Lauren’s Juice and Smoothie Blog Intro

 

Hey there everyone, my name is Lauren and I am your resident Juice/Smoothie Blogger!  I have been living in beachside Florida paradise for at least fifteen years. I am so thankful to live in paradise and I try to take advantage of our beautiful weather and habitat every chance I get.  In fact, as I am typing this I am sitting outside on a breezy night, listening to the ocean roar…

I enjoy riding my bike, walking on the beach, playing fetch with my dog, and doing yoga. I am also a recent graduate of the University of Central Florida and am currently enrolled in a program to become a Certified Nurse Assistant (and am heavily contemplating becoming a certified yoga instructor as well). I plan to attend graduate school in a couple of years to become a Physician Assistant. Let me just say, I have a lot of ambition and I hope to be in the business of helping people my entire life! Enough about me- let me introduce you to smoothies and juices (and my passion for them)!

I originally planned on doing a Juice only blog, but then I realized that the juicer is an expensive apparatus and blenders are quite common household appliances. If you like fast food, then this blog is for you. Homemade juice and smoothies are about as fast as it gets!

Juices and smoothies are quite similar; essentially, juices are smoothies minus the pulp/fiber. Believe it or not, you can actually make many of the juice recipes that I am going to share with you with a juicer OR a blender. I will explain more about this later. However, before we get too deep into logistics, I want to share with you how my passion with juices and smoothies evolved.

I have always liked smoothies. In the middle of a hot Florida summer, they are the perfect food: ice cold, sweet and refreshing, and perfectly hydrating. On the other hand, fresh juice (unless it was orange or grapefruit), took me a minute to get used to…A family member had introduced me to fresh juices such as apple-collard, beet-carrot, and celery-lime, and it took my palate some time to adapt to these fresh flavors.

Over time, I learned two things about juices, 1.) They typically taste better than they look (of course most of mine look pretty now, but we’ll get to that), and 2.) they have healing properties that take effect almost immediately, and heal your body from the inside out.

In the Juice/Smoothie Blog, you will not only discover great recipes, but you will learn how such a quick and easy creation can actually heal your body from acute issues, illnesses, and diseases (Please note, that I am NOT a Medical Doctor and you should always consult with your Primary Care Physician before starting a new diet routine).

Before I started juicing, I worked at an early, fast-paced job, and I didn’t always have time to eat breakfast (shame on me!). I had low-energy and chronic fatigue majority of the time.  Furthermore, I have suffered with acne issues most of my life. Well I started making my green juices everyday and drinking them for breakfast and lunch (while at work, no time to stop and eat), and guess what? I felt full. I felt energetic throughout the entire day. And my skin cleared up! These positive changes motivated me to take care of myself and my life and continue on a journey healing myself from the inside out.

Do you want to get a beach body in time for summer? (Yes there is still time!) How about clear skin, silky hair, strong nails? Or maybe you just want more energy to get through the day so that you can be Super-Mom, Super-Dad, or Super-You? Then follow my blog and make friends with the resources I will provide you. It is never too late to take charge of your health and juice/smoothies is a great way to start! The time is now.

On my next blog I will introduce you to the basics of juices and smoothies, but in the mean time check out these resources:

Michelle’s Blog titled “Michelle’s Smoothies” She has some great tips about prepping your
ingredients to save you time and money. Thank you Michelle!

Video Documentary, “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” (available on Netflix), truly inspirational!