Look at those beautiful colours!
Another early wakeup call, although this is not the norm anymore. I often used to wake up so early, even before the crack of dawn, and I would always be resentful of those in my home, cats included who were sleeping and sometimes snoring peacefully. Laying (or is it lying?) in bed hoping to go back to sleep usually does not work. 
about a quarter to four… Boo!

So…..

 I jumped(well, not quite) out of bed to work on this new post. I had already decided that I would write something about breakfast foods (the ones that I eat and drink regularly). My daughter, bless her heart, tells me that I do not eat soon enough in the morning and probably not enough of whatever it is that I am eating. She is a firm believer in a hearty breakfast to get the day started right.

Now I do not disagree with her, but I do so love to get up in the morning and linger over my coffee with whipped almond milk. As a young mother, and then a not so young mother, I had so many years of getting up early, getting kids ready and off to school or an activity and then getting my day started. So, more often than not, by the time I got to drink my coffee, it was cold and a little scummy looking (remember, this was before the days of iced coffee being trendy LOL).

But I think that I have this dilemma partially solved. This summer, after listening to Veganpalooza,http://veganpalooza.com/ a wonderful online vegan symposium  created by Steve Prussack and Will Tuttle, I learned that Prussak is a great believer in juicing. I bought his book, Juicing for Idiots on I Tunes and got turned onto juicing. Next step was to buy a juicer (Low RPM) and get busy juicing.

 Several months later, I have hammered out a good routine that works for me. I feel good about it, because I am causing no harm and I feel that I am contributing to my health- a fantastic one two punch, so to speak.

Now, I do follow some of Steve’s recipes and I usually have a juice that contains a mix of vegetables and fruit-carrots, cucumber, granny smith apples and parsley are some of my favourites. Oh yes, and organic ginger in 99% of them.

 But occasionally I will make an all fruit one. I really feel like I am Eating (Drinking) Clean when I do this.

This is my own twist on an all Fruit Juice Drink

Watermelon, Orange and Ginger Juice

in the works!!!

1/4 of those handy small seedless watermelons

2 or 3 oranges, depending on the size (i.e. 3 juicing  or 2 big navel oranges)
2 small pieces of fresh, organic ginger (leave peel on) more ginger = more zing.

 
Start by washing the outside peel of fruit (I use a veggie wash) I usually squirt wash directly on fruit(and veggies)  and rub the skin or peel for about 35 seconds and then rinse well.

Cut watermelon into four fairly equal pieces, keep one out for today and store rest in fridge for future juices. Cut watermelon into ½ to 1 inch thick slices and cut off outer skin, retaining as much of the rind as possible. Cut into one by two inch pieces (approximately) and place in handy dandy bowl that is sitting pretty beside your juicer.

 Cut the oranges in half and if you see any pits hanging around in the flesh remove them with the tip of a knife and put them in your counter top compost bin if you have one.

Place orange half face down on cutting board and carefully cut away the portion of the peel that is closest to the cutting board, like so. I use my chef knife because it is sharp and accurate and will not slip away from the fruit while I am using it.

Turn the orange half over so and cut away the remaining rind and stem. Cut into pieces that your juicer can manage and throw in the handy dandy fruit bowl. Now you are good to go. Let the juicing begin.

When I am finished juicing I always strain the juice using a fine mesh nylon strainer. I do this because there is pulp left in my juice. I am not sure why this is. Maybe this would not happen with an industrial juicer, but it is not that much of an inconvenience, so it doesn’t bother me at all.

Now, I do not like food at in between temps. Food and drinks for me need to be either piping hot or very cold-so I throw a couple of ice cubes in my glass and pour in the heavenly elixir or voila, I am ready to break my overnight fast. It would be a pretty safe guess that this is where the word breakfast came from.

Once I have enjoyed my lovely juice, I wait about fifteen minutes to allow juice to pass from my tummy into the rest of my digestive system and then-yes, you guessed it, I have my treasured coffee with whipped almond milk and I luxuriate for the time that I have available to me.

And yes, I do follow this with more breakfast, but I guess I will have to cover that in my next post (stay tuned). Sneak Peak!!!

Yes, this is rice!!!

But for now, I have some handy tips that might help you if you are already are juicing or would like to try juicing.

 

GRAMMIE ANNIE’S HANDY JUICING TIPS

    1. Use a Low RPM Juicer (this helps to preserve enzymes in fruit) Centrifugal Juicers can heat up fruit and veggies and this is a no-no for raw food enthusiasts.
  • Wash fruit and veggies well, even if they are organic and even if you are planning to cut away the peel, as in citrus fruit and watermelon.

 

  • Leave skin on, where possible-so many nutrients are found in the skin and peel.

 

  • Preserve the rind of melons and the pith of citrus fruit because they are filled with nutrients.  Watermelon rind has Vitamin C and B-6 and Citruline, which is an amino acid.  Orange pith has Flavanoids, Vitamin C and a fibre called pectin.

 

  • Pulp from vegetables and fruit juices can be added to soups, and stews & tomato sauces for an added nutritional punch. When I don’t use them for cooking, I (read husband) add them to our compost bin.

 

  • Make your juice the first food of the day (i.e. on an empty stomach), drink within fifteen minutes to preserve integrity of the enzymes and wait fifteen minutes or so before ingesting other foods, to allow enough time for juice to empty from stomach.   

 

  •  I usually aim for about two cups, give or take, of juice first thing in the    morning. Experiment with different combinations of fruit and  veggies. Your taste buds will love it!   

 

Until next time,
May all beings by happy and free.

Anne

MY VEGAN BREAKFAST (PART ONE)

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