Whether you are just beginning your juicing journey or have been a devoted juicer for years, we all need good juicing equipment and new juicing recipes!

Here are links to everything you need to get started or continue down the path to better health through juicing:

Visit the Vegan Juicing section of the Cheap Vegan Chick blog to find simple, quick juicing recipes. There are also tons of great juicing blogs with recipes and tips. A quick Google search will have you well on your way to finding some faves to follow.

I have found that Amazon almost always has the best prices on new juicing equipment, but you might also consider eBay or Craig's List if you are in the market for used juicers or blenders.

Juicing equipment can be expensive, but when shopping for juice extractors or a juicing blender for your home, you really should think of it as a long-term investment. It is, of course, an investment in your health, but as soon as you start juicing, you will quickly learn that the quality of the juicing equipment you choose truly does make a difference in your daily juicing experience. In fact, if you start out with a low-end juice extractor that has multiple parts to clean after every use and laughs at you every time you try to juice leafy greens, you might end up so discouraged that you give up on juicing completely.

That almost happened to me. I had a low-end Hamilton juicer that worked okay for the occasional carrot juice or fruit juice, but I was so frustrated with the amount of prep required before juicing, the number of parts I had to wash after juicing, and the lengths I had to go to to get any juice out of kale or spinach that I found myself juicing less and less. I finally decided to take the plunge and invest in a Vitamix blender, and now making fresh, homemade juices and healthy smoothies (as well as tons of other magical things a Vitamix can do -- like make hot soup!) requires practically no prep and only about 30 seconds of post-juicing cleanup.

I'm not saying that everyone should run out and buy a Vitamix, particularly since quality juice extractors definitely have their own benefits (and I'd like to eventually have both), but I do want to encourage you to not cheap out too much on your juicing equipment. If your budget will only allow for a lower-end juicer at this point, that's okay. You can find tips on maximizing the efficiency of cheap juicers online and will be able to experience the healthful benefits of juicing -- just don't get discouraged, and know that your juicing experience will improve when you are in a position to upgrade!

Update:

Reader, Sophia, sent me links to a few additional resources for juicing information...

The Health Benefits of Juicing: A Beginner's Guide
Nutrition and Health Educators Printable Educational Resources
Vegan Nutrition Guide

This super-simple vegan juicing recipe is perfect for when you are in a hurry or just don't really feel like juicing.

Carrot-Ginger Juice Recipe

5 carrots
3/4-inch chunk of ginger

That's it. See? I told you it was quick and easy. As an added bonus, it tastes awesome.

This is one of my all-time favorite juicing recipes.

Tomato-Spinach-Garlic Juicing Recipe

4 tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 handful of spinach
1 sprig oregano (about 15 leaves)
About 15 basil leaves

I really enjoy the two cloves of garlic in this one, but my guy thinks the garlic flavor is too strong. So if you are not a huge garlic fan, you might want to use just one garlic clove.

I actually was not excited about adding the spinach the first time I made this juice and did so only for the nutrients. I was sure that it was going to take away from the awesomeness of the basil-garlic-tomato combo, but I was rather pleasantly surprised that it ended up tasting great.

Vegan Cucumber-Spinach Juicing Recipe

1 cucumber
1 handful of spinach
4 celery stalks
1 green apple

Keep in mind that celery is higher in sodium, so if you are watching your sodium intake, you might want to use less celery or leave it out completely.

If you are using conventional cucumbers (as opposed to organic), I would recommend peeling the cucumber before juicing it.

Yesterday's vegan juicing recipe was super simple and super delish!

Okay, so here's the deal: I was trying to go through some random produce I had before heading back to the store to stock up for the next few days of juicing. Yesterday, that meant throwing together some roma tomatoes and onion. I considered adding some kale to increase the nutrients in vegan juice, but I decided to pass on it in order to enjoy some pure tomato-y bliss.

There are very few ingredients in this juicing recipe, and a wider variety would have increased its nutritional value significantly...but it was damn good!

Tomato-Onion-Basil-Garlic Juice Recipe:

4 roma tomatoes
1/4 of a medium white onion
About 20 basil leaves
1 tsp of minced garlic

I now use a Vitamix for all of my juicing needs, but before I made that investment, I had a cheap juicer that had a hell of a time making leafy greens into deliciously drinkable juice. It took me a little trial and error, as well as helpful recommendations from others, to figure out how to get the most juice out of my greens, so I thought I would share three quick tips that will come in handy for folks new to juicing.

Juicing Leafy Greens Tip #1
When juicing leafy greens, such as kale or spinach, put them in the juicer with a solid, longer vegetable -- like a celery stalk or carrot. The greens will sort of get wrapped around the solid vegetable, and you will end up with a lot more juice out of them.

Juicing Leafy Greens Tip #2
If your vegan juice recipe calls for spinach, oregano, basil or other smaller leafy greens and herbs, you can get more juice out of them by stuffing them inside another item that you are juicing. For example, if your recipe also has a tomato or apple in the mix, you can stuff the leafy greens or herbs into the hole you make when you core it or cut out the stem.

