Juicing 101 (including some breakfast tips)

I have recently become a huge fan of juicing. My one regret in life? Not having a juicer during all three of my pregnancies. But it's never too late!

Several months ago, I went over to a girlfriend's house. This particular girlfriend was in the hellish midst of trying to get some post-baby weight off. I'm in that reality as we speak- BOO. Anyway, after telling her how great she looked, she told me she only had 10 more pounds to go to meet her goal. Pounds? I wasn't talking about weight! I was talking about her hair! Her skin! Her nails! She looked fabulous. "What are you doing?" I demanded. Juicing. Juicing everyday. I think I had a juicer in my possession within 48 hours...

First off, and I get asked this all the time, I do not endorse one particular juicer. I have mine, a Jack LaLanne, and I do love it. How does it stack-up to other juicers? I have no idea. Would one of the big-daddy stainless steel ones look so much more posh on my kitchen cabinet? Sure. But I spent $80 (with a coupon) at Bed Bath and Beyond and I was happy! I am still happy!

Secondly, get over the mess. What you are "creating" is so worth the stickiness that NO MATTER what will accumulate on your cabinets if not your floor as well. It is what it is.

This is a GREAT thing to do with your children. My oldest LOVES helping me dump all the fruit in the "tube" and then put the presser-thing down in it to mash the fruit into the machine. She loves making juice. I love the fact that when this kid goes off to college, one of the first things she'll want for a graduation gift will be a juicer. This is a HUGE part of my kids' lives now. And you know what? My kids won't drink the nasty bottled stuff anymore. Neither will I. It's almost a joke to me and you feel dishonest drinking it! Like it really isn't "feeding" your body.

Controversial comment: Your kids don't need juice. They don't need apple juice. They don't need orange juice. You know what the first question a pediatrician will ask if you take your overweight kid into the office? How much juice are they drinking? You know why? BECAUSE THAT EXTRA SUGAR PUTS ON THE POUNDS- NOT FAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kids today are digesting far too much sugar. This is why the obesity rate in children is frightening. And parents think they're doing such a good thing by allowing their children endless amounts of juice. Gross. STOP NOW! If you're not making it, they don't need it. And don't even sit there and ask, "Well what about the vitamin C?" Please. There are 100 better ways to get vitamin c than juice. And if you're sitting here thinking, "Crap. I've gotta wean my kid off juice," start by diluting the heck out of it with water. And then cut it out completely. It has zero value. Almost as little value as milk....more on that one later.

Back to the juicer...every time I make juice I make Popsicles as well. You might as well. Because the juice needs to be consumed within 15 minutes of making it to preserve all the anti-oxidants and vitamins. Think of the juice as "live." But if you freeze it, you're still preserving it's nutrient content. And my kids think my Popsicles are the greatest thing ever. They think of it as a treat. I think of it as a fruit serving after a meal.

The other great thing about a juicer? It will save all the pulp in a container as it juices your fruits and vegetables. This is a great opportunity to freeze the pulp for muffin, cookie and pancake mixes! Every weekend almost I get out a bag of my frozen left-over pulp and plop the entire thing into the Fiber One muffin mixes. Then I add wheat germ and flax seed and tons of different nuts. And oats. Totally healthy, healthy breakfast (with some yogurt and a couple of poached eggs). You can put this pulp in your Popsicles too. Or make sorbet out of it as well (see recipe below).

For those of you with infants that your starting on the Baby Food Introduction chart, juicing can actually make life a little easier for you as well! I save some of the pulp to mix in with different baby food blends. Then your infant gets a whole assortment of goodness in one little cubey. I also put some of the juice in my little Snappies (breast milk storage containers- see below) for the freezer and I have frozen all kinds of juice blends for Walker when he's a little older. The Snappies hold only about 2 oz. each which is perfect since I will dilute with water for him when he's ready. He won't need anymore than 2 oz. of juice a day given his hearty solids program of fruits and veggies.

Also, just a side-note about juice and cereal for breakfast. Vitamin C aids iron absorption. Milk blocks iron absorption. Drinking a small glass of juice (even if it's the bottled junk) will help the intestines absorb the iron that is in (or ON I should say) fortified cereals. It doesn't even have to be juice, per say, but any high vitamin C fruit. Vitamin C and iron are friends. Remember that. Milk and iron are not. Very, very important since many young American children today have iron deficiencies because they drink too much milk and they drink milk with meals (which is a no no). OK. I'm going off on my milk tangent. I'll save that for a completely different article.

Here is a typical breakfast schedule for my kiddos:

Fresh juice and an organic mixture of different cereals (all low sugar, all multi-grain) with organic 2% milk

Organic oatmeal with wheat germ, ground flax seed and dried blueberries served with Yo Baby yogurt with a probiotic capsule (the powder) "snuck" into it

Some sort of muffin or pancake mix with the wheat germ, ground flax seed and left-over fruit/veggie puree from my juicing served with some poached eggs and a dairy item

A quick, on-the-road breakfast always makes it's way into our week at least one morning. This is usually a Vitatop Muffin with a "snack trap" of fruit for the road.

And then on weekends, I do like to bust-out with a yummy breakfast casserole that will make plenty for leftovers for say......throwing on a tortilla with cheese and salsa! I just got the most fantastic breakfast cookbook yesterday. I'll be sharing some recipes from it very, very soon!

Get crazy on weekends! Breakfast should be fun and something your kids can help you do. Make that part of your meal planning for the week- at least one weekend breakfast that is guest-worthy! And speaking of guests, there is nothing quite like some girlfriends over for mimosas with freshly-squeezed orange juice! Who cares about the mess? Trust me, a couple of these bad boys and they won't care!