The Plan

-photo via google image -

I talk a fair amount about juicing.  As a matter of fact, I can't shut up about juicing. It's not my fault!  When something changes how my body feels so drastically in just 6 days what am I supposed to do?  NOT tell anyone about it?  Not run around (literally) singing it's praises? You're telling me life ISN'T a musical?  I think my bathroom mirror and hairbrush pretty firmly disagree with you on that last one.

My point is, since I began rambling day and night about the benefits of juicing, I've gotten a fair amount of questions.  Most of the questions are the same, so I've put together the complete juicing plan that I used, followed by answers to the most common questions I've received! 

-after the jump-

Juice Plan

Tips:

-Try to eat healthy for a few days before you begin juicing.  If you celebrate the night before your juice cleanse with a big 'ole steak you will regret it come day 1!

-I made all of my juices the night before, and then carried them with me all day in a lunch box.  They should be good for up to 6 days after you make them, but I would still recommend making them fresh daily.

-I drank my juices roughly two hours apart, but if this doesn't work for you you can drink them at whatever time interval you prefer.  The only thing that does matter is the order in which you drink them.

-Do your very very best not to drink anything caffeinated.  You are welcome to have as much water and (decaf) herbal tea as you like!

-Your poop may turn red from the beets.  Be prepared for this.  It's kind of terrifying for a minute.

-I feel like this goes without saying when you're not eating solid food, but try not to drink alcohol during the cleanse.  It won't be fun.

Juices and order (click for recipe):

1) Green Juice

2) P.A.M.

3) Green Juice

4) Spicy Lemonade

5) C.A.B.

6) Cashew milk

Grocery List:

Per Day 

10 ribs of celery

1 cucumber

7 green apples

6 kale leaves

2.5 oz lemon juice

3-4 lemons

2 handful parsley

6 romaine leaves

2 big handfuls of spinach

1/2 pineapple

2 beets

3 large carrots

1.5 tbsp ginger root

5 oz raw cashews

Mint ( a few pinches)

Cayenne pepper

2 tbsp agave

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Vanilla extract

Finishing your cleanse:

Don't reach straight for that Ben and Jerry's!  You want to slowly re-introduce whole foods in a way your body can handle without freaking out.

Day 1 post cleanse: Eat whole fruits and veggies

Day 2 post cleanse: Fruits and veggies and also light starches and whole grains

Day 3 post cleanse: Bring back lean proteins

After: You can eat whatever you want, but be gentle with dairy and alcohol.  They're both pretty hard on your digestive system so don't go too crazy right off the bat.

FAQ

1) What Juicer do you have?

     -I have the Breville JE98XL;and I cannot say enough about it. I love love love my juicer!

2) Were you hungry?

     -Nope! The first day is a bit of an adjustment because you don't chew anything, but I was never hungry.

3) How much does it cost?

     -For ingredients (about 90% of which I purchased organic) I spent a little under $20 per day

4) Doesn't this make you poop like crazy?

     -There's no tip-toeing around this one.  For me?  No.  I was...eh hem....normal for the duration of the cleanse.  However, this may happen to you, and it is also completely normal.

5) How long did you juice for?

     -I consumed nothing but juice for 6 days.  Please talk to your doctor before undergoing any sort of drastic diet or exercise change!  I am by no means a doctor, and I am 100% not qualified to tell you what to do!

6) Can you exercise while juicing?

     -Absolutely! It's likely you'll have tons of energy while juicing and there is no reason not to utilize it!

Make it Spicaaaay

Day 4 is here and I am still juicing!  The final two juice recipes I have for you to round out this juice cleanse aren't actually made using the juicer at all.  The first one is a spicy lemonade that is very very similar to the one used in the "lemonade cleanse," and the second is a super creamy delicious cashew milk.  The lemonade tastes like...well....lemonade, and this cashew milk is a creamy, cinnamon-ey, sweet yet not mixture of wonderfulness.  It's the last juice of the day, and granted I may be delusional from lack of solid food, but I swear it is just to die for.

