Recipe: Mean Green Juice

Posted: March 5, 2012

There's something about that green.  It's electric, radioactive almost.  It just LOOKS healthy, right?  The good news is, it actually tastes amazing!  And I'm not just saying that.  So here it is, the only Kale success I know of so far: the Mean Green Juice! This is one of the primary juices featured in the Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead movie... and one I could drink almost every day!

Gather all your ingredients into a large bowl.

Here's my tip for prepping the lemons for juicing:  Instead of peeling, I basically just cut off the peel.  First cut off both ends to make the lemon sit still on a flat surface; then, start cutting off the peel.  Hardly any is wasted and it is WAAAAAAAAY easier/faster/cleaner than the traditional method of "peeling."

And then juice in the order mentioned above.  I find that the spinach really gums up the juicer, so it's better to do that last.  Picture on the left is the kale, cucumber, & parsley.  Then I empty out the juicer and do the second half (on the right) of apples, lemon, & spinach.

If you were only going to drink one juice for the rest of your life: this should be it!!

A few other things to note:

  • The better the juicer, the easier and quicker it is to juice.
  • BUT...you can start with a "cheap" juicer to test the waters.  (I started with Walmart's Black & Decker juicer for $29.92.  Then once I knew I wanted to do this more frequently, I upgraded to the Breville Juice Fountain for $99.99.)
  • Like juicing?  Check out my other juice recipes:  Homemade v8, Carbeeple (carrot, beet, apple), and Cucumber Melon!
  • You may just have your vegetable-hating-hubby begging for more... mean green juice.

{Mean Green Juice}

Description

Mean Green #2 - from the movie Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead.

Ingredients

6  
Stalks of Kale
2  
Cucumber
2  
Small Handfuls of Parsley
4  
Golden Delicious Apples
2  
Lemons (peeled)
2  
Small Handfuls of Spinach

Notes

I usually throw in an extra stalk or two of Kale for good measure.  I figure if I'm going to drink a healthy Kale drink, I might as well make it even MORE healthy while I'm at it!

Instructions

Juice in the order above.  Then, sip/enjoy!

Yields 40 Ounces

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Comments

Submitted by V - March 6, 2012 - 4:05pm

can you put kale in protein shakes?

Submitted by kelly - March 6, 2012 - 6:27pm

I say you should try it and let me know :) I tried to make a Blueberry Kale shake a few days ago in my Breville blender... and it tasted AWFUL. It couldn't get the kale into small enough pieces to make it drinkable. It was just like chunks of green seaweed in my drink... yuck!

Submitted by Carol - March 17, 2012 - 10:05am

You need a vitamix. We love ours! It liquifies just about anything - kale would be no match for its blades!

Submitted by Wendy - August 14, 2012 - 3:44pm

It can even grind wood blocks into Sawdust not recommended as it destroys the pitcher, but the sheer power mine is ancient, so old they no longer have gaskets for it, but still works like a champ, also loving my new Omega O2 Juicer!

Submitted by V - April 12, 2012 - 4:27pm

Thanks for your guest posts on Fit Foodie Finds -- I just had to check out your Mean Green Juice. Yum! I make an almost identical juice but also add ginger and beets. Lately I've been swapping the one apple for a pear. Try it with beet and let me know what you think!

Submitted by Mom-to-mom - May 5, 2012 - 3:23pm

Finally got my juicer - yah! Tried this juice today and I agree it is pretty darn tasty. Tried Carbepple yesterday but am not sure if i like that one or not. Figure that because I did not have enough carrots maybe that is why it tasted so much like beets, so will try it again another day. Surprisingly my husband really liked it and he doesn't even care much for beets!

I bought the same juicer as you (didn't even realize this until it arrived!) and am wondering if you ever have a trickle of juice running down the sides below the handle? I didn't have the problem yesterday but I noticed it today.

Submitted by Wendy - May 21, 2012 - 4:22pm

Had this Mean green juice this morning for breakfast it too was delish, although mine was bit more fibrous, as I have a Vitamix so everything is in it, skins fiber and all, I had to add some water to thin it into a drink form, but it was good. Think I'll try Pink lady apples (my other new FAV) next time, the G. Delicious seemed a bit lacking in flavor. Guess I'm spoiled with the Pink Ladies.

