Juice - "Magenta Haze"

~12 purple haze heirloom carrots

2 red bartlett pears

Made 2 servings

I was very excited to see colorful heirloom carrots at the store so I thought I'd try out the purple haze variety (even though they weren't organic). This juice turned out so sweet! And surprisingly thick and opaque--kind of like magenta tomato juice (from a can, not fresh tomato juice). There are ice cubes in the juice and you can't even see them!

Purple carrots get their intense color from the pigment anthocyanin, which is an antioxidant. The Possible Health Benefits of Anthocyanin Pigments and Polyphenolics is an interesting read.

Source: USDA "Carrots With Character"

Green Smoothie - "Peaches 'n Greens"

2 large handfuls baby spinach

2 leaves beet greens

1 thin slice watermelon

10 slices frozen peaches

Handful raw sunflower seeds

Ice

Water

Less watermelon and more peaches would have made this taste more peachy but I needed to use up this watermelon--the thing was huge!

Don't be fooled by the "before" pic--there are a lot more greens than it appears.

I added the seeds at the very end so there would be some chunky bits to chew on. It's a good thing to "chew" your smoothie to get the digestive process started. Chewing causes saliva production to increase and that's the first step of digestion.

Juice - "Green 'n Orange"

1 tray wheat grass

8 oz baby carrots

4 braeburn apples

Simple, nutritious, and good. You can't see it from the picture very well but the color of the juice is very complex--green and orange at the same time.

Green Smoothie Fail - "Dandy Melon"

2 large handfuls baby red & green romaine lettuce
~6 dandelion greens
1/2 cucumber
1/2 Tuscan cantaloupe
Handful frozen mangos
Ice
Water

I thought I'd try a Tuscan cantaloupe...this one was not good.  I'm guessing it just wasn't a good melon rather than that Tuscans aren't good.  It tasted like BO. Here's a tip: taste the produce before you add it to the blender. This recipe is still good though--as long as you use a good melon.

Tips for Saving Money on Organic Produce

A few days ago I wrote about why you should eat organic produce. Here are some tips on how to save money doing so.

Buy What's in Season for Your Area
Not only will in-season produce taste fresher, it's often cheaper. If it's in season, it doesn't necessarily have to be shipped in from great distances or even overseas. Of course, there are some things that can't be grown locally (e.g., bananas) that will always have to be shipped in, no matter the season. Here's a list of seasonal produce by state.

Join an Organic CSA or Co-op
You'll probably have so much produce if you join a CSA or a Co-op you won't know what to do with it! That's why juicing and blending will come in handy. Not only will you receive seasonal produce, you'll get things you may not have thought about buying. It can be fun to plan a meal around something new--great way to stay out of a cooking rut. If you have a CSA in your area, the produce will come from a local farm or farms. A co-op's produce can come from anywhere--just like produce at the store. Here's a searchable directory for the US (and parts of Canada).

Shop Locally
If there's not a CSA/co-op in your area or it's just not for you, check out farmers' markets. Keep in mind that just because it's at a farmers' market it doesn't mean it's local nor does it mean that it's organic.

Use Common Sense
Sure some organic produce can be outrageously expensive. $5 bell peppers! $9 per lb cherries! But that doesn't mean you have to buy it! There are so many things to choose from you probably aren't going to miss that bell pepper.

These were NOT $9 a pound

Buy Frozen
There's nothing wrong with frozen produce--especially if the produce in questions isn't in season. Produce is frozen when it's at it's peak ripeness and full of nutrients. Some nutrients are lost but not as much as with canned. I'd try to eat more fresh than frozen but frozen is better than none at all. Frozen produce is also perfect for green smoothies to keep the foaming to a minimum.

Find Other Stores in Your Area
The large health-conscious grocery store chains such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe's aren't the only stores to find organic produce. Theses smaller stores can often be cheaper. In the Dallas area there's Natural Grocers, Sprouts, and Sunflower Market. All of these stores have multiple locations throughout the US. My favorite store for produce is actually Natural Grocers because all of the produce is organic. There are other smaller stores just like those all over.