-both recipes after the jump-

Carrots and Apples and Beets, Oh My!

I know I said I was only going to juice for 3 days, but I think I'm actually going to extend it to 5.....or 7.  I just feel amazing!  If juicing is a cult then hand me some (raw) kool-aid because I am ready to join.  In just two days my skin is noticeably becoming more even and bright, I have an absurd amount of energy, I've been sleeping incredibly well,* I actually woke up this morning craving green juice, and my body just feels "good." No, not good, it feels great. It feels great and also all other positive adjective words that could describe how a body feels.

Here I give you the absolutely most beautiful juice you will ever drink your life.  The beet juice is a deep magenta, the carrot is a vibrant orange, and I just love to watch them swirl together in all of their pigmented glory.

-Recipe after the jump-

Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea?

(I couldn't help it - for some reason I've had the Spongebob theme song stuck in my head all morning) 

Good morning, day 2!

This whole juicing thing is WAY easier than I imagined it would be.  The juices are delicious and, astonishingly, I'm not hungry at all!  I did a lot of research before starting my cleanse, and one of the things people seem to find the most difficult are the "detox" symptoms.  These happen because your body is used to getting certain toxins and other junk from the processed food you eat, so when you eliminate those foods, your body goes through something resembling withdrawal.  I was fully prepared to be launched into headaches, fatigue, diarrhea (ya I said it...we were all thinking it), nausea, and whatever else unpleasant came my way, but I haven't really had any of it! I had one tiny little itty bitty headache last night that lasted for about 15 minutes - that was it!  Quick! Someone please knock on wood!

The recipe I have for you today is the second juice of the day, and by far my favorite. It is sweetest freshest pineapple juice you have ever tasted in your life with just a little bit of minty kick.

-recipe after the jump-

Drinking The Green Monster

It's 5:30 am on day 1 guys and I just cranked out some impressive juice!  The staple juice of the cleanse is a green juice, loaded with leafy greens, that you drink twice throughout the day.  The "renovation" cleanse that I'm doing is sort of the training wheels of cleanses to try things out.  If you do the more intense extreme cleansing (quick brainstorm: can we make this a competitive sport somehow?) you drink even more of the green juice, and less of the fruit juices.

I know this juice looks scary and gross, but honestly it's pretty tasty!  The cucumber makes it very refreshing and the apples effectively drown out all the bitterness I imagined it would have from the kale.  Dare I say it?  I would probably drink this even if I weren't on a juice cleanse!

-Recipe after the jump-

Juicing (the non-steroid way)

I have this friend (and I think we all have this friend) who's a glowing skin, fitness guru, healthy eating expert, looks just as good in sweatpants as a dress, "oh my hair looks good? I haven't brushed it," effortlessly amazing kind of person.  She happens to make up 1/6th of the couple trifecta that was my Martha's Vineyard vacation recently, and while chilling in bikinis we (inevitably) got to chatting about health and fitness.  About this time last year I was a gym rat, but as the fates would have it I've gotten much more busy and have barely so much as set foot in a gym since September.  The hardest part about this isn't my declining muscle mass (and trust me, it is deeeclining), but that my energy level is much lower and (bizarrely) my complexion is much duller.  When I told her this, her instant reaction was, "oh you MUST try juicing!"

Uhhhh, like steroids? I'm not sure that's a good...

No, no, JUICING.  Actual juice!

I only had to listen to her expound on the benefits of a juice cleanse and then occasional juicing for about ten minutes and I was sold.  If consuming only juice for just three days really could give me more energy, clearer skin, improved immune function, and many many other benefits I was on board with trying!  Now here I am three days later, armed with a brand new juicer, a fridge PACKED with leafy green veggies, and bootleg recipes to the famed blueprint renovation cleanse.  

Let the juicing begin!!