something juicy

While browsing the Williams-Sonoma website, I thought, “What in the world am I going to do with this $50 dollar gift card I won?” Before I knew it, my “Ah Ha!” moment hit me in the electronics section.  A Juicer.  Why didn’t I think of this sooner?  Since becoming gluten & dairy free, I’ve found that a good juice cleanse after falling off the wagon is just the trick.  You may be thinking that days without solid food sounds absolutely miserable, but you’d be surprised!  My favorite brand of juice, Suja, can be purchased at Whole Foods or on their website.  On their website they offer 1, 3, or 5 day cleanses.  However, if you don’t know if you can make it for 3 whole days, or maybe 3 days is just not enough, you can purchase the juices from Whole Foods individually. Purchasing from Whole Foods allows you to chose how long you want to do the cleanse personally- 1, 2, 3 4, 5, or even 10 days (if you really wanted). Their juices are AMAZING (the Vanilla Cloud is my personal fav), and you’re drinking juice often enough that if you don’t get hungry!

via Williams-Sonoma

Ok, so back to my latest purchase.  My Breville juicer.  Now that I have this magnificent appliance, a juicing cleanse is a must.  And what makes my purchase even cooler?  I don’t have to shell out the normal 100-150 bucks to buy the pre-made juices.  All I need to do is buy my own produce.  But wait, how am I going to figure out everything I need?  Thankfully a co-worker referred me to www.rebootwithjoe.com, which filled me in on everything I needed to know about juicing; what to do before a cleanse, how to prep the fruits and vegetables, and even juicing plans with tons of recipes to try.  It’s like the juicing bible.

I decided that I was going to switch things up this time around and do the cleanse a little bit differently than I have in the past.  During this round, I would drink 4 juices during the day and then eat dinner at home (lean meat and veggies) so that I could stretch out the cleanse for longer than usual. To prepare myself,  I made a list of everything I would need and made a trip to Stanley’s Fruits & Vegetables, and I’m pretty sure I robbed them blind.  I got SO MUCH produce for my money – 89 cents for kale by the bunch?  I was thrilled. *** Note to self: don’t walk half a mile with 3-5 days worth of juicing produce.***  I could  have skipped my workout earlier in the day!

 

So my first DIY juice cleanse began!  Starting the cleanse on a Monday, I made 4 drinks every night for the following day.  I decided that for 3 full days I would strictly drink 1 orange juice, 2 green juices, 1 red juice, and my lean mean & veggie dinner at home, and then slowly ease myself out of the cleanse by adding more solid & healthy foods in little by little on the 4^th day.  Side note: The best way to store a juice is in a mason jar! I found these cute compact 16 oz jars at Target, which made transporting from home to work so easy!  Now, I will admit that in my experience, juicing does not give me the energy that my normal eating schedule does, and quite frankly I just love the idea of chewing food (who doesn’t?!).  However, it’s an awesome way for a fresh start or to jump start a diet. Now that I have my own juicer, though, I think a Juice will be a part of my every day diet.  They’re just too yummy!  So tell me, have you ever done a juice cleanse before? What’s your favorite brand?