New Favorite Green Juice

When I first started using the Vitamix to blend vegetables I  only made smoothies rather than juice.  The difference being that to juice with the Vitamix requires that you dump the whole thing through a nut milk bag and strain out the pulp from the liquid.  I preferred the smoothies mostly because I am lazy, I didn't like to throw out the pulp (throwing $ in the compost - no thanks) and because I liked to add banana and, well, you can't really juice bananas.  My typical smoothie was really good though... a combination of cucumber, kale, dandelion greens, parsley, lemon, ginger and banana. Sometimes I'd mix it up and use frozen mango or frozen pineapple instead of the banana and that was good too.

Then during one of my acupuncturist sessions my acupuncturist suggested that I cut out bananas. The horror. My beloved bananas, my favorite and most versatile source of sugar that caused NO digestive distress.  If I wanted to sweeten pancakes, I'd use a banana. If I wanted ice cream, I'd freeze bananas and blend them. If I wanted to make a pumpkin pie smoothie, chocolate avocado pudding, zucchini bread, chocolate cake.... you get the point...I'd use a banana.  I believe her suggestion was made after I went on a crazy rant (the poor woman is also a shrink... well, my shrink anyways. Maybe $98 a session is really a bargain?) about how frustrated I was that I wasn't feeling well/having crazy sugar/food cravings, skin problems, etc. and how I probably had some kind of yeast overgrowth issue, because, well, all the signs pointed to that and if not than I was undoubtedly feeding something with all those bananas I was eating even if I was having no response. Do you sense the crazy?

Well, she said, why don't you stop eating bananas for two weeks and see how you feel. Hmmm. Genius. So that's what I did. I stopped eating bananas and it was hard.

But, hell, certainly if I could do the GAPS diet, I could cut out bananas. And I did feel better.

Also around this time I started reading about the "PH Miracle" Diet - basically the idea that keeping your body alkaline by eating lots of raw green vegetables/juices, taking supplements will prevent disease, boost health, and help you heal (a panacea, perhaps?) So I was inspired to try an all green juice from the organic juice bar at the health food store. I tried it and it was actually delicious!  Oddly enough it gives you a jolt similar to caffeine. So that has become my new green juice of choice.  The Vitamix version is a bit more watered down than the juice I buy at the store, but its still tasty and occasionally I splurge and pick up a green juice on my way to work.

The recipe is simple - 1/3 of the juice is cucumber, 1/3 is celery, and 1/3 is leafy greens.

And you can serve it in a big beer stein.