**REVIEW** Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor

With all the talk I did about not falling into the trap of New Year resolutions before I dive into this review, I have to explain that I'm not being a hypocrite. I had been planning on and saving up for this purchase for about 3 months now. By the way, this right here is what I'm talking about:

That's the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor (model 67601A). It clocked in at $55 and was just smack dab on budget for me. I started saving back in the middle of September when I realized I was not eating as well as I could be. Also, I was buying my juices from Hyvee at crazy prices. It's not easy to find a good variety of healthy juices around here but it is fairly easy to find fresh fruits and vegetables, even in the dead of winter. Hurray for living in the Food Belt of the country. Anyway, let's talk about this HBBME.

When I started looking for the juicer, I wasn't stuck on getting a juicer. I thought about getting a good blender. I mean, I could see the benefit of doing juices or smoothies. What finally tipped it for getting a juicer is that I can do juices or smoothies with the HBBM. All I need to do is add back some of the pulp or use my stick blender to emulsify some fruit and veggies to add to the juice. (And I have to brag a little about the Ovente blender I got about 5 years ago from Walmart. That thing is a workhorse. I have used it almost every day since I got it and it has never given me trouble.)

Once I decided on a juicer, I had to find one that fit my "wants" and my budget. I wanted something with a decent motor and a large chute. It would be great if it wasn't too loud since I do live in an apartment. My budget meant that I would need to stay under a reasonable dollar amount if I wanted to actually make the purchase sometime in the next 6 months or so.

The HBBM fit all the wants but quite a few reviewers said that it was loud. I kept looking and kept coming back to the HBBM. Finally, I decided to take a chance because it was the only one I could finally afford that wasn't refurbished. I figured that as long as it didn't sound like a small aircraft taking off, I would be okay and just use it before too late in the evening.

So far, I am really happy with the juicer. It is nowhere near as loud as I expected from some of the reviews I read. I learned that if I put a padded placemat underneath while running it, the sound really isn't any louder than a large blender. As for everything else, I am super happy.

I hate raw celery. Easier to drink it than chew it.

I have been juicing celery, carrots, and beets with the HBBM. It works fast and it really juices well. When I empty the pulp after carrots, I notice that it's basically dry as sawdust. The celery pulp was a little wetter and I experimented with running the pulp back through the juicer. I got a little more juice but nothing significant enough to warrant the hassle. The first thing I tested it with was a little orange that was about as old as Methuselah and the HBBM got about a quarter cup of juice out of it. Oranges, however, are not my thing. I can always buy orange juice but beet juice is not something I can find around here so easily. Would the HBBM be able to handle that? The product page indicated that it could but I needed to know for sure.

When I grocery shopped, I only got a couple of stalks of beets. They aren't too expensive but they aren't something I would use outside of juicing. If the HBBM let me down, I didn't want to be stuck with messy, clothes-staining vegetables. Now I wish I had gotten a few more stalks. That juicer didn't even change gears when I threw in pieces of the beet.

Another thing I like about this juicer: it is really easy to clean. Okay, that mesh bowl is a little bit of a pain to clean but it helps that a brush came with the HBBM. I basically just soak that part in warm and soapy water while I'm rinsing the other pieces.

As far a the size of the juicer, it's not tiny but once you detach everything from the base, it's easy enough to store on top of a fridge or in a small-ish pantry. Mine is currently in the dishwasher so here is the diagram from the manual showing how the HBBM breaks down.

I have to say that, so far, I am more than happy with this juicer. It was at the bottom as far as prices for one with an 800-watt motor. I would not have been surprised if it had been a loser. Thank goodness it's not. If this last me more than a year, I will be more than happy.

Right now, I have some fresh celery and carrot juice to blend in with some of the apple juice I made the other day. I can also add in a little coconut milk and monk fruit sweetener if I want.

By the way, I am vac-sealing and freezing juices. I understand that this is the best way to keep them fresh for the longest period of time and I have to buy when things are on sale.

Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** Juice & Smoothie Blends

Since I have been faithful about going to the gym, I'm losing pounds and inches faster than I expected. I think part of the weight loss is due to the better eating habits I'm practicing.

