Don't Get Hangry, Get Cold Pressed.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jamba Juice. All opinions are 100% mine.

Cold Pressed Juices

Ahh, the perditious call of the caffeine siren!

Years ago, before our daughter was born and available leisure time supported lengthly gym workouts and other activities that now seem like indulgences, we would frequently go to juice bars -- to get quick nutrient slams. Our favorite -- Jamba Juice -- conveniently located near our gym and, not surprising, across the street from my second home, Whole Foods. Over the last few years, as our parenting and work schedules got tighter, and working out became less frequent, our visits to the juice shops had become a little less recurrent; well, nonexistent, really.

I still love you coffee, but I need to make
some new friends!

So we tried self-juicing with the Vitamix. And while the Vitamix is an indispensable kitchen tool when cooking meals, using it for juicing quickly waned. It requires a considerable amount of fruit on hand, as well as enough time to cut and core all the produce. It also requires a good deal of cleaning. All this can be a tall order at 6:00 in the morning, when I have to prepare 3 breakfasts and 2 lunches, track down homework, get kids dressed, brushed, and coiffed, and unearth shoes, jackets, library books and other miscellaneous paraphanelia. Needless to say, home juicing hasn't been a top priority, of late!

Earlier this week, while queued up in an unbelievably (but worthwhile) sample sale line in Manhattan, I noticed a Jamba Juice across the street. Ahh, it had been a while. Luckily, I had befriended a fellow sample sale junkie standing beside me, and after offering her my New York Times and promising a similar beverage, she generously agreed to save my place while I jumped over to the juice bar.

In the past, I went to Jamba Juice to boost blood sugar quickly, especially before working out -- all that fruit quickly and effectively fostered pleasant energy jolts. And now that I am in my 40s, and more prone to the heart palpations that come with too much coffee, I look for non-caffenated energy revivers. I am also more cognizant of vitamin intake, specifically in the form of greens -- dark bitter greens. So, taking all this into consideration, it was a pleasant surprise to see that Jamba Juice has recently added healthful paleo ingredients, such as beets, kale and other organic super greens to their Fresh Squeezed Juices. Smart!

One for me, and one for my new sample sale buddie, Evelyn.

I tried the new Amazing Greens drink, which comprised of super greens, lemon, peaches, banana, and pumpkin seeds. It was delicious, and I was surprised that my energy was boosted, without coffee. Yesterday, I received an email that further reductions were being taken at the sample sale. I rushed over, but not without stopping, once again, at Jamba Juice. This time I just picked up their new cold-pressed line called Tropical Greens -- apples, pineapples, super greens (organic baby spinach, organic red and green chard, organic baby kale) and lemon. Yum!! This drink was pre-made, but packed with the same vitamin-rich energy properties. And, I can throw it into a gym bag to drink before or after a workout.

When I got home from the sale, having looked more closely at the container, I realized that I really didn't understand what cold pressed meant. So, logically, I looked it up. These days, I have discovered it is better to understand topics before my daughter does. Cold Pressed Juices use thousands of pounds of pressure to extract and preserve the juice. This is markedly different from the blending of juices, which heats up the ingredients, aerates them, and ostensibly eliminates some of the nutritional properties. Makes sense to me!

So I mentioned to the counter staff at Jamba Juice that I was doing a blog post on the sample sales and that I might include the benefits of juicing, and they offered to give away a $20 gift card to one of my readers. So, I will send this gift card out to the person that comes up with the best reason they enjoy their favorite juice drink. Let me know what you think!

Oh, and the Jamba Juice website has some coupons that are worth checking out:
http://jambajuice.com

Go get some Happy Juice!

Holiday Moments, and Shrimp...

One of the benefits to working on this website is that it is forcing me to be cognizant of life moments that might be interesting enough to capture and share online.  As a result, I am taking many more pictures that illustrate beautiful experiences that I would not have considered taking in the past. An example -- the table on Christmas Eve  -- it was just exquisite.  Here are some other images from that magical evening:

Oh, and on the flip side, here is how the stove appeared at 1:00am!

Fool Proof Shrimp

One of my Christmas Eve guests asked if I would post the recipe on the easy but absolutely delectable shrimp dish that I prepared as one of the seven fish courses. It's perfect for New Year's and can be served as an appetizer or side dish.  Try it, you won't be disappointed  - and it's fool proof. Here it is:

What you will need:

2 lbs of cleaned and de-veined jumbo shrimp

1 stick of butter

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 head of fresh parsley

2 tablespoons of dried oregano

1/2 tablespoon of hot pepper seeds

5 cloves of garlic

3 lemons

salt and pepper

1 cup bread crumbs

Mince garlic and parsley and combine in a bowl with melted butter, olive oil, oregano, hot pepper seeds, lemon and salt/pepper.  

30 minutes before broiling, brush the marinade over the shrimp and let stand. 

When ready to cook, cover the shrimp with bread crumbs, set the oven on broil and cook for 5-7 minutes (it is not necessary to flip the shrimp mid way through).  Savor:

-- Anyone else happy that elf on the shelf has gone back to the North Pole?

Easy and Healthy Summer Recipe

Summer Chilled Quinoa Salad

Here is an easy, tasty and healthy chilled quinoa salad recipe -- makes a great light supper:

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil, add 2 cups prewashed quinoa, reduce heat to a simmer, cover pan and cook until soft and fluffy (15-20 minutes).  Refrigerate until quinoa is chilled.  

Boil 2 ears of fresh corn (in my opinion, fresh corn only needs 1-2 minutes in boiling water).  Cut kernals off the cob.  

In food processor, pulse 1 1/2 cups cilantro leaves, 1/2 cup lime juice, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon lime zest, 3 cloves of garlic, salt/pepper and a dash of hot pepper seeds.  (If cooking fish with this quinoa salad, double this puree and use the second half as a marinade!). 

Add the puree mix to chilled quinoa. Stir in salt and pepper.  Add a can of black beans (drained and rinsed), a container of grape tomatoes cut up and a chopped avocado (or 2, if you really like avocado). Stir in the corn kernals. 

Chill for a least 15 minutes.  If making in advance, stir in the avocado just before serving to avoid browning. 

 ENJOY!