Grow Your Own
This might sound like a daunting undertaking but it is possible! I'm proof! My husband and I have black thumbs but we've had swiss chard and various peppers in our garden for months and months now! Our herbs didn't do so well...but that's another story. We started with small plants from a local nursery. I don't think we could have done it from seeds. If you don't have much room, you can always do container gardening. Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces is a great book on getting started. Also, talk to your local organic nursery--they will be able to advise you on what grows best for your area and many have classes.

Cheat With the Clean 15
EWG lists 15 fruits and vegetables that are the least contaminated by pesticide, dubbed "The Clean 15". Just make sure you avoid conventionally grown produce from "The Dirty Dozen".

Even with all these money saving tips you might end up paying more for organic. But it's important to remember that what you eat greatly affects your health. And a healthier person spends less on medical care.

Juice - "Pink Fruit"

1/2 small head red cabbage

2 pears

2 braeburn apples

3 mint leaves (from my garden)

Made 2.5 cups

I wasn't expecting this to taste very good--not because I thought it was a bad combination but because the apples weren't very good (mealy), the pears and cabbage were a little old (but not bad), and my mint was a bit crispy (massive heat wave!). This must have been a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts! It was very refreshing on a sweltering day.

Yes, that's my cat, Worf, thinking about taking a sip. No, I do not let him up on the counter where I prepare my food.

Green Smoothie - "The Tracy"

2 large handfuls baby spinach

2 leaves Swiss chard (yellow)

3 leaves dandelion greens

1 thin slice watermelon

Handful frozen pineapple

Handful frozen cranberries

Ice

Water

Made this for my friend,Tracy. She was looking for a way to get more greens and veg in her diet. She doesn't like greens (or most vegetables) at all and I wanted her to try them in this form. She wanted me to include the pineapple and cranberries. I thought she wouldn't like it because it wasn't very sweet (cranberries add tartness but not sweetness and it doesn't cover up the greens' bitterness well) but she said she liked it. I believe her because she drank all of it!

Organic vs Conventional

Why buy organic produce when conventional is often cheaper? There are many reasons! Here's a quick guide to why.

It Can Be More Nutritious
One reason for this is because organic farming practices, such as rotating crops, not "mono-cropping", and soil that contains more nutrients often make produce itself more nutritious.

It Can Taste Better
For the reasons above. Of course, taste is subjective and the flavor also depends on many other factors such as growing location, conditions, and season.

It's Better for the Environment
For the reasons above as well as organic crops use less water and there is no pesticide contamination/residue/runoff. As a hobby beekeeper, this is a very important issue.

It Won't Harm (or Kill) You
This is probably the most important reason to eat organic produce. The chemicals in pesticides and herbicides are indeed very scary. One popular (for farms and household) herbicide, Roundup, can "alter endocrine mediated biochemical pathways, leading to obesity, heart problems, circulation problems, and diabetes". Not to mention the fact that it has been linked to cancer. That's reason enough to avoid conventionally grown produce.

You can easily tell if produce is organic by the sticker/tag on it--the number is called the PLU code. If it begins with a 9, it's organic. If it begins with an 8, it's genetically modified. If it begins with any other number it is conventional but not genetically modified.

Keep in mind that just because something's organic, it doesn't mean it's good for you. Organic cookies and chips aren't exactly health foods.

The labels Natural, Green, Free Range, etc, do not mean it's organic. If you're in the states, make sure it says USDA Organic. If outside the states, refer to your country's organic labeling guidelines.

Also see my post on how to save money on organic produce. It doesn't have to be expensive!

References: Report: Organic Farming for Health and Prosperity (PDF), Mayo Clinic, Rodale, Produce Marketing Association

Juicing Fail - "The Breaker"

Not only did this taste awful, it broke the strainer on my Hurom Slow Juicer. The carrot tops were very bitter and if the juicer had not broken, I would have added more apples or some pears to cover up the bitterness.

The Hurom has a warrantee so the part was replaced for free--but I didn't get it for over a month. I'm not sure why it broke...maybe I should have cut up the carrots more? This is why I would buy and Omega Vert HD--the strainer is 8 times stronger and suitable for juicing every day. Unfortunately, it came out after I got my Hurom.

I'm posting my "fails" because there is always something to learn from every failure.

I included the picture of the grocery bag because it looks just like the bags you see in TV shows and movies!

