The Skinny on Juicing

Spring is in the air, which means that it's time to start thinking about shedding that cozy winter wardrobe in exchange for shorts, dresses and swimwear!  In an effort to get myself "spring & summer ready," I am overhauling my diet.   At a high level, my personal overhaul consists of the following:  

• Upping- Natural Vitamins, hydration and fresh ingredients
• Reducing- processed foods, simple carbs and sugar consumption

One thing that fits perfectly into this overhaul is daily juicing.  I have been a fan of juicing for a few years now.  I think it's a great way to incorporate an array of vitamins and minerals from natural sources into your diet.  In addition, it is significantly cheaper than buying pre-made pressed juices and can be customized to suit your palette and/or dietary needs.  

For today's post I have decided to compile a list of my best tips for every aspect of juicing at home.  It really doesn't have to be as involved as the reputation may suggest.  Simple adjustments can make juicing a seamless addition to your everyday menu and who doesn't love an extra dose of healthy in their day?!?  

Produce for Juicing

Juicing primarily veggies and using fruits sparingly will keep the caloric and sugar content down to a reasonable amount.  Here is a breakdown of the produce I like to use when juicing:

• Kale (washed with spines removed)
• Spinach
• Cucumbers
• Celery + Leaves
• Beets (Red or Yellow)
• Carrots (sweetener)
• Green Apple (1/4-1/2 MAX to sweeten)
• Lemon (1/2-1 whole)
• Fresh Ginger (1" piece peeled)

Flavor Enhancers & Color

I drink extracted juices for their nutritional value, so taste and color are never the priority for me.  HOWEVER, if aesthetics and taste are important to you, here are a few things to consider:

• Carrots and Red Beets will turn your green juice into the ugliest and most unappetizing color of brown.  For this post, I opted to exclude both beets and carrots from the juice pictured at the top, but usually I include both in my drink. 
• A slice of green apple, lemon and/or piece of fresh ginger can do wonders for the taste of your juice
• Coconut water is also a great addition if desired due to its hydrating benefits.

Cleaning

I have the Breville Juice Fountain Plus Juicer and absolutely love it.  While it may not be the fanciest juicer on the market, it does exactly what I need it to do so I am a beyond happy customer.  

When it comes to cleaning my juicer, I used to take the time to wash each piece by hand (which was slightly insane because it took FOREVER).  After conducting a bit of research and spending enough time juicing, I realized that there were a few ways that I could cut down on the total cleaning time I spent daily on my juicer:

• With the exception of the motor base, all pieces of my juicer are dishwasher safe (top rack).  I still hand wash the blade each time to insure it stays super sharp, but technically it too is dishwasher safe. 
• Before juicing, I line the pulp container with a small trash bag. This makes for easy disposal of the waste post juicing and keeps the container clean.  You can also use these Breville Compostable Bags. 

Additional Tips

• Get all of your produced cleaned and prepped at the the beginning of the week.  This will help to cut down on morning prep time.  I like to store my cleaned and prepped produce in ziploc bags so that I can label and date them. 
• Do Not- bulk juice ahead of time.  The most you should juice in advance is 2hr prior to consumption.  Reason being, nutritional value is at its peak when freshly cut or juiced.  In addition, the risk for bacteria developing in your juice increases the longer it sits.  
• Do - run the pulp through the juicer a second time to ensure all juice is extracted.  You will be amazed at the amount of juice that is extracted during the second time through the machine.  
• All parts on my Breville Juicer are replaceable, which is fabulous because who wants to buy an entirely new juicer simply because a single piece is faulty/broken.
• Pulp can make for great compost and depending on what produce you're using, it can even be mixed into a veggie burger recipe (or similar). 
• For a few great recipe ideas: Visit this Williams-Sonoma Page and this Video from Giada De Laurentiis

A Few Ideas for the Day After Thanksgiving

This morning I am sitting in bed with Dolly sleeping at my feet, trying to recover from the "holy-moliness" of putting on last night's epic dinner.  I'm finally taking a moment to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which my husband thoughtfully recorded for me since I was in kitchen all day and didn't have a moment to enjoy this favorite Thanksgiving tradition of mine.  

