ELIZABITES

I’ve never experienced juice bar cravings until I went to Peeled. And I have a feeling those cravings are going to be kicking in especially hard later this week after I’m two or three boozy days into the Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans. I love fresh fruit and vegetable juices, but sometimes find it hard to justify the cost for the small portions at some juice bars around town, and frankly can’t deal with Jamba Juice’s orange and purple sugar explosion in a cup (OK, I haven’t stepped foot in a Jamba for years, but I picture 15 different kinds of sugary sweet OJ). But when I tried Peeled post-workout one day, I knew it would be become a regular spot. What I love most about the place, besides the raw, made to order juices, are the drink combinations themselves, pink Himalayan sea salt and avocado tone down kale, parsley and other greens in the Green Day Live (embarrassing to order, but fresh, healthy and energy-inducing), and you can hardly taste the kale in the Rapper’s Delight, with mango, almond butter, coconut milk, agave and cinnamon. I also love the Berry Bonds if you’re not in a greens mood; berries, bananas, coconut water and blue-green algae. I have yet to try the Greenpeace with mango, cucumber, coconut water, cilantro and lime, or all of the breakfast smoothies, which are spiked with things like flax meal, hemp protein powder and raw oats. Of course they have simple juices (like beet, apple and ginger), booster shots (a convincing friend got me to pound a “Status Update” shot with ginger, lemon, chlorophyll, wheatgrass and a dash of cayenne and I actually could’ve had a whole glass), and a popular juice cleanse. I will say that each labor-intensive drink can take a while, so don’t go if you’re in a rush, and be aware that the closest parking spot seems to be right outside of Joe’s on Weed around the corner, but it’s all more than worth it for healthy goodness served straight-up. Peeled, 1571 N. Sheffield Ave.