JUICING 101

ITS TIME

It's time for us to take hold of our health.  It's time for us to learn how to say, "NO" to certain foods.  It's time for us to finally start turning our dreams into goals and achieving them once and for all! We must start taking responsibility in order to achieve our goals and by this I mean it's our own personal CHOICE to live a healthy life-style.... or not to.  No one is going to swat your hand when your office brings cookies, candies, and donuts on Valentines Day and tell you, "Excuse me, You can't eat that"... You have to make the concsious decision whether or not that cookie is worth it.

For those of you who are on this juicing journey with me, I wanted to do a little Juicing 101 for all my beginners.  Hopefully this provides a little more knowledge and few more tips and tricks! 

JUICING 101 

I love juicing because it provides me a way to add more fruits and vegetables into my diet which I have never been able to do before.  Previously, I would say that I ate the typical American diet.... I didn't get anywhere close to the recommended serving of fruits and veggies, I ate a lot of foods that were high in calories, sugars, and fats.  When I tried my first juice, I surprisingly loved it and I was amazed at how many vegetables were in the ingredients (and I wasn't able to taste any of them.) Once I started to do more research on the benefits of juicing, I finally went out and bought a juicer...needless to say I have been hooked ever since and my result have been more than amazing.  

So why juice? Our bodies actually naturally break down all of the food we eat anyways, when we are juicing it's kind of like letting our bodies skip a step which gives us more energy (because our body isn't having to work so hard to break down the food) and it gives our digestive system a break as well.  

I get asked alllllll the time, "Why don't you just blend instead of juice?" or someone will tell me, "I juiced this weekend with my blender"  Juicing and Blending are different.  Let me tell you why... when we are juicing we are separating the liquid of the produce from the pulp.  A juicer liquifies everything that goes into the juicer.  The juice part of the produce is what our cells absorb.  So when we make juice it's basically just a big glass of nutrients that goes straight to our cells.  When we are blending, yes we are still liquifying the produce and the fiber is important however it's the juice that our cells need desperately.  The nutrients in a smoothie are not separated like they are in juice.  I personally think juices and smoothies complement each other well and doing a mix of both is great. 

If you are juicing to lose weight, it's best to use produce that is HIGH in nutrients but low in calorie.  Here is a a good list to stick to. 

Bell Peppers 

Parsley 

Kale 

Broccoli 

Spinach 

Celery 

Brussels Sprouts 

Cauliflower 

Carrots 

Cabbage 

Beets (Very Earthy in Juices) 

Pineapple 

Cantaloupe 

Watermelon 

Tomatoes 

Apples 

Strawberries 

Pears 

Oranges 

Grapes 

Preparation

Juicing takes a lot of preparation.  I know when you think of "juicing" you probably think "sweet, now I can throw an entire orange into my juicer and not peel it" 

Ahhh! Please DO NOT DO THIS! You still have to prep your fruits and vegetables before throwing them into the juicer.   You cannot use frozen fruits... even after they have been thawed out (they are usually to squishy).  Bananas cannot go thru the juicer.  If you want to use bananas then you would have to create a juice and then throw the juice and the banana into a blender. 

Here are pictures from my Juicing session this Sunday! 

This one's called 

Fire Me Up! 

Carrot 

Orange 

Lime 

Jalapeno 

Get everything you will need out  (This serves 2)

 Wash your fruits and veggies

Cut off stems... They cannot go thru the juicer

I like to put a liner inside the "trash" bin of the juicer... especially when making multiple juices so that I don't have to clean it every single time it fills up

Assemble your juicer!

You MUST remove ALL peels.  It take less time to cut them off than sit down and peel each one, So typically I just cut off all my peels.

Once peeled, place fruit in the shooter.  Don't turn the juicer on until your shooter is filled with produce. (If you have a small juicer you might only be able to do one fruit at a time) 

I like to keep a grocery bag around that way I can throw all the peels and excess stuff in the bag immediately.  It keeps the kitchen a little more clean and it makes the final cleaning a lot easier.  It's better to keep it all in one place!

You don't need to do anything to carrots other than wash them.  Here is a picture of them going into the juicer. 

.... and coming out of the juicer

Oranges need to be peeled... it saves a lot of time to just cut the peels off. 

And into the juicer they go.....

The jalapeno's only require the stem being removed.  Other than that...it's good to go straight in!

End Product

STIR ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER 

Pour over ice and enjoy :)

 The Fire Me Up was delicious!!! A must try!

RECIPE: Hello Sunshine!

 Pineapple

Kale 

Orange

Kale only needs to be washed and then it can go straight in

Here are pictures of the Kale going in and out... Kale doesn't juice very well and by that I mean not a lot of juice comes out.... So it's better to throw in an orange or an apple first, then Kale, then another orange or apple after.  For some reason it helps the Kale juice better.  

 Remove the skin of the pineapple 

This is how I like to cut up the pineapple before placing it in the juicer

 Stir up!

 Pour and Enjoy! 

I made these for this upcoming week.  This recipe made two big juices and two small juices.

Apples... Makes sure you remove the sticker!

Wash Em'

Remove the stem

Cut em' up

And then they are ready to be liquified!

