Juicing in January (and beyond...)

January's a funny month - it sort of begins in December when you start promising yourself all the things you are definitely going to do in the New Year that will make you almost the perfect human - join the gym, actually go to the gym, take up charity work, lose 2 stone, read a book a week, etc etc.

And I am amongst those people. The last week of December usually sees my mental power switch to thoughts of a newer, leaner me but by the 3rd (ok, 2nd) of January my good intentions are long forgotten and you're most likely to find me nestled under a blanket, on the sofa, watching a film and eating a chocolate orange. Not my own, you understand, that's usually devoured when I receive it on Christmas Day - no, the one I will be scoffing belongs to whichever fool made the short-sighted decision to leave theirs unattended on the kitchen side. And that has been my New Year routine for as long as I can remember.

But not this year. After a - quite frankly - excessive festive period I have set myself the challenge of Dry January for the first time ever. And, on January 12th, I am happy to report that I am still going strong. Not because I am avoiding social situations - I'm still joining friends at the pub, at dinner, for Sunday lunch and so on - but I am facing these situations with resolve and standing, stoically, with tonic water in hand and only grimacing ever so slightly.
 

 

There is a method to my madness though. For this is the year I'm going to be wifed. And there is no stronger motivation than knowing 100+ eyes are going to be directed at you for the majority of an entire day. So apart from 'drying out' this month I have also taken up running again (the renovation had made that almost impossible but now we have some of our time back I can re-calibrate myself) along with kettle bells and juicing.
 

I could practically feel you rolling your eyes at that last one but trust me. It's actually working. I'm about a week and a half in to replacing solid breakfasts with pulverised fruit and vegetables and I can already feel my jeans fitting better and see my face toning up.

I am not one for a fad diet or exercise regime so this really is a lifestyle change that I'm making and I think that's the only way to approach something like this. You need to realign your habits and commit to them.

People seem to think that juicing is expensive - and it can be if you buy them fresh every day from a shop, or order those enormous online kits - but for me it hasn't been. Last Saturday (so, 9 days ago) I did a fruit and veg shop at my local greengrocers. It cost me £9.16. I haven't run out yet and I've had 8 morning juices from it. So that means my morning juices are costing me £1.15 per one. And that's so far; like I said - I haven't run out of ingredients yet. (That isn't taking into account the couple of banana milkshakes OH has enjoyed out of my ingredients!)
 

I've posted a few pictures of them on Instagram and have been asked what I put in mine so I thought I would share a few recipes here. I went online and got a gist of what sort of went together flavour wise and then went from there. I'm not one for strict measurements - I just put in what I think will be a good combo, blitz it and then off I go. So here are a few I've done with some approximate quantities - feel free to manipulate any of them to suit your taste buds.

GREEN GODDESS:
1/2 avocado
1/2 banana
2 or 3 handfuls of spinach
2 or 3 handfuls of curly kale
10 green grapes
10 red grapes
5 pieces of ice
Glug of fresh fruit juice (this just aids the belnder a bit - you don't need much - use water if you'd prefer)

FRUITY FLAVOURS:

1 banana
1/2 a punnet of raspberries
1/2 a punnet of blueberries
Handful of oats
3 table spoons 0% fat greek yoghurt
Glug of almond milk

GINGER NINJA:

2 handfuls of spinach
2 handfuls of curly kale
1/2 avocado
chunk of ginger
1 carrot
1 apple
1 small satsuma
5 ice cubes
Glug of fruit juice

LAST-MINUTE MASHUP:

1 banana,
1 kiwi,
3 handfuls of spinach,
3 handfuls of curly kale,
10 green grapes,
1 carrot,
chunk of ginger
Glug of fruit juice
3 ice cubes

Those are just examples of the sorts of combos I've been making  - there are a plethora of recipes online all over the place.

TIP: If you, like me, love to organise do what I did. Chop all ingredients for all juices you need for the week ahead. Put each combo in a freezer bag and write on the bag what's in the mix already and what needs to be added. Get the one you want out and into the fridge to defrost the night before you want it. This saves HUGE amounts of time in the mornings and means your breakfast is always ready so it stops you running too late to make it fresh and grabbing something less healthy as an alternative on the way into the office.

 



I know some of them look gross but I'm yet to make a combo that tastes as bad as it looks. They all taste fantastic so I've been pleased so far. My blender was an absolute BARGAIN on Amazon - £29.00 including 4 bottles - 2 large, 2 small. And it's almost entirely dishwasher safe - the only bit that isn't, of course, is the main part that but that doesn't get dirty anyway so it's all good. It's not on offer any more but it is on for £24.00 with 2 bottles so still an absolute steal. Get yours here.

So...my foray into a healthier lifestyle continues. Here's hoping I can keep it up beyond Dry January!