatics about it. The last time I was at their house, they gave me some home-squeezed beet juice, which tasted a lot better than I would have imagined. I don't know what all goes in there besides fresh beets, if any. If you're interested, let me know, and I will ask her next time I talk to her.

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  10. That sounds so fun - making juice. And your little one looks to be enjoying it as well. A good family project.

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  11. Aw, she's so cute, Wendy. Pink anything should help when you're that age. :)

    I've never had a juicer before -- but I'm a sucker for carrot juice and pomegranate juice. F. likes those vegetable-mix juices, which I cannot stand. Too thick and tomato-y. And in winter, when it's in season, yes, I love pink grapefruit juice.

    When I was a kid, my parents actually encouraged this love by cutting a small hole in the top of a pink grapefruit and letting me & my sis massage the juice out of it as we watched t.v. (Only food ever allowed out of the kitchen, now that I think of it.) I have no idea how that habit came about -- but somehow it seemed more fun to drink it directly from the fruit while watching Saturday morning cartoons. ;)

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  12. adding a piece of sour plum to the juice to give it extra flavor.

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  13. I don't have a juicer but I have a blender. I eat my fruits mostly sliced in order to include the fiber. Some recipes use a blender to make smoothies out of ice cubes, and mixed fruit juices. I just tried one with lemon juice, crushed ice and a dash of spearmint leaves but I don't know how they make it.

    The juices you have looks yummy!

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  14. Hi Wendy, Your juicer sounds better than mine. With a few parts instead of a gagillion mine is a mess to work with and a mess to clean up.

    Your little one looks very happy and healthy. Have you heard of Mrs. Seinfeld's--Jerry's wife's cookbook on purees?

    Sorry gotta run. I was planning to say more... your little gal is delightful.

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  15. I am definitely going to try all of these suggestions - from the melon, to the spinach, to the sour plum. It all sounds great. I'm actually very excited about this!

    Ricki - I think ours is the Breville Juice Fountain Jr. or something that. It's looks like a very simple, well-made machine. It was either that or the cuisineart that had more horsepower but like 14 parts. I definitely made the right decision.

    Autumnbelle - your drink is reminding me of a mojito. THen again, most drinks remind me of mojitos these days! :)

    Meredith - You reminded me of these little plastic things my mom got somwhere that you'd stab into an orange. It was like alittle spout for juice that you'd squeeze yourself. the good ole days... I'm surprised they let you bring such a sweet, sticky, and juicy snack outside the kitchen!

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  16. Hi Wendy,

    Believe it or not, yesterday when I came to your blog to make a comment is when my computer connection went haywire. So, here I am again, trying and hoping it won't do the same today! It's that number 13 again.

    That story about the hawk was creepy. I usually love hawks but I bet you don't look upon their presence with much admiration anymore. I thought crows were supposed to be ominous. Hmmm....

    I want a juicer like none other, and the only reason I haven't purchased is because of indecision on what kind to get.
    Would you reccomend this then? I need one that is easy to clean.

    I can't believe your husband saw Rush at Red rocks, he probably never forgot that. It is my first time to see them LIVE.
    Do you like Rush? USually only guys like it, with some females sprinkled in. My husbands says the performers in Rush aren't pretty enough for the girls.

    Hugs,
    Rosey

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  17. I totally forgot about my juicer. Thanks for reminding me. My fave is the celery, apple, and carrot combo. School will be starting this Monday so definitely a good time to take out the juicer!

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  18. Wendy, Your test page didn't open. :)

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  19. She probably wondered if Mom really giving her chili juice..... she was just checking if it was as hot as it should be... haha. ~bangchik

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  20. Ooh, a juicer! I've always wanted one but they are so expensive... One day.

    That is so cute that your daughter sings the Chopping Broccoli song!

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  21. I love veg. juice - any combo of ginger, celery, carrot, beetroot. I recently read a book by a vet who recommended the pulp left after juicing to be added to pet's dinner to keep it healthy.

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