It all started with Jack Lalanne. I was in a hotel room, flipping through the channels while waiting for Mr. B and I landed on the always-running informercial for a Jack Lalanne juicer. My thumb paused over the remote as I watched Jack push an entire section of pineapple through the juicer in seconds flat. My stomach growled. Fresh pineapple juice sounded great. I continued to watch as the machine pulverized celery, melons, carrots, and anything else remotely edible stacked on the counter nearby. Mr. B walked in and asked, “What are you watching?” I replied, “I think we should get a juicer.”

A few months later, the infomercial gone but not forgotten, we stumbled upon a funky juice shack in Austin, Texas. Two delicious and refreshing juice drinks later we were full of energy and felt terrific. I told Mr. B “I could really get into this juicing thing.” Instead of rolling his eyes, Mr. B revealed that when he worked at Whole Foods in college, he would have a carrot orange ginger juice every day before work. Well that sealed it. As soon as I got home I started looking for a good juicer.

Basing my decision on hundreds of glowing Amazon reviews, along with features like a 700 watt motor with 14,000 rpm and an extra large feed tube, I ended up purchasing a Breville Compact Juice Fountain. When it arrived I set it out on my kitchen counter, wondering if it would be worth the loss of counter space or if it was a good intention that would just collect dust. Eight months and several dozen pounds of produce later, I am happy to report that it is worth the counter space.

The juicer makes short work of produce and best of all cleans up in a flash. Almost all of the parts can go straight into the dishwasher and are elegantly designed without annoying nooks and crannies that trap particles of produce. It comes with a little scrub brush that quickly cleans pulp from the very fine mesh filter and it can handle about 2 pounds of produce before you need to empty the pulp tray. The result is fresh juice in a matter of minutes- fast enough even for weekday mornings.

Following Mr. B’s lead, I have fallen for the liquid combination of carrots, oranges, and ginger. These three simple ingredients combine into the perfect balance of earthy, sweet, spicy, and tart. It is the best alternative to coffee I have found while pregnant, and gives me an energy boost that can’t be beat. Even better is that carrots and oranges are easy to buy in bulk and last for weeks in the fridge, making it easy to whirl up a fresh glass of juice whenever the mood strikes. When I read that Jack LaLanne died this week at 96, I knew that I owed him a big ‘thank you’ for his enthusiastic promotion of exercise and eating lots of fresh produce. This glass of juice is raised to you Jack.

Disclosure: This is not a paid or sponsored review. I purchased the juicer myself and am so happy with how it works that I decided to tell you about it. If you click on any of the Amazon links above and then buy something I will receive a small commission for the referral.

Carrot Orange Ginger Juice (Printable Recipe)
Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1 lb carrots, washed and ends trimmed
1 lb oranges, peels removed
1 oz ginger root, peeled

Special Equipment: Mechanical Juicer

Directions:
Process the carrots, oranges, and ginger root through the juicer following the manufacturer’s instructions. Spoon off and discard the foam on top if desired. Stir the juices to combine. Serve immediately.

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