Juice Recipe

The sad part is that I now am pretty sure I know what it would take to make me feel 100% better full time, I just also know myself well enough to know that I don’t have the willpower to make it happen. 

Sweet Pepper Juice II – Orange Bell Pepper, Pinapple, strawberries & ginger

So what would it take? A return to eating vegan (and grain-free) long-term. The weeks I ate Vegan were the weeks I felt the best. Part of the problem is that now my brains is so muddled by so many things I’ve read on different diets (Paleo, Primal, MSG-Free, etc) that I’ve got too many things going at once. I have already realized that going totally Primal/Paleo isn’t for me. I don’t want to eat that much meat, and they basically flat out say you can’t do Paleo and be Vegan at the same time (because of the lack of protein). Of course, reading enough on Juicing, the claims exist that you can get plenty of protein from just vegetables (ie. Kale is power-packed with protein). I’m trying to rid myself of as much MSG as I can, but again it’s just further than I feel like I can go. However, I have eliminated several things rather easily.

Carbs are Evil/ Carbs are Good – seriously, who knows anymore. And the truth is I don’t know for everyone and I won’t pretend to. I am beginning to believe that there is not “diet” that is good for everyone, but that we do know what is right for our own bodies, if we will listen. That’s been my approach to protein (meat) lately. Don’t eat it unless my body is telling me to eat it. Of course, sometimes I eat it anyway, because quite honestly a taco just isn’t a taco without meat (of course, some would say a taco isn’t a taco without the cheese either, but I’m convinced it tastes just as good).

Oddly enough, I’ve made it through 3 weeks (in the past 2.5 months) without any meat at all and didn’t miss it AT ALL, until after I ate it again. During those weeks that I went straight Vegan, I only craved meat a couple of times (usually at the beginning). I know I can go without and I know I feel better for doing so. The problem is two-fold – 1. I get bored eating the same things over and over. And I like to eat out. 2. Peer-Pressure. The pressure is all around us to eat a certain way. Our friends want to go out to eat but there’s nothing on the menu that fits in with my diet, so I just eat something that comes close, or something that sounds good.

Today, I’m juicing. It’s easy on Thursdays (as long as I don’t leave the house) to do a juice-fast, because my husband isn’t home. He’ll probably stop by for an hour or so and grab some dinner, but otherwise he’s at work all day then heads out to play pool in the evening. So, I got a head-start this morning and got up and made a days worth of juice. From left to right we have Sweet Pepper Juice II, Orange-Carrot-Beet-Ginger Juice, Mean Green Juice, and Almond Milk. The Almond milk isn’t really part of my juice fast, but I guess it could be. It’s just there because it was in the fridge and because I made it, too (although not with my juicer). The Mean Green juice is a little dark and muddy looking because I juiced it after doing the Beet juice, so some beet juice got in my Mean Green and left it kinda drab brown.

Sweet Pepper Juice II
1 Orange Bell Pepper
2 Cups Pineapple
1 Cup Strawberries (about 12)
1 chunk of Ginger

Juice It ALL! This could probably also work pretty well as a smoothie, if you prefer it. Even as juice it came out a good bit pulpy.