Feeling a little worn out from the holidays?
The holidays are always so busy…with last-minute shopping, wrapping presents, work deadlines, staying up late to get it all in, baking cookies, cooking big dinners and breakfasts, Zoom calls to catch up with friends and family, and traveling.
Whew!!
Plus, we tend to indulge more in sugary treats and alcohol.
Because of all this, our stress hormone, cortisol, tends to spike and can throw our whole body out of whack.
Leaving us feeling depleted heading into the new year.
So, I thought I’d share with you my secret weapon to combat fatigue during this time (and really, all year).
It’s a homemade, energy-boosting juice that helps reduce cortisol, increase energy, and just helps me feel calmer overall.
Try having this with lunch or as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack instead of that mid-afternoon coffee. Continue to make this juice, and over time, you’ll feel your body naturally start to calm down and have that natural energy boost (without the jittery feeling from coffee) that you crave.
Ingredients*:
- 2 cups of ice and water
- 1 cup of frozen kale or 2 cups of fresh kale
- 1/4 cup of pomegranate juice
- 2 beets, peeled and quartered
- 3 stalks of celery
- 1/2 inch of fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 orange, peeled and quartered
Put all ingredients into the blender and slowly mix together. Once they are lightly blended, put the blender on high for 2 minutes.
The goal is to create a smooth texture. If you don’t have a super powerful blender, you may find that you need to blend longer than 2 minutes. If you have a Vitamix, BlendTec, or a Ninja, 2 minutes should be enough.
No need to strain out the pulp; just drink as is!
This makes 2 servings. Put half into the fridge to enjoy tomorrow and drink the other one now.
Every time I drink this juice, I feel a boost of natural energy to give me that boost that I need to get through the rest of the day without needing that afternoon coffee. At the same time, I feel calmer and more relaxed. So it helps me be more productive to get through the rest of the day.
So you might be asking – Why these ingredients for an energy boost?
It’s no secret that vegetables and fruits are packed full of nutrients and make amazing snacks, but they can take time to prepare. And when you make a juice, you taking that extra step to break down the food so your body has to do less work to get the nutrients into your system.
So not only would making this juice create more time, but it would also give you a TON of benefits in just a matter of minutes.
Specifically:
- Beets lower cortisol, which therefore calms our bodies down. They also are great for detoxification. Aiding detoxification naturally helps boost energy.
- Celery speeds the elimination of cortisol & lowers blood pressure. It is also rich in phthalides that relax muscles.
- Kale is the most powerful dietary antioxidant, per USDA ranking. Antioxidants protect our cells from damage.
- Pomegranate speeds the elimination of cortisol and lowers inflammation
- Oranges are rich in vitamin C, which lowers cortisol
- Ginger helps digestion, reduces inflammation, and improves immunity
As you can see, there are tons of great benefits from these ingredients!
I try to make this juice at least twice per week, which gives me four days of these amazing benefits. This is especially during stressful times like the holidays!
I hope this juice helps you feel more energized as we say goodbye (finally) to 2020 and hello to a fresh start in 2021!
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