Three-day Pressed Juicery Cleanse
Wondering what a juice cleanse is like? Check out this story on a 3-day cleanse I did using LA-based Pressed Juicery.
Posts tagged ‘cleanse’
Aug 11
Pressed Juicery: Juiced to ImPRESS
It’s not news that I love juicing. Blue Print Cleanse has always been my cleanse of choice on the east coast. But in LA, it was hard to swallow (pun intended) the hefty delivery fees, or the limited pick-up days at Exhale. So, my search began for a local LA juice company to test out. And boy, did I find it.
Pressed Juicery is a tiny, hole in the wall, in Brentwood. Literally, it’s a closet with a cute barn door. There’s just enough room for a cash register, a person, two stand up coolers filled with juice, and a wall of supplements/elixirs. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Ok, the guy on the phone kind of ruins the rusticness of it, but you get the idea. Good things do come in small packages. And I love any place where I can bring my dog, and eat.
Pressed Juicery, Brentwood
True to their promise “designed for your everyday life”, their menu offers flexibility unlike any juice program I’ve tried. Want your juice delivered? They can do that. Prefer to pick-it up in Brentwood? You can do that too. Not ready for a full-on cleanse? No problem. You can buy juices individually so you can test out as many as you like.
Pressed boasts 17 signature juices like Almond Milk (my fave), Blueberry Coconut Pear, Greens, and Roots. They usually have specials like Watermelon Mint which is TO DIE FOR. Sampling is ideal, particularly if you’re new to juicing. It’s an easy way to test out the juices without committing to a full-on cleanse. All juices are $6.50 for sixteen ounces, except almond milk ($8.00), aloe vera ($3.00) and carrot ($5.00).
If you’re looking to cleanse, you can choose which level you want (Cleanse 1 for less experienced, Cleanse 2 is most popular, Cleanse 3 for experienced/hardcore). And within each level, you have options: Greens 1 (no apple & lemon) or Greens 2 (with apple & lemon), Roots 1 (with beet) or Roots 2 (no beet), and Detox 1 (lemon, cayenne, filtered water) or Detox 2 (pineapple, pear, ginger, mint). Each cleanse ends with Almond Milk, those familiar with Blue Print and other cleanses know how the nut milks are known for being the dessert they look forward to all day.
PJ’s (we’re friends now, I can call them that) juices are pressed daily at an offsite facility in Beverly Hills. They use premium, organic ingredients, which is evident in each juice. I was taken aback by the creaminess of their Almond Milk and the Carrot Coconut. I swear I was drinking a dairy product. And look at the color of this juice! It’s startling how bright and orange it is.
Carrot Coconut Juice
The Watermelon Mint is divine. It tastes like you’re sucking juice out of a perfectly ripe watermelon. The mint balances out the sweetness so it’s refreshing and light. I threw this back in about 10 seconds.
Watermelon Mint Juice
Their Almond Milk is one of the best nut milks I’ve ever tasted. It’s creamy, sweet, rich, dotted with vanilla bean specks, and literally tastes like melted ice cream.
Almond Milk: almonds, dates, vanilla bean, sea salt, filtered water
If I had children, Pressed Juicery would be my go-to place for juice. If you’re going to have juice, you might as well have the purest ingredients, and reap the maximum nutritional benefits, right? So many packaged juices are full of chemicals, additives, artificial x-y- and z, added sugar, it’s horrifying. Plus, these taste amazing and won’t fool those young palates into thinking cherries are supposed to be fire engine red, dye your tongue, and taste like sugar.
PressedJuicery.com is loaded with information about what to do before, during, and after the cleanse, and general F&Qs about cleansing. Like this one:
What is the difference between a “hydraulic press” and a regular juicer? At Pressed, all of our juices are produced on the highest quality juice press that exists. As opposed to a normal “centrifugal” juicer which takes a whole fruit or vegetable and squeezes out the juice, a hydraulic press actually grinds the entire thing into a fine pulp, after which it applies thousands of pounds of pressure to this pulp, extracting every ounce of juice that the fruit or vegetable can possibly yield. The results are smooth-tasting juices that contain the maximum amount of nutrition contained in each item. The gentle pressing action allows for little to no air to be introduced into the juice, and because of this each bottle can be kept in sealed, refrigerated containers for up to 3 days with little loss of taste, nutrients, or color.
