Starting with juice

Since the third week in January, we've been juicing nearly every morning at breakfast.  It all began with the idea of doing some sort of detox.  That, of course, went by the wayside shortly thereafter, but we haven't let go of the juicing because we really like how we feel when we drink it.  And by we, I mean myself and Byron.  Wyatt isn't sure about all this.  He agreeably tastes our concoctions, but hasn't started guzzling them -- yet. 

Let me say, too, that we are breakfast people.  And by we, I do mean all three of us. It's a meal that we eat together and we like it to be substantial.  Oatmeal almost always.  Maybe yogurt with muesli in the summer.  And then we get crazy on the weekends with pancakes or crepes or waffles or omelets.  You get the idea.

Juice at breakfast has made it easier to get those 6-8 services of fruits and veggies one needs every day.  How cool is it to have consumed the vitamins, minerals and most nutrients (yes, minus some fiber) of six cups of spinach, some kale, and a couple apples before 8:30 in the morning? 

We have owned a juicer for several years so it wasn't a hard thing to try again, but this time we are hooked.  So hooked that we just bought a second juicer last weekend.  And, drum roll please, I signed us up for a juicing share with my CSA that runs for 16 weeks this summer.  OMG, are we going to be be sooooooo full of greens by September!

In any case, here are some of our favorite juice combinations of late.  Use organic, well-washed produce if possible and drink the juice immediately after making it for the best taste and consistency.  My quantities make a generous juice serving for two people.

Grapefruit - carrot - ginger
3 medium-sized grapefruit (cutting the peel off makes it taste a lot less bitter)
10 carrots
2-inch piece of fresh ginger

Apple - celery - fennel
2 stalks of celery
2/3 of a medium fennel bulb
4 apples

Spinach-pineapple
6 cups pineapple
3 heads of romaine or a combination of celery stalks and romaine lettuce
2 packed cups of spinach and/or kale

Green Lemonade
4 apples
4 packed cups of baby spinach leaves
2 cucumbers or 6 stalks of celery
1 lemon (rind and all)