Whole Nourishment

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Immune-Boosting Juice

Katie Schmidt

Okay, let me just say that I cannot believe we are already in December. This has by far felt like the fastest year of my life. In fact, as I get older I notice each year passes more and more quickly. Why is that? Do you think that as we age we grow more conscious of time? The value of time,  the value of meaningful connections made over time, the urge to rush through a time period, or the urge to slow down a time period.

There were points where I was eager to rush to the next stage in life, whether it was going off to college, moving on to graduate school, or getting married. But now, I have no desire to speed up time. In fact I'm known to try and counteract unnecessary busyness in an effort to slow down my schedule, to carve out space to just be.

But I find this harder than ever to achieve during the holiday season. Don't get me wrong, busy and festive can be wonderful. But overloaded-busy where we are pulled in too many directions to the point of feeling overwhelmed and undernourished, in all senses, is not enjoyable and certainly takes a toll on our emotions and bodies.

That is why I came up with this immune-boosting juice. I feel really good drinking it, especially around this time of year, and I think you will too. Cucumber, orange, kohlrabi, parsley, etc all help strengthen the immune system, combat infections, inflammations, and/or have antiviral properties. The juice is clean and refreshing and just sweet enough from the orange and apple.

Kohlrabi

I encourage you to try it if you have not because it is really delicious and versatile. It is a cruciferous vegetable which means it is chock full of the conventional nutrients. In fact, it packs more Vitamin C than an orange. Plus it is known to have hormone-regulating properties and important phytonutrients that are anti-inflammatory and may lower the risk of some cancers. After peeling you reach a crisp, juicy flesh with a mildly sweet flavor, similar in taste and texture to jicama. If you cannot find kohlrabi though, simply leave it out and add a bit more cucumber. The juice will still be delicious.

And since we're nearing the end of 2013 I realized I have never followed up to this year's New Years post where I shared my aspirations to start making homemade cheese and non-dairy milks. Homemade almond and oat milks are staples around here now, and I've learned that paneer cheese is very easy and so rewarding to make. There are zillions of recipes and videos for all of these on the web so I will point you to a few that I have used with success.

References

Immune-Boosting Juice
Makes 2 large glasses

  • 1 medium kohlrabi, peeled
  • 1 cup spinach, packed
  • 1/2 long English cucumber
  • 1 large apple
  • 1 orange, peeled
  • 1/2 bunch parsley, stems + leaves (~1/3 cup)
  • 2 in. knob ginger
  • Juice from 1/2 small lemon
  1. Cut all ingredients, except for lemon, to size so they fit in the tube of your juicer.
  2. Feed through juicer, then add lemon juice to the juice.
  3. Stir to mix, divide between two glasses, and enjoy!