Several years ago my husband came home with this crazy idea: let’s juice our foods! I honestly thought he was nuts, but I humored him. We picked up a cheap Oster juicer at the store just to try it out. He would come up with these concoctions and try to get me to try them, but I just wasn’t interested. A few weeks in I decided I would try it myself, and fell in love! The juices he’d make me tasted soooo good! Who knew carrots and pineapple could taste that good together?

Fast forward a few years and we are still juicing, some months more than others. We just recently finished up a big ten day juice cleanse (details to come soon!) and have decided to continue to juice five days a week, just to keep giving our bodies that extra boost of micronutrients and juice power. Both of us felt like our bodies–and especially our brains–had been switched on during the juice cleanse. It’s hard to explain, except to say we somehow felt like a switch had suddenly been turned on.

Tonight I was playing around and came up with my favorite concoction yet. (If I’m honest much of the “playing” came because we are almost out of produce and this was a combo of what we still have left. I need to hit the produce co-op tomorrow!) It has beets, sweet potato, carrots, pineapple and orange in it. It was SO yummy! Even my husband, who usually hates vegetables, loved it! The beets and the sweet potato gave it a hearty, sweet flavor; the pineapple lightened it up as did the carrots; and the oranges brightened it all with a little citrus kick. Everything blended together to be sweet, but not too sweet–with just a little citrus kick. Even better? The glass is so jam-packed with vitamins! Because of the beautiful sunset color and the power-packed combination of fruits and veggies, I’m calling this drink my Sunset Power Juice. Not only does it pack a powerful punch of vitamins, but the sweet potato lends it an earthy, starchy feel that really makes this feel like a full meal. You won’t be hungry after this one!

Isn’t it gorgeous? It tastes as good as it looks!

Sunset Power Juice

(makes two 19 oz servings)

Ingredients

• 1/2 pineapple
• 4 carrots
• 4 beets
• 2 oranges
• 1 large sweet potato

Slice and juice all of the ingredients in a juicer, then mix well. (If you don’t have a juicer you can use a blender to make this a smoothie.) You can drink this right away, but I prefer to chill mine in the freezer while I clean my juicer. It tastes even better cold!

Not only does this taste delicious, but it is filled with super foods! One glass gives you all these nutrients:

Beets are a superfood, well known to lower cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. They are power-packed with antioxidants, folates, vitamin C, B6, potassium, iron, zinc and magnesium.

Sweet potatoes are often overlooked as a health food, but a health food they most certainly are! Packed with more vitamin A than any other vegetable, they’re also loaded with immune boosting carotenoids! Just one glass of this juice has more than 200% of the daily RDA of vitamin A! Sweet potato juice is also loaded with iron, beta carotene, folate, calcium, potassium, vitamin E, vitamin C, and copper.

Carrots are well known as a health food, but their sweet goodness makes them a juicing superstar. It is rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, C, E and K. It is also a good source of proteins like riboflavin and thiamine; and anti-oxidants like alpha and beta-carotene.

Pineapple juice contains nearly 50% of the daily requirement for vitamin C intake. This helpful nutrient works to implement the use of vital enzymes within the body that regulate metabolism and energy conversion. Plus it’s chocked full of potassium, calcium, and high levels of B6.

Of course, you already knew oranges are one of the great health foods in the world, didn’t you? But did you know that beyond the powerful punch of vitamin c, that fresh orange juice is also loaded with vitamin A, B6, thiamin, folate, riboflavin and niacin?

One last tip: if you aren’t used to juicing citrus, check out this YouTube tutorial on how to quickly peel lemons, limes, oranges and any other citrus with a knife. It is soooo quick and easy!