Thoughts on Juices

My 12 year old niece has always been a water junkie. Whenever we eat out or are just eating at home her beverage of choice is water. I have always been impressed with that by the sheer fact that I just never have really loved water. When our pediatrician recommended introducing fluids (aside from breastmilk) to MJ I automatically thought that water was the best option. I still hold firm to that and the majority of what he drinks (when he decides he wants to) is water.

However, there is still the matter of juice. I had worked really hard to make sure that MJ's palate wasn't geared toward sweet snacks more than savory and I thought juice would just become a problem. Also add in the fact that the juices in the infant aisle all looked suspect. I settled on some natural organic pear juice and halved it with water, but I still wasn't completely satisfied.

This week I stumbled upon the answer. While indulging in a Valentine's Day feast with my dear friend and MJ at my favorite restaurant, Everlasting Life, we were served by THE best juice barista (barista might not be the right word, but the point is she was amazing). After our initial orders from the juice bar she kept doling out new concoctions to us, each one better than the last.

She then looked at MJ and said, "I bet he would love some too," as MJ smacked his lips at us. She then proceeded to juice him some spinach, an apple and a carrot in a small cup. He gulped it down happily and demanded more. Why hadn't I thought of it before?

I recently purchased my first juicer with the intention of adding a mid-morning juice to my meals and increase my vegetable intake, but never even thought that I could also juice for MJ AND increase his vegetable intake too.

MJ's First Homemade Juice: Swiss Chard, Cabbage, Collard Greens, Romaine Lettuce, Carrot, Apple, Ginger Root (& he loved it!)





I still plan on encouraging water as his principal beverage of choice, but I am no longer opposed to giving MJ a couple ounces of my morning juice.