Carrot Mango Madness

As you might’ve noticed over the past year, I’ve been keeping things simple in the kitchen. There are many reasons for this. The first reason is time. I don’t have the luxury of dilly-dallying like I used to. Now when I’m in the kitchen, so is Darlington, and that means I’m on constant high-alert. My curious baby likes to chase the dogs with pots and pans, press the start button on the empty microwave, pinch her fingers between the cabinets, and then yell as if I’m responsible. These days, simplicity is key, and that’s one reason why my juices aren’t as dressed up as they used to be.

Grapeberry Mint Juice

Since Darlington started eating solids in December, I’ve added making baby food to my cooking repertoire. If Dan and I get to eat homemade food every day, then so should our precious baby! But it’s not easy adding one more thing to the Monday Menu agenda. So, I had to play around with our schedule to design a menu and plan that works best for our family.

On Fridays, I come up with the menu for the following week. Right now, the menu revolves around Darlington’s solids, and then over the weekend I work on the list of ingredients. Monday mornings, we buy the groceries and prepare all the food for the entire week—juice, dinners, and baby food. I make sure the ingredients cross over. This helps cut down the cooking time for my little helper and I. And there’s nothing better than seeing those tiny hands caressing the tops of mine, as if she’s doing the work herself!

Pumpkin Crush

It’s only natural to add unnecessary junk—salt, butter, sugar, and a variety of sauces—to already perfect foods. I’m guessing we’re all guilty of it at one time or another. It might be an American thing to do, but whatever it is, I’m willing to bet if we took those items away, we’d be pretty pleased with the outcome. That’s why l love juicing. Nobody (or at least nobody I know) adds junk to their juice. Basically, it all comes down to combinations and not being afraid to try new things…like pumpkin!

Believe it or not, you can juice a gourd. Most of us have only cut the tops off, dug out the seeds, carved a scary face, and stuck a candle in it. And maybe a few of us have even baked some seeds. But there is so much more that can be done with this superfood—pumpkin puree, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, and pumpkin bread, just to name a few. But if you love the taste of pumpkin, then you’ll absolutely go pumpkin-crazy for it in your juice. Just make sure to buy the right kind, the small “sweet pumpkin” used for baking, not carving.

Strawberry Romanesco Broccoli

If you’re not a big foodie, then you might be wondering what that Willy-Wonka-like vegetable seen in the ingredients photo is. Well, Romanesco Broccoli is an edible flower. Though its name says broccoli, it’s in fact more of a cauliflower, rich in zinc, high levels of carotenoids that promote glowing skin, iron, vitamin C, and folate.

June 22, 2015June 21, 2015

Farm Greens Juice

Nothing says summer quite like fresh melons, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait until picnics and barbeques to partake in this fleshy delicacy. Honeydew on a scorching day is more than just a low-calorie, refreshing treat.

This hydrating fruit provides more than half the recommended daily allowance for vitamin C and is rich in iron, B vitamins, and essential nutrients (source). That’s why adding honeydew to our juicing list isn’t only delicious but it’s nutritious too.