The "Juice" on Juices

With more and more juice shops popping up, you may be asking yourself whether or not to try a "juice diet." Here the bottom line...Juices are EXCELLENT and delicious ways to fit in your daily servings of fruits and veggies (and the vitamins are also more easily absorbed into your body when consuming a juice), but I would not recommend a full on, 24/7, juice diet. Our bodies are built to break down food. The famous saying, "if you don't use it, you lose it," relates to our digestive systems as well. You need daily sources of fiber and structure for your body to break down so that it can stay revved up. 

But with that being said, I do love a good juice! I would even go as far to say "a juice a day will keep the doctor away." ;) Just make sure you don't fall into the "juice diet trap."

If you like juices, I would recommend buying your very own juicer. I have the Omega J8006 juicer and I absolutely love it. Its also cheaper in the long run (custom juice shops are expensive), and you have the freedom to be creative with your flavors. If you decide to purchase a juicer, be sure to get a "masticating" juicer and not a "centrifuge" one. The masticating juicers grind the fruits/vegetables slower so that more nutrients are extracted.

Below is my favorite recipe that I've come up with:

3 red apples
1 whole pineapple
2 oranges
3 beets
1 teaspoon lemon juice

The lovely dark red color is a sign of powerful antioxidants!

Berry Mojito

There's nothing quite as refreshing as a freshly muddled mojito on a hot summer day! This is my "go-to" drink recipe for almost any occasion. With my birthday coming up this weekend, I'm sure you'll be able to find me sipping one of these! I love this recipe because it is very personalized based on what you like. You can make it strong/weak, more or less flavorful, and can adjust the sweetness to your very own tastes.

Ingredients (that I used):
Juice from 2 limes
1 cup fresh raspberries (note all the raspberries in the photo were not used)
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Bundle of fresh mint
3L seltzer water
Bacardi Rum
*To taste* Splenda (for a lower-calorie version), Agave, or a Simple Syrup 

Directions:
Toss the berries, and mint into a pitcher and squeeze in the lime juice.

Then just muddle everything together and add your seltzer and rum. 

Finish by sweetening to taste. You can use a simple syrup, agave syrup or even Splenda for a lower calorie option. Be creative with your flavors and don't forget to personalize it based on what you like! This a drink recipe that you cannot mess up.

End-of-Summer Dinner Party

To celebrate the end of summer, my best friend Kate, of Sara Kate Styling, and I decided to host an "End-of-Summer" dinner party! With Kate's styling expertise, and my cooking skills, our party was nothing short of being fabulous!

While getting set up, we sipped on an amazing cocktail made of:

1 liter of lemon-lime soda

a quarter of a watermelon, cut into wedges

and a cup of frozen peaches (fresh peaches work as well)

*For an adult version, add a bit of peach flavored vodka*

As an appetizer, I got creative with your typical "caprese" flavors and made tomato stacks with sliced mozzarella and basil, finished with a drizzle of balsamic and olive oil (this is one of my all time favorite flavor profiles)!

I then made duck as our entree. Now, I was a little bit nervous making duck. I had never made it before and had always hear that it was very technical (which it was). But, that being said, anyone can make it! You just have to pay careful attention as you cook.

I started pre-heating my oven to 375 degrees. I then covered an oven-proof pan in butter and turned my burner to med-high heat. As my pan was heating, I used a sharp knife to score the duck skin (about 3/4" deep). The trick to cooking a perfect duck breast is to render the fat. Once heated, I put the duck breast (skin side down) on the pan. as the fat renders, it will build up in the pan. It is important to drain the fat off as it renders (you can save this fat for later). Once the fat stops rendering and you no longer have to pour it out, flip the duck breast onto the meat side and sear for 1 minute. 

Once seared on both side, stick the duck in the oven (I left my duck in the pan and put the entire thing in the oven. If you do not have an oven-proof pan, you can transfer the breast to a baking sheet and cook it that way. You will bake the duck for about 12 minutes, until it reaches the internal temperature that you prefer. This comes down to personal preference. I cooked my duck a little more well-done and paired it with locally grown roasted cherry tomatoes and green beans!

It was a busy day, but also a fun one! Can't wait until our next party! Cheers!