More Than Just Orange Juice

Now I've heard people refer to juicing as just a fad, but in my life I plan on making sure this healthy trend is here to stay. Those who know me know that I absolutely love food, and unfortunately not just the clean, healthy, look-great-in-a-bikini kind, so anything I can do to add more vegetables, vitamins, and fruit into my diet I am more than willing to. That being said, I recently purchased a juicer (on sale - score!) and got serious with incorporating this super healthy trend into my daily routine. I try to make and drink a different juice every day and have already noticed the extra energy.

Here is one of my favorite juice recipes I've created that is packed with Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Potassium, Thiamin (B1), dietary fiber, and absolute deliciousness all in one glass.

You will need:

• one medium-sized banana
• two big handfuls of baby spinach 
• one large cucumber
• one large celery stalk
• one large orange (remember: the riper the sweeter)
• one small lemon
• a juicer (a blender can also work, but will not extract the seeds and rinds like a juicer will, nor will you get the most out of ingredients' nutritional value)

Tips: 

• Organic fruits and veggies are best for you and the environment, but if you aren't using organic, be sure to rinse your produce well!
• For easy cleanup, line your juicer's waste container with a plastic grocery bag for quick disposal.

Once you've gathered all of your ingredients, it's now time to prepare them! Roughly peel the banana, orange, lemon, and cucumber; no need to worry about peeling all of the skin off because your juicer will take care of the rest and some excess rinds can add to the fiber and feeling of fullness this juice provides. Also, depending on how you like your juice to taste, keeping the lemon peel on will add more zest and flavor.

Starting with your hardest ingredient first (for me, it was the just-ripened cucumber) and ending with your softest ingredient, slowly insert each piece of fruit or veggie into your juicer. The slower you go, the more "juice" you will get out of each piece, so take your time! You should end up with about 16 ounces of orangey-limey-green juice. 

Pour into a glass, add a few ice cubes if desired, and enjoy!