Today I’m sharing my Balance Green Juice recipe along with a few juicing tips including organic vs. conventional produce & how to store fresh juice.
I used to juice all the time at home but just fell out of habit got lazy. Juicing took a lot of planning, washing, and cleaning. And in order to have fresh juice while reaping its benefits, it was something that had to be done every few days. So yea, I got lazy and started buying my juices.
But, since it’s now the New Year, and we’re doing all the healthy things, I thought I’d pick up the habit again. And, since buying cold-pressed juice at the store can get quite expensive, I’m back to making it at home on the regular.
Last year, I did dry January and after 30-days of no alcohol saw great results. Read all about it here! I’m doing it again this year and hoping juice will help fill the void.
I make a few different juices at home but my all-time favorite is what I’ve named my Balance Green Juice which is a mix of apple, orange, cucumber, ginger, lemon, kale, and parsley.
Fun fact, a few years ago I submitted my juice recipe to Austin’s Daily Juice contest and won! You can actually find a similar juice mix on their menu — also named Balance!
Below I’m sharing the recipe for my Balance Green Juice but before we head into that, here are a few of my at-home juicing tips!
You don’t have to choose organic.
It’s important to purchase quality produce when juicing but it doesn’t have to be organic — especially if you want to juice at home to save money. If this is the case, then choosing conventional produce over organic is easier on the wallet and just as good.
Yes, I know, not choosing organic for juicing is a controversial statement but here’s the cliff notes version behind why: unless you have a ridiculously expensive commercial grade juicer, 
Unfortunately, the oxidization also kills a portion of the nutrients (which is unavoidable with most juicers) which means all the money you spent on organic wasn’t really worth it for your health (though kudos for organic because it IS still worth it for the environmental impact).
Also, organic produce still gets exposed to pesticides, chemicals, and germs during its journey from the farm to your table so…….it’s your choice boo! You do you (or what your wallet can afford).
To clarify, I’m only saying conventional vs. organic is okay for health benefits when juicing; the impact organic has on the environment is a whole other conversation and the environment may be an influence on your decision to choose organic over conventional.
Wash your produce before juicing.
I highly suggest washing your produce before juicing. Even if it’s just a quick rinse under the water, that’s better than nothing. Personally, I use a produce wash on all my produce (yes, oranges and lemons included even though I dispose of the peels). Washing your produce will remove any chemicals and bacteria it might have picked up along its travel from the field to your house.
I like to use this 
Since you’re drinking the juice raw and unpasteurized, washing the produce is at least a step in the right director towards preventing harmful bacteria growth after making your juice.
Prep your produce then juice.
Make it easy on yourself and prep all of your produce before you start juicing. For me, I like to remove all the peels from citrus, trim root ends from carrots & beets, trim the dead ends from greens, and cut my ginger into 1-inch pieces and peel away the skin.
By prepping my produce in advance, I can streamline my juicing process and keep my work space nice and clean.
Utilize mason jars.
I’m all about 
Drink the juice within 2-days
You might read that you have to drink your fresh-pressed juice immediately but that’s a bunch of crap or at least a little bit of crap. Yes, you may lose some of the nutrients within 48-hours and yes, there is concern about bacteria growing in the juice since it hasn’t been pasteurized but if you’ve washed your produce and used a clean juicer & jar to house it, your juice should be safe for up to 48-hours.
So my recommendation is to make your juice, refrigerate it immediately and be sure to consume it within 2 days to ensure it’s safe to drink while getting the most benefits out of it!
Now for my favorite juice recipe! The ingredients below are enough to make two 16-ounces juices.
Looking for more healthy recipes or habits? Check out my collagen gummies & healthy skin practices!
- 1 medium green apple cut in half
- 1 large naval orange cut in half
- 1 medium-sized cucumber cut in half
- 1 lemon, peel removed
- two 1-inch pieces of fresh ginger, peeled
- 4-cups of greens like kale or spinach, packed
- ½ cup of parsley, packed
- After washing, drying, and prepping your produce you are ready to begin juicing.
- Start with the apple followed by the orange and cucumber.
- Next juice the lemon and ginger.
- Finish with the greens and parsley.
- If you want your juice a little sweeter, add an extra apple half.
- If you prefer it more tart or spicier, add extra lemon or ginger.
- If you want more greens, reduce the apple and orange by half and increase your greens.