How to Prep and Juice Green Juice with a Centrifugal Juicer

Green juice is a nutrional aid that can provide you with a huge boost of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes. It can help you detoxify, hydrate, energize, and nourish your body. However, not all green juices are created equal. Store bought juices are not all their cracked up to be. 

To get the nutrients of the fruits and veggies, you need to juice them yourself.

 

 

In this week’s Joy of Nesting, I show you how to prep and juice green juice with a centrifugal juicer using my own favorite ingredients.

My green juice will give you a balanced, and delicious juice that is rich in chlorophyll, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and fiber. I’ll also share some tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your centrifugal juicer and your green juice.

What is a Centrifugal Juicer?

A centrifugal juicer is a type of juicer that works by cutting the fruits or vegetables with a spinning blade and then separating the juice from the pulp with a mesh filter. The juice is then collected in a container or a spout. A centrifugal juicer is one of the most common and affordable types of juicers available in the market. It is also easy to use and clean.

However, a centrifugal juicer also has some drawbacks. It tends to yield less juice than other types of juicers. If you happen to be an aficionado, it also generates more heat and friction, which can cause some nutrient loss and oxidation. For we average mortals, this isn’t a huge concern.

Don’t try and juice soft fruits like mango or papaya in a centrifugal juicer. They will only clog the blade or produce very little if any juice.

How to Prep Your Ingredients for Centrifugal Juicing

To make green juice with a centrifugal juicer, you need to prep your ingredients properly.

Here are some steps to follow:

• Wash your romaine lettuce, Lacinto kale, limes, apple, cilantro and broccoli under running water. Or buy them prewashed.
• Don’t bother to cut off stems, ends, cores, seeds, or bruised parts from your ingredients. Don’t peel your limes and apple.
• DO remove the stem from your Lacinto aka dinosaur kale as it’s very bitter and will ruin your juice!
• I quarter my apples and limes but other than that, I don’t do any chopping. Just do enough to prevent your ingredients from jamming or overloading your juicer. 
• If you prep ahead, you can your ingredients in an airtight container or a Ziplock bag in the fridge until you are ready to juice them.

How to Juice Your Ingredients with a Centrifugal Juicer

To make green juice with a centrifugal juicer, you need to follow these steps:

• Plug in your juicer and turn it on. Make sure you use the container it comes with to catch the juice.
• Start by feeding your apples and limes into the juicer, along with some romaine leaves to keep the apple and limes from bouncing off the blade. The apple will provide sweetness to your green juice. And the lime will add acid which you need to balance the flavors. Kind of like when you add lemon juice to pie filling. It just needs it.
• Next, feed your romaine lettuce pieces into the juicer. The romaine lettuce will add a lot of liquid to the juice. It will also help balance the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Add your cucumber, skins and all.
• Then, feed your Lacinto kale pieces into the juicer. The Lacinto kale will provide some chlorophyll and iron to your green juice. It will also give it a beautiful dark green color. Don’t shy away from kale! The apple and lime will balance it out really nicely!
• Next, feed your cilantro pieces into the juicer. The cilantro will add some freshness and flavor to your green juice. It will also help detoxify your body from heavy metals and other toxins, but if you’re not a cilantro fan, it’s completely optional.
• Finally, feed your broccoli pieces into the juicer. The broccoli will add some ‘body’ to your green juice. It will also boost your immune system and fight inflammation.
• Stir your green juice well before drinking it. You can also add some ice cubes or water if you prefer a colder or thinner consistency.
• Enjoy your green juice as soon as possible or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
• I love my slightly frozen, like a slushee!

Tips and Tricks for Centrifugal Juicing

Here are some tips and tricks that can help you make better green juice with a centrifugal juicer:

• To get more juice out of your leafy greens, you can sandwich them between two pieces of apple or cucumber. This will create more pressure and moisture to extract more juice from the greens.
• To prevent clogging or jamming of your juicer, you can alternate between hard and soft ingredients. For example, you can feed a piece of apple, then a piece of kale, then another piece of apple, and so on.
• To prevent nutrient loss or oxidation of your juice, you want to drink it as soon as possible or store it in an airtight container in the freezer. 
• To clean your juicer, rinse immediately after use with warm water. Your juicer will come with a brush to remove any pulp or residue from the blade or filter. You can also soak the parts in vinegar or baking soda solution to remove any stains or odors.
• I actually soak my in Clorox bleach. It gets really stained if I don’t. But do make sure you follow the manufacturers’ instructions.

 

 

 

To get started on a home where you feel healthy, happy and connected grab my complimentary design and wellness download, The Wellness Home, 5 Steps to a Beautiful, Restful Home for Women Who Value their Health and Wellness!

It’s the prettiest little book. It’s a quick read with super easy design solutions that help you lead a beautiful, healthier lifestyle at home, plus my 3-to-5 Things Framework that gives you step by step actions to get started and stay on track. 

That’s it for today. Thank you for stopping by!

Shiree’

PS – this year marks my 25^th year in business this year and that’s something to celebrate! We’re cooking up some great gifts for you and some special discounts on my signature courses and virtual services!

And if you’d like to dive deeper into this topic, check out my blog post, “Hiring an Interior Designer”.