Gigi’s Favorite Bars – Juice that is…

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Gigi in Well-Being Comments Off

Juice Bar

4 years ago a friend introduced me to the benefits and power of green juice, and I am not talking about Jamba juice. Green juices are typically a combination of leafy greens, parsley, cucumber, celery, lemon, ginger and sometimes apple.

Green Goddess Juice

I recall my first few sips were slightly bitter almost medicinal for my palate, but so like everything else with time and of course a good detox of the permanent “sugar taste” on my tongue, I fell in love with “green juice” and have been juicing ever since. This was before the plethora of juice bars and juice cleanse programs, became mainstream. Although I prefer to make my juice at home, it is nice to know that there are so many juice bars, and I don’t have to be limited to the juice bar at Whole Foods. Once you start juicing and notice the benefits you will be hooked, whats not to like: more energy, clearer skin, nutrients and vitamins, I could go on and on.

Here are a few of my favorite tried & tested and “Gigi” approved juice bars…

Moon Juice

MOON JUICE – 507 Rose Ave. Venice 310 399 2929 www.moonjuiceshop.com

Canyon Greens (collards, rainbow chard, parsley, ginger, celery, cucumber ) 16 oz. $9.00

The Juice is dense, rich and flavorful similar to how I make my juice at home, not watery at all.

Nekter Juice

Nekter Juice Bar – 6467 Pacific Coast Hwy

The Greenie (parsley,spinach, kale, celery, cucumber, lemon, apple) 16 oz. 4.75

Nekter is located by my yoga studio, which is convenient. The juice is not as dense as mine, but after a hot yoga class it is perfect. Nekter is now a franchise and they are popping up everywhere.

pressed Juicery

Pressed Juicery – Westwood Village & Beverly Hills location

Greens 3 (Kale, spinach,romaine, parsley, celery, cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger) 16 oz. 6.00-8.00

Pressed Juicery are opening locations all over the southland. They are generous with samples, and the staff is so friendly.

Beverly Hills Juice

Beverly Hills Juice: Raw since 1975 – 8382 Beverly Blvd. LA

Mixed Green (Cucumber, parsley, spinach, kale, romaine) 16 oz. 5.50

Every time I go here, there is a line out the door, every thing is so fresh.

Kreation Organic

Kreation Organic – Santa Monica location

Green # 3 ( cucumber, spinach, romaine, kale, parsley) 16 0z. 7.00

I also like going to Erewhon and picking up juice there as well they have a fresh juice bar and a variety of locally made juices. LA has so many juice spots, perhaps it is due to our lifestyle and a large selection of organic produce readily available. Make a point of visiting your local juice bar or trying a new one this week.

Happy Juicing!

XOXO,

GIGI

SPRING CLEANING MOI

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Gigi in Well-Being 2 Comments

Green Goddess Juice

Now that our days our longer and the first day of spring is upon us, I like to think about “spring cleaning” moi. Starting from the inside, detoxing and getting rid of all the junk that has accumulated, like dust that settles in hidden corners, I want everything to be fresh and pass my white glove test. Juicing is a part of my regular diet, but I like to throw in a juice fast here and there to really eliminate. I’m going to start my “spring cleaning fast” on Monday, and continue it through Wednesday breaking my fast Thursday morning. You may want to join me, I’ll post my juice blends here, each day.

For my fast to be successful I will have my produce clean and ready to juice. So this weekend I will hit a farmers market and/or Whole Foods for organic in season veggies and fruits. When I first started juicing I was obsessed with having a recipe, until I realized that it is difficult to make a really “bad” juice, especially if you are starting with good produce, granted some may be more palatable than others, but all and all they are all good.

juice prep

My plan for Monday, morning -32 0z room temperature water with lemon, yerbe mate sweetened with stevia, and a large green juice.

mid morning- apple/ginger/mint 8 oz

lunch-large green juice

mid afternoon -pineapple/ginger

dinner- carrot “soup” juice (I will juice carrots, and some green veggies, maybe add a pear for sweetness, and some spices) and blend in my vitamix until it is warm like soup.

post dinner-mint tea with fresh mint

throughout the day lots of water.

Chop Chop

Have a beautiful weekend and think about your “Spring Cleaning” and getting your body nice and clean. Do you have a “spring cleaning regimen for your body?

Xoxo,

Gigi

ROUTINES

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Gigi in Well-Being Comments Off

I find that the older I get the more I need a routine for certain things, like stretching my body daily. I don’t always make it to yoga class so I was delighted when I stumbled upon this “good morning” yoga sequence via pin interest. I now keep a yoga mat under my bed, so all I have to do is greet my mat and do this little routine, after which I can start my day. It has helped tremendously with little aches and pains I was starting to have, especially in my shoulders and knees. It’s like a teeth brushing for my body.

