Asparagus Soup

2 bunches asparagus, trimmed

1 Yukon gold potatoes

1 shallot, peeled

½ onion, peeled

3-cup chicken stock

Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

Juice all the ingredients except chicken stock, into a medium pot.  Add the pulp and the chicken stock to the pot.  Place on the stove and cook for 40 minutes.  Season with sea salt and pepper.  Serve.

Peach Sparkler

8 peaches pitted

1 bottle sparkling wine

Juice the peaches and divide into 6 champagne glasses pour the sparling slowly into the glass.

Grilled vegetables with mango vinaigrette pictured above

2 mangoes, ripe peeled and pit removed

2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

Juice the mango and mix with the olive oil, vinegar.  Mix well season with Sea salt and pepper. Place to the side.

Grilled Vegetables:

4 baby peppers

½ zucchini sliced

½ yellow squash sliced

1 bunch asparagus

Rub the vegetables with olive oil, sea salt and pepper and grill.

1 cup cooked red Quinoa

6 cups mixed baby greens

Assemble the greens with grilled vegetables and quinoa.  Spoon the mango vinaigrette over the salad and serve

1 cup of hulled strawberries

1 cup of blackberries

One 3″ cube of seedless watermelon (rind removed)

Juice and serve.

Another nice thing to do with this recipe is to make extra batches and  freeze into healthy ice pops for a healthy treat for your family.

Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Try this awesome daily detox recipe:

6 trimmed asparagus stalks

1/2 lemon (peel intact)

1/2 of peeled cucumber

Juice. You may replace the asparagus with endive & watercress if desired.

I personally would also add a little parsley or cilantro if you have that on hand. Those herbs are reported to be excellent when it comes to cleansing and detoxing.

zole4 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you already own or are thinking of investing in a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer than you are already on the right path for better health. If you are at the point where you think dropping a few pounds would benefit you, then you’ve come to the right place.

I once weighed 100 pounds more than I do right now and have learned a few good do’s and don’ts along the way.

DO:

• Consult your doctor. Schedule a physical and/or conference so you can determine based on age/height and other health factors how much your target weight should be. While there you might want to discuss a reasonable calorie target per day.
• Consider your goal to lose weight more as a lifestyle change rather than a diet. A diet mentality usually back-fires. Reframe your thinking, instead of saying, “I can’t have that,” say, “I choose not to have that because it doesn’t serve my needs.”
• Eat! Focus on healthy fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat yogurt, healthy fats like avocado and legumes like beans to keep satisfied. Worry more about getting healthy stuff in rather than the foods you might miss.
• Treat yourself. Everyday find a little treat of around 150 calories to look forward to. A 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt, a small glass of wine, a square of dark chocolate. Having something to look forward to will help ward off the desire to binge.
• Seek support. Find others who are also interested in leading a healthy lifestyle that you can vent to/celebrate with and exchange ideas for exercise and recipes with.
• Exercise! Even just 10 minutes of slow walking a day (more or less depending on your fitness level) helps to burn calories, boost mood and keep you motivated.
• Dust yourself off. Everybody slips up or wanders off track. It’s fine. It’s not about being 100% perfect all the time it’s about being able to recover as soon as you can. Just because you over did it at dinner last night doesn’t mean the whole week is doomed. Learn from the event, dust yourself off and keep going.
• Juice! Don’t forget to start your day with your favorite juice – it’s a great way to ensure you are getting as many vitamins and nutrients in your day as possible.

Don’t:

• Over do it. If you’re just starting out, start by making little changes rather than trying to do everything in one day. You need to ease into your new world or it’s going to be too overwhelming. If you haven’t worked out in ten years, a two hour boot-camp style workout may hurt more than help.
• Restrict calories too much. If the doctor recommends 1800 calories a day – then shoot for 1800 calories a day. Do not try to cut down to 1500 because you think it’ll give you quicker weight loss. Again, it’s going to backfire. It’ll either slow down your metabolism and foil your efforts or you’ll be so hungry that it’ll be impossible to stick with.
• Get too obsessed with the scale. In my journey I had many weeks where the scale didn’t budge. Sure it bothered me a little bit but my clothing was fitting better, my energy was up, my blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure was improving. When it comes to eating healthy and exercising there’s a lot of great benefits that is aside from the scale. The scale eventually catches up.
• Beat yourself up. Do the best you can. This is not a sprint and there’s no time limit here. Focus on persistence and perseverance rather than perfection.

