If the world gives you veges, make green juice!

If you want to hop on the health train but you don’t like veges, the best and simplest way to get your vegetables in, is to make juice. I’ve actually come across many people who tell me that they want to eat healthy but hate vegetables, well the answer is definitely not to melt cheese over broccoli or batter fry green beans, just grab some fresh vegetables and fruits and buzz away.

Drinking green juices has become a trend the world over and every up and coming restaurant is serving their version of vegetable concoctions. Some skeptics may wonder if it’s all it’s cracked up to be; is it really healthy? Am I really getting enough greens from the juice? Yes and yes. If you make a green juice, the right way (and there is a wrong way to do it), then you’ll have a healthy, nutritious and super tasty beverage.

Rule number 1, use fresh ingredients.

I know I say this all the time but it makes such a difference when you use a fresh, ripe tomato instead of one that’s been sitting in your refrigerator for weeks. The flavours are all present and the vitamins are ‘perky’; not worn down. I picked out fresh kale, avocado, coconut water, freshly squeezed lime juice and orange juice and fresh bananas that took a walk in the freezer a few hours before a blended this all up.

Rule number 2, use a high powered blender or blend in batches.

I just hate the idea of using a juicer to make juice or straining juice after it is made to remove fibre or particles from blended juices. When I first started blending kale, I was stuck with this super grainy texture from the rough kale leaves. I didn’t like it, who would? But I knew that if I juiced or strained it, I would be losing a lot of the nutrients I’d rather drink up. Thankfully, I realized that there was a simple fix; I just blended my kale in batches with my choice of liquid and did so until the little flecks of green disappeared. My juice is smooth every time now. Of course, if you’ve got a high powered blender, you don’t need to blend in batch.

Rule number 3, use enough greens.

It’s not really green juice if you’re using a few leaves of greens. Vegetables don’t have to make up most of the drink but you’ll need to add a good serving size portion, especially if this is the way you get in your vegetables. New healthy eaters and green juice makers are afraid that the vegetables will overpower the juice and leave a “green” taste (some people like the green taste) but in any case, balance is key and using the right ingredients together results in the best tasting juices. If you’re working with a strong tasting vegetable, use a strong flavoured fruit to combat it; they will balance each other out perfectly. Spinach and pineapple are great examples!

Rule number 4, use fruits as natural sweeteners

I like to keep my juices pure. Just 100% greens and fruits so my sweetener is always some mixture of fruits. My favourite fruit to pair with kale is orange (juice) and lime (juice), the flavours are fantastic together. We took a little trip down to my grandparents and got ourselves some citrus, a lot of citrus and here they are in this juice, making it fresh and vibrant!

I also added apples, I usually use Granny Smith but today I used a Gala apple. And of course bananas to make it creamy and smooth! Go easy on bananas when using though, because they can be pretty overpowering so unless its a banana based juice or smoothie, add a little at a time until you’re happy with the taste.

My choice of liquid, minus the citrus juices was coconut water. It’s naturally sweet and blends beautifully with vegetables. And my oh my is it a glorious fruit/nut! My grandparents are blessed with two huge coconut trees that provide us with a quick drink on a hot day on the farm; it takes almost nothing outta ya to poke down a few coconuts and chop them open for a thirst quenching drink.

We had some laying around at home and it was only fitting that they go into my green juice. If you aren’t in coconut paradise like me, good ole water is an easy substitute.

We’re still milking our avocado trees and they just keep giving us more of that awesome fruit so I didn’t hesitate to make my juice even better with rich and creamy avocado; freshly picked and ripe!

Make this juice at home yourself! Scroll down for the recipe!