There are countless variations of this juice recipe, but its core ingredients—super green fruits and vegetables—make it both nutritious and delicious. Packed with kale, cucumber, celery, green apples, ginger, and a squeeze of lemon, it’s a powerhouse drink. When I have spinach on hand, I like to add that too. This juice is excellent for detoxing the body and can support weight loss when used thoughtfully. Plus, superfoods like these are affordable, so there’s no reason not to give it a try!
Kale, Cucumber, Celery, Green Apples, Lemon and Ginger on a cutting board.
Detox and Weight Loss
I’m no expert and I’ve only began to scrape the surface of juicing. I have, however, been incorporating into my diet for almost 10 months now. According to those flat belly experts, it’s impossible to have a healthy liver and be over weight. So, I have a Celery juice every single morning to start, to aid my liver.
Mean Green Juice benefits include Kale, which contains fiber, antioxidants, calcium, vitamins C and K, iron, and a wide range of other nutrients. I drink these on the weekends.
Cucumber hydrates the body and contains potassium and magnesium to support fluid balance. On a personal note, I recently passed my first and hopefully my last, Kidney stone. Hydration was one of the key ingredients to move that along. Cucumber may also clear up your skin and reduce your blood pressure. I’ve even been told that it helps to break up Gout.
Green Apples contain pectin, which is a fiber source that works as a prebiotic. This promotes the growth of healthy bacteria in your gut to help digestion. I’ve also heard that one apple is the equivalent of one cup of coffee, only better for you.
Ginger has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities. It also has a ton of other benefits that include easing digestion, calming nausea or motion sickness and aids the immune system to fight colds and congestion.
Lemon can ease a sore throat, help blood sugar and prevent kidney stones. It has cancer fighting benefits, aids weight loss and, once again, aids in digestion and clears up skin.
Juicer with a 24 oz measuring cup full of Mean Green Juice and a container full of pulp.
Juicer vs Blender
Juicing can waste many nutrients, If you’re separating the pulp. Some people, however, just can’t handle all of the fiber, using a blender. It’s all about personal preference. If you don’t have a juicer and only have a blender, don’t worry. Simply pour the juice through a mesh strainer and mash the pulp with a spatula to remove it.
Mean Green Juice video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.
Mean Green Juice Ingredients:
3 Celery Ribs 6 Kale Leaves 1 Cucumber 2 Green Apple 1 Lemon, 1 tbsp Ginger, approximately 1″ inch
Watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this Mean Green Juice. Also, I like to refrigerate this juice for a couple of hours first. Then give it a good stir before I drink it. It just tastes better that way, to me.
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Sangria Senorial, Spanish Red Wine bottle, Brandy and a glass and pitcher full of Berry Sangria.
The Best Sangria
I’ve written and posted a Sangria recipe previously before. That’s not to say that it isn’t the best for it’s genre but that recipe is entirely different, in essence, compared to this one. That Sangria recipe, was a Peach Sangria and it is amazing. This, however, reprises ingredients that make up the general flavors in a particular Mexican soft drink called, “Sangria Senorial”. I’ve included a berry medley in this Sangria recipe to make it different yet full of fruit and fresh flavor, still. Though Sangria is traditionally served with similar ingredients, this recipe is very different and, in my opinion, this is the best sangria.
1 50.7 fl oz bottle of Sangria Senorial.
Sangria Senorial
I don’t think that most of you are aware of my previous work history, experience and/or previous background because I’ve only shared bit’s and pieces from post to post. I am a certified welder and crane operator, among many other things. The point I’m trying to make is that this drink, Sangria Senorial, was on the food trucks that would visit the construction sites and jobs that I’ve worked on for over 20 years. As you may or may not know, many of these food trucks are owned and operated by Hispanics so, I’ve eaten my fair share of Mexican food over the years. This drink, in particular, was usually among the soda selections and one of my favorites to drink with my lunch. It’s a sparkling non-alcoholic Sangria with natural and artificial flavorings or soda. This drink has heavily influenced the way I’ve decided to write this recipe. It’s not the same, by any means, but it does have similar properties but with Alcohol, instead.
1 750 ml bottle of Anciano Reserva 2013 Spanish Red Wine.
Sangria Red Wine
Since Sangria originates from Spain and Portugal, it’s only fitting to use a Spanish red wine so, I picked up this cheap $10 dollar bottle of wine from my state liquor store for this recipe. You may or may not know that I make my own wine and I teach you how to do it as well. But, as I mentioned, for the purposes of this recipe, I felt that it was fitting to use a Spanish Red Wine but, you use what you have. I know that some folks recommend darker wines like a Pinot Noir. Personally, I think that it makes sense to use dry burgundies because Sangria is deluded down and sweetened with so many other ingredients, including fruit, that the balance comes together perfectly.
Berry Sangria bottled ingredients.
Berry Sangria Ingredients:
3 cup Red Wine, 1 750 ml bottle 2 cups Dr Pepper 12 oz Mike’s Hard Lemonade 1/2 cup Simple Syrup 1/4 cup triple Sec 1/4 Cherry shnapps 1/4 cup Brandy 1 lbs Frozen Berry Medley, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries & strawberries
Follow the instructions in the Berry Sangria Video Tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this fruity wine beverage.
