Springtime orange

Still sticking to a routine of having juices and smoothies at least once a day I wanted something to have post-workout and before going to bed that didn't contain scoops of protein powder. I'll admit, I got kind of tired of the taste of it after about two straight weeks of almost the same shakes. This "juice" is a modified version of a carrot, orange, and ginger recipe I found on whole family fare. Her blog is beautiful and it's constantly graced with pictures of her children eating healthy, vegetarian (?!) food and enjoying it (?!?!?!?!). She's got a ton of vegan recipes also so pore over those if you're curious/into that/a fan of pictures of cute kids.

Notice the thicker consistency of this "juice." Add more water or orange juice and blend longer to get a more liquid consistency.

This juice recipe should be made with a juicer but if you peel the carrots and slice them through a mandolin or grate them they work just as well in a blender. All the ingredients in the recipe below have parenthesized instructions for people not using a juicer. I do not own one and don't intend to until all of my student loans are paid off so check back in about 15 years. I blended all of my ingredients. It's a little work and it definitely comes out a bit thicker, but you can always adjust to your liking.

I needed something a little thicker so I had bigger chunks of the ingredients in my version. If you don't like ginger you can always take it out. I added an apple to mine to sweeten it up a bit. Though not scientifically tested I'm going to just psych myself out into thinking this juice will help alleviate my allergies. It at least tastes like it will. And look how bright it is! Perfect for such a rainy day in Chicago.

How else would I enjoy such a "cleansing" juice? By ingesting it alongside a piece of this weekend's coffee cake. Duh.

***

Carrot, Orange, and Ginger Juice

Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 medium-sized carrots, peeled (and finely grated or sliced if you don't have a juicer)
1 1/2 tbsp ginger, peeled (and finely chopped if you don't have a juicer)
1 navel orange, peeled (and roughly chopped if you don't have a juicer)
1 apple, cored and peeled (and cut into small cubes if you don't have a juicer)
2 cups cold water
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp stevia (optional)

Directions:
Blend all ingredients for about 2 minutes, periodically checking to make sure that larger pieces at the bottom are evenly pureed and no longer chunky. Add more liquid if necessary and blend longer to get the desired consistency. If you're using a juicer, pass all the ingredients whole through a standard juicer. The juice keeps well when refrigerated in a sealed jar or container for 24 hours.

Calories: 204, Carbohydrates: 59g, Fat: 0g, Protein: 2g, Sodium: 7mg, Sugar: 35g

***

xo,
k.