Blend & Press

Blend & Press will be selling Juices, Smoothies and Super food supplements. This blog features recipes and ideas about natural health and tips on staying happy & healthy. Currently based in East London in Frame, Shoreditch.

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Comes from the Baobab tree also known as "the tree of life." Baobab contains more Vitamin C than Oranges, more Iron than red meat, and is a great source of alkalising minerals. Benefits include: boosts collagen production for glowing skin, increases energy, supports immune health, improves iron uptake & aids hydration! Found in our Glow smoothie #smoothie #superfood #baobab #naturerocks

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REBOOT begins @moveyourframe #nutrition #rebootcamp #day1 #juicecleanse

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Today's smoothie bar #pressday #beautifulpeople @pfefferltd

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Great tasting Fruit & Herb combo's #health #fruit #herbs #smoothie #nature

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Pumpkin goodness

Will you be carving a pumpkin this Halloween? 

Pumpkins are highly nutritious so don’t throw away the insides, instead try using them to make this delicious smoothie:

Combine:

The meat of 1 pumpkin ½ cup of coconut water ¼ cup of coconut milk ½ vanilla pod ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. nutmeg

Blend together and serve with ice.

Pumpkin is a rich source of beta-carotene, a great antioxidant as well as rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber.

The seeds are also very nutritious, described by Health Learning website as "one of nature's almost perfect foods."

Try dry roasting them for 15 minutes at 350f with some coconut oil and cinnamon or extra virgin olive oil and Himalayan crystal salt.

High in protein and omega 3 oil, as well as being anti-inflammatory. A completely delicious and very nutritious snack!

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Wimbledon

To celebrate the world’s most famous lawn tennis tournament, we gave the Twitter team a surprise by ‘serving’ up some pun-tastic tennis themed smoothies and juices. These included:

British Summertime Deuce Elderflower, Rhubarb, Apple, Strawberry & Rose Water

Murray Minty Smoothie Blueberry, Raspberry, Cranberry, Goji Berry, Spearmint, Cucumber & Lime

Ace Mocca Smoothie Organic Coffee, Coconut Yogurt, Almond Milk, Cocoa nibs, Vanilla & Ice

Champions Smoothie Maca, Banna, Cocoa Powder, Almond Butter & Chia Seeds

Team Twitter enjoyed all of our recipes but the Champions Smoothie sailed through in straight sets to win the trophy at the end of the day.

#twitterchampions

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Frame RE-BOOT Camp

Blend & Press started out making juices and smoothies for thirsty Framettes and now we’ve taken it one step further.  By collaborating with renowned nutritionist Libby Limon to develop a one-week intense juicing, detox and gentle exercise programme.  

At the beginning of the week we supply 2-days worth of fresh pressed juice containing additional high quality ingredients to help cleanse the body.   

We then provide 5 days of nutritional guidance focusing on the principle of intermittent fasting. Rebooters can also enjoy yoga classes to focus the mind and strengthen the body.

The week comes with daily support and guidance to make sure you get the most out of the week and keep you motivated to complete the challenge.  

We are happy to announce our third Reboot programme will start soon and we have a feeling it is going to be a big trend for the summer and beyond.

Recommended by the Telegraph:

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/news-features/TMG10127358/Threes-a-trend-body-changing-bootcamps.html

Read a review from an attendee:

http://blog.moveyourframe.com/properly-fit/re-boot-camp-tried-and-tested

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Patternity for World Health Day

Sunday 7th April 2013

Patternity - Pattern Power Superstripe exhibition.

Patternity is an award-winning creative organisation that specialises in the exploration and application of pattern in nature.  Over 3 weeks during April the organisation curated an exhibition in Redchurch St that explored the power of “stripes” as a pattern.  

On World Heath Day, Blend & Press were asked to set up a pop-up bar selling smoothies and so we spent the day blending our famous Green & Lean recipe that was enjoyed through special stripy straws by all attendees.

Green & Lean Smoothie Kale, Parsley, Celery, Cucumber, Mint, Wheatgrass, Barley Grass, Spirulina, Apple, Pineapple & Lime

We were hugely honoured to have been involved with such an interesting and inspirational exhibition. Great work Patternity team.  

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London Fashion Week

Tuesday 14th February 2013

Blend & Press was approached by New Look to provide juices and smoothies for an exclusive REFUEL event for press and bloggers.

REFUEL was held at The Waldorf hotel during London Fashion Week and the event provided Fashionistas with all they needed to ‘refuel’ before they headed back to the shows at Somerset House.  Blend & Press had a lot of fun coming up with veggie and juice combinations that could be named after famous fashion designers.  Our smoothies were served up along side stalls offering free manicures, massages and eyebrow shaping – lucky fashionistas!

Cacao Chanel Smoothie Packed with berries and raw cacao to boost serotonin levels, give energy as well as a good dose of antioxidants

Kale Lagerfeld Smoothie The detox king, full of greens and algees, the perfect antidote to a week which is likely to have too many late nights 

Aloe Vera Wang Smoothie A tropical smoothie with the addition of Aloe, Flaxseed and Avocado to boost radiance and glowing skin. 

