The Setup…

Let’s talk about your kitchen. The kitchen is often described as the heart of the home, and it’s definitely the heart of your green juicing endeavors. If you don’t have one already, I highly recommend starting a loving relationship with your kitchen…it’s definitely a relationship built to last!

Making your green juice isn’t an overly time-consuming endeavor, but you are going to need a little bit of work space. Designate a specific place for your “juicing station” – preferably close to the sink. You will also need room for your cutting board — I highly recommend a bamboo board dedicated only to raw veggies — and your juicer. Remember, while it is not a requirement to have these items out all the time, I guarantee that you will be more dedicated and therefore more successful on a daily basis — and overall, it will just make it simpler if you have a dedicated spot for everything!

So again, it’s easiest if your juicing station is located near the sink. Reason? Sink-board-juicer is ideal because you can rinse the veggies, chop them and then juice them in an assembly-line-esque manner. I even use an over-the-sink drainer to place my rinsed veggies in so the water mess is minimized and it takes us less space, but you can use any large colander or a towel on the countertop if that works best for you.

If you’re really limited on counter space, I highly recommend the compact Breville juicer, the over-the-sink drainer, and simply put your cutting board away at each day! All set to go!

Lastly, you will need to set up some dedicated space in your refrigerator. The best way to do this, is to clean out the old stuff that you are no longer using! I go through this step more in my 1:1 programs, which you can check out here.

What Else Do I Need?

So what else do you need besides the cutting board, drainer, juicer? You’ll definitely need a great knife — the best one you can afford! I personally have a large chef’s knife from Ikea that was actually not too expensive and I love it! A good knife will definitely speed up the process for you.

Other great things are: Produce bags and/or special refrigerator containers are also a major convenience because they help protect your green goodies from spoiling! Food waste bags to collect your pulp in…put it directly into your juicer pulp-catcher as they help minimize the clean-up and keep your garbage can from getting too “smelly”. Lastly, you may want to keep some canning jars on hand to store your green juice in in the fridge! Why? Because despite that it’s best to drink your juice straight from the juicer, it’s not always convenient with our busy lives. Canning jars have tight-fitting lids and are also convenient drinking cups – double score!

Your Juicing Station will be totally unique to you, but as long as you’ve got a great process and method that works, and you are juicing, that’s all that matters. Really.

Whatever it takes to get you juicing is all you need. Nothing more, nothing less. I am here to help you along the way…

For support and more tips you can pick up my Juice Yourself Healthy book right now or better yet….get the book AND how-to videos, plus some cool bonuses in my online, go-at-your-own-pace program called  The Juicing Experience.

I just received an email from a lovely lady saying that, due to her medical condition, her doctor wants her to start a raw food lifestyle (it’s not a diet folks, it’s a lifestyle). For those of you new to that term, it means all organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that are prepared in a variety of ways, but the preparation of the plant-based foods simply  doesn’t exceed 118 degrees when heated.

First, I want to give kudos to the doc for being so progressive in his approach! That is fantastic and is how our healthcare should be approached – WHOLE BODY!  YAY!

These days, the tables have turned from just a couple decades ago and eating whole plant-based nutritious foods can be a little more taxing on our wallets, and sadly the fast-food, processed-food garbage is what is super cheap. But at such a high cost in the end, really. Illness. Dis-ease. Obesity. Medications. And so much more.

Indeed, the “Western World tables” have also certainly turned on the extreme rise of the above maladies as our approach to “affordable foods” has shifted. It’s time to take back our tables folks!

Second, her question was specifically about “affording raw foods” since that is what her doc prescribed – a raw food lifestyle. This is quite interesting when you think about it, because in not so bygone days eating fruits and veggies straight from the earth was the inexpensive way to eat – especially since so many people grew their own! Also, eating processed foods or in restaurants was much more costly!

So, let’s get back to the question at hand – how to afford whole, organic produce (and nuts and seeds).  I would like to be up front and say that yes, buying all organic in stores can get a bit more expensive, but you will find that the longer you eat this way, the simpler your taste becomes.  Since you are getting real nutrition from plant sources, your body will be satisfied in new ways!  I promise. But, there are some things you can do to minimize your grocery bill impact, and here they are.

Some Ideas for Affordable Sources…

Ideally, you can grow some of your own, even if you must do it in containers. I have done this and it works out great.  I have grown peppers and tomatoes in containers on my deck, as well as many, many sprouts indoors. Sprouts are great for green juicing and for salads, wraps and soups. Lentils, peas, sunflower seeds, alfalfa – and so many more varieties are fantastic and one of the best sources of “life force energy” you can get. Bonus: growing various sprouts inside is super easy and super affordable!

Also, try to find a local farmer, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) or co-op who doesn’t use chemicals.  There are many out there that perhaps haven’t gone through the rigorous and expensive organic certification process, but nonetheless, do not use harmful chemicals on their crops. Ask the farmer. Go to your local Farmer’s Markets. Also, you can find out more about CSA’s or co-ops online – here is a great place to start.  Now would be an ideal time to sign up for a springtime co-op. Split the cost/yield with a friend if that is a concern.

Get to know your local stores.  I have several in my area that I frequent on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on what I am shopping for.  I like Trader Joe’s for its great prices, but they just do not a large selection of organics. I am also excited that I have a local store where ALL their produce is organic – I shop here quite frequently.  Lastly, I have Whole Foods to fill in the gaps, but it is a bit more expensive.  Sometimes, I may even pick up stuff at regular, traditional grocery stores.  They tend to carry the same selection of organics all time, so for example, I know my local Safeway has avocados, zucchini and lettuce almost all the time. You will start to get a rhythm on how you do your shopping!

It Is An Investment. In Yourself.

Eating good, organic whole foods can seem like a lot more expensive at first because many of us have not been putting our wellness and self-care at the top of the list for expenditures.  We are a luxury vehicle and the fuel we put into our vehicle should be the best the planet has to offer.

If you don’t have your health, what do you really have at all?

Consider this – what you spend in groceries today will pay for itself in future medical bills.  Think of it as an investment.  In yourself.