Wish I could buy a hydraulic press but for now, my Breville Elite will have to do.
After sampling practically every juice they make, I’ve embarked on a 3-day cleanse. More on that when I finish it.
Don’t miss this amazing hidden gem. You can order online (they now deliver nationwide), pick-up in Brentwood, or swing by their mobile truck in Malibu. I’m dying to check out their truck because I heard they do remixes like combining Detox 2 + coconut + almond. Um, YUM. I’m imPRESSED.
310-477-7171
Jan 10
Kale Banana Smoothie: It’s not easy being green
Day 7
The first time I had a kale smoothie was at Naturewell in LA. The person ahead of me ordered this bright, beautiful, green smoothie. I had to be nosy and ask “what is THAT?!” He replied, “It’s a kale coconut smoothie”. My reaction was probably similar to your’s, a combination of disgust and intrigue. I ordered it and have to say, I loved it. The young coconut added sweetness, while the kale gave it this fresh, grassy-like taste that was so refreshing. You really wouldn’t know you’re drinking kale. Sadly, I haven’t been able to find it on the east coast. Terri’s organic vegetarian shop has a kale smoothie that is similar, but with almond butter and pear. It’s delish and I definitely recommend trying it if you’re ever in Chelsea, but I still long for the Naturewell version.
I recreated a kale smoothie that’s close enough to tie me over between my trips to LA. I love that if I have one in the morning, I’m getting vegetables into my diet when I’d ordinarily have oatmeal or another carb/fruit combination. Kale is highly nutritious, full of antioxidants, calcium, vitamin K & C, beta carotene, and much, much more. I haven’t been ambitious enough to cut open a young coconut and dig out the meat. I’ll admit, I’m afraid I’m going to lose a finger getting that puppy open. So my version is kale banana and is still super yummy, but if you’re ever in LA, be sure to hit up Naturewell. It’s probably the best juice bar I know in NY or LA. And don’t be so quick to judge the green foods!!! They may surprise you.
Kale Banana Smoothie
1 serving
3/4 cup hemp seed milk (or any soy, nut or regular milk)
1-2 whole leaves (approx 2 cup) lacinato or green kale, thick stems removed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 frozen banana
Put all the ingredients in a high-powered blender adding the soft ingredients in first and the hard ingredients (frozen banana) last. Blend until smooth using the tamper as necessary to push the ingredients down. If it’s too thick for your taste, add another 1/4 c hemp milk. Drink immediately.
To freeze banana, cut horizontally into bite size discs. Line a quarter sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper and place the bananas on the sheet so they’re not touching. Place in the freezer overnight.
Disclaimer: Do as I say, not as I do. The image below is not a pretty example, but I’m out of bananas so can’t do another camera-ready version. The banana was overripe before I froze it so it’s not the sexiest and I didn’t line the slices up in neat little rows like I usually do but you get the idea. I know you’re disappointed in me, I’ll do better next time.
If you’re curious, I buy Hemp Bliss hemp milk by Manitoba Harvest, available at Whole Foods…Click here to learn more about hemp and its nutritional advantages.
To all my friends starting Blue Print today (the tally is up to four now), best of luck and enjoy every minute of it! Looking forward to hearing all your stories, please share them!!!!!!
- Chelsea
Day 2 Vegan: Juicing to Energize & Cleanse
Day 2 – I’m a Juicehead
After a rigorous session with Laurie at Soul-Cycle Tribeca this morning, I came home a little dehydrated and craving something refreshing/energizing. Lesson #1 – give the body what it wants (as long as it’s healthy i.e. not cake or bacon fat). I decided to give my best pal the Breville Elite Juice Fountain Plus a whirl. 
I bought it last year at Bed Bath & Beyond, after researching a number of juicers. It was $299, but I had a 20% off coupon which saved me about $60. I think it’s the best one at this price range. It only has four separate parts making it easy to clean, and extracts a high percent of juice leaving the pulp relatively dry. Plus it’s fast and not terribly loud. It also comes with a handy cleaning brush that has a flat handle to help clean out leftover pulp.
The juice collector (the piece that unfortunately looks like a stainless steel bedpan) is where the blade sits and the juice comes out. Because it’s die-cast, it’s one whole piece with no hidden nooks/crannies. Other brands had multiple parts, plastic pieces, and crevices around the blade area which can make it difficult to clean, increasing chances of bacteria developing.
With this model, all you do is rinse it out immediately after using, and take a soft sponge with soap and water to areas that need it. Use the Breville provided brush on the filter basket and you’re good to go! And put a plastic bag in the pulp container so it’s one less thing to clean. You can compost the leftover pulp and peels or see if your local greenmarket has a community compost. The Union Square Greenmarket has a compost collection Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat from 8am-5pm. Check out www.lessecologycenter.org to learn more about composting options.
Here’s what I made today… I’ll call it The Juicehead in honor of the worst show on TV that I can’t stop watching. GTL.
The Juicehead
1 organic grapefruit
1-2 organic oranges (2 if you want it sweeter, 1 if you want it more tart)
3 organic carrots
1 small stem of organic ginger (about 1″ long)
Directions: Peel grapefruit & orange(s). Using a knife slice off the peel from each end of the fruit. Then stand the fruit up on one end and run the nice down vertically from top to bottom and work your way around the fruit until all peel is removed. Watch the segment below if you need a visual. Just block out the guy’s voice because it’s kind of annoying.
How To Segment An Orange – AWT On ITV1′s Daily Cooks – Video.
Directions continued: Clean carrots well. Chop ends from carrots. Juice according to manufacturer’s instructions.
TA-DAAAAAAAA!
Day 1 of the 30-day Veggie Challenge
Day one without meat, fish, poultry and limited intake of dairy/eggs. So far, so good. I’m energized and had a busy day so haven’t been snacky.
No time to make lunch today so I picked up a prepared vegan roasted tomato soup from Whole Foods. And of course, the first thing I thought was shit…. I cannot eat this without a grilled cheese! So I bought a vegan rice cheese “american” flavor. This goes against everything I know…fake cheese, and American flavor no less!!! BLECK. I’m not ordinarily fond of vegan/vegetarian substitutes like Tofurky or rice cheese etc. I usually find these options just as bad as eating the real thing since it’s so processed. That said, I decided to test it out in the spirit of experiencing a true vegan/vegetarian diet.The cheese honestly didn’t taste like much of anything, but it melted well and gave the effect I needed to satisfy the grilled cheese urge. I’ll have to try it again to really gather an opinion on this stuff.
I LOVE this sprouted grain & seed bread.The slices are small (good for portion control) and it has amazing texture. You can see all the good stuff in it (sprouted wheat, malted barley, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds etc). Yes, it’s “hippie” bread but don’t scoff, it’s really tasty and makes you realize that plain baguette is pretty boring in comparison.
Whenever I buy a loaf of bread it always goes moldy before I can eat it so frozen breads like this particular one from Food for Life are a life saver. I get this one in the freezer section at Whole Foods. I just toast it with jam and almond butter, or for a grilled cheese, I toast it a little to warm it up and then put it in the pan with Earth Balance (vegan margarine). Be sure to put a lid on the pan to help the cheese melt.
The soup kind of tasted like pasta sauce, but that’s what I get for not making lunch from scratch! It did the trick though, a perfectly light, healthy meal on a cold winter’s day.
I also used soy milk in my cappuccino this morning which was fine and actually gave a nutty sweetness so I didn’t need any sugar (thank you Cafe Grumpy). For snacks, I had a Pink Lady apple from the farmer’s market and a handful of almonds from Trader Joe’s. Dinner will be leftovers from last night.
I don’t really want to turn this into a boring food journal but for those of you interested in vegan/vegetarian diets, thought it may help to see how easy it actually is to adjust your diet. (Of course, I’m saying it’s easy after 1 day). When I have good products or recipes to share, I definitely will and I hope you’ll do the same. The one thing I’m quickly learning is that there’s a major shortage of good resources for vegan/vegetarians.
Today’s Workout: 1 hour semi-private reformer/mat session at Power Pilates at 8am. Then 1-hour class with Amy at The Bar Method in SOHO.