  Juicing is so much fun! I hope this helped some of you who have just recently started juicing! If there are any other types of fruits or vegetables you have questions about please leave me a comment so I can do a demo in an upcoming blog! 

If I can do it.....

Have a very blessed Sunday! 

Xoxo

-Ashley

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

  

Non-Juicing Grocery List

Happy Wednesday! 

I have had a lot of questions about what I eat when I'm not juicing.  In my previous blogs I've mentioned my digestive issues and my doctor has recommended that I stay away from certain foods.  

No, No's for Me: 

• All Wheat, Barely & Rye Products 
• Dairy 
• Sugar 
• Minimal Red Meats

Well... That's pretty much impossible and very difficult to stick to therefore instead of eliminating those foods all together, I just try and eat them very minimally.  Also, I am not extremely adventurous when it comes to food (shocker.. I know) I unfortunately hate seafood and I don't enjoy eating lots of vegetables (one reason I love juicing... I can't taste them in juice) With that being said, there are definitely a lot more food items that you can add to this list, this is just my own personal food preference list.

My Grocery List

• Eggs (I eat whole eggs... not egg whites) 
• Chicken (grilled, baked, or in the crock pot) 
• Turkey Breast 
• Ground Turkey (Lean) 
• Turkey Burgers
• Turkey Bacon  (Nitrate-Free)
• Nitrate-Free Lunch Meat (Hormel is a good brand)
• Lentils (Beans)
• Hummus (Good substitute for cheese on sandwiches)
• Ezekiel Bread (They have Ezekiel tortillas and muffins as well)
• Sweet Potatoes
• All Natural Pop-Corn (Boom-Chica-Pop is my favorite brand)
• Avocados 
• Tomatoes 
• Apples 
• All kinds of Berries 
• Steel-Cut Oatmeal
• Quinoa 
• Salad (Homemade) 
• Feta Cheese 
• Olives (Black and Green)
• All types of Nuts
• Green Tea 
• Almond Milk  or Coconut Milk

This was such a hard concept for me to understand!  I had always been about the numbers,  the calories, and the carbs.  When I stopped counting calories and just simply starting eating healthy and paying attention to labels is when I saw the most results with my health and with my body! 

 EXAMPLE WEEK:

Here is an example of what I am doing this week...

Breakfast: Juice

Morning Snack: Juice

Lunch: Ezekiel Bread Sandwich with Nitrate-Free lunch meat, hummus, tomato, and avocado with a light salad. (by light I mean no ranch dressing and croutons for example)

Afternoon Snack: Nuts or Greek Yogurt or all natural pop-corn (I try to only eat the pop corn a few times a week, its more of a treat than an everyday thing)

Dinner: Juice OR Chicken with Quinoa OR Eggs with Turkey Bacon OR Chicken Salad OR Turkey Burger wrapped in Lettuce with Sweet Potato Fries

I like to start my day with a juice because it makes me feel healthy and I feel like I am able to stay on track when I start off my day with a juice.  I usually try and juice for dinner.  I don't like to go to bed on a full stomach and I need the most energy in the afternoons rather than at night before bed.

Some other DONT'S to try and stay away from:

• All over processed foods (white flour & sugar) 
• Chemically charge foods
• Foods with preservatives 
• Artificial sugars
• Artificial foods (ex: individually wrapped sliced cheese)
• Saturated and Trans Fat 
• Sugar Loaded Beverages (Cokes, Gatorade, Energy Drinks)
• Calorie dense foods (Diet Coke) 

 

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment =) 

Xoxo

-Ashley

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

REMINDER:  I am no health expert, I am not majoring in health education, I do not have any type license.  I do not know what works for anyone other than myself however I do know that juicing has had a huge and positive impact on my life and I am happy to share what its done for me.  If you have questions I HIGHLY recommend consulting your doctor before trying anything I have shared.

A Little Q&A Time...

Happy Monday :) 

I hope you were able to start kick your week with some new healthy juices! 

I have received such a great response from everyone who has been reading the blog (Woo Hoo) !!!  I am loving the flood of messages I am getting everyday from everyone asking about juicing, how to juice, for advice, or simply just a message saying "You have inspired me and I am starting juicing tomorrow!" All which leads me to my next topic which is a little Q&A.  I'm sure a lot of you have some of the same questions so hopefully this helps! 

1. Do I need to peel oranges?
The answer is yes.  All fruits and vegetables that have likewise peels need to be skinned before going through the juicer.  These types of peels will damage the strainer and you will not be able to use your juicer anymore (which after purchasing one is the last thing you want to do).  Fruits such as apples, cucumbers, and pears are perfectly fine to go through the juicer without being skinned prior to juicing.  There should be a list in your juicing manual that has a more detailed list of what can and cant go through the strainer. 

2. Can I use frozen fruit?
You cannot use frozen fruit with your juicer.  The juicer will only liquidize fresh fruits.  Using frozen fruits can be damaging to the strainer.  Frozen fruits are something you would use for a smoothie when you are blending, not juicing. 

