JoOce to Boost ----> Immune System Tune Up

Okay, we're already staring October square in the eyes and with autumn already here there are tons of critters and germs floating through the air. I spend my days off in the throws of daycare germs and I can already feel my body sponging up all the cold season ugliness. No reason the fret though. All it takes is some planning, a little patience, some diligence, and well, a juicer of course. Here, I'll explain what I do to get ready for a big juice feast, how I prep every day's "meals", the recipes for this month's juice feast, and a little bonus or two. So here we go....

To begin with, I can already tell that JoOcing for health has become a bit of an addiction for me and my sister. We had a family gathering this past Sunday and with all of the food that was around we looked at each other and said, "It's time to fast again." Even with the little bit that we did eat (huge salads, fresh cole slaw (recipe will be shared Friday for Fresh Taste and black beans) we felt like we'd over indulged. I think it was because we were watching everyone else eat like they were going to the electric chair, but I digress.

So, it's time to fast again and I can see this being a monthly routine to reboot my digestive and immune system. This month, I plan to fast for at least seven days (I could go a little longer) on Lemon Ginger Blasts and Carrot-Apple Juice.

I prefer to make all of my juices at once. Early in the morning. This way if I have to run to work, or run errands or am in the middle of something around the house, I don't have to stop when I'm hungry to lug out the juicer. I clean it once and I don't see it again until the next morning. If you wish to save yourself even more time, do some of the prep the night before (as far as some of the chopping). Personally, it doesn't really take that long for me to wash and cut my produce so I just save it all for the morning. It's all about preference and scheduling.

I try to make at least three quarts of juice and I store them in mason jars (as I've previously explained). The reason being, mason jars are durable, inexpensive, and they seal tightly which prevents premature spoilage and enzyme leakage. Enzymes are whole other blog so let's keep going :-)

The Menu:

I wasn't too fond of the lemon ginger blast when I made it for myself on my last juice feast but my sister made it one weekend and it was very tasty. I've altered it to suit my taste buds and you can do the same. My only advice is if your a novice, don't do too much mixing. Keep your juices simple to avoid overwhelming your taste buds and your system. If you've been surviving on processed foods for a significant period of time, you will get sick on more complex juice recipes. Stick to no more than a few ingredients. This way, you go into cleansing slowly and you remember what you put in juice so that you can make it again.

Here's the recipe:

2 lemons
3 inches of ginger
1 bunch of spearmint
1 bunch of basil
1 bag of kale or spinach
2 celery stalks
4 persian cucumbers or 1 regular cucumber
2 apples (I like Pink Lady or Granny Smith)
1 habonero pepper

*recipe for one quart of juice

Another one of my favorite juices that I made my "go-to" during my first round of detox was the Carrot-Apple juice. Apple juice alone is very sweet and the carrots maintain the sweetness while cutting the overwhelming flavor of fresh apple juice.

Here's the recipe

1 lemon
4 apples
1 inch ginger
8-10 carrots

*recipe for one quart of juice

This round of fasting we'd like to bring YOU along for the ride! All it takes is a little bit of will and some discipline! Visit us here or on our Facebook page (GoddessNectar/RAWk the JoOce) or follow us on Twitter @GoddessNectar!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday and Keep JoOcing!

Ashley