I'm on a journey to find health and happiness through a more holistic and green lifestyle.

I find the world to be abrasive. =) That is to say, I feel the need to armor myself, physically and emotionally, in order to face life. Don't we all? Maybe. For whatever reason, it has become a priority in my life to rid my immediate environment of irritating things. And I'm sensitive! So there is much work to be done. But. I have thought for a long time that the things I come in contact with every day, and the stuff used to clean and maintain these things, need to be gentle and non-toxic. I have had eczema my entire life. For a long time I just dealt with it, and accepted that sometimes it's bad, and sometimes it's not, and that it will fluctuate a lot. Gradually over time I have come to find that certain things, fabrics, cleansers, materials, are more irritating to my skin than others. Stress can exacerbate it. In more recent times, I have realized that every aspect of my life improves when I improve conditions for my skin. Hah! What a concept! Thus my (long time) interest in going green, and my more recent desire to live a more holistic lifestyle. (I think I've felt a desire for a long time to live in a harmonious way with myself, my surroundings, and nature, but didn't have a name for it.) Anyhow, this blog is a journal of my trials and errors, and basic crooked path to find a balanced and peaceful existence for myself and my family. Thanks for your interest! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Juicing! A "Fruit Punch" Recipe

I have been using my juicer lately, after a long hiatus. I stopped due to the cost of juicing, but have restarted after watching a documentary on healthy eating.

Rather than using the book of juicing recipes I have, this time I've been winging it. Sometimes the results are fair, sometimes they're good. Today I made one that instantly shot to the top of my list. My new favorite. Here it is:

3 apples (mine were on the small side)
1 pear (mine was green, use your favorite)
1 small carrot
1 piece of cucumber* (mine was about 3" long)
a handful of strawberries

*All of my ingredients were organic with the exception of the cucumber. If using organic fruits and veggies, you can keep the peel on (added benefits!) if not, remove before juicing.

Juice them all together, and voila! I added ice to mine. Delicious!

An added bonus to juicing is that if you're into composting or vermicomposting (composting with worms) the pulp that is left over after juicing is wonderful for the garden! For the worm composters out there, the food is already chopped up nice and small for them!

I'd love to hear about your favorite juicing recipes. =)