Fresh Cantaloupe & Beet Juice

I hate to admit this, but I think I've fallen victim to bad reality television.

It all started about a month ago when I decided it was time to find out more about Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.  Three different people mentioned it to me within the same week and I figured it was worth checking out.  So I downloaded ABC's media player and began searching for episodes.  But ads for The Bachelorette kept popping up.

I'd heard of The Bachelor before, but The Bachelorette?  This sounded worse... and yet, somehow interesting.  I thought it would be really funny to watch five minutes.  Then five minutes turned into an hour.  I should have gotten out then, but I figured I might as well finish the episode.

And if you watch one episode?  Well, you might as well watch another, right?  That's how they get you.  You've been warned, my friend.

So every Monday night, there I sit on my couch... watching Ashley Hebert in her quest to find her true love and secretly rooting for her to pick JP.

The only thing that redeemed me last night was this juice.  I usually don't put fruit in my juice, but I was in the mood for something sweet and this fit the bill perfectly.  If you think you hate beets, I would definitely encourage you to try this because the sweetness of the melon complements the beet perfectly and gets rid of that "earthy" taste that tends to go along with beets.  If you're really nervous about the beet flavor, you can also leave out the beet greens or use a more mild green like spinach.  And if you're new to juicing, check out Vegetable Juice 101 for some basics.


Fresh Cantaloupe and Beet Juice
Serves 2 (or 1 giant juice just for you!)

3 medium beets
1/2 cup beet greens
1/2 cucumber
1 lemon, peeled
2 large sprigs of basil or 1 sprig of mint
1/4 of a medium cantaloupe, rind removed
1/2 cup watermelon, rind removed

Run the ingredients through your juicer.  Pour into a glass and enjoy.