Day 25: 

Juice: Grape Ape

Grape Ape:
3 Apples
1 Bunch of Grapes
1 Nectarine

This is my first time juicing grape. Grape Juice is an iconic grade school juice like Apple, but I had never tried making grape juice before. (Obviously, I make apple juice all the time, since it is the base for most juice recipes.)
It was delicious and a beautiful color (though you can't really tell from my picture).

When I was a kid I had a love hate relationship with grapes. Mainly because I had to mow our fourteen acre farm and concord grapes - the native grape species - grew their way all over our property. I would battle them and their woody vines all summer long with an ancient lawn mower and a rusty pair of bush shears.

Inside, I would enjoy their sweet tartness by the handfuls, but outside it was grape guts everywhere. No mercy. Give them an inch and next summer they'd take a mile. A amicable resolution has not yet been reached...it is a war that is still being fought. (Some may wish to refer to it a 'police action'- to each his own).

Needless to say, Grapes are worthy opponents, but even better allies (ain't that always the way). Grapes, though small, are crammed full of nutritional benefits (good things come in small packages). Worlds Healthiest Foods has provided a list of Grapes phytonutrient content:

"While a single grape variety is unlikely to contain all of the phytonutrients listed below, grapes as a group have been shown to provide us with the following health-supportive nutrients:

• Stilbenes
  • resveratrol
  • piceatannol
  • pterostilbene
• Flavanols
  • catechins
  • epicatechins
  • procyanidins
  • proanthocyanidins
  • viniferones
• Flavonols
  • quercetin
  • kaempferol
  • myricetin
  • isorhamnetin
• Phenolic Acids
  • caffeic acid
  • coumaric acid
  • ferulic acid
  • gallic acid
• Carotenoids
  • beta-carotene
  • lutein
  • zeaxanthin

In addition to the above-listed nutrients, grapes have also been shown to contain the hormone and antioxidant melatonin as well as unique oligopeptides (small protein-like molecules) that have anti-bacterial and other properties." (Source)

Woah, right! Now, I know that is a list of a lot of words you may not know the meaning of, but the key thing to take away from this is...to mix it up. Look for other varieties at the store and mix 'em all up. 

But also, this astounding list of nutrients means grapes can benefit "cardiovascular system, respiratory system, immune system, inflammatory system, blood sugar regulating system, and nervous system. Another area of special benefit is cancer prevention, with risk of breast, prostate, and colon cancer emerging as the most likely areas of grape anti-cancer benefits." (Source)

So, It turns out this grade school favorite made the list for good reason, so just 'cause you aren't in school anymore doesn't mean you can't enjoy a little blast from the past!

Emotional Lifestyle:

Sometimes as a nanny/babysitter I have a hard time believing I, essentially, get paid to play.

 

This is how I spent my Thursday. I build a block castle. 11 month old baby is the wrecking ball. I build another. Repeat.

It is civilization in fast forward...............................or a really bad habit for preschool.

Day 6:  

Juice: Apple Blush

Apple Blush:

3 Apples
1 Nectarine
8 Strawberries

This is the first time I have made this juice and...wow. It was amazing. I made it first thing this morning before for I had to run and it was a wonderful pick me up! Fruity and smooth (due to the nectarine). Yum-zo!

Two new ingredients! What's a nerdy, nutrition obsessed girl to do! I choose Nectarine.

I never knew the difference between a Peach and a Nectarine until I researched for this blog post.
It is the fuzz and the coloring. Other than that they are pretty much the same. It is theorized that the Peach is formed from dominant genes, while the Nectarine is formed from recessive. (Document on Peach & Nectarine Genetics). It may not surprise you to learn that this fruit originated in China and were brought to America by European colonists. Imagine that.

Besides being the delicious cousins (I think more like sisters actually) of Peaches, Nectarines are rich in Beta-carotene (Definition), Vitamin C, and a bunch of other minerals. The consumption of Beta-carotene has been shown to decrease the risk of "asthma symptoms caused by exercise; to prevent certain cancers, heart disease, cataracts, and age related macular degeneration (AMD); and to treat AIDS, alcoholism, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, epilepsy, headache, heartburn, high blood pressure, infertility, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, and skin disorders including psoriasis and vitiligo." (Source). I like that list.

So, adding beta-carotene rich fruits (Nectarine and Strawberries) to our photo-nurient full apple juice bumps the health benefits up, while providing a sweet morning treat.

Emotional Lifestyle:

So, I've never really been to a wedding. I went to my kindergarden teacher's wedding and one of my father's employees wedding. That has been it...in 25 years. People always complain about how much work it is and all that, but me I've just been waiting to go.

Today was my lucky day because one of my very favorite  people here in New York asked me to be one of her bridesmaids! I am excited!

I am mainly excited to see how real wedding work. I only know about weddings from movies and if they are true depictions than something disastrous is going to happen, the mother-in-laws will get into a fist fight, someone will interrupt the service confessing their undying love for either bride or groom, drunken friends will confess sleeping with either bride or groom, bride or groom with run off (probably to the airport to chase down their real true love) and rice will be thrown (though I know it is illegal in some states or counties).  I hope NONE of that happens.

So, I am looking forward to a long boring day of hairspray, happiness and celebration.
I'll let you know if it lives up to the hype.