Submitted by April - June 11, 2012 - 5:46pm

I'm having this with dinner for day 3 of reboot. I am having a bit of an issue with juicing kale. Maybe because I did it last? Hardly any juice is being extracted. Did you have this problem with the cheap juicer? Thanks!

Submitted by kelly - June 11, 2012 - 5:49pm

1) Kale's not very juicy, but potent... so don't expect too much kale juice 2) ALWAYS juice the kale first!! (you want the juicer to be able to work the hardest getting every little drop out of the kale, and it can't do that when it's "gummed up" with pulp from the other fruits/veggies).

Submitted by April - June 11, 2012 - 7:02pm

Ok, so now I know :-) I improvised and just re-ran the pulp through the juicer a few times.

Submitted by John Cook - July 9, 2012 - 12:08pm

I tried this recipe today, my first "juicing" ever. Very tasty! I was surprised that it yields nearly 2 quarts of juice.

I believe I have the same juicer (Breville BJE200XL "Compact"). I was able to run everything through in 1 batch.

Submitted by Gina - July 19, 2012 - 1:18pm

I love this juice and so do my 3 kid's, ages 12, 11 & 4 and husband! Just a little tip when juicing greens. Put your apple in first and then bunch up the greens and sandwich them in between another apple and you will get more green juice that way.

Thanks for all the great recipes!

Submitted by Mean Green Juice - July 25, 2012 - 4:39am

I can dig it, I love fresh green juice.

Submitted by Balu - July 28, 2012 - 8:00pm

How do you guys get fresh cale all year long? Here in Germany it is a classic winter vegetable because it needs some freezing to not be bitter anymore.

Submitted by Elizabeth - September 2, 2012 - 6:01pm

I know :-( .... I have the same problem....i can´t find the kale :-(

Submitted by Donna - August 14, 2012 - 3:16pm

Just had your mean green juice for the first time the other day and LOVED it. It was my first attempt at using my new juicer. Have never juiced before but I can see this becoming a healthy habit for me. Thanks for this recipe!

Submitted by kelly - August 14, 2012 - 7:22pm

That's wonderful! Thanks for sharing this :) And you're right - it's all about making it a healthy habit.

Submitted by Amy G - August 17, 2012 - 11:20pm

I loved reading about your "mean green juice" but for those who are a little skeptical about eating all of that green right away, may I make a suggestion:

Amy's smoothie (For those faint of heart for too much green)
Serves: 3-4

2-4 large handfuls of kale (I buy local)
2 handfuls of baby spinach
one celery stalk

Now, the fruit
1 lemon wedge (rind and seeds removed)
1 lime wedge (rind and seeds removed)
1 ripened banana
1 locally grown apple (Sansas are timely right now)
1/2 C to a 1 C frozen berries (no need for ice) or if using fresh, do add ice
1 kiwi
1 peach (optional)
1/2 C organic unfiltered apple juice

I use a KitchenAid blender and blend all of that together on food processor strength or puree for several minutes.

Submitted by Jon - February 7, 2013 - 6:36am

Just tried this for the first time. AMAZING! I usually hate Kale with a passion, but magically this all works. Yum.

Submitted by kelly - February 8, 2013 - 5:31pm

Glad you liked it :) It may just be your gateway into loving kale...haha. You should try my Citrus Kale Salad sometime too...it is excellent.
Submitted by Maria - March 1, 2013 - 8:34am

A friend at work came across your page and referred it to me. My daughter Payton (11) and I just made your Mean Green juice - it is delish!! Thanks for sharing your recipes, your heart and your journey!

Submitted by kristen - March 7, 2013 - 12:36am

thanks for the recipe and tips! i was confused, though because it sounds like you juiced half, emptied the juicer, and then juiced the other half of the ingredients. so then did you mix those two together? i thought you were supposed to juice everything all together? sorry, i'm new to juicing :) thanks!

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