Juice Cleanse

Every once in a while my body just needs a break.  Lots of rest and lots of good, nutritious food.  Unfortunately, those simple things can be tough to come by in a busy life.

A few years ago I stumbled upon the BluePrintCleanse out of NY, NY.  It's juice company that ships fresh, delicious, nutritious juices to anywhere in the US and Canada. The program is simple.  Choose the regimen you'd like, order it, quickly refrigerate it once it's arrived, and enjoy the juice for a few days ~ no cooking or assembly required.

The people I've talked to about it always ask me if its hard to do and if I'm hungry.  Honestly, it couldn't be easier. Am I hungry? A little, but only on the first day.  If you space out the juice as I suggest below, it is really very comfortable and after three days you feel terrific.

Daily Schedule

8:00a	Green Juice
10:00a	Pineapple, Apple, Mint Juice
12:00p	Green Juice
2:00p	Spicy Lemonade
4:00p	Green Juice
6:00p	Cashew Milk

After a year back at school full time, I needed just such a break.  I decided to try and make the juices myself; recipes below.  I've tried two juicers: the Champion Juicer and the Breville Juice Fountain. While the Champion seems to extract much more juice from the fruits and vegetables, it is a *lot* more work and makes a bigger mess.  The Breville Juice Fountain is extremely easy to use and requires less prep, but generates less juice and a lot more pulp.  Given the time I have for juicing, my preference is for the Breville.

Juice Recipes

While I think the juice is better if it's made at home, juicers are expensive and juicing is time intensive and messy. As I mentioned above, all these juices can be ordered for shipment to anywhere in the US and Canada at Blueprint Cleanse.

Green Juice

3 oz spinach

3 oz kale, chopped

3 stalks celery

2 apples, quartered and cored

1 cucumber

½ oz parsley

1 lemon, peeled

Feed all ingredients through juicer. Mix well, scrape off foam, add ice and serve.  Recipe can be tripled to make all juice needed for one day on schedule outlined above; portions are 16 oz. Refrigerate any juice not immediately consumed.

Pineapple Apple Mint

2 cups fresh pineapple, chopped

10-15 fresh mint leaves

2 apples, quartered and cored

1 lime, peeled

Feed all ingredients through juicer. Mix well, scrape off foam, add ice and serve.

Spicy Lemonade

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon agave nectar

1 pinch cayenne or 10 drops cayenne extract

2 cups filtered water

Juice lemon into a glass, add agave and cayenne, then mix well.  Add water and mix well. Add ice and serve.

Cashew Nut Milk

½ cup cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour

2 cups filtered water

1 ½ teaspoons extra virgin coconut oil

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 T agave nectar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Add all ingredients to a blender and mix until smooth. Add ice and serve.