Do you have any tips to share?

luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But is that enough?

Do I need to scrub? Buy an expensive spray? Soak? What about if it comes pre-bagged or if it’s organic?

I decided to do a little research on the subject.

Yes, you should always wash all produce.

There are a couple of different techniques. Plain water is OK to use. You can buy a pricey veggie spray but it’s unnecessary. You can easily make your own with 1 cup of white vinegar and 3 cups of water and putting it in a spray bottle. An apple should get about six sprays and then a rinse with some plain water.

Leafy vegetables can be sprayed or soaked in the sink or a tub (with a little bit more vinegar and water), rinsed and then stored for the week.

Berries and grapes can be soaked or sprayed in a colander and then rinsed very well.

Tougher skinned vegetables like potatoes and mangos should be scrubbed with a brush.

Some more tips:

• If you use a scrub brush for your produce, don’t forget to clean it! Run it through the dishwasher after each use.
• Peeling something? It still needs to be washed first to ensure you’re not getting bacteria on the fruit/vegetable itself.
• Never use bleach or antibacterial soap on your produce.

Find more information about making a vinegar vegetable wash at Livestrong.com.

More about proper vegetable washing here.

Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Every morning I watch Today Show and marvel at the segment that wishes a happy birthday to those who’ve reached 100 years+.

All of us want to live long and healthy lives.

What makes these folks so special?

Aside from good genetics and a little luck, there are a few things we can do to live as long and healthily as possible.

According to How To Live to 100 from Health.Com here are a few top habits to adopt now:

1. Grab your Power Juicer! You will instantly give yourself a leg up on living a long time by powering up on all the fruits and vegetables you can get your hands on.
2. Work out 5 times a week. Yep. No way around it. You’ve got to get moving. This doesn’t necessarily mean running marathons or sweating in the gym it means consistently doing something. My mother-in-law who is in her nineties, walks to meet her friends in the park every single day, rain or shine. She also spends several hours a week gardening and insists on doing her own chores. She moves every day.
3. De-stress. I know it’s hard but you have to stop stressing out so much. Being under stress will not change the situation and you are robbing yourself of years off your life. Chances are whatever you are stressing about today won’t matter tomorrow (or a month, or a year) from now. Practice relaxation techniques, yoga, sing your favorite songs at the top of your lungs, enlist help, whatever. Breathe and give yourself a few more years.
4. Flossing. Such a simple little thing, yet I’m as guilty as anyone, I floss here and there. However, there’s evidence that shows that if you floss every day you can add up to 6.4 years to your life!
5. Bedroom business. Getting enough sleep and keeping your love life alive with your spouse can add as much as 7 years to your longevity!

You don’t have to be perfect. Just by trying to adopt one or more of these things can potentially support a better quality of life with many years ahead!

Do you know any 100 years old? What seems to be the secret to their long life success?

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It’s that time of year to get the kids around the table and dye as many eggs as possible. But are you ever worried the dyes you use can potentially be harmful to your kids. We’ve come up with some great ways to naturally dye your eggs using fresh fruits and vegetables. Now they can eat them after without any worries. Here’s how you do it!

Robin’s Egg Blue Dye
half head of red cabbage
3 cups water, 2 cups water
1 tbsp. white vinegar
Cut red cabbage into pieces. Juice the cabbage. Combine the juice and some of the pulp with 3 cups of water and 3 tbsp. vinegar into a saucepan. Bring to a boil.  Once it comes to a boil, reduce to medium heat and reduce the liquid by half. Add 2 cups of cold water and strain into a bowl.  Add hard-boiled eggs and let sit for 2-4 hours. Take eggs out of the dye and let dry for 30 minutes.

Vibrant Yellow Dye
2 large carrots
6 tbsp. curry
3 cups water, 2 cups water
3 tbsp. white vinegar
Juice the carrots Combine carrots with some of the pulp and 3 cups of water and 3 tbsp. vinegar into a saucepan. Add the curry, and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to medium heat and reduce the liquid by half.  Add 2 cups of cold water and strain into a bowl.  Add hard-boiled eggs and let sit for 2-4 hours. Take eggs out of the dye and let dry for 30 minutes.