Juicing Leafy Greens Tip #3
Kale has definitely made it to the top of the list as a powerhouse in the juicing-for-health world. If your juicer has a tough time turning kale into juice, leave the kale leaves on their stalks. A lot of people already do this, but since many folks remove the stalks before cooking with kale, it is also common to remove the stalks before juicing with kale. Leave those stalks intact to make it easier for your juicer to process the kale. If all else fails, follow Juicing Leafy Greens Tip #1 and just throw your kale in the juicer with a carrot or celery stalk.

These are just three of the ways that worked for me when trying to coax my cheap juicer into cooperating.

How do you get more juice out of your leafy greens?

This green and purple juice might not be that pretty to look at, but it tastes delish and is packed with nutrients that will get your day off to a great start!

3 carrots
4 celery stalks
1 cup purple cabbage
6 kale stalks/leaves
1 apple
1 one-inch piece of ginger

If you aren't a big fan of ginger, you might want to use about half of that amount. I like the kick that it gives the juice and wanted to get a little extra detox action, which is why I used a larger piece than I normally would.

I wasn't feeling so hot today, so I decided an abundance of kale was in order. I was expecting this juice to taste super healthy and maybe not all that awesome, but it actually turned out to be really, really good.
Here you go...

All-Green Vegan Juicing Recipe

1 bunch kale (about 15 leaves/stalks)

2 celery stalks

1 handful of spinach

1 green apple

I know the ingredient list might make this look a little too green for some folks, but give it a try - I think you will like it much more than you might expect!

You can always count on Tacoma Boys to have some great deals on produce. And with two of their locations open 24 hours, you can save money on fruit and veggie awesomeness any time you please.

Here is where you will find these deals:

Tacoma Boys in Tacoma - 5602 6th Avenue
Tacoma Boys in Puyallup - 901 Ave SW
H&L Produce in Lakewood - 7320 Lakewood Drive

The two Tacoma Boys locations are open 24 hours; H&L Produce is open 6am to 10pm.

Here are the produce deals you will find there through May 1:

Seedless Watermelon - $.69 per pound
Strawberries - $2.99 per pound
Fuji Apples - $.50 per pound
Hass Avocados - 3 for $2.00
D'anjou Pears - $1.00 per pound
Navel Oranges - $.69 per pound ($25 per box)
Zucchini - $1.00 per pound
Broccoli - $1.00 per pound
Iceberg, Red Leaf or Green Leaf Lettuce - $1.00 each
Cauliflower - 2 heads for $3.00
Bananas - $.69 per pound
Roma Tomatoes - $1.00 per pound
Beefsteak Tomatoes - $1.00 per pound
Asparagus - $2.99 per pound
Vidalia Onions - $1.00 per pound

_Here are some of this week's produce deals:

Safeway (Pavilions, Vons)

Green, Red, Yellow or Orange Bell Peppers - $.99 each

Texas Sweet Onions - $.99 each

Green Onions – 2 for $.99

Radishes – 2 for $.99

Mangos - $.99 each

Kiwi Fruit – 3 for $.99

Safeway Farms Peeled Baby-Cut Carrots (1 pound) - $.99 each

Red Delicious Apples - $.99 per pound

Tomatoes on the Vine - $1.99 per pound

** Safeway also has Pantry Essentials Frozen Vegetables on sale for $.99 each this week.

 

NW Albertsons

Fuji Apples - $1.49 per pound

Strawberries (1 pound) – 2 for $5.00

Green Bell Peppers - $.69 each

Cantaloupe - $.89 per pound

Broccoli - $1.29 per pound

Red Grapefruit - $.69 each

Globe Seedless Grapes - $2.99 per pound

Mini Watermelon - $3.99 each

Cucumbers - $.79 each

Eat Smart Cut Vegetables (12 oz) - $1.99 each

Farm Stand Carrots (1 pound) - $.79 each

Cilantro - $.69 each

Celery - $.89 each

Yellow Onions (3 pounds) - $1.49 each

Strawberries (4 pounds) - $7.99 each

Farm Stand Russet Potatoes (10 pounds) - $2.99 each

Roma Tomatoes - $1.29 per pound

Red Delicious Apples - $.99 per pound

 

TOP Food & Drugs

Strawberries (1 pound) - $2.49 each

Pureheart Watermelon - $3.00 each

Mangos - $.79 each

Organic Girl Salad - $4.79 each

Yellow or White Corn – 10 for $7.00

Iceberg Lettuce - $.67 each

Tomatoes on the Vine - $.77 per pound

Apples (3 pounds, variety) - $2.98 each

Braeburn Apples - $.88 per pound

Fuji Apples - $.99 per pound

Granny Smith Apples - $.98 per pound

Red or Golden Delicious Apples - $.98 per pound

Pink Lady Apples - $1.48 per pound