You probably have figured out by now that Jackie’s FoodBlog is about a lot of things, but the key thing is about getting “nutrients” into and available for absorption at a cellular level.

The primary way presented here in Jackie’s FoodBlog is raw to lightly cooked organic nutrient dense vegetables, fruits, grains, and nuts presented in a pleasurable way to eat, Every Day!

Today I want to share a way we have learned to saturate our cells with lots of “nutrients” that are ready for absorption, but will, at the same time, lessen the burden on our digestive track in the process. The result is delivery of the most “nutrients” to preserve our bodies energy for healing & repair, not digestion.

Todays juice was made with:

Champion masticating juicer. (The best in my opinion)

Organic California Carrots: 4lbs, cut to fit the chute if needed.

Organic Apples: 2, sliced to fit the chute.

Organic Celery: 4 stalks, IMPORTANT! Cut into 1/2-3/4 inch lengths because the strings in the celery will bind up the juicer if left long.

Organic Beet ½ small, brushed / peeled and sliced to fit the chute.

Organic Ginger thumbnail size. If you use ginger, start with less until you get used to it. It is very easy to overpower a whole pitcher of carrot juice with a tiny bit of ginger.

Todays ingredients produced 6, 8oz servings.

This combination is what I regularly use, I just vary how much of each are put in from day to day. Today I used 2 apples and normally I would use just one. There have been weeks when we have not used beet and the next day used a whole one. For more in depth information visit Hallelujah Acres. There are a lot of little tips about juicing that can be found there. For example: The only fruit we juice with vegetables are apples. Apparently, there are specific nutrients and enzymes in apples that harmonize with vegetables that other fruits do not have

Clean all the produce. I cut off the carrot ends, discard them for compost and then soak the carrots for a while in hydrogen peroxide water or vegetable cleaner and then rinse & brush with a vegetable brush.

When feeding the produce through a juicer, rotate the produce (apples, carrots, celery) from the beginning to the end. It will help keep the heat down and the juicer will run easier.

After collecting the juice, the final step is to pour the juice through a fine strainer to remove pulp that was forced through the inner screen. With a spoon, gently lift the pulp from the strainer so that the last of the juice can flow through and then you can discard the remaining pulp.

Pour into 8oz containers, cap and refrigerate. You should drink it all before the day is over. Just space it out. It is our understanding that our bodies can only assimilate about 8 ozs. of the nutrient-dense juice at a time, so there is no reason to consume more than we can effectively assimilate.

ENJOY !

Some Specific Explanations:

Organic:
All efforts are made to eliminate or drastically reduce man-made pesticides and other chemicals in the raising of organic products. More natural methods are incorporated to support the soils and replenish the minerals which creates a more mineral rich and healthy balanced soil so that plants will be more likely to absorb them. This creates a stronger, healthier plant that can provide our bodies with the full spectrum of minerals, enzymes & phytonutrients that should be present in that particular plant when eaten.

It just occurred to me today, that when someone scoffs at using “Organic” products, we should ask ourselves, “what kind of car do they drive?” A car does nothing more than move us from point “A” to point “B”. So, based on the scoffers point of view, they should probably be going by VW bug not perhaps the Land Rover they drive!

I guess the next time I go for a trip by an airplane, I will just tell the guy at the fueling pump to skip the aircraft high altitude grade fuel and just top it of with regular pump grade gas, what difference does it make? A lot of difference to me!

I live in a living, breathing, self-regulating, healing, thinking body that derives it’s fuel, energy, as well as its building materials, from the food I eat, the water I drink, and the air I breath. So I choose to use the best quality fuel I can to run my body.

California Carrots:
Tastes better that any other carrots I have ever bought in a store. We were told that the better taste (sweeter) is due to the high lava content of the soils of California. But that is just what we were told.

Masticating:
As I understand it, a press type juicer delivers juice with the least amount of air (oxygen) or heat which is the most desirable. However this type of equipment is very labor intensive as well as expensive.

A masticating juicer is not able to produce the quality juice produced by a press, but a masticating juicer will not create as much heat or air mix (oxygen) as the other types of equipment. So we are talking about compromising, but still obtaining the desired goal of nutrient dense & low air (oxygen) vegetable & fruit juice. Masticating type juicers are in most budgets and if needed can be purchased secondhand.

I have read authors that are more knowledgeable than I, about the sciences involved, who are of the opinion that if you’re choosing to juice to stimulate your body to regenerate and reverse a disease or degenerating condition, anything less than the masticating type equipment is not going to work due to the excessive loss of nutrients from heat and oxidation. Remember, we are not just talking about a nice, nutritious glass of vegetable juice for the day. We are talking about POWER juice containing the maximum amount of nutrients, enzymes, & minerals possible.

Have a great day.

Ken V

Rusty and I had ridden to Ohio together yesterday, 500+ miles for him, 460+ for me. Our cousin, Emma Lee Watson, passed away and we went to Ohio to be a support to her children, our second cousins. You know, we just don’t see family enough any more. We all grow up and get busy with our lives and it takes a funeral to bring us together again. So sad, but very true. I guess if I want that to change, it has to begin with me. I do know that I love them all very dearly.

Today I was very tired. I looked in the refrigerator to see what I could make for lunch, and when I looked in the freezer, I saw several opened bags of frozen veggies, just several partial bags. I decided to make “Clean Out The Freezer Vegetable Stewp.” So, use whatever veggies you have that you want to use up, in whatever quantities you have of each one.

I sautéed 1 large onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I then began to add the frozen veggies. I had lima beans, haricots verts (green beans), peas and carrots, corn and I added 2 medium sized potatoes that I diced up.

To this I added 5 cups of vegetable broth and 2 cups of water. I added 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. I also added 1 teaspoon hungarian smoked paprika and 1- 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes and about 1/2 cup uncooked barley. Let it cook until all vegetables are tender and barley is done then serve. So delicious!

The meal was delicious. With this stewp I served a beautiful salad. Romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, shredded granny smith apple and sliced grape tomatoes. Lime vinagrette over the top. Very simple a little apple cider vinegar and some lime juice, black pepper and a pinch of salt. So good!

I also served whole grain baguette with the lunch. Here’s the table picture.

As with most soups, this stewp is even better on the second day. Please be adventurous when making soups. Fall and winter is such wonderful soup weather. I could eat soup every day, so I’ll show you my recipes. If you have any you would like to share, please post them here. Include a picture!

Happy, Healthy Eating

Jackie V.