  We had a fantastic day keeping everyone hydrated and loved the people watching and incredible outfits too!

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*THE LAUNCH OF BLEND & PRESS*

Saturday 6th January 2013

Blend & Press started trading on 6th January 2013 at Shoreditch’s infamously, trendy dance & fitness studio – FRAME.  www.moveyourframe.com

We had a great January creating tasty juices and smoothies for hip and healthy “Framers”, prepping their bodies pre-workout and re-booting energy levels post-workout.  Our recipes not only contain exciting fruits and vegetable combinations but we also offer superfoods including wheatgrass shots and added boosters of Aloe Vera and Beauty Oils. 

The “Iron Maiden” Smoothie containing: Banana, Kiwi, Greek Yogurt, Almond Milk, Coconut Water and Cinnamon, went down a storm, keeping the hipsters going all weekend.

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Well Aloe there Vera

It might sound like a big claim, but Aloe Vera is probably the most impressive medicinal herb invented by nature!! Of all the plants I’ve researched Aloe Vera is looking like the most impressive herb of them all. (Garlic would be a close second.) There is nothing on the planet that offers the amazing variety of healing benefits granted by Aloe Vera in a single plant.

Aloe Vera offers natural healing that: • Halts the growth of cancer tumors. • Lowers high cholesterol. • Boosts the oxygenation of your blood. • Eases inflammation and soothes arthritis pain. • Alkalizes the body, helping to balance overly acidic dietary habits. • Soothes ulcers, IBS, Crohn's disease and other digestive disorders. • Reduces high blood pressure natural, by treating the cause, not just the symptoms. • Nourishes the body with minerals, vitamins, enzymes and glyconutrients. • Accelerates healing from physical burns and radiation burns. • Ends constipation. • Stabilizes blood sugar and reduces triglycerides in diabetics. • Prevents and treats candida infections. • Protects the kidneys from disease. • Functions as nature's own "sports drink" for electrolyte balance, making common sports drinks obsolete. • Boosts cardiovascular performance and physical endurance. • Speeds recovery from injury or physical exertion. • Hydrates the skin, accelerates skin repair.

To take Aloe Vera internally we'd recomend adding it to your favourite smoothie, then sit back and enjoy!!

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The Beautiful Blood Orange

I can clearly remember the first time I met a blood orange.  I thought I had just a regular orange in front of me until I sliced it in half to find the deep crimson red colored flesh and thinking the orange must have gone off!  I was just about to throw it away, when I was stopped and told that it was fine and that it was just a blood orange.  I can remember thinking… yuck ‘blood’ how weird!

They’re blood red pigment which can vary depending on variety is the same red pigment which gives Raspberries and Blueberries their color and high antioxidant properties as well as properties thought to combat obesity and heart disease.  This blood red gene has been named the ‘Ruby’ gene of the orange.

The red ‘ruby’ pigment develops during the ripening stage only if the orange is exposed to the stress of cold weather which is why they can only reliably be grown in in the foothills of Mount Etna in Sicily.

A study in 2010 found that drinking blood orange juice alongside a fatty meals can significantly reduce the amount of fat your body will store when compared to drinking water or ordinary orange juice so although pretty much identical in nutritional value to the orange the bright red pigment is thought to give them an added advantage! 

Beautiful in salads, puddings and juices. ~ Try adding slices to a salad with some roasted beetroot, rocket, goat’s cheese and pine nuts.

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Do I Need to Detox?

We could all benefit from a detox. Unless you’re a vegan eating only organic food, living in the countryside, don’t smoke, drink or use any artificial cosmetics on your skin then you could benefit from detoxing your body. This doesn’t mean that all the toxins we encounter will be stored in our bodies, in fact we’re pretty good at getting rid of unwanted chemicals. In today’s hectic existence however, most of us generally consume more bad stuff than our bodies are designed to deal with, which can lead to us feeling sluggish, not sleeping well and having bad skin, as well as contributing to more serious problems and illnesses.

Detox doesn’t have to mean not eating, or living off salt water for 7 days, having a pipe up your bum or flying to Thailand and spending  thousands on a spa retreat (although this last option sounds pretty great to me).

There are steps you can implement which are nowhere near as costly or drastic which will help your body get rid of toxins and help you reap the rewards, including having more energy, clearer thinking, better focus, better sleep, glowing skin, shedding a few pounds and generally feeling great.  And what better time of year than Jan/Feb when we’re all feeling a bit sluggish following the Christmas over indulgence and a bit low because let’s face it, January is just the WORST MONTH EVER!!!

