Juice for Life

This post is super important to me because it gets to the root of why I wanted to start sharing my cooking to begin with. For some people, food is just a necessary source of energy. Something they must do throughout the day in order to sustain life. For others of us, myself included, food is something to be enjoyed, appreciated and celebrated. 
I've always been one to celebrate my food. And at one point in my life, my appreciation for food stepped over the line into obsession. It was around 9 years ago, when I first moved to NY that this obsession really started. I'm not sure if it was simply a way to control the "out of control" feeling I felt of being removed from my comfort zone, or because I wasn't motivated to take care of my body in the absence of authority. I'm sure this is a feeling most have felt which often leads to a little phenomenon known as the freshman 15. 
Many would say that's normal. A young girl moves out of her home and all of a sudden there's a ton of freedom to do whatever she wants with her body. Of course she's going to start eating french fries for dinner and peanut butter by the jarful! 
However, for those of us who gained the freshman 15 or have gone through any sort of weight fluctuation, we know the shame we felt when we first stepped on the scale or when our skinny jeans no longer buttoned. It's humiliating. 
Anyways, it wasn't until recently, after struggling with ups and downs in my weight for so long, that I finally made a change. And the reason for that change came when I finally truly realized that my body is a vessel. Something to be cared for, respected and cherished. 
About a little over a year ago, I went to the emergency room with severe stomach pain. Long story short, I had appendicitis and I needed to have emergency surgery that night. When I read about the causes of appendicitis, I attributed my case to years of poor eating, lack of digestive health and just overall lifestyle. That's when I started to change my life. Something switched in me that day and I realized that I've had it wrong this whole time. I didn't need to lose weight. I simply needed to start respecting my body.
So I made a change.
I found ways to motivate myself to go to the gym at least 3 days a week. Cut back on coffee, sugar, alcohol and over-indulging. I actually started to see doctors, which is a huge deal for me. And most importantly, I started juicing. 
My mom actually hooked me on juicing. She bought me a juicer for my birthday and it's definitely served me well. Juicing, for me, was what brought on the real change in my life. It was so refreshing to my body and even my mind. I just felt healthier. And unbeknownst to me, I had lost weight. Without constantly counting calories, running 3 miles a day or obsessively weighing myself, I lost weight. Who would've thought it could be done! I had stopped focusing on the way my body looked and started focusing on the way my body felt. I felt great and I would do anything to keep it that way.
Now I know what works for me. How to stay healthy, feel good about myself and still enjoy the food that I put in my body. I mean let's face it, I still love food!
So now that I've rambled on my life story, I just want to encourage anyone who reads this to first of all find what works for them, it might not be juicing. It might be something else you have to discover through trial and error. And to begin to see your body as a vessel, something to be kept healthy and to be respected, not just skinny.
With all of that said, here are some of my favorite juices:

Carrot Apple Celery Ginger
For better eye sight, glowing skin, and digestive health
3 Large Carrots
1 Apple
4 Celery Stalks
2 Inches of ginger ( I add more than that because I love it spicy)


Beet, Cucumber, Apple, Lemon
For cleansing your body and energy
2 Large Beets
1 Apple
1 Cucumber 
1 Lemon

Cucumber, Celery, Spinach, Apple, Ginger
Hydration, glowing skin. Add lemon and this is a great hangover cure 
2 Cucumbers
3 Celery Stalks
1 bunch of spinach
1 Apple
2 Inches of ginger