Juicing (or "smuicing" for those who also enjoy smoothies) is a great way to balance out my nutrition while trying to lose or maintain weight. The hardest  part of it all is just like with any kind of diet (or lifestyle  change), and that is variety.

I have no problem eating right for months and months. I do tend to get bored with my healthy choices of nutrition. So... I try not to get bored.

With the new - and very affordable - juicer I've had for a couple of weeks, I can change up from smoothies to juices just by rotating two appliances.

        

Juices are easier for me than smoothies. Here are my latest recipes:

Tropical Blend

Pineapple
Mandarin Oranges
(Can add a little bit of lemon if you want)

Blood Pressure Blend

Beets
Carrots
Apple (for more sweetening)

Workout Refresher Blends (for after the gym)

Celery + Ginger + Cucumber + Oranges

Beets + Apples

Cucumber + Oranges

Blend for Snacktime

Ginger
Cucumber
Apple

Someone mentioned to me that adding a little bit of cayenne to my juices could help rev the metabolism. I want to try it, but I have no tolerance for even mild heat. I might try adding cinnamon to a blend, but I haven't yet.

Another thing about juices vs smoothies: to help replenish the fiber lost from juicing, I like to add back in to the juice some of the pulp that the juicer discards. This means having to shake the pulp around in the juice so that it doesn't all sink, but it's worth it and doesn't really bother me as far as taste.

If anyone has any suggestions for juices or smoothies, feel free to email me.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** BLACK+DECKER 400-Watt Fruit & Vegetable Juice Extractor

As you read this review, keep in mind that I just used it for the first time today**. Later on, after more use, I will come and update the review if need be.

This is the Black and Decker 400-watt Fruit & Vegetable Juice Extractor:

When I first saw it at the store, the first thought I had was, "How good can a $35 juicer be?" I also wondered why it was labeled as a "juice extractor" rather than just a "juicer".

Out of the box, this was easy to set up. The only thing I had to do was remove the cup from inside the pulp container.

Let me stop here and explain why I even wanted a juicer.

As you all know by now, I flip flop when it comes to taking care of myself. I go through stages of watching my nutrition and exercising better sometimes than I do other times. I'm going through one of my upswings. Going to the gym and losing weight, yada yada ya.

In addition to eating better, I'm also more conscience of my overall health. High blood pressure runs in my family. I had HBP when I weighed 97 pounds so all the weight loss and exercise isn't going to cut it. However, excersizing does help (mainly because I think it relieves stress) and I recently heard that drinking beet juice helps a bit. Well, I love beet juice. I don't love the price of beet juice, so... I decided that juicing my own would be better.

I still use my blender to do smoothies but I tend to go overboard with smoothies. I can't just do a simple fruit and veggie protein drink. I go all Guy Fieri and start adding something from every food group until I end up with something that looks like a drunken dessert.

Juicing is simpler. I do what I did tonight with the Black and Decker: chop up some beets, carrots and maybe an orange, then store it in a quart container to drink off of for a week. I have to say that the Biotta beet juice that I've bought is slightly sweeter than my homemade. which is why I added carrots and tangelos to the blend. Now mine is not only cheaper but even better than the store bought juice! Ha.

Here is my video of my first use of this:

So. On to the pros and cons of this juicer. By the way, the model number is JE2200B.

PROS:

• Easy to assemble (and disassemble for cleaning)
• Easy to clean (the strainer is only part that I had to use a sponge on)
• Smaller sized for tighter counter spaces
• Not too loud. (as you can see/hear for yourself in the video)
• Juices beets, carrots and oranges without leaving over un-juiced chunks in pulp
• Pulp comes out really dry (so I assume I got maximum juice extraction)
• It's just under $35

CONS:

• Cup to hold juice doesn't attach to juicer (can get pushed around)

Seriously, that's the worse thing I can come up with as a negative. This wouldn't be a big deal with most fruits and veggies, but for the beets (which stain everything), I put a plastic bag under the cup and juicer just to catch drips and spurts.

