On the Juice
As long as I've known Rob, he's eaten way more fruits and vegetables than my picky little taste-buds ever dreamed of consuming. One of the first home cooked meals he made me included venison, buttered spaghetti noodles with Parmesan cheese, and roasted broccoli. At the time, I turned my nose up to everything but the noodles (upon which I smothered copious amounts of butter and cheese to mask the starchy blandness).
I'd like to let the record show my taste buds have since then opened up to broccoli but venison still makes me twitchy.
Back to my point: he's a way healthier eater than I am, but the closer I creep to the big 4-0, the more concerted the efforts I make to clean(er)(ish) eating. In the 17 years since we met, he's always been a big juicer (we call them "shakes"). We've gone through a number of juicing machines, ranging from super cheap to uber-expensive and after deciding he wanted the fiber that juicers eliminate (by the sheer nature of juicing instead of blending), he settled on a good, old-fashioned two-speed blender.
Typically, he includes mostly vegetables in his shakes because he doesn't want the added sugar from fruit since some of the veggies have a sugary content. As far as the vegetables he likes to blend, spinach is a staple. High in vitamins A, C, K, iron, manganese, magnesium and calcium (among other things), spinach is a nutritious and virtually tasteless leafy green to add as a base. He likes to include produce with a high Vitamin C content to help boost his immune system. Who knows if its true or not, but it works psychologically for him.
To the spinach base, he chooses three or four of the following options: red bell peppers, beets, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, rutabagas, eggplant, kale, cabbage, radishes (if you like things spicy), Swiss chard, wheat grass, blahblahblah. These are in no particular order and based upon whatever tickles his fancy that week as he's stocking up on ingredients.
Does he ever add fruit to a shake? Yes. It's hard to pass up apples in the fall, or any number of citrus fruits or berries that are in season during the warmer months, not to mention fruit makes a shake taste 1000% better (in my humble opinion).
When does he drink these shakes? Morning, noon, night--whenever the urge hits.
Does he replace meals or use this as a supplement to protein intake? Yes and yes. He typically lifts weights on his lunch hour and will drink this after a workout, which is when our bodies crave nutrients to repair muscle, which is the best time for one of these shakes. As he likes to say, "There's no digestion; only absorption." He also sometimes will drink a shake and eat a protein like tuna or chicken immediately after a workout.
Speaking of protein, have I told you the story about juicing something other than fruits and veggies? No? Well, buckle in, you guys.
Back when I was teaching full-time, Rob called me on his lunch hour, which was also my lunch break (we won't call it an hour because: public schools) to let me know that as he was eating the chicken, steamed veggies, and rice I'd made him for lunch, his blender caught his attention so he had the genius (strictly his opinion) idea to toss it all in with some water and give it a few pulses until it was smooth and creamy like--oh I don't know--BABY FOOD. Like a big ol' blender of Gerber Stage 2 Chicken and Veggies with Rice, friends. Seriously, he was so impressed with himself. If I remember correctly, he said (as I gagged on the other end of the receiver), "I drank my lunch in two minutes flat. Now look at all the free time I have!"
If you must know, he also said if one could get past the texture, it tasted like chicken, steamed veggies, and rice. Also, I'm not aware that he's done this since that one day ten years ago. He just sticks with produce these days.
And there you have it! Rob's juicing routine, in all its glory!
I'd like to let the record show my taste buds have since then opened up to broccoli but venison still makes me twitchy.
Back to my point: he's a way healthier eater than I am, but the closer I creep to the big 4-0, the more concerted the efforts I make to clean(er)(ish) eating. In the 17 years since we met, he's always been a big juicer (we call them "shakes"). We've gone through a number of juicing machines, ranging from super cheap to uber-expensive and after deciding he wanted the fiber that juicers eliminate (by the sheer nature of juicing instead of blending), he settled on a good, old-fashioned two-speed blender.
Typically, he includes mostly vegetables in his shakes because he doesn't want the added sugar from fruit since some of the veggies have a sugary content. As far as the vegetables he likes to blend, spinach is a staple. High in vitamins A, C, K, iron, manganese, magnesium and calcium (among other things), spinach is a nutritious and virtually tasteless leafy green to add as a base. He likes to include produce with a high Vitamin C content to help boost his immune system. Who knows if its true or not, but it works psychologically for him.
To the spinach base, he chooses three or four of the following options: red bell peppers, beets, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, rutabagas, eggplant, kale, cabbage, radishes (if you like things spicy), Swiss chard, wheat grass, blahblahblah. These are in no particular order and based upon whatever tickles his fancy that week as he's stocking up on ingredients.
 |
| Before |
Does he ever add fruit to a shake? Yes. It's hard to pass up apples in the fall, or any number of citrus fruits or berries that are in season during the warmer months, not to mention fruit makes a shake taste 1000% better (in my humble opinion).
When does he drink these shakes? Morning, noon, night--whenever the urge hits.
Does he replace meals or use this as a supplement to protein intake? Yes and yes. He typically lifts weights on his lunch hour and will drink this after a workout, which is when our bodies crave nutrients to repair muscle, which is the best time for one of these shakes. As he likes to say, "There's no digestion; only absorption." He also sometimes will drink a shake and eat a protein like tuna or chicken immediately after a workout.
 |
| After |
Speaking of protein, have I told you the story about juicing something other than fruits and veggies? No? Well, buckle in, you guys.
Back when I was teaching full-time, Rob called me on his lunch hour, which was also my lunch break (we won't call it an hour because: public schools) to let me know that as he was eating the chicken, steamed veggies, and rice I'd made him for lunch, his blender caught his attention so he had the genius (strictly his opinion) idea to toss it all in with some water and give it a few pulses until it was smooth and creamy like--oh I don't know--BABY FOOD. Like a big ol' blender of Gerber Stage 2 Chicken and Veggies with Rice, friends. Seriously, he was so impressed with himself. If I remember correctly, he said (as I gagged on the other end of the receiver), "I drank my lunch in two minutes flat. Now look at all the free time I have!"
If you must know, he also said if one could get past the texture, it tasted like chicken, steamed veggies, and rice. Also, I'm not aware that he's done this since that one day ten years ago. He just sticks with produce these days.
And there you have it! Rob's juicing routine, in all its glory!
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