Watermelon Smoothie!

Oooh ooh - we scored a huge watermelon for £2.50 today - and I made this amazing smoothie. It took seconds in my new toy Optimus Prime. You will get excellent results in your blender - you may need to let the narnas soften a little.

I chop up ripe bananas and stick them in ziplock bags in the freezer - so they're ready to go for banana ice cream and smoothies whenever I fancy it!

Recipe:

3 very ripe conference pears - washed and chopped
1 big chunk of a big watermelon (about 1/8)
2 bananas - frozen in chunks
1 large bunch of mint

Put all the ingredients in a high speed blender - and whizz on high for @45seconds - until really smooth.

This made enough for 3 large glasses of smoothie.

Sweet, watermelony, cold and refreshing.

Happy Glow Juice

My very expensive, and jolly fancy juicer has been packed off to the supplier after the second one in 3 months failed. Which leaves me with my old faithful Kenwood - 20 years old and still managing to make great juice. It isn't as efficient, struggling along with a 250w motor as it is - but it has a new blade and if you don't mind the froth - job's a good 'un.

I made a great juice this afternoon - thought I'd share it. It's one of those - lob in what you've got in the fridgey cupboard and trust to the Juicy Gods that it will be drinkable.

Turns out - I'm good at this mixology game!

Sunshine Happy Juice

Yoo Hoo! I'm nearing the end of a Big Summer Juice Detox. 7 days of juice only deliciousness -and in this heat, turns out it's the perfect way to stay cool, hydrated and well fed. Hooray for Summer. Hooray for Juicey Highs and Hooray for Me!

There is a fully worked out plan that you can follow and if you are interested and fancy a go. I warmly recommend www.juicemaster.co.uk (there's an Australian site too). You don't have to buy the book, although if you are new to juicing then Slim4Life or the 7lbs in 7 Days books will set you up really well. Or you can simply follow along using the app or the wall chart - both are pretty cheap.

This is not the juice you are looking for**

You do need a juicer and a decent blender. Other than that - it's a trip to the fruit and veg shop & you're off! Expect headaches and some detox symptoms if you are a dedicated sugar and caffeine fiend - by day 3 or 4 you'll be over the worst and jumping about like a toddler!

Now then - I'm not as excited by the juices on the 7 Day Plan as I am a fan of Jason Vale's other juice plan recipes  so I have gone off piste with a few of my own - using the fruits and veggies that are good and cheap in my local grocery shops.

(I live on the longest street of independent shops in the UK - so I am a lucky duck. Throw a grape and you'll hit a grocery store. Then there are the deals on at the local supermarket and several local organic box suppliers not to mention the Sunday fruit and veg market! 

Yesterday on my way back from yoga, I scored a huge bag of nectarines and some baby gem lettuces for a song. I don't mind if the nectarines don't soften as they ripen - because I'm planning on slinging them in the juicer!)

To the recipe!

Betty Boop Beet Berry Heaven Juice

This is heavenly - the colour is the colour of a wicked girl's knickers and it tastes just as naughty. The great news is - it's so good for ya - you can do something scurrilous later and your naughty/nice balance will still be even!

You do need a juicer and a good strong hand blender to make this lovely juice. 

Ingredients:
2 raw boop boop beetroots (don't even think of using cooked)
1 apple
1 nectarine (stoned - oh I'm so resisting the joke... it's killing me!)
1 parsnip (don't panic - you won't taste it, it adds body and goodness)
small handful of frozen mixed berries (or you can use fresh blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, whatever berry you like)
1 large chunk of lemon, rind on (more or less, depending on how zingy you like it)

Method:
Juice the beets, lemon and then put through the parsnip, nectarine and the apple.

Add the berries (frozen or fresh) to the beaker and blend with the hand blender. Add ice if you're using fresh berries and you like it cold.

Find out what's in it...

Mart's Summer Sunshine Juice

My friend Mart is off on another of his juice odysseys. His first was inspired by the documentary made by Joe Cross - Fat  Sick & Nearly Dead - which is on TV this week. It's a great watch and after stumbling across it on you tube, Mart did a long juice feast himself with the blessing of his doctor - who incidentally has been amazed at his success. He's lost weight, come off any number of pills and improved his health massively. 

So now he's setting out to lose some weight in advance of an important operation in September.  This time, I thought I might support him in a more practical way - than just yipping on his blog* each time he loses a llb!


So here is my first attempt at a lovely juice for lovely mart x.