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Juiced up in northern Colorado |
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Written by Holly Bea Weaver
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Thursday, 19 April 2007 |
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You hear it on the news and read about it in magazines and the newspaper. Eat healthier.
But I’ve found that one of the easiest ways to do that is to drink healthier. And it’s getting easier to do that, thanks to the increasing number of juice bars, healthier juice choices in grocery stores and the ease of making your own juice concoctions at home.
And before you tune out and think, “That’s waaaay too much work for me to even consider,” let me tell you, it’s not.
1-2-3 JUICE
One of my New Year’s Resolutions was for me and my husband to eat healthier at home. And the easiest way to do that is to use the juicer that had been gathering dust in the back of our cupboard every morning.
It takes about three minutes, from start to finish, every day. Truly. I just wash and cut up an apple, a pear, feed the pieces into my juicer, throw in a whole carrot and voila! Fresh juice for one. That takes about two minutes, with a minute for clean-up. It’s that easy.
I prefer green apples, my husband likes the red ones. You can also throw in strawberries, celery and a host of other things. The only caveat is that you have to drink it within 5-10 minutes or so, because it will start to turn brownish in color, because of all the oxygen in the juice.
THE GADGETS
Our juicer is about 15 years old. Technology today is even better. You can get one that’s easy to use and clean for as little as $50 or as much as $200-$300. I like the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro 67600 Juicer, which runs $50-$82 and is available online or in stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond and department stores. You get 24 percent more juice than you do with a lot of juicers out there. And it easily handles all fruits and vegetables.
Another great juicer can be found at Cottonwood Cupboard in The Promenade Shops in Centerra in Loveland. It’s the Breville Juice Fountain for $149.95. It’s a two-speed, wowie-zowie contraption that’s easy to clean, and comes with all the bells and whistles, like a one-liter pitcher for easy serving.
For the more budget minded, it’s easy to make your own orange juice (or lemonade) with an $8.95 glass citrus juicer. Takes a little more elbow grease, a lot more time, but boy, you’ll love the juice.
Some juicers (like mine) aren’t made to handle citrus fruits. Others will handle any fruit you throw in. If you use a juicer, you don’t even have to remove the peels, stems and seeds! It’s all removed into a separate container. Throw out the sludge, or use it to create your own compost!
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WHERE TO BUY JUICE IN NORTHERN COLORADO
INTA JUICE
www.intajuice.com
2108 35th Ave., #B
Greeley
339.9272
M-F 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Sat 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
When Shannon Peter wanted to open an Inta Juice in Greeley, the corporate office fought her tooth and nail. “They didn’t believe Greeley would support a juice bar,” she said.
Open since October, the Greeley location is flourishing, with a host of “regulars” ranging from high school kids wanting a daily smoothie and a cookie, to retirees wanting a shot of wheat grass. “I know their schedules and even have their orders ready to go when they walk in,” she adds. And many people call in their orders in advance.
“People love the fact that we use real fruit without added sugar,” she said. Her biggest challenge is educating consumers. “Our juices or smoothies can be healthy meal replacements. Sure, there are carbs, but they’re good carbs. If you use it correctly, you won’t pack on the pounds...”
There are also three Inta Juice locations in Fort Collins, with a fourth location in Old Town on the way.
• 1112 Oakridge Dr., Suite 112
225.2828
• 2531 S. Shields St., #2K
416.9975
• Foothills Fashion Mall
215 E. Foothills Parkway
206.4421
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MA'S JUICE BAR
1300 W. Elizabeth
Fort Collins
416.7725
11 a.m.-midnight or so, weekdays, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. weekends
Unlike many juice bars, populated with people heading to and from the gym, moms and their kids, or executives grabbing wheat grass on their way to work, Ma’s Juice Bar has more of an emphasis on “bar” than juice.
Granted, owner Denise Hakim spent two years developing 104 smoothie recipes because she “has a perfection problem.” But her goal was to come up with delicious recipes that would completely mask the taste of the alcohol in them.
A sampling of the items on the menu include Agent Orange, with bananas, oranges, strawberries, orange sherbet, non-fat vanilla yogurt, orange rum, 151 rum, citrus vodka and tropical tangerine tequila; and Sweet and Simple, with raspberries, watermelon, orange sherbet, orange rum, raspberry vodka and tropical tangerine tequila. I was there at 2:30 on a Tuesday. The tiny place was packed with young 20-somethings hanging out and combining smoothies with straight shots.
Virgin smoothies: $3.75
Spiked smoothies: $6
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COLORADO CHERRY COMPANY
1024 W. U.S. 34, 10.2 miles from Loveland, toward Estes Park
888.526.6735.
M-F 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (May)
M-F 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (June)
www.coloradocherrycompany.com
Come on. We’ve all passed this landmark on the way to Estes Park. But if you haven’t stopped at Colorado Cherry Company, it’s time you did. It’s a fourth generation business, now owned by Kristi Lehnert, and its specialty is black bing cherry juice. It tastes delicious, and is used for medicinal purposes, too. “It’s a cure for the gout, it works wonders for arthritis, and people love the taste,” Lehnert said. Second in popularity is cherry cider, and a close third is their peach juice.
“We’ve seen an increase in demand because people are eating healthier. Our juice is all natural, with no sugar or preservatives,” she said.
Their juices are distributed throughout the Front Range, but do yourself a favor and stop in the next time you’re on your way to the mountains. You’ll be glad you did.
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JUICY JUICE RECIPES
Sparkling Tropical Fruit Juice
1 peeled kiwi
1/2 peeled mango, sliced
1/2 orange, peeled and sectioned
Sparkling mineral water
Process your fruit in a juicer or blender. Pour the juice into a large glass, fill to the top with sparkling mineral water and serve.
You can also use these combinations of fruit with the mineral water:
2 medium apples + 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1/2 half red grapefruit + 1 medium orange + 2 handfuls of fresh cranberries
1 pear + 1 apple + 1 peach
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Ultimate Blender Juice
If you don’t have a juicer, pull out the blender and try this!
1 banana
1 cup raspberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1 cup orange juice
Place ingredients in blender, blend thoroughly with ice and serve cold.
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Mango Strawberry Surprise
1 cup fresh mango, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 cup strawberries, cleaned
Put the fruit in a blender, mix on high, and serve cold with ice. | Only registered users can write comments.
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