Rustic Red Dye
2 large beets
3 cups water, 2 cups water
3 tbsp. white vinegar
Cut beets into chunks. Juice the beets. Combine beets with 3 cups of water and 3 tbsp. vinegar into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Once it comes to a boil, reduce to medium heat and reduce the liquid by half.  Add 2 cups of cold water and strain into a bowl.  Add hard-boiled eggs and let sit for 2-4 hours.  Take eggs out of the dye and let dry for 30 minutes.

Deep Orange Dye
3 cups packed yellow onion skins
3 cups water, 2 cups water
1 tbsp. white vinegar
Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large pot and continue to boil until half the liquid is reduced. Strain and soak hard-boiled eggs for 15-20 minutes. Take eggs out of the dye and let dry for 30 minutes.

Leafy Green Dye
3 cups packed red onion skins
3 cups water, 2 cups water
1 tbsp. white vinegar
Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large pot and continue to boil until half the liquid is reduced. Strain and soak hard-boiled eggs for 15-20 minutes. Take eggs out of the dye and let dry for 30 minutes.

We got a little creative and decided to make different designs for our eggs. Here are some great instructions for decorating your eggs:

• Glittered Eggs
• Thread Wrapped Eggs
• Lace Eggs
• Pearlized Eggs
• Melted Crayon Eggs
• Tie Dye Eggs

Much of the film reiterated what many of us in the juicing community know already: Large amounts of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs are VITAL for our health and well-being. Most of us know that processed foods aren’t great for us but what’s worse is that much of the “food” that is sold in America today isn’t food at all anymore but more “food like” products. It delves into the deceptive marketing and labeling that is running amok. Things that might look healthy at first glance really isn’t. Many of our processed foods are designed to keep us addicted to them.

The film also talks about how our food really is lab manufactured. Filled with chemicals and ingredients that man has concocted. I’m a pretty clean eater to begin with but this film has force even me to take a closer look at some of the stuff in my diet.

There is a whole section of the film that discusses the health benefits of juicing. I learned that cilantro and parsley are natural detoxifiers for your body. I didn’t know that before watching the movie and those two herbs have been immediately added to my juicing regime!

Here’s what they say:

Hungry For Change also stresses the importance for a balanced life. In addition to eating well people should strive to: Get enough sleep, exercise, laugh more and be self-accepting.

If you are interested in checking out Hungry For Change you can CLICK HERE and see it on your computer for FREE now thru March 31. After that you can order it.

Let me know what you think of the movie!

Spring into health with fresh Power Juicer recipes. A spring celebration is on its way with these fresh brunch meals in the garden. Invite the friends and get the family excited for a new season of healthy living.

Strawberry Balsamic Dressing
6 strawberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Juice the strawberries. Mix juice with the rest of the ingredients until blended. Toss with greens.

Potato Zucchini Soup
2 large Yukon gold potatoes
1 medium zucchini
1/2 onion
3 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup light cream
Juice the potatoes, onion and zucchini. Put olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the pulp and stir for about 3 minutes to cook slightly. Add the juice to the pot. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes. Add cream. Season with freshly ground blak pepper and sea salt.

Clementine Orange Juice
8 clementines, peeled
2 mangoes, peeled and pitted
Juice all. Serve over ice.

Strawberry Lemonade
15 strawberries
4 lemons, washed
4 cups mineral water
3/4 cup agave or 1 cup organic sugar
Juice the lemon and the strawberries. Insert into a pitcher with the rest of the ingredients and stir. Serve over ice.

Kale is a great addition to your juicing regime.

Kale offers a multitude of healthy properties including:

• It aids in digestion
• It’s a superstar vegetable when it comes to having cancer-fighting antioxidants
• It’s an anti-inflammatory
• It’s rich in vitamins K, A and C
• It supports a healthy cardiovascular system

You can read all about these benefits and more at 9 Health Benefits of Kale.

Find a juicing recipe incorporating kale here.

Do you have a favorite kale juice recipe to share?