Thursday, February 11, 2010

Juicing the blending way + Cocoa woes

Happy Thursday!

I finally received my AC adaptor so I'm once again able to post picts:) Thank goodness! But when I originally turned on my laptop, all my personal settings were gone. All there was was this big blue screen staring back at me. I was mainly concerned with losing all my picts and music and so I searched to see if they were still there somewhere..and they were. PHEWW!! So, I did a drastic move and did a system restore. I set my comp back to when I turned it on last..and TA DA..all my settings are back to normal. At least from what I've seen so far. It think this is a sign that I need to back up my files. Note to self! Anyways, it's almost the weekend!! I'll be working once again but it's all good. What are you doing this weekend? I know restaurants are going to be packed and the rose growers will be rolling in the dough as Valentine's is upon us once again. I'm going to do things a little bit differently this year. Ry and I are going to go out for breakfast on Saturday after the gym on Sunday and then I'm going to cook dinner and dessert ( he wants carrot cake) and just maybe watch a movie..at least that's where I'm ending it..lol!

I was going to make some raw chocolate from the recipe on Evergreen's blog but I can not find cocoa butter anywhere is Nelson. The co-op said they needed to special order it in but it would take awhile to get here. I'm so choked that I won't get to make the chocolates! I'll be on the hunt when I go to the coast in a month.


But, the exciting thing I did today was try juicing with my blender. It actually was really cool and everything went well. A bit more hands on than using a juicer but the result was yummy! I found this post by Bitt and followed her instructions and suggestions from a video on that post. I used a paint strainer bag to strain the juice and it was really handy as it had an elasticized edge that I just wrapped around my bowl. My blender sounded angry and I had to add a little water to the mixture but it went smoothly otherwise. It was fun "milking" the juice LOL and a little messy but nothing too crazy. I wasn't feeling too well due to my menstrual cycle so I decided to make a juice that was high in calcium. So, I looked up a recipe in Jay Kordich's book The Juiceman's Power of Juicing. The one I chose was called Green Power and I really loved it. It wasn't too sweet and it wasn't too bitter...mmm! This really helped my tummy too and it kept me pretty full throughout the afternoon which surprised me. I will for sure try this method again but probably not until the summer as it would cost me too much of my budget to buy all the veggies. I went organic with the ingredients as I knew these was going to be absorbed pretty quickly into my cells and I didn't want any junk getting in the way. But, I could totally see this getting addicting and now I understand why so many people are doing it!

The last thing is what to do with the pulp? I saved it and put it into the freezer. I has the consistency that I think would work well with a nutloaf or burgers. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears!


So, overall it was a great experience that I can't wait to try again. The possibilities truly are endless which is what attracts me to juices and blended drinks. It really it medicine in a glass!



So, if you think you need a fancy juicer to be able to drink some healthy juices, think again!! Give this method a try and I'm sure you will not be disappointed. Although your pets might be lol!



Have a great Friday everyone and give your loved ones big hugs this weekend..and always:)


























5 comments:

evergreen said...

Your last line and pic made me LOL!

Glad you have all your files again!

Sorry you can't make the chocolates yet, cocoa butter is one of the few things I have to buy online. I first used the 'Now' brand of cocoa butter sold for cosmetic use because it said it is safe for human consumption..hehe:)

Although I have a juicer, I do use the blender and strain method when I have soft fruits like peaches.

As far as using the pulp from juicing, I have made crackers with it, and a pate with some seasonings works pretty well too:)

Melissa said...

Hey Evergreen! Thanks...I was a little freaked but it all worked out in the end..thankfully! Ya, I was thinking online might be my best bet for the butter..good trick about using the cocoa butter for cosmetic use..lol! I'll try adding the pulp to my pate's ...sounds yummy! Happy Valentines!

evergreen said...

Back again to give you the Sunshine Award!

http://thehappyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/02/sweet-sunshine.html

HiHoRosie said...

Love your kitty! The pulp is good for crackers too. One of my faves is the Almond Toast from the Cafe Gratitude recipe book. Yum!

Melissa said...

Hey Heidi..I'll tell Nemo your praises lol! I've heard great things about that recipe book..it's going on the shopping list!