For  2-3 weeks try to avoid:

1.) Dairy (and soy) 2.) Caffeine – If this seems impossible try swapping tea & coffee for Green Tea which contains enough caffeine to curb the comedown! 3.) Alcohol 4.) Wheat 5.) Sugar

Things to do more of for 2-3 weeks: 1.) Drink LOADS of water 2.) Drinking lemon and water every morning when you wake up 3.) Eat more detoxifying foods: Green vegetables, beetroot, cauliflower, green apples, red cabbage, lemon, herbal teas 4.) Skin brushing

During this time try 1-5 days of only drinking fluids – no solids at all! Our digestive system is one of our most valuable organs for helping us to get rid of toxins, so once it’s given a break from digesting food it becomes extra brilliant at helping us to detoxify.  If you have a juicer then amazing, juice organic fruit and vegetables to give you energy and keep you full of wonderful nutrients which will assist your body further.  If not, don’t panic, you can buy great vegetable and fruit juices nowadays in supermarkets (try and go for organic otherwise you will still be introducing some chemicals into your body, and obviously avoid concentrate).  You can also try boiling up lots of nice veg , adding garlic, chilli, herbs and spices for extra flavour and then drinking the water! Try and think of it as vegetable soup!! Good Miso soup is also great for this.  To stop you feeling famished add a couple of tablespoons of psyllium husks to a pint of water 3-4 times a day. Psyllium husk is mostly fibre and expands once it meets fluid so drink it quick or it will turn your water to a glue like consistency.  Psyllium husk expands in your digestive tract stopping you from getting hungry but also bulking out your colon and helping to get rid of all the bad stuff you’ve been eating!!  You’ll know what I’m talking about once you start taking it!!

It’s important to note that if you like the sound of the only drinking fluid part then you should try and do this when you haven’t got a really busy week at work, or during the hottest week of the summer and having to stand up on the bus going through central London for an hour on day 5 (yes I learnt that you need to take it easy the hard way!!).  Finally, don’t start anything too drastic before checking with your doctor first.

Detox Juice

Handful kale Handful spinach 1 Stick of celery 1 Green apple 1 Generous slice of pineapple A squeeze of lime A sprig or 2 of parsley

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Juice V's Smoothie - The Debate

Juices are great at helping the body to detoxify and contain a concentrated amount of plant goodness. When your digestive system takes a break from having to digest food and gets lots of nutritious fluid it becomes excellent at flushing all the toxins from your body. Fairly rapidly you can notice some dramatic results including increased energy, brain clarity, weight loss and great skin. On a longer term basis, juice fasting for a few days a month alongside a healthy diet can have more notable beneficial effects including reducing allergies, digestive problems, cardiovascular issues and promoting general well being. That said, unless your lifestyle permits you to have a quiet week where you can potentially be a bit weak from lack of fibre, fat and complex carbohydrate, this is not possible or a priority for many people. I also always feel like I’m wasting so much goodness when the fibre from the fruit is wasted. Smoothies on the other hand offer a more filling and satisfying way of getting your dose of fruit & veg, and none of the goodness is wasted. Smoothies are useful as a drink but can also be more filling by adding oats, bananas and avocados. They are gentle on your stomach and a great way to get extra nutrition into your diet. I love my new Vitamix blender and would really recommend looking at the wattage of different blenders and spending a little more on buying a great one!

For optimum health I would recommend smoothies on a day to day basis and then occasionally a 2-5 day juice fast as a spring clean for the body. For those on a budget who can't afford juicers and mountains of fruit and veg I would say that you can still see great results from drinking organic green apple juice (M&S sell a good one) with psysillum husks, or Miso soup, both of which help keep hunger at bay.

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Taste the rainbow

In the UK we are recommended to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day in order to keep us healthy, in Greece its 9, in France its 10 and in Japan its 13 portions of veg and 4 portions of fruit (17 in total!!)  This probably contributes to why they have pretty much the longest life expectancy in the world.  Even I have to admit that 17 seems like a pretty difficult feat to manage every day.

I don’t want to dictate to people what they should be eating and tell people how unhealthy they are, I want to show people the enjoyment of amazingly nutritious food and the benefits it can give you.  The idea of food being medicine seems to be lost on people these days, it’s such a basic fundamental principle but people are so quick to jump to medicine to fix their problems.  I want to inspire people to think of food as benefiting their bodies and play with different combinations.  Sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t, it’s often a case of working out what works for your body and what doesn’t, were not all the same in that respect, bananas for instance don’t do anything for me whereas for some people they give them the best energy boost imaginable.  I think it’s just a case of listening to your body and being experimental. The information that I will be posting is supposed to be interesting, light hearted, nutritious, tasty and hopefully fun! 

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Disclaimer

I am not a nutritionist or dietician.  I am simply someone who has been fortunate to learn from some of the top natural health experts in the country and have managed a number of courses in nutrition and natural health & beauty over the past 5 years; I’ve listened carefully to lots of very knowledgeable people, researched and experienced first-hand the amazing power of juicing and living a healthy lifestyle.  If you have any health concerns I would recommend that you consult a healthcare professional before changing your diet or lifestyle in any drastic way.