We juicin' everything up in here

Last week, I bought a juicer. And not just any juicer, but the Breville Compact Juicer. THE juicer.

I figured it's probably the only way to keep up with my growing addiction to green juice, spurred in large part by the movie Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.

Clearly, I couldn't wait to break in my new toy, and if you follow me on Instagram, you've likely already seen these gems:

My first Mean Green juice... a delicious treat post-5k.

Veggies ready to go for three servings of Mean Green and three Apple-Beet-Carrot-Ginger juices for my dad.

This was my first time ever working with beets. I couldn't get over how pretty they were! I mean, seriously, check out the color and patterns!

The prep and finished products of yesterday's juice-stravaganza. I am totally loving the mason jars, and they're fun to drink out of.

So I got onto a juice kick after watching some food documentaries, but I certainly am not planning on juice cleansing. I just like solid food, and I think that it's really up to each of us to develop our own food philosophy. Right now, mine is looking like: limited processed foods, dairy, and gluten, lots of fruits and veggies. Juice fits in, and it certainly can't be doing any harm to up my intake of nutrients. Who knows if detoxing is a real thing or not, but it certainly can't hurt to get more greens!

I figured I'd leave you with the Mean Green juice recipe I've been loving the last couple of days. Taken right from Joe the Juicer, who lost 80 pounds juice fasting!



This is my mean green face.



Mean Green Juice

Ingredients:

• 6 kale leaves
• 1 cucumber
• 4 celery stalks, leaves removed
• 2 green apples, (optional, apple of choice)
• 1/2 lemon, peeled
• 1-inch knob ginger root

Directions:

Add all the above ingredients and juice. I juice the green stuff first, then the apple, then finish with lemon and ginger. I also find that by juicing the kale with the cucumber and celery, you get more juice. Just my two cents!



What I buy when I go grocery shopping

My biggest trick to keep eating healthy? Only stock your kitchen with food you want to be eating. This way, even when a craving hits, you'll have a variety of healthy snacks to pull from.

Meal planning is really popular in the blogging community, but I'm not really a meal planner. I like having a variety of healthy food on hand so that I can make whatever I'm craving at the time.

I shop mostly at Trader Joe's. I love it because it has most of the foods I need in sizes I need and at prices I like. I don't like to over-buy food, and Trader Joe's does a great job at having smaller sizes of stuff available at really reasonable prices. I still go to Safeway or Whole Foods for some things, but Trader Joe's is my go-to grocery store.

Here's what I bought this week:

 Fruits: I always buy bananas, and then pick different fruits that sound good that week. I already had some grapes and clementines, so I went with strawberries and a pineapple, plus some dates for homemade Larabars.

 Veggies: Spinach and kale (for salads and smoothies), cauliflower, green peppers, broccoli, green beans, and a cucumber.

Other stuff: Egg whites, chicken, peanut butter, vanilla, coconut oil, Larabars, chocolate chips. I still have beans, chia seeds, and almond milk on hand from last week, or I would have bought those too.

Some other words of advice:

1. I usually buy frozen fruit for smoothies. It lasts FOR. EVER.
2. Buy bananas in varying stages of ripeness. Freeze them in slices for smoothies or two ingredient "ice cream" once they start getting ripe.
3. Try to stick to the perimeter of whichever grocery store you choose. This is a sure-fire way to stick to clean, less-processed food.
4. If you don't want to eat it, don't buy it. If it's in your house, you're going to eat it.
5. Trying new foods is awesome! But don't get overzealous and buy massive amounts of something you've never tried. Inevitably, you'll hate it, and it will end up in the trash.
6. When you can, buy in bulk. Things like beans, rice, and oatmeal take FOREVER to go bad, so stock up because you'll save money.
7. For things that are perishable (like milk or veggies), track how much you consume and then purchase the smallest size possible to meet your needs. For me, I was ALWAYS throwing away milk or yogurt. Paying less per ounce means nothing if you're constantly throwing food away.
8. Freeze your meat in individual portions. It's easier to thaw what you need at the time.
9. If you're cooking for one, don't be afraid to cook multiple portions at once, especially if things are going bad. Cook and then store in individual portions so they'll be ready for you to eat.

Happy grocery shopping, and share your tricks in the comments!