Green Smoothie - "Green Watermelon"

3 leaves swiss chard

2 large handfuls baby spinach

1 large handful frozen mango

1 thin slice watermelon

Ice

Water

Maybe not the most original name but very descriptive. The watermelon flavor was very strong but the greens complemented it perfectly. The frozen mango added sweetness, minimized foaming, but didn't add flavor so it let the other ingredients shine.

Juice - "Grassy Apples"

4 small braeburn apples

1 tray wheatgrass

Made 2 servings

This was pleasantly sweet--not too grassy.

I learned something from making this simple juice: I should cut up the grass before putting it in my juicer so it doesn't clog up the exit chute.  I had to stop it halfway through to clear it out and probably should have stopped it again. That's the trade-off with a vertical single auger type of juicer--it will juice fruit, veg, and greens (including wheatgrass), but you'll have to cut up those greens/stringy vegetables to keep the chute clog free. 

Arsenic in Store Bought Apple Juice?

You've probably heard of the controversy over Dr. Oz's show that was about the arsenic levels of store bought apple juice. The FDA countered that his tests did not distinguish between inorganic and organic arsenic. Oz is saying that the apples are from China and Chile and have toxic pesticide residue. This has left some people (including parents) wary of apple juice.

I don't know who's right but it doesn't really matter. I don't drink apple juice from the store. Why would I? Freshly made apple juice tastes infinitely better. Store apple juice is almost as bad as soda--high sugar drink without much nutritional value. Fresh juice contains enzymes and nutrients that aren't destroyed by the pasteurization process of commercially available juices.

Make sure you use organic apples in your juice so you don't have to worry about ingesting toxic chemicals. Also, if you're really concerned about arsenic, remove the apple seeds before juicing.

Green Smoothie - "Tart Thanksgiving"

1/2 cucumber
2 handfuls baby spinach
2 leaves lacinato kale
1 handful frozen cranberries
1 thin slice watermelon
1 small handful raw pumpkin seeds
Water

I call this Tart Thanksgiving because of the ingredients--cranberries and pumpkin (seeds) not because I made it for Thanksgiving. I kind of figured I'd have to add more than just the cranberries for the fruit part but wanted to see how it tasted alone. As expected, it was way too tart so I added the watermelon (more than you can see in the picture--it had already sunk down). The smoothie was very tart (but in a good way) after that.

Cranberries add flavor, tartness, but not sweetness. If you use cranberries, you will need to have another fruit that is sweet enough to balance out the bitterness of the greens.

I added the pumpkin seeds at the very end so that there would be something to chew on. Something to change things up.

Juice - "Santa's Juice"

3 granny smith apples

2 pears

1 lemon

Large handful baby carrots

2 large handfuls baby spinach

3 leaves swiss chard

There's nothing jolly about this juice in particular--I made it on Christmas day for my family. Everyone liked it and it disappeared quickly. I guess I could have made it more festive by floating raspberries in it. 

Green Smoothie - "Melon Rainbow"

1/2 cucumber peeled*

1/4 cantaloupe

3 large leaves rainbow chard

1 thick slice watermelon (not pictured)

Water

*I didn't know it at the time but you do not need to peel cucumbers.

This tasted great but was very foamy--I did not know it at the time but frozen produce and/or ice keeps the foam to a minimum. 

Deal Notice

Just thought I'd pass this on--Living Social deal--spend $10, get $20 of groceries at Whole Foods. I've never used a service like this but thought I'd pass it on. $20 will buy you a lot of organic produce for juicing and green smoothies (if you stay away from really expensive stuff like cherries, pomegranates, etc). Don't forget the freezer aisle for frozen organic fruit! Expires in 23 hours.

Juice - "Pale Yellow"

2 pears

1/2 lb yellow baby carrots

I was excited to find a bag of "baby" yellow carrots and wanted to pair (no pun intended) it with a fruit that isn't overpowering in taste or color. I really wanted the yellow carrots to shine in this juice. Pears are perfect for that. This juice had a very delicate flavor. Yellow carrots don't have the sharpness that regular orange ones do. 

Yellow carrots are high in bioavailable lutein, which decreases the risk for developing macular degeneration. Of course, these "baby" carrots are actually just carrots whittled down from larger carrots so you're missing out on a portion of the nutrients but these are still healthful.

