Drinking the Juice

So juicing.  Let’s talk about it, shall we?

 

I don’t really know why, but I’ve always been a little scared and/or intimidated of the whole juicing phenomenon.  It doesn’t have anything to do with the machine, the cleaning, etc – but more along the lines of making a juice that tastes good.  Another thing that I’ve been nervous about is the cost of juicing.  Let’s be honest here: produce can be expensive, even when you buy it in bulk and even when you get the clearance stuff.  We try to stay on a pretty tight grocery budget at all times, so the thought of spending more on stuff only to drink it doesn’t sit well with my Type-A budget personality.

 

In full disclosure, I was sent the Bella NutriPro Cold Press Juicer to try out, but all opinions are my own.  Just keepin’ it honest 🙂

 

I’ve been juicing (about 5 days a week) for the past two weeks and so far I really love it!  Just so I can keep the thoughts straight I’m going to list out the fears and then my afterthoughts on them below:

TASTE.  Obviously this depends strictly on the ingredients and whether you like them or not.  I’m not a big radish person, so it would not behoove me to juice radishes into my beverages.  I think the thing that scared me most was adding veggies to fruit juices, but so far I have to admit I’m a fan!  My favorite combo thus far is:

• 1/2 an apple
• 10 baby carrots
• 1/2 large cucumber
• 1/2 small beet
• 1 Tbsp-size chunk fresh ginger
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1 lime
• 1 orange

COST.  Besides the costs of a juicer, so far the cost of extra produce hasn’t been outrageous.  Granted I haven’t gone out and made a huge batch, and I haven’t calculated the actual cost per glass, but I would say we’re spending about an extra $7 or so per week to get a lot more veggie goodness into our bodies.  Not terrible, and I figure the extra nutrients are worth it!

 

EASE OF USE.  While I can’t speak for other juicers, the NutriPro is fairly easy to clean as far as kitchen appliances go.  Really it just includes a lot of rinsing of things, but the mesh juice strainer is not the easiest thing in the world to clean.  The nice part is that you can stick it all in the top rack of the dishwasher and call it a day, but the strainer you do actually have to scrub a bit to get the fibrous particles out.  Maybe an extra 3 minutes of cleanup work?  Either way, it’s a lot easier than I thought it would be.  As for the machine itself it’s ridiculously easy to use!

So what’s the verdict?  I’m so thankful for the NutriPro and I’m excited to continue to use it!  I never understood what people meant when they said they got a surge of energy after drinking a juice, but now I get it and I love it!  I usually get after my 12 ounces of juice around lunch time instead of my second cup of coffee and I have to admit it feels great.  The extra cleanup time isn’t the most ideal, but when you weigh it against the health benefits and the energy it’s really not that big of a deal!

So what about you guys?  I know I asked y’all before, but what are your favorite juice combos?  I’m loving my little recipe up there, but I’m feeling a little more adventurous these days!