Make Your Own Green Juice for Less Than $1 per Serving

Nothing makes me feel like I'm kicking ass in the health department than green juice.  That stuff just LOOKS healthy, doesn't it?The thing is, green juice CAN be healthy - some varieties include all kinds of veggies like spinach, kale, spirulina, and parsley.  And drinking a juice IS a much easier and faster way to get in some greens than eating a whole bunch of kale.BUT, there are some down sides to green juice that may be a tough pill to swallow...

Cost

In Houston, I've seen juices ranging from $6 - $9 a pop!  Of course, they squeeze a LOT of produce into those plastic cups, so I can't blame them for the high price, but still...  ouch on the wallet!

Fiber

Juicing extracts water and nutrients leaving you with, well, juice.  This is different from a smoothie that blends the whole fruit or vegetable - flesh, skin, and all.  When you lose all of that, you're losing much of the fiber along with it.  Fiber not only keeps you full but also aids in the sugar absorption into your blood stream.  With all of those natural sugars from fruit, it's nice to have a little fiber to guard against blood sugar spikes.

Sugar

Holy sugar demons, y'all.  The grocery store Odwalla Superfood Smoothie (apple, peach, mango, banana, spirulina, kale) has 51 grams of sugar in it!  Thats more than TWO Snickers bars.  The juice bar Juiceland's Applelilly (apple, cucumber, celery, kale, spinach, parsley) comes in much lower at 22 grams.  But STILL.  Gimme that Snickers any day... 

My Solution

I decided to tackle these three challenges in my kitchen, and actually found my own creation to be pretty dang tasty.  My at home green juice has a very mild taste (not too "grassy" or bitter) with a little ginger lemon kick that I find just delicious!Plus - no added sugar (only 7 grams per serving!), blends the whole fruit and veg (fiber - yay!), AND only costs me about $0.94 per serving!Here's how I do it:In a high powered blender like the one below, add (in this order)1 cup of water2 very ripe, peeled bananas6 oz or so of baby spinach1 tbsp of jarred ginger (the one I use is below!)1/4 cup of lemon juice (or the juice of a medium lemon)Blend on HIGH for at least two minutes until all ingredients are combined and there are no more flecks of spinach.Divide among 4 jars and seal tightly.  I stick two in the fridge for the next two days and put the other two in the freezer.  Just pull one out the night before you want to consume it, give it a shake, and drink up![amazon_link asins='B00IV6ZM58,B01N6KK2C7,B00LQT4ZZU' template='ProductCarousel' store='us-1' marketplace='US' link_id='729fd9bd-f0fd-11e7-b9d9-1b179a6f03f1'] This is one of my go-to ways to get some greens in my life.  I've convinced myself that it's like drinking a salad for breakfast, which honestly isn't too far off from the truth.  The consistency takes a little getting used to since you do have spinach blended in there, but I find that if I drink it pretty quickly (and I do - because YUM) or shake it up, it feels just like a juice from my fave juice bar!  The banana goes a long way to add sweetness and smoothness.  But my favorite part is the lemon ginger combo - so refreshing!If you try my recipe, be sure to let me know in the comments below!  Hope you enjoy!PS - here's a pin to share if you like getting those greens any way you can! :)

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