Mother's Market

Almost every time fiancé and I visit our family in Orange County, we make a stop at Mother's Market on the way back. Mother's is a wonderful and homey-feeling (as the name suggests) group of grocery stores, offering fresh organic and natural foods. There are currently six Mother's stores and one on the way, and they're only located within Orange County. Oh, what I would give to have a Mother's in L.A.! Shopping here is such a treat, because the atmosphere is so welcoming, the staff is knowledgeable and helpful, and you never feel like you're in a big-box store. The prices and selection can't be beat, either; they have just about everything, and you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for it.

To better illustrate how lovely Mother's is, I gathered my favorite photos from their website. I tried to take some of my own with the iPhone, but it didn't go so well. So, as they're marked, all photos are courtesy of Mother's Market.

Mother's Market Irvine. Photo: Mother's Market

One of my favorite things about Mother's is all the wonderful produce. It's always so fresh and beautiful, and it's almost always organic. Check out these great pictures from Mother's website! 

Gorgeous Veggies! Photo: Mother's Market

Produce Aisle in Huntington Beach. Photo: Mother's Market

The health and beauty supply sections are so much fun to visit. They carry all sorts of pretty and natural products that I'm always so tempted to buy, as well as almost any vitamin or supplement that you can imagine. They have everything!

Huge Beauty Section! Photo: Mother's Market

My absolute tippy-top favorite part about Mother's, though, would have to be the juice bar and the restaurant. So much yum. The juice bar has tons of choices, and everything tastes amazing. Also, they list all the organic choices for you on a daily basis, so you can make an informed decision on what you want in your juice. The restaurant has a wide selection of dishes, with bunches of very well marked vegan options. You can't argue with that! I love their sandwiches, as well as the tofu piccata (obviously a favorite of mine). 

The Dining Area in Irvine. Photo: Mother's Market

A Delicious Sandwich! Photo: Mother's Market

We usually visit the Irvine location, but they're all wonderful. This weekend we took a trip to the Costa Mesa store, and were pleased as punch! The juice bar was great, the restaurant was huge, and there was a beautiful salad bar. So much fun. I can't wait to go back! 

Adventures in Juicing

Well, it's officially week two of Vegan MoFo 2010! I have been enjoying reading everyone's drool-worthy posts, and I just love finding so many new and wonderful vegan blogs. There are so many, and there is so much good content. If you haven't done some Vegan MoFo exploring, be sure to check out the list of blogs participating here.

I'm going to kick off week two with a new hobby that the fiancé and I have picked up: juicing. Juicing is not only fun and delicious, but it provides a great way for your body to get some much-needed nutrients. When juice is extracted from a fruit or vegetable, its healthy nutrients and enzymes remain with the juice. Excess fiber is discarded in the form of a pulp and can be used again to make broth or other soups. What makes juice so darn useful is its ability to deliver those nutrients and enzymes without that extra fiber. This way, the body can absorb as much of the healthful stuff as possible. It can be really hard to be healthy all the time, even when you're vegan, and juicing is a great way to inject some vitamins and minerals into your diet. Plus, juice tastes great!

Kale-Collard-Apple-Lemon-Carrot Juice

Fiancé and I recently invested in an Omega 8003 masticating juicer, and have been juicing almost daily since. I'm mostly addicted to the amazing flavors we've been able to produce, while fiancé is loving the huge nutritional boost it provides. It's a win-win situation. Last night, we made juice from kale, collard greens, carrots, apple, and lemon. Here are some shots of the process. 

Pre-Pulverization

Beginning to Juice

Kale Juice

Carrot Pulp

Getting Ready to Freeze the Pulp

Finished Product

I was very happy with how this juice turned out! It was slightly tangy from the lemon, and nice and thick from the greens. I was worried about bitterness being an issue, as I've heard that collards can be bitter, but this juice wasn't bitter at all. Yum!

We've talked about all the awesome stuff you put into smoothies, now what's your favorite juice?