Shortcuts

I am all for shortcuts in juicing as long as they are healthy.  I have resisted