Juice Heaven

Long time no talk, I know. As many of you know, out sister blog is devoted to homeschooling, so back-to-school season leaves me with little time to think about food. Or at least to blog about it.

But today, I'm wrapping up the last day of a 7-day juice fast and it's been an interesting week. First of all, it's the longest fast I've done and also the first time I've incorporated any type of fruit juices into my daily intake. In the past, I've done entirely green juice (kale, romaine, cucumber, broccoli stems, celery, apple and pear with an occasional addition of ginger, lemon or beet). But this time, since Jim was juicing with me for the first few days, I experimented with a little variety, adding one "fruity" type juice to the mix.

The theme for the week seemed to be orange, and I've juiced every possible combination of orange, grapefruit, mango, sweet potato, carrot, pineapple and golden beet. Gotta feel like I'm still getting some veggies in even for the sweet juices! The variety has been wonderful, and of course, the orange produce contains a different range of nutrients than the green (which I'm still drinking the rest of the day). Plus, it's been nice to have a little treat to look forward to each day!

My biggest excitement for the week, however, has been the arrival of my new juicer. After much research (and some trial and error), I have finally found the PERFECT juice for me. I can't even begin to express how much I love it and how easy it's made juicing for me.

The juicer I finally purchased is the Omega VRT350. It combines the low-speed, nutrient-saving properties of a masticating juicer (juice stays fresh for up to 72 hours) with the convenience and portability of a centrifugal juicer. Smaller and lighter than my Vitamix, I can easily see it traveling with us. It's self-feeding (just drop the produce in and it chews it up - no pushing!) and ejects the pulp into a separate container so you don't have to stop and take apart the machine when it fills up. The pulp coming out of the machine is incredibly dry with greens and most veggies and fruits, and clean-up is super easy!

I know there's no juicer that is perfect for every person and every use, but without a doubt, this one is perfect for me! I feel completely ridiculous being so worked up about a kitchen appliance, but this machine has made my life so much easier - especially this week during my fast. Since I normally have juice just once a day (for breakfast), I could easily spend just 20 minutes twice a week to have juicw ready for me each morning.

So even though tomorrow I'll be breaking my fast with some fruits and veggies, I'm looking forward to using this machine for a long time to come!