Even though I am still recovering, I wanted to use today's post to share a few thoughts/ideas on what to do in the wake of the Thanksgiving Day aftermath.  Today is Black Friday, so I know that most are out and about hitting the stores.  In addition to all of the shopping happening today, those of you who hosted Thanksgiving last night are probably looking at all of the leftovers in your refrigerators and wondering what the heck to do with all of this food?!?  While I have no special wisdom to impart when it comes to finding the best "door buster deals," I do have a few suggestions on how to make the most out of your Thanksgiving leftovers.      

Thanksgiving Bites

This is a really easy way to use up leftovers that's easy to assemble for a crowd.  Start by placing leftover turkey on top of a Rosemary or Toasted Onion 34 Degree Crisp, then add a spoonful of stuffing, followed by a dollop of cranberry relish and garnish with fresh chopped parsley to create delicious Thanksgiving Leftover Bites.   These bites taste great warm or cold and are an instant crowd-pleaser.  

Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup - Sub Turkey!

Make a big pot of my Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup, but sub Thanksgiving Turkey for the Rotisserie Chicken.  This is a great way to use up a variety of ingredients you probably still have on hand- Broth/Stock, Celery, Carrots, Herbs and of course all of that leftover Thanksgiving turkey!

Thanksgiving Dinner Roll Paninis

There really is nothing better than a thanksgiving sandwich.  This year I am breaking out my grill pan to create thanksgiving panini sandwiches using the leftover dinner rolls.  Here is what I will be using:

• Leftover dinner rolls
• Turkey
• Stuffing
• Cranberry Relish
• Brie or Provolone Cheese
• Herbs (Thyme, Rosemary, Sage) 
• Butter

Instructions:

1. Heat your grill pan on Medium/High Heat with 2 Tbs Butter
2. Slice your rolls in half and brush lightly with melted butter
3. Place cheese and herbs on each roll half and allow time for the cheese to melt on the grill pan
4. Then add turkey, cranberry relish and stuffing to sandwich halves
5. Assemble both sides together
6. Place metal grill top over sandwich and allow it to cook for approx. 1min
7. Flip sandwich and press metal grill top onto sandwich again for an additional minute.
8. Remove sandwich from heat and serve

My Thanksgiving Dinner party was a big success.  I would have to say that the highlight was when my mom surprised me with an impromptu ceremony and officially passed off the family carving knife.  Having my entire family here for my first Thanksgiving dinner made all of the work leading up to this day completely worthwhile.  For all of you who cooked the big dinner last night, I hope you are sitting at home with your feet up enjoying delicious leftovers.  You have certainly earned a day of relaxation!

Now, onto Christmas preparations!…Starting Monday

Date Night Idea: Take a Cooking Class

This past Saturday my husband and I took a cooking class at CulinAerie, a local cooking school company, for our weekly date night.  The last time we took a cooking class was on our honeymoon in Bermuda.  We had a great time and had said that we definitely wanted to take another cooking class, but of course one thing led to another (buying a new house, moving, renovations…life!) and a year and a half passed before we started looking in DC for a class.  

My search for a local cooking class was extremely fruitful (thank you Google!) and I was able to put together a list of cooking class options.  From there I started asking around for feedback from my friends on any experiences they had had with any of the cooking classes on my list.  A few of my friends suggested I try out CulinAerie, as they had all had wonderful experiences there.  I shared this information with my husband and we decided to go for it!  

A close friend of mine, who had taken a few cooking classes at Culinaerie before, recommended that we arrive early in order to secure seats in the front row for the best view.  Let me just say, that I am so glad we did!  CulinAerie has video monitors throughout the classroom to ensure everyone can see what the teacher is doing, but I loved having the ability to watch the teacher's demonstrations up close.  

Once we secured our seats and got settled, a kitchen assistant came around with a tray of the most delicious Hibiscus Margaritas.   I wasn't able to obtain the exact recipe from the teacher, but I did track down a similar Hibiscus Margarita recipe on the web.  This a fabulous cocktail recipe to consider trying during the Spring and Summer months.  I am actually planning on serving this tasty cocktail for Cinco de Mayo tomorrow night!  

