Green Lemonade

Growing up, my mom and dad would often serve us a glass of fresh vegetable juice. Often the juice recipes were made with sweet carrots, juicy celery stalks, tangy apples, fresh spinach and lemon. I loved them. And to this day, whenever I want to glow from the inside out, I turn to a few glasses of fresh vegetable juice. This is how I like to do it.

1. Start with a good base

   I like to use juicy stalks of celery and large wedges of cucumber for the base of my juices. Celery juice is extremely hydrating and cucumber juice is cool and cleansing. I like to make at least half of a 16 ounce mug of juice from either celery or cucumber juice or some combination of the two.

2. Add a touch of sweetness

   My favorite natural sweeteners are green apples, pears, beets and carrots. At the moment I’m on a beet kick. Beet juice is sweet and is believed to purify and rejuvenate your body. These are some of the ways I’ve been enjoying beet juice this week.

3. Toss in a handful of leafy greens

   I like to incorporate a handful of baby spinach, a large leafy green piece of kale, a few collard greens and even a small bunch of parsley. The leafy greens pack a vitamin and mineral-drenched kick to my juices.

4. Be creative with the extras

   I love to add a ½” – 1” piece of fresh ginger to my juice. I toss it right into my juicer, unpeeled. Fresh ginger is rich in antioxidants and provides a gentle immune boost. I also love to add a half of a lemon, which is a powerful detoxifier.

Juicer recipes

Need a boost? These are a few of my favorite recipes that I like to make with my Breville juicer. This juicer is the one I recommend to all my friends.

• Fall Reboot: Beet and Apple Juice Cocktail
• Unexpected Pineapple and Beet Punch
• Wild On Greens Juice
• Juicer Recipes For Energy: Beet and Carrot Juice
• Classic Sagaponack Carrot and Celery Juice