juicing

What’s the real cost of juicing at home vs buying juice??

~ cassandra ~ 3 Comments

As you can see from my last couple posts/my instagram [@afitgirlsguide], I am a little obsessed with whole juicing again. It’s such a great way to get fruits and veggies in the diet…and in the case of whole juicing- fiber! I love whole juicing in my Blendtec because it keeps all the great fiber in it, vs separating it out in a typical juicer. And of course it’s tasty! I’ve been trying out some really great combos that are SO refreshing on a hot day.

cost-of-juicing

In the past I used to buy a juice every now and then from Sprouts or Whole Foods, but they are so expensive and I never really made it a habit [luckily]. After buying produce specifically for juicing, I am totally shocked at how much juice can be made at home for the same price!!

Recently I’ve been doing 1/4 lemon, 1/2 cucumber, handful of kale, handful of watermelon, and about 1/4 of green apple with some water in the Blendtec.

Here’s what I purchased from Sprouts:

2 lemons @ .50 each
4 cucumbers @ .50 each
1 container of organic kale @ 3.49
1 seedless watermelon @ 3.99
2 green apples @ 1.49 /lb

total price: 12.09

This amount of produce will probably make about 8 drinks, with watermelon left over. That’s $1.51 per drink!! And it’s a lot more than the amount in a tiny juice bottle or cup too! Compare that with $7.99 bottle of Suja and you are saving a lot of $$$.

Of course this requires you have a high powered blender or juicer, but if it’s something you use often, it’s worth it! Save more money on juice, buy more lululemon…no brainer.

Have a great weekend!

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Juice Obsession: watermelon-lime-cucumber detox juice

~ cassandra ~ Leave a comment

I started whole juicing with my Bledtec again, and I guess I had forgot how simple it is! There is no reason to spend $$$ on  juices if you can make them at home! #duh

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For this recipe I used:
1 cup watermelon (chopped up), half of a cucumber, and a quarter of a lime (peeled).
Blend and serve over ice. Easy Peasy and SO refreshing.

Watermelon and cucumbers are both super hydrating, the combo is perfect if you need a little de-bloat after some weekend indulging. No judgement. I don’t really believe in “detoxing” per se, because that’s what we have organs for…. but I totally know the post-vacay/Monday Morning feeling of needing to lay off the sugar/carbs, and hop back on the fruit & veggie train. As long as you aren’t starving yourself, I think juicing is part of a healthy lifestyle, and is a great way to get more nutrients into your diet!

detox-juice

And if you’re interested, here are a few reasons I will NEVER do a juice cleanse.

Happy Hump Day!

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Whole Juicing: Citrus Berry Juice Recipe

~ cassandra ~ Leave a comment

Now that it’s getting pretty warm, I’ve been craving tons of smoothies and  fruit (mostly watermelon). I’ve made this same juice recipe everyday for about the last week and I can’t get enough! It’s so refreshing. I’ve mentioned before that I prefer to whole juice in order to get the benefits of the plentiful fiber in produce. I use my blendtec and it works like a little charm.

 

citrus-berry

Recipe

1/2 large navel orange, peeled
1/4 lime, with peel
1/2 C blueberries (I use frozen, but fresh would be great too)
1/2 C kale (I also freeze my kale so it’s nice and chilled in my smoothies)
splash of coconut water

Throw all the ingredients into your blender. I use the “Whole Juice” Button on my blendtec. Duh. Easy as pie…but a lot healthier 🙂

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5 reasons I won’t be doing a juice cleanse anytime soon (or ever)…

~ cassandra ~ 2 Comments

Juice Cleanses promise quick weight-loss, detoxification, more energy, and a boat-load of other questionable claims (which all sound fantastic on paper). Drink yummy juice all day and lose weight? Sounds fun. BUT, there are a lot of reasons it’s not such a great idea. I’m all for juicing (and am a huge fan of any kind of green juice) but there is no reason to drink only juice for days at a time….

 

juice

1. Your body doesn’t need to “detox”. Unless you are coming off of alcohol or drugs, detoxing isn’t necessary. In fact, you have organs specifically made to rid your body of toxins! I understand the yucky, bloated, gross feeling you can get from eating too much {fill in tasty food here}, but eating a healthy diet filled with WHOLE  fruits and veggies, with some lean protein, and healthy fats will be even better for you (and help rid you of that gross feeling too). And guess what…unless all of your produce is 100% organic, you may actually be drinking up a lot of toxins in that tasty little juice….

2. But where’s all the fiber?? Juicing provides the vitamins and minerals that come from fruits and veggies, but they completely get rid of all the yummy fiber. Fiber is the one nutrient that you NEED to cleanse yourself (if you know what I mean). Cut that out of your diet for a few days, and good luck going to the bathroom…..

3. It’s expensive! If you’ve ever juiced at home, you know it takes a lot of fruits and veggies to make a small amount of juice. Multiply that by 5 juices per day, and your whole fridge will be stuffed with produce…and your wallet will be empty. If you decide to go the easy way and buy a 3-5 day cleanse you’ll be shelling out anywhere from $120-300! It may be nice to not have to plan your meals, but I can buy a few weeks worth of healthy and delicious groceries for that price.

4. What about protein? Or fat? Your body needs those macronutrients to survive! (and stay full) Cutting them out for a few days (and going extremely low-cal) may lead to dropping a few pounds, but it will come right back when you start eating again. And surviving only on carbs and sugar (essentially what juice is) will not keep you full for very long, which could lead to binging.

5. Instead of trying to erase an unhealthy lifestyle by drinking a ton of vitamins and minerals for a few days, why don’t we just clean up our habits? Cut down on the caffeine and packaged crap and instead,  eat more whole foods and get your blood flowing! Sounds more fun than starving for a few days AND the results will be long term and lead to LOADS of health benefits.

If you need anymore reasons, check out this article by Precision Nutrition.

 

What to YOU think about juicing?

 

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