Full 36 Bottle wooden wine wrack against a small wall in my kitchen.
The Easiest Way to Bottle and Store Wine
This is the Fourth installment to my “How to make Wine” video and blog post series. If you’ve missed the other posts and video tutorials, refer to the link above to get caught up. So far we’ve gone through the “Primary Stage” and the “Secondary Stage” of wine making. We also spent some time with Clarifying your wine and now I’m going to teach you the easiest and best ways to bottle and store your homemade wine.
The amzchef Juicing machine.
Sponser’s for this Post
I was approached by a marketing department to advertise a few products for them. I only agreed to help them because these are directly related to the wine making and storing process.
In the first video of this series, I mentioned that it wasn’t a good idea to blend your fruit but a juicer could be used. So, I looked into this Juicer and it’s exactly what you need for a higher juice yield, when you’re making wine.
This particular machine uses an auger, much like an auger in a meat grinder. Fruit is dropped through the top until it reaches the re claimer and the the auger takes over by feeding and pressing the fruit into the juicer; which separates the pulp from the juice. Both of which are still needed to make your wine so, DO NOT throw the pulp out. Just add them to the bucket the way I demonstrated, in that first wine making video, using the press.
You can purchase one of these Juicer’s HERE using this temporary 20% off Discount code: CX37QTNA
I also received a BODEGA wine cooler from the same marketing group. Again, I’m waiting for the links and discount codes for it as well but, these refrigeration units are ideal for anyone that doesn’t have a basement or a wine cellar; where it’s most often cooler than the rest of the house.
Anyone that can’t afford those kinds of luxuries can possibly find it worth their while to pick up a unit like this to store their wine instead. These units maintain an efficient and stable environment, for wine, set at an exact and constant temperature and runs on only 95 watts of power.
Dark and light wines will vary with different temperatures and your personal tastes will, of course, play a roll in that but this cooler, in particular, ranges between 41° and 68° Fahrenheit in the settings. Warmer temperatures can be set for the red wines and colder chills for the whites.
Personally, I don’t buy wine. I make it. Wine can be very expensive to buy but, in my opinion, it doesn’t make my wine-making any less valuable and it’s worth protecting. I put a lot of work into my process and there’s nothing more valuable in this world than time.
If you’re not into wine or making wine, clearly something like this doesn’t make sense for you. But, if you’re like me and you’re really finding the joy in picking up a hobby like this, that you can enjoy all year long, a wine cooler can really protect your investment.
You can purchase this Wine Cooler HERE with this temporary 20% off discount code: BSLX-77LMQT-CVG9AT
PMGK Homemade wine, bottled and stacked on wine racks in a wine cooler.
Bottling and Storing
In this tutorial, I show you how to bottle wine from a 1 gallon carboy to 750 ml wine bottles. I demonstrate how to siphon and cork the wine using a cheap wine siphon and a Portuguese wine corker. I show you how easy it is to spruce up your bottles with cheap pvc shrink wrap and labels. I also advise you on the type of conditions and environment that is more suitable for wine by demonstrating the use of a wine cooler.
You need to know, however, the proper temperatures that each wine should be properly stored. Though, it would be nice to have a cool basement, a wine cellar or, indeed, a wine cooler like the one I’m advertising, sometimes none of these things are practical. So, let’s dive into next best practice’s.
Dark places are you’re best friend when it comes to the preservation of wine. This means under desks, in corners or closets. Even boxed up will make all the difference. Light, sunlight, in particular, will destroy the wine. That’s why most wines are placed in dark green or brown bottles and wine coolers are made with double pane smoked glass, for protection.
Vibration or constant movement needs to be avoided and heat. So, a basement may be dark and humid for your wine, but if it’s being stored near a furnace or heater, you’re going to quickly ruin your wine. Also, placing a wine cooler in a garage to store your wine, is another bad idea.
Wine bottling, corking and labeling materials for properly storing wine.
Most garage’s lack insulation and, in the Spring, Summer and Fall months, can quite possibly be warmer than any other room in your house. Though you may be thinking,”Hence, the refrigerator”, it’s a bad idea and here’s why.
A compressor will be constantly battling the temperature of the garage to maintain the temperature of your wine. A 30° variance will make your cooler work harder and quite possibly blow the motor, void the warranty and, most likely, ruin you’re wine before you even discover it.
Wine bottles should be stored on their sides. Everyone knows this but do they know why? It keeps the cork wet which in turn keeps it expanded for a tighter fit. The last thing you need is oxygen slipping into your wine and turning it into vinegar.
Any wine should be stored at a minimum of 70° Fahrenheit and much lower for some reds and most white wines and or champagne. 55° F is a nice happy medium and the average temp many red wines should be stored at. 41° F on up is optimal for most light wines and, of course, your own personal tastes will be a factor as well. Many of the tannin’s in darker wine’s can effect the flavor if they’re not stored at the right temperatures so, you can refer to this chart if you’re worried about it.
Wine Serving Temperature Chart
How to make Wine part 4 – Bottling and Storing Wine video tutorial by PoorMansGourmetKitchen