I read a bunch of the Amazon reviews (even though I purchased mine at Walmart) and I disagree (so far) with any of the negative ones. Of those complaining, most reviewers focused on the fact that they had to cut up their fruits and veggies or that the machine "clogged", etcetera. In my opinion, for this type of smaller (in size) juicer and with the 400-watt motor, I'd expect to have to do some prep. Matter of fact, some years ago, I had a very expensive juicer that didn't do as good a job as this one. With that one, I could drop in big chunks of stuff but I didn't get the dryer pulp and the cleanup was a nightmare.

Tonight I got a almost a quart of juice from 6 beets, 10 carrots and 2 tangelos (I've been drinking from it already, so...):

Drank about 15 ounces of my fresh juice! Delish!

Like I said, for the price (which equals about 5 of the 16-ounce bottles of Biotta brand beet juice), if this gets me through the rest of winter, I have saved quite a bit of money. Plus, I'm doing something good for myself.

Peace

--Free

**I wrote this review last night before bed. Posting it today, so... ya know.

**REVIEW** Priority Chef Citrus Squeezer

Okay, this is a product that was out of my normal range of items to review. I wanted to try it though because of my healthier eating habits. I've discussed before how I do a lot of juicing to get a good intake of fruits and vegetables. My blender is awesome for when I want to do a large amount of juicing, but I don't always want a large amount of what my nephew likes to call "mulch". (Yes, he does think he's funny.)

Because I do my juicing in the blender on a sort of two-weeks-a-month schedule (and do a non-"mulch" diet the rest of the time), I wanted something for the times when I only want a cupful of juice. Sometimes, we ladies at the house just need enough lemon or lime juice for a recipe. Never mind that those "recipes" usually involve tequila and salt! Ha.

Enter this handy gadget:

Sturdy piece of equipment

That's the Priority Chef Citrus Squeezer that you can find on Amazon. (Keep that in mind for later...)

First thing I thought when I opened up the box was that the squeezer was bigger than I expected. And really sturdy. It's stainless steel so there's nothing flimsy about it - which is a good thing because it's large enough to handle larger-sized lemons, limes and even small oranges.

A standard tape dispenser for scale

By the way, the box it comes in is perfect for gift-wrapping. And I know a lot of folks who need this for their fresh drinks, I mean, juices.

At first, I thought this was tiring to use until someone let me know I was holding it all wrong! This might be silly of me to admit, but this is the first manual juicer I've ever used. It took me a couple tries to get the hang of holding it correctly but, once I did, I managed to ring enough juice from one lime to handle more than a few drinks! Seriously. And no more tiring out my hands like before. Duh. What's kind of cool is that it's not messy - I had expected. I've watched other people use juicers that drip everywhere. This one totally inverts the fruit and with that deep-dip design, all the juice runs into the measuring cup.

I can see some of the lushes in my family putting this to a lot of use. Meanwhile, I will maintain my healthier habits... Heh heh. At any rate, the stainless steel design is going to be great for tossing this in the dishwasher without worrying about rust and wear.

Now, here's a nice little extra for you readers: You can go over and get a $7.00 discount if you use this code to order on Amazon. That's courtesy the nice folks at Priority Chef. Cool, huh? Here's the code for your $7.00 coupon: CITR7OFF

Enjoy and don't drink too much "juice"! LOL

Peace
--Free

 DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** The Detox is ON!

 Okay, so I'm not juicing my food so much as liquefying it. 

Because I am closer to being homeless than I am to living the high life, I had to do a lot of research and comparison shopping before I settled on what type of appliance to purchase. Thanks to a really good friend (Hi, Perry), I was gifted with fifty bucks toward the buy. Here are the products I considered (and why I didn't choose any of them):

Magic Bullet - Too plastic, too many parts & pieces, yet not enough power for constant heavy-duty use. (Sounds like I'm talking about a whole other type of "magic", doesn't it!) Besides the lack of power, I really couldn't be bothered with making space for, or keeping track of, all those dang parts. It is cute though.

Magic Bullet $50 - $60 (250 watts)

NutriBullet - Had better wattage at 600, but for that much money, it should. Besides, I read too many reviews about leaks, rusting, cracking and - my pettest of peeves: poor customer service and contact. Also... plastic! I'm not real fond of anything plastic when it comes to using long-term use of anything coming in contact with my food. Pro: comes in a variety of cute colors. Add to cons: too many parts.

NutriBullet around $100

Ninja - I would've have run when I saw the price but I felt too faint to move fast. This baby can go for $100 to $260 and up. I wasn't able to run, but I sure as hell got away fast enough not to notice whether or not this one had color options. I did notice that it packs 1000 watts at the low end model. I don't know about wattage for the higher end ones. At 260 bucks, I don't really care.

Ninja. 1000 watts at the lower end

Vitamix - If I felt faint looking at the price on a Ninja, I damn near puddled right to the floor when I saw the (gasp) $440 tag on this monster.The product service plan of $45 is what I had to spend when I walked in the store. Don't ask about the wattage. For this price level, that bitch would have to run my car before I'd buy it.  For the price, I could hire a personal chef for an eighth of an hour.

Pro: not many parts. They probably cost another arm...

I heard about another blender that runs around playing in the 600-dollar range. I left it playing and kept my ass in the world of the real. I won't even mention that madness. If you pay $600 for anything that doesn't cook, clean or sleep with you at night, you better be friends with Oprah or Bill if you don't want people waiting for you fall on your financial face. Hah!

Annnny-way...

I had fifty bucks, health on my mind, and a need for power. I found this for $40 and spent another $5 for a 2 year repair/replacement warranty:

Farberware 4-speed digital at 800 watts.

Chile, I almost stepped on a woman's foot trying to snatch that bad-boy off the shelf.

Single-serve cup attachment

I'll probably never use it with the blender, but that single-serve cup is perfect for packing with me on my errands.

An 800-watt motor, stainless still facing, and a glass jar. Perfection. (The travel cup is plastic but... whatever.)

The Pros: Easy set-up (once I decided not to bother with the travel cup), not a bunch of pesky pieces to deal with, and it's very sturdy, and powerful but not very loud. LOVE that not-loud part since I have a bitchy upstairs neighbor and a room mate who wastes every hour of the day in front of the living room television set...

The Cons: That freaking travel cup. I couldn't take the hassle of changing out between it and the glass jar.

I like that I don't have to monitor it while it's blending. It has a very cool way of stopping and restarting so as to let the contents settle for better blending. (Did that make sense???) 

The real test, of course, is how well it works. It does a super job. My first blend was one of carrots, kale, collards, spinach, turnip greens....

.... beets, strawberries, blueberries apples, banana and...

... about a cup of store-bought carrot juice I had left from last week.

Yeah. So.

That's a pretty crazy mix, but I'm a pretty crazy chick. I think I just got carried away with tossing in more stuff and watching the colors blend. It was fun until I realized I had 42 ounces of liquefied goodness that might taste like crap. So I squeezed in a little honey. 

The color: amazingly pretty. Sort of a beet-red/Prince-purple look. Gorgeous. Oh, wait - I was thinking of Prince. ~sigggggh~ But the juice was also gorgeous. The taste: deee-lisshus. Really. It was pretty thick, but pulp is what I wanted, which is why I decided on getting a blender instead a juicer. I don't want to pay all that money for produce to just toss out the best (and most nutritious?) part. Besides, I think that fiber won't hurt when it comes to filling me up and (ha ha) emptying me out. (Too much information? Sorry.)

I had 20 ounces to sip for my all-day meal and still have about 20 million ounces (kidding) left for the freezer. I'm going to have to see how freezing affects nutrients...

Anyway, I'll try to update here as I get through the coming weeks. My plan at the moment is to do an all- (or, mostly-) liquid intake for a month as a junk-food detox. Okay, it's really more about vanity. Summer will soon be here and I'd like to have my skin and hair ready for this round-the-clock Alaska sun that allows one to hide NOTHIN. 

Well, off to bed for me. I used up the last of my energy sucking down the rest of my "meal". 

Peace
--Free

(And because I just have  to post a reminder pic of GOALS)

You can do this chica!