Source: USDA "Carrots With Character"

Ingredient Spotlight: Kale

Used In: Smoothies* and Juice

Other Preparation Methods: Raw, Steamed, Sauteed, Dehydrated, Baked, Boiled, Braised 

ANDI Score: 1,000

Kale--an amazing green--beautiful, nutritionally dense, and tasty. There are quite a few varieties of kale but the most commonly available is lacinato (dinosaur), curly, and red kale (pictured). It's packed full of flavonoids for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. It lowers your cholesterol and possibly your risk of cancer. Not to mention many health benefits that haven't even been studied/realized yet. It is truly a super-food!

One cup (67g) chopped raw kale is very high in Vitamins K (684% DV), A (206%), and C (134%). It's also worth noting that it contains 1.3g Fiber, 2.21g Protein, and only 34 calories. And that's just for one cup! Your green smoothie could easily contain 2-3 times that!

Kale is on the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen List, which means you should only buy it organic.

The variety, age, freshness, source, any many other factors affect the flavor. Sometimes kale can be bitter. Sometimes it can taste very "green". Sometimes it's a bit sweet. I've found that lacinato kale is generally less bitter than curly and red kale can be a bit sweet. And by sweet, I don't mean fruit-sweet, just sweet as far as greens go. 

*Lacinato kale blends up smoothly but unless you have a high-powered blender such as the Vitamix or Blendtec, you won't be able to completely blend curly kale varieties.

Other sources: USDA National Nutrient Database, FDA, WHFoods, The Vegetable Bible, and my own experience

My Recipes with Kale

Green Smoothie - "Green Melon"

1/2 cantaloupe
1 cucumber, peeled*
2 leaves lacinato kale 

2 large handfuls baby spinach
2 leaves red chard 

Water

*I didn't know it at the time but you do not need to peel cucumbers.

It looks like there is less greens then there really is because the cucumbers are sitting on top of all of it. This is the first green smoothie I made that didn't need major tweaking. The only thing I would change knowing what I know now (other than not peeling the cucumbers) is add ice and less water to compensate. The ice (or frozen produce) keeps the foaming to a minimum. 

Juice - "Healthy Limeade"

1 lb baby carrots
2 large leaves curly kale
1½ beurré d'anjou pears (the ½ because the other ½ was bad)
1 lime
Made two servings.

I had some produce that I really needed to use because it was about to go bad so this is how this juice came about. And I'm glad it did--it tasted like limeade--seriously! The carrot and pear sweetened it and I couldn't taste the kale. Definitely a lot healthier than a regular limeade. I can't wait to make this again!

Green Smoothie - "Purple Leaves"

~5 oz frozen blueberries

2 lacinato kale leaves, ribs removed*

2 large handfuls baby spinach

1 handful of purple/red leaves from packaged spring mix

1 stalk celery

Water

*I didn't need to remove the ribs but didn't know it at the time

I love how purple this one turned out! The combo of purple leaves and blueberries overpowered the green colors. However, the greens overpowered the taste. I now know that blueberries are not sweet/strong tasting enough to be the lone fruit. I should have added mango or watermelon if I wanted more sweetness without a strong fruit flavor or added pineapple for strong flavor and sweetness. 

Juice - "The Ole Standby"

This is what make when I want something I know will taste good and be very healthy: kale + apple + carrots.

3 granny smith apples

6 large leaves curly kale

Handful baby carrots

Of course, you can change the amount of each--it's really up to you.  Nothing wrong with starting out with less greens--just don't drink a lot of fruit/root vegetable juice if you are trying to limit your sugar intake.

Anthony Bourdain on the Obesity Problem in the US

Anthony Bourdain talks with Keith Olbermann about the obesity problem in the U.S.
I actually really like the show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations even though much of it is about how much he loves meat. So as you can imagine, we do not see eye-to-eye on food but in this interview, I can really get behind what he says. They are discussing a newly released report from The Lancet (a British medical journal) that states 50% of Americans will be obese in 2030 if things continue as they are now. They conclude that the main way to halt this trend is by government intervention. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but the thought that 50% will be obese is staggering. And this is obese, not just overweight.

So do something about it. Put down that soda and make some "green" juice. Have a green smoothie instead of a milkshake. Eat something from the produce aisles rather than the overly processed and nutritionally devoid "food" section. We each have to take responsibility for our own health. Garbage in, garbage out.