3. Do you buy pre-cut fruit?
My answer to this is sometimes I do, but I try to stay away from it.  If you have already started making juices then you know how time consuming it can be.  When I know I am going to have an extremely busy week, then I will buy pre-cut fruit and bagged Kale/Spinach just because it saves me some more time but I really try not to because it's more expensive.



4. Do you use juice as a meal replacement?
Typically I do.  When I first started to replace a few meals with juice, I didn't have any issues doing so.  I didn't feel like I was starving, weak, or deprived. (Everyone is different so listen and pay attention to how your body is feeling) When I replace a meal with juice I usually drink about 16oz but if I feel like I need more, Ill drink more! Juice can be made to complement a meal as well! You get so many more nutrients by drinking fresh, homemade juice that I highly recommend drinking at least one juice a day!

5.  Can I blend the recipes you post and will I physically get the same results as you if I blend instead of juice? 

Ok, so to the first part of that question... Yes you can blend the recipes I post in a blender, however they wont taste the same as a juice made with a juicer.  I have tried the same exact recipe in my juicer and in a blender and they tasted VERY different! Also, the recipes I post are specifically for juicing therefore if you do decide to blend you will need a lot less produce. 
As far as what your results will be by doing a "blending" detox, I am unsure.  During my journey to losing 20lbs I never once blended a smoothie, I only used a juice extractor.  I rarely blend anymore because I am pleased with how the juice taste, so now it's hard to go back to blending.  With that being said, there are a ton of benefits from blending and it's still a healthy alternative to most typical diets.   

6.  Do I have to use one of those ridiculously expensive juicers?

Not at all!  I have a few friends who just recently purchased juicers from Wal-Mart that were under 50 dollars! I have tried these juicers out and the end product turns out the exact same.  The biggest difference I saw was the Breville Juicer (my juicer) has a 3" inch feed tube that's large enough for many whole fruits.  With the Black and Decker juicer you really have to cut up all of the fruit into pretty small pieces, but... it's a lot less expensive!  The Black and Decker juicer is a good "starter" juicer.

 A few other differences between the two juicers are the Breville Juice extractor has 5 different speeds you can juice at, it has a special spout that separates the froth from the juice when pouring into your jars, the pitcher is bigger, and the trash bin is bigger as well. 

Here is a picture of the Black and Decker Juice Extractor...

7.  What juicer do I use? 
I use The Juice Fountain Multi-Speed Breville Juicer and here is a picture of that one...

8.  When the recipe calls  for pineapple, do you use the entire thing?
After cutting the rind off, yes you use the entire thing including the center.  It will go through the juicer!

 9.  Do you use organic fruit and vegetables?
I try to as much as possible.  I also like to buy my fruit and veggies from our farmers market to support local business! Buying organic is a little bit more expensive however when we are juicing and detoxing we are trying to "cleanse" our bodies of all the chemicals we usually put in them.  Non-Organic produced is typically filled with pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, additives, radiation, genetic modification, and preservatives all which are extremely harmful to our bodies.  If you have some free time one night I recommend sitting down and and reading in more detail about the list above.

10.  Is it better to make one juice at a time or several at a time?


It is always best to drink juice as fresh as possible.  When we are juicing we are breaking open the cell walls of the produce causing the produce to become very sensitive to air and light.  When the produce is exposed to air, it loses some of it's nutrients.  I wrote more in detail about this in my post titled "DETOXING" 

11. I get SUPER hungry and I am afraid I wont be able to juice. 
I as well have a huge appetite. I mean, like HUGE...When I drink my juices I am completely satisfied and feel full.  I never deprive myself... If I am hungry then I just drink more juice.  I never limit myself to a certain amount and I just try and stick to a ballpark range of 12-20oz.  Like I always say, start off slow! If you're afraid you'll get hungry then only try substituting breakfast for awhile and then try and replace other meals. 

-------> If you want to read more about Juicing vs. Blending check out my post titled "The Facts".

 Just a little reminder if you started a cleanse and it didn't last all day or maybe you started juicing and got frustrated... Your health is worth it! And if you are doing this to lose weight, don't give up just because you didn't see results after the first day(although I know we all hope, dream, and pray for that) This is something that will take TIME.  Time getting use to, time to adjust, and time to see change!

And I just wanted to share a few of the sweet messages I've received :)

"So I just bought a juicer and I have been reading your blog religiously and I love it! You have such a positive attitude that is so contagious haha I know that sounds cheesy but it's true!

"I just wanted to say you are an inspiration! I have read your blog and bought a juicer.. Im excited to start the juicing journey! Lol so thanks for being so detailed and motivating! Good luck with everything and thanks again for sharing!"

"Hi! I know you really don't know me, but wanted to tell you that my daughter and I are gonna start this juicing lifestyle! So excited! Her in Tempe me here in Albuquerque! Thanks for the recipes.. Will follow your blog! You are a beautiful young lady inside and out!"

"Just wanted to say your blog was super inspiring and I watched that documentary and I'm doing a juice fast for 30 days. I just completed my first day today. I feel great. Thank you for your blog." 

Thank you all SO much for giving me something to be so excited about and proud of! 

Stay tuned for my non-juicing grocery list later this week... 

Well, Until Next time  

Xoxo

Ashley 

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora