Green Monster Juice

Who said you have to drink alcohol on St. Patrick's Day?  I was inspired by this Halloween treat months ago, which I never made, and thought I could transform the monster into an all fruit and veggie Green Monster Juice for St. Patrick's Day; it would also be perfect for Halloween. 

For this juice you'll need:

1 cup frozen mango
1 red apple, chopped
1 banana, split in half
several handfuls of baby spinach
handful of flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cucumber, chopped with the skin on
2-3 tablespoons of chia seeds
1-2 cups of water (depending on desired consistency)
optional - few teaspoons of honey - if your banana is not ripe or extra ripe

4 clear plastic disposable cups and Sharpie to design your monster cups

Directions:
1. Create monster faces on your clear plastic disposable cups with a Sharpie.  Set aside.

2. In a blender, add frozen mango, apple, banana, spinach, cucumber, parsley, chia seeds, and honey (optional).  Start by adding about 1 cup of water and liquify all ingredients.

3. Depending on the consistency, you may want to add more water. 

4. Pour Green Monster juice into your monster cups. 

Happy St. Patty's Day!  Cheers!

Beet Juice

What a beautiful drink!  This was not M's favorite juice.  He stated that it was not sweet enough and "too much like a garden."  However, I made enough for four servings and enjoyed this juice for a few days (I stored the remaining juice in the fridge in a stainless-steel mug because beets tend to stain things like plastic).  I especially like the red-purple color - I am also a borscht fan - and beets have so many wonderful healing properties.   Did you know that beets are high in fiber and vitamins A, B, and C, not to mention they cleanse the body, calm the mind, and help to lower your blood pressure? Read more beet benefits here.

Serving size 4

In our blender I added:
4 small beets, softened
beet juice (if any)*
a handful of the beet leaves, chopped
1 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 apples,chopped
small bunch of mint
1 to 1.5 cups of water
1 cup of orange juice

1. Remove the outer covering of the beets with a carrot peeler.  Using a fork, poke holes in the beets and place in a microwave-safe dish.  Steam for a few minutes in the microwave, or until tender.  I checked ours every 30 seconds. Carefully remove beets from the microwave. Once the beets are cooled, chop into smaller pieces. Save any beet juice. 

2. In a blender, add cooled beets, beet leaves, carrot, apple, mint, water, orange juice, and beet juice.*  Liquify in your blender and enjoy!

*NOTE - If there is any beet juice from microwaving the beets, you can add to your blender too.