I had this idea while I was sleeping last night about the picture below so I had to get up and juice the rainbow today so I could take this picture!

Juicing is different than smoothies in that juice is extracted from the fruits and veggies and the soluable fiber is separated from the insoluble fiber. Smoothies require a blender (or NutriBullet) and mix whatever is thrown in. Both have their places in your life, but juicing is new to me as I just purchased the juicer pictured. This was a mid-range version…there are cheaper ones and their are mac-daddys!

In the 5 juicing recipes below, follow your juicer directions on how to prep your veggies/fruits. Depending on the type, you can either throw the whole thing in or do some minor prep. No matter what kind you have, wash your veggies (try some vinegar and water) thoroughly and buy organic when possible to cut down on the pesticide level.

Each recipe yields about 2-3 cups. These are just starters…get creative.

By the way, the biggest surprise for me below was the yellow drink. I was skeptical about using a fennel bulb because it has such a strong flavor in “real life”, but it worked so well with the other flavors. My youngest daughter doesn’t even like anise flavor and she drank this one up. Oh, speaking of that, get your kidlets involved…juicing is fun and they may be introduced to produce that they normally wouldn’t try.

Additions:  Drink immediately or refrigerate your juice (the nutrients in the drinks are good for about 48-72 hours depending on what article you read). You can pour some of your juice in a blender and add a handful of  any of these: nuts, pumpkin seeds, 1/2 avocado, almond butter, coconut milk, unsweetened almond milk, coconut oil, coconut butter, banana, or even some full-fat Greek yogurt (if dairy doesn’t bother your tummy). Some folks also use protein powder, so go for it if it fits into your lifestyle. The reason that you would use a blender for these ingredients is because they aren’t “allowed” in a juicer (the avocado and banana would stop up the mesh juicing basket).

Oooh…one more thing for fun. Pour your juice concoction in popsicle molds…perfect for those scorcher days!

If you like those awesome glass juicing bottles in the pic below, check ’em out HERE.

Click the pic to find these bottles!

RED
3 ripe red tomatoes
1.5 cups watermelon cubes
1 red pepper, seeded and trimmed
1 small beet, peeled
20 mint leaves
1/2 lemon

PURPLE
6 ounces blackberries
6 ounces blueberries
1 cucumber, peeled
1/2 yellow pepper, seeded and trimmed
1 orange, peeled

GREEN
1 cup seedless green grapes
2 Granny Smith apples, cored
2 kiwis, peeled
small handful of parsley
2 handfuls of supergreens (or kale)
20 mint leaves

ORANGE
1 orange, peeled
3 carrots, ends trimmed
1 parsnip, ends trimmed
1 Granny Smith apple

YELLOW
1 fennel bulb
1 cup green seedless grapes
1/2 yellow pepper, seeded and trimmed
1/2 canteloupe, seeded and rind removed