Raw Food: Smoothies and Juice

I  love raw food and on most days I eat mostly raw.  In the winter I eat around I meal a day cooked.  One reason for this is that it's cold here in good ole Wisconsin.  And, the cost for good fresh produce in the winter becomes crazy expensive.  If I stick with what's local I am stuck with mainly root veggies, which while great, are kinda boring if that is the only thing you are eating.  I have been asked how to transition into raw food and here are my thoughts on this:

Start with one meal at a time.  I think the easiest one to convert into raw is breakfast.  I tend to have fresh made juice or a smoothie.  It's quick and easy, you can use up whatever you have, and yes, it will keep you full.  I usually have about 16 oz, and that keeps me full from 7:00 am to about 10:30 or 11:00 am.

So, what do you need?  A good high powered blender.  You can use a juicer (and I love mine) but it is not necessary.  I have a Ninja and it works really well making smoothies.  To make juice pour your liquid into a colander lined with cheesecloth or a milk bag and squeeze out the juice.  See, very easy!  Here's some of my favorites:

1 Apple, 2 Carrots, 1 Hunk Ginger, 2 Handfuls Spinach

1 Cup Pineapple, 2 Carrots, 1 Inch Ginger, 1 Orange (peeled)

2 Apples, 2 Stalks Celery, 1 Lemon, 2 Carrots, 1 Bunch Kale

It is so fun to just throw things together and see what happens.  Usually my smoothies contain some sort of berry and almond milk.  I sometime blend in banana, avocado, and/or spinach.  When it comes to juicing I love beet juice (I'll have to take a picture of that one soon), and throwing whatever veggies/fruits I have laying around.  The rule is if you add an apple to your juice you will taste apple.  This is an excellent way of hiding the veggie taste if that is something you don't care for.  So get out there, add 1 raw meal to your day.