Does Beet Juice Make you Gag? Add More Pineapple

The sight of a fresh glass of juice makes me swoon, but I do admit, I sometimes hesitate when I juice beets.  The crimson juice of a fresh beet is quite potent, and can completely dominate the flavor of anything you mix with it, so I try to mix wisely.

Now, my vegan palate is quite adventurous when it comes to drinking the fresh juice of any vegetable. However, my omnivorous better-half has an involuntary beet gag-reflex.  SHE HATES THEM.

The other day, we wanted juice, and all I had in the fridge was... you guessed it, BEETS.  (I also had two lonely carrots, one (1) green apple, and about one-third of a sliced, fresh pineapple).  

I wonder how much pineapple juice would it take to get L to drink a glass of beet juice?

L's tiny glass. The pineapple worked!

This recipe came about as close as I will ever get:

Pineapple Beet Surprise (for even the worst Beet- Haters)
1 beet, scrubbed and peeled
1 carrots
1 green apple
one-third (1/3) fresh pineapple, peeled but not cored
1" piece fresh ginger

Cut fruits and vegetables into manageable size pieces for your juicer and juice away!  As always, I alternate the pieces of beet and carrot with the pineapple, which is much softer and tends to clog the juicing screen.  The strong fiber of the beet and carrot help to clear that out.

Serve over ice and enjoy the crimson goodness.  The picture does not do it justice!

So, why gag down the beet juice? You can read some facts here, but let's start with the simple fact that beet juice is highly nutritious.  Folate, Magnesium, Potassium, Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium and Copper are only some of the vitamins and minerals it contains.  Beet juice is also a powerful cleanser of the blood, improves your blood flow, and can lower blood pressure.  Not too shabby ^_^

Liquid Sunshine!

Start your morning off with some Liquid Sunshine:  
Pineapple, Mango, Carrot, Apple & Ginger 

~For a moment, I thought I had left the bowels of good ol' Woonsocket, RI and was instantly beamed to a remote and breezy tropical get-away...  Well, not quite... but it was pretty close.

If you'd like to re-create this luscious experience at home, I invite you to give this juice combo a shot!

Liquid Sunshine
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 mango, peeled and cut away from the seed (tips for cutting mango here)
3 carrots
1 small apple
1" piece of ginger

I used a lot of Soft Fruits in the particular blend, which tend to get a bit foamy in our juicer's juicing screen, so I cut my carrots and apple up into 2" chunks, and alternated them between the pineapple and mango.  This worked quite well, and kept the fruit foam to a minimum.

Now, I usually try and go a bit more heavy on the vegetables for juicing.  However, the day prior, I had made a batch of fruit salsa for my buddy, Scott's birthday, and still had quite a bit of pineapple and mango leftover...  

Great stuff, recipe here

So as my sugar began to spike, I decided to read about some of the awesome health benefits of mangos.

Some nutritional highlights: 

• Prevents cancer: the antioxidant compounds found in mangos have been found to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers
• Lowers cholesterol:  thanks to their high fiber, pectin and vitamin C
• Clears the skin: As their color suggests, mangos contain beta-carotene, which is converted by the body into vitamin A.  Pair that with vitamin C, and you have some serious skin repair power.
  
• Healthy for the eyes: 25% daily needed value of vitamin A
• Alkalizes the whole body: Tartaric acid, malice acid and trace citric acid
• Improves digestion: Enzymes
• Boosts the immune system: vitamins A and C in mangos keep your immune system healthy and strong.

Sounds pretty good to me!  And they taste like paradise, so how can you possibly go wrong? ^_^

Pineapple Banana-Oat Smoothie

A delicious glass of tropical sunshine! Pineapple and banana are one of my favorite smoothie combinations.  And in this recipe, the oats and flax seed add a nice thickness as well as added nutrition. Oats have a higher level of soluble fiber than other grains. Some other benefits of adding oats to your smoothie is the fact that they lower cholesterol, and are soothing to the digestive process. I like to blend the oats and flax in my liquid first, just to make sure they are pureed well. Then add your fruit...

INGREDIENTS:
1 banana, ripe
1/2 cup pineapple chunk, frozen 
1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
2 teaspoons flax seeds 
2 teaspoons agave nectar

DIRECTIONS:                        Prep Time: 5 mins           Total Time: 5 mins
1.  Blend oats, flax seeds, almond milk and agave for a two to three minutes on high, just to really blend the oats and the seeds.
2.  Add fruit and blend until smooth.