My Morning Zen Juice

I’ve been attempting to quit coffee for a while now & I have to be honest: it’s really hard since I often work 12 to 18 hours a day (I’m a film & video editor). I’ll have a more in-depth article about why I’m quitting coffee & tips on how to do it if you’re in the same boat in the next month, but for now I wanted to share one of my new favorite replacements: a lovely little morning zen juice with only 110- 115 calories. (Note: I drink this juice in addition to eating breakfast, this is not a meal replacement).

Infused Waters: Winter Edition

Infused water is one of the best beverages in existence. It’s healthy, no sugar-added & really, really delicious. You can mix and match all sorts of different flavors throughout the year, so this edition is what to use in the winter months so you’re using the freshest ingredients.

Electrolyte Fruit Smoothie

I have been feeling dehydrated lately, so on a break from work I stopped by home really quick and made this delicious fruit smoothie packed with electrolytes. All four ingredients in this smoothie contain potassium + the coconut water is filled with sodium, magnesium & phosphorus too.

Blood Orange + Cucumber + Ginger Juice

Blood oranges & cucumbers are both in season and oh-so-delicious. The blood oranges can be a bit tart, so I added the cucumber to cut down on the tartness in the juice. I also added a little fresh ginger to give it an extra zing (plus ginger is a wonderful anti-inflammatory). All three ingredients are very cleansing for your body.

Strawberry-Banana Slushie

It’s a beautiful November day here in Southern California so I whipped up this slushie to energize me for cooking all day (and cool down, it’s hot out today!) It’s super easy to make- only 3 ingredients! But it was really delicious so I figured I’d post it 😉 Strawberries are going out of season but I bought some 3-packs at the farmer’s market recently, de-stemmed and froze them for smoothies.

Cucumber-Mint Fauxjito

One of my favorite refreshing mocktail recipes: the cucumber-mint fauxjito. Hydrating, low-calorie & fancy-looking all at the same time.

Sweet Green Smoothie

(Recipe updated Oct 8, 2014: I made this again this morning but swapped the fruit for apples (in season) and frozen pineapple- it was even better!)

This makes a very large, delicious green smoothie (I split it with my boyfriend in two 32-ounce mason jars).

Vega Chocolate-Banana Protein Shake

This was super delicious and it reminded me of one of those Wendy’s frosty shakes I used to drink when I was a kid- only this version is way healthier, plant-based and protein-packed. I know I said this on my last Vega post but I do not have any affiliation with them- I’ve just been trying their powders lately and loving some of the recipes I’ve been making, thus sharing them with you!

Make Your Own Bottled Tea

I used to drink bottled tea like it was no one’s business (peach-oolong was my jam). And then I realized how much money I was spending on water (a free resource), tea leaves and a bottle. It also bums me out everytime I see aisles of pre-bottled tea, and then walk past a trash can filled with empty bottles. Those landfills aren’t going to empty themselves…

Vega Berry Protein Smoothie

I’ve been drinking more protein smoothies in the morning and thus trying various brands of soy-free plant-based protein powders. So far I have tried Plant Fusion’s Vanilla Bean (good but a little too chalky/stevia-flavored), MediClear Plus (once recommended by my naturopath- super healthy but absolutely no flavor and hard to drink at first but I got used to it), Vega One French Vanilla (similar flavor to Plant Fusion’s but with more vitamins and minerals- I liked it) and now Vega’s protein smoothie in Bodacious Berry– which may be my personal favorite so far.