Hotbox Hipster

we all want to do the best we can to ensure good health; not only for the present moment, but for the long haul down the road of life.  sometimes doing the right thing is a challenge, and I get that. sometimes with all of the hats we are donning and doffing… grabbing a healthy breakfast or lunch becomes an afterthought.  you find yourself grabbing a quickie packaged something or other from the cupboard and mindlessly consuming it at red lights on your way in to the office.  I am here to tell you that you deserve better. your body deserves better.  and it’s as easy as bulking up on your produce purchases and allowing yourself 15 extra minutes in the morning, a few days per week.  I am talking about JUICING.  I know, I know…. juicing seems to fall under one of those, “oh it looks wonderful, but who has time for it” or  “I’d probably buy the juicer and never use it” …and I’m here to body slam those negative thoughts.  I bought a juicer on Craigslist for 60 bucks. Rewind… first I BORROWED a juicer from a doctor pal of mine, and test drove it for a couple of months.  I was smitten.  then, when she asked for it back, I felt as if I’d lost a friend! (the juicer) -and I knew I had to have one of my own.  enter craigslist… and the very next day I was juicing once again.  the great thing about juicing, is that you can easily consume things that you would NEVER be consuming in their whole form at one sitting… unless you are a big fat bunny rabbit.  see visual below….

but somehow, when you put it all together, balancing the veggies with a nice tart apple and a chunk of citrus fruit… it tastes amazing!! keeping in mind, more often than not, the color is less than desirable. my hubby equates it to pond water at times.  However, that being said, if you throw a beet in the mix… prepare to drink, hands down, the most beautifully vivid liquid you will ever touch to your lips!! I was blown away by the bright bold hue of pure beet juice. not the purple watery liquid you strain from the can that inevitably stains your cutting board and counter… but PURE beet juice created from squeezing it mechanically.  ((see below))

I shared this blend with my seven year old daughter, who loved that it gave her a PINK moustache!  juice up fruits that are about to go bad, combine them with things that are wicked good for you, but that you may not want to consume on their own in their raw form… example, beets, kale, spinach, rhubarb, raw ginger, a big rip of parsley, the nice thing about juicing is that you can use the stems and all… I like to save the core of the pineapple, adding that into a mix for my sweetness one day, hence wasting less, and getting more from the pineapple than I did before! I also like knowing that the variety of items you see on my cutting board below will transform into a liquid that will supply me with over half of the vitamins and antioxidants I will need for the whole day!  literally, after I drink my JUICED breakfast from my mason jar in the morning, about a half hour later I feel like I could take on the world! the energy is SO PURE and SO FAST… you won’t even think about eating again until lunch time. juice your mix, and place in a mason jar with lid secured. stash in your work bag. when you arrive at work, give it a shake and sip away (or gulp like me) for good health!!  you just gave yourself a breakfast like no other.  I call it Rockstar food.   OK time for another pic.

OK so let’s talk health benefits. oh and before I do that… you will have the critics who will say, YES but you are missing out on all the fiber by juicing!!  -and to them I reply… take the back carriage off of your machine, and whisk in a few tablespoons of the lovely pulp to your beverage! VOILA! there you go.  this pulp helps make an AMAZING COMPOST by the way.  waste not.  so for starters, there are the vitamins. A,D,K,C, all of the B’s, chlorophyll, (linked an amazing little article there for ya’ll) enzymes, phytonutrients (help us fight off disease), and the list goes on and on. the take away point here is that you are feeding your body, your cells, your ‘machine’… LIVE FOODS… foods that nature created, and that your body knows EXACTLY what to do with!  –and your body knowing exactly what do with these foods, is the EXACT energy boost that you are FEELING almost immediately after drinking these juices!!  we stress our bodies to the max these days, not only physical stress and lack of sleep and sometimes lack of activity, but mental stress as well.  money troubles alone are enough to wreak havoc on our sense of well being and our overall body health. stress ends up breaking down and deteriorating our cells, thus causing (or opening us up to) degenerative disorders.  this is one small way that you can fight back and do something great for your body. for your health and well being.  I can GUARANTEE that not a one of you, after juicing for a couple of days, will utter the words- “man I wish I wouldn’t have drank that”, or “boy I sure feel lousy now”…. WON’T HAPPEN.  but did you ever feel that way after eating a big donut or two?? uh-huh.  how about after eating a pop tart and a diet soda? you’re feeling me.  those food are offering you nothing, yet we waste money on them and worse yet, consume them.  I challenge each reader to take ownership of your body. become accountable, and watch how your life changes.  show up each day.  think about what you are putting in your mouth and what it has to offer you. I am not saying you should deprive yourself of things you enjoy eating… treat yourself well.  I eat a frozen snicker bar next to the pool in the summer sun probably twice a week! -and I don’t think twice about it.  you know why?? because when you make healthy decisions a majority of the time, you’re allotted those freedoms!  it’s a give and take, and the old adage, everything in moderation is key.  but JUICING…. you’re gonna like it.

peace and love yo.