My other routine is juicing, the benefits of adding fresh juice to your diet, are great. I love my juice, it is my feel good serum. I have been juicing for almost four years, a friend introduced me to “green” juice, and initially it was an adjustment, an acquired taste, but now I crave it daily. I prefer to make my own, I find that sometimes when I purchase from juice bars, the “green” juice is not green enough for my taste, and it is so expensive. I also like to vary my recipes based on how I feel and what I am in the mood for. If you prep your veggies, and have them ready like the juice bars do, you can make your juice in minutes, and the combinations are unlimited. Check out these recipes.

Journaling daily is my therapy. I always have some sort of journal with me, to jot down ideas for my blog, observations on life, dreams, and sometimes odd thoughts and feelings that I can record privately. Even in our electronic device age, and yes I do have most of the gadgets, there is something special about a nice pen and a pretty journal. I keep a pad on my night stand, for those moments when I wake up in the middle of the night.

And lastly, taking pictures has become a part of my daily routine. I have always liked taking pics, but now that I am studying photography I am constantly searching for interesting highlights and shadows. Sometimes it is the formation of the clouds, or the way a shadow has formed on a wall, or maybe an expression on someones face. I am always ready, whether it is with my i phone, my little point and shoot or my nikon.

Do you have any routines? I’d love to hear about them…

Xoxo,

Gigi

Gigi’s Juice: Not gin and juice

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Gigi in Recipes 6 Comments

Green juice is a must–it is a perfect food that is a major part of my diet. It is full of so many benefits, unlimited flavors, colorful, and really good for your body. It is relatively easy to prepare, since fresh organic ingredients, are available at most grocery stores. Juicing has become very popular, there are numerous organic juice bars opening up, delivery cleanse juice programs, and of course the juice bars located in Whole Foods. I prefer to make my own juice when I can, but sometimes when I am out all day I do take advantage of various juice bars in the city. I started juicing three years ago, my friend Teresa was instrumental in teaching me everything she knew about juicing. I used to be a “coffee crack” addict, but after detoxing my “drug” of choice is a strong green juice.

Gigi's Green Juice

Green juice is an acquired taste, when I first started I used a lot of fruit to cut the taste of the bitter greens. Now I use mostly greens with a little fruit. One of the things I like most about juicing is there is no way to make a mistake, you may not like the concoction you end up with every time, but your palate will begin to instinctively know what combinations you are craving. Juicing is also a good way to use your veggies and fruit especially if you have a tendency to over buy like me, you can juice everything before it has a chance to go bad. The only piece of equipment you need is a juicer, there are so many on the market and they have come down in price and the new models are easy to clean. I have a breville juicer. My first juicer was a Jack lalanne that I purchased at Costco. Another popular juicer that a few of my friends have is the hamilton beach big mouth juicer.

My Breville Juicer

When I began juicing, I had to come up with a little system. I needed to make the process unfussy with just a few steps which would allow me to be consistent. Juicing will never be as easy as popping a top off a bottle of juice on the shelf, but once you start you will never want prepackaged juice again. When I buy my produce I always wash it right away, and have it juice ready, like the juice bars do, chopped and ready to go. Save the plastic produce bags and use them in the container part of the juicer to catch all the pulp. Use recipes as a guide, and don’t be afraid to make a mistake.

My favorite recipe for a basic green juice.

1 bunch of kale
1 stalk celery
2 green apples
2 cucumbers
1 small piece of peeled ginger
1 peeled lemon
1/2 cup of mint or parsley

Juice all ingredients through juicer starting with kale alternating with other veggies. Serves 2

Kale

I chop the stems off and chop the leaves a little.

Meyer Lemons

Meyer lemons picked from my tree.

Gigi’s tropical green juice

1 bunch of kale
3 cucumbers
1/2 pineapple or (more to your taste)
1 stalk celery
1 small piece of peeled ginger
1 peeled lemon
water from one young coconut

Juice all ingredients through juicer starting with kale alternating with other veggies. Serves 3

Gigi's Tropical Green Juice

Fresh Juice

Cheers, Happy Juicing…thanks for stopping by. Share what combinations are your favorites.

Gigi

juicing

Gigi’s Favorite Bars – Juice that is…

SPRING CLEANING MOI

ROUTINES

Gigi’s Juice: Not gin and juice

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