After we had enjoyed a round of very tasty margaritas, it was time to start cooking!  The theme of the evening was Vegetarian Mexican Cuisine.  Here is a recap of what we made:

The Menu

• Hibiscus Ceviche- I had always assumed that Ceviche had to be made with a raw fish or a similar meat component.  Boy, was I wrong!  Rehydrated Hibiscus Flowers are actually quite meaty in texture and work beautifully in a ceviche recipe.  
• Mexican Lentil Hash- This recipe was super easy to make and very healthy.  I loved the rainbow of colors used from all of the different vegetables and the overall flavor profile was excellent.  My favorite part about this dish was actually when my husband remarked "Hey, this is pretty easy to make.  I can definitely make this for you sometime."  Music to my ears!!!  (Picture of this dish is featured below)  
• Roasted Poblano stuffed with Potato, Corn and Queso with Roasted Tomato Sauce-  this was another delicious dish, but honestly the highlight was learning a new kitchen technique.  I had previously roasted my bell peppers in the oven, which always took a long time.  Learning how to char poblano peppers over an open stove top flame was so much faster and the charred skin was a cinch to remove.  (Finished product is also pictured below)
• Granita de Pitaya (or Red Prickly Pear)- This is a great dessert idea to consider making during the Spring and Summer.  It's light, refreshing and also easy to make!  Here is a similar granita recipe from Martha Stewart for Mango-Lime Granitas. 

Of course there are the obvious benefits of taking a cooking class for date night- learning a new recipe and having a delicious dinner with your significant other.  However, what I loved the most were all of the additional benefits I reaped from taking this class.  

Benefits Beyond the Dinner

• Flavor Inspiration- Until this class I would have never had the guts or know-how to use hibiscus or charred poblano peppers in a recipe.  Now that I have had the experience from this class, I cannot wait to start incorporating roasted pablano peppers and hibiscus flowers into my culinary repertoire.  
• Knife Skills- One of my favorite parts of the evening was when the teacher gave us a lesson on knife techniques.  Learning how to dice an onion like a pro, quickly chop cilantro and easily de-seed and dice a jalepeno was absolute GOLD.  I cannot tell you how much time I will save in the future when preparing dishes just from knowing these simple knife techniques.
• Flavor Enhancers/Brighteners- Another great tip we learned during this class was the power of adding acid to a dish.  The addition of an acid (ex. lemon juice, lime juice, vinegar) can really bring out the flavors of the dish.  
• Meeting New People- Lets face it, its not always easy to meet new people these days.   My days are spent blogging in the morning, going to work all day, coming home and spending time with my husband, and then repeating the same schedule the next day.  There is not a whole lot of time left over (or energy) in any given week for going out and meeting new people.  During this cooking class we were paired with another couple, who my husband and I both enjoyed meeting.  While I am not totally sure that we will become long term friends with this couple, I did realize that taking a class like this is a great way to put yourself out there and meet other people in your area with similar interests.  
• Quality Time- This was probably the best benefit of the evening.  I had honestly grown so tired of the standard Movie and/or Dinner Date Nights.  Movie date nights have always made me feel silo-ed from my husband, since we are sitting in a dark theater for hours unable to talk.  In addition, dinner date nights at restaurants while nice, were tough places to have a conversation (since you are in a heavily populated room) and short lived (1-2hrs tops?).  I loved this cooking class because it involved teamwork, learning something new, enjoying a delicious meal and going outside of our traditional routinized date nights. 

My husband and I had the best time taking this cooking class at CulinAerie.  Not only did we learn something new and get to spend quality time together, but my husband has now offered to cook me dinner this weekend (yay!).  We have already been back on their website trying to decide on which class to sign up for next!  I have also realized that cooking classes are great for double dates, so we are planning on coordinating with another couple for the next class.  

After taking this class I am done with constantly defaulting to the standard dinner and a movie date night.  I have been completely re-energized when it comes to planning creative date nights and cannot wait to start researching new ideas.  Do you have any favorite date night activities?