Well, with New Year's approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to give some quick and simple clean recipes. Instead of the the usual resolutions to lose weight and start some diet that leaves you feeling less than satisfied, try a basic resolution of eating clean for 7 - 21 days. Starting with one week gives you a good start and allows you to have an attainable goal. If after the first week, you decide you want to continue then go right ahead, if not, you have still done your body an enormous favor of flushing out the garbage that tends to build up.
A few things first...
First thing to do is invest in a good juicer. Costco, Target and Walmart all carry good brands that will get the job done of juicing greens, fruits and other veggies. They range anywhere from $80 and up. Trust me, it is worth buying. Store bought juices are full of sugars and un-needed other items. By juicing, you are breaking done the walls of the food and you are left with the pure nutrients that then you consume and they immediately enter your cells. Another bonus is that your body is not expending the energy to break done the cell walls of the foods in order to get the nutrients it contains. Don't get me wrong, fiber in your day is necessary to help gather all the unused garbage left in your system, but you also need the juicing to help flush everything out and to get all those wonderful vitamins and minerals that are readily accessible to your body through the juice.
The other item you may want to invest in is a dehydrator. There are some pretty pricey ones out there, but the one I use was about $60, it has multiple trays and came with a couple mesh layers to make your own fruit strips and it works just fine. Before going on vacation I cut up a bunch of apples, bananas, mango's, etc and dehydrate them, throw them in a bag and we have instant fruit to take with us in case we can't get to the fresh produce right away. There are also many recipes on the internet to make veggie burgers, cookies, granola, etc all in the dehydrator. Dehydrating is healthier than roasting, baking, broiling or grilling because it remains at such a low temperature that the food maintains a greater amount of it's nutrients. With that said, since you are dehydrating it, you will need to drink a little more water when consuming dehydrated foods.
Another item you may want to purchase is a steamer. Steaming veggies is far more healthy then baking, grilling or frying. Steamed foods also taste so much better. My kids love steamed broccoli with a little salt on top, that's it, nothing else. You can also steam foods in a regular pot with about 1/4 cup of water in the bottom, once it starts to boil, you reduce to simmer and cover with a lid.
Last item you will need is a blender (it can be a glass blender, Vitamix or Ninja). Vitamix is wonderful, but very pricey. I used a glass blender for a long time which worked just fine, but I did finally get a Ninja.
Ok, let's get started with some recipes.
It's best to juice first thing in the morning and wait at least a 1/2 hour after consuming fruit juices before eating anything else. This is when I usually go get dressed or do a few chores. Believe me, a big glass of juice will fill you up, you may not even feel like eating after the 1/2 hour is up.
Green Goodness recipes
Apple version
Ingredients:
Large bunch of organic kale (washed and stemmed) or organic spinach
2 organic apples (cored and cut to fit your juicer, usually in half or quarters)
Begin by placing some of the apples through the juicer, then add the greens. I always save some apples for last to help push through all the greens. After everything is juiced, add a few pieces of ice to your glass. Don't let the green color scare you, it is delicious. You may want to experiment with how much greens you use until you get used to it. When I first started, I would use a small bunch and now I use a lot because I enjoy tasting more of the greens.
Pineapple version
Ingredients:
One head of organic romaine lettuce (washed and stem end cut off)
1/4 to 1/2 of a whole pineapple (many stores will cut a fresh pineapple for you, just ask)
Begin by sending some pineapple through, then all the lettuce, then send remaining pineapple through to get all the lettuce juice pushed out. Again, you may want to add some ice to your glass.
Sunrise recipes
Carrot version
Ingredients:
2 - 3 large organic carrots (washed and peeled)
2 navel oranges (peeled and pulled in half)
Place some of the oranges through, then all the carrots and then the remaining oranges to help all the carrot juice to come out. Add some ice to your glass, you won't believe how good it tastes!
Beet version
Ingredients:
1 large or 2 small beets (washed and cut to fit through)
2 - 3 navel oranges (peeled and pulled in half)
Place some of the oranges through, then all of the beets and then the remaining oranges. Add ice to your glass. It is a wonderful crimson color.
You can experiment with all kind of fruits and veggies to create your own juices too! Let me know what you come up with if you do.
Get your blenders ready, it's smoothie time...
Banana "Milkshake"
Ingredients:
8 oz. regular almond milk
1 Tbsp. almond butter
1 tsp. pure maple syrup
1/2 - 3/4 of a frozen banana (previously peeled before freezing)
5 ice cubes
Place first four ingredients into blender, process until smooth, add ice and process so there are no large chunks of ice left. You will not believe how much it tastes just like a milkshake!
Strawberry Dream
Ingredients:
8 oz. regular almond milk (you can use soy, coconut or rice milk as well)
1 cup frozen organic strawberries
Place all ingredients into blender, process until smooth. For strawberry/banana, decrease strawberries to 3/4 cup and add 1/2 frozen banana to ingredient list.
Tropical Heaven
Ingredients:
8 oz. pure orange juice (check ingredients list to be sure it states only oranges, nothing else)
1/2 cup frozen mango pieces
1/4 cup frozen papaya pieces
6 oz. non-dairy vanilla yogurt (soy or coconut works best)
Place all ingredients into blender in order listed. Process until smooth.
For the dehydrator, you can basically choose any fruits and veggies. Simply wash and dry them and then cut to your preference. Follow the dehydrator instructions on time. Seal in a container to store. There are some great recipes for veggies, cookies, cakes, granola, and they are all in the dehydrator. Try various sites for recipes. Sparkrecipes.com has some good raw and dehydrator recipes. Once on the sparkrecipes page, type dehydrator in their keyword search, it will pull up a few, but to the right it will list more recipes from various chefs (kravmagagirl is a good one), just click that person and it will pull more up.
Steaming brown rice, veggies and quinoa is another great way to experiment with various combinations for endless meals.
Enjoy eating fresh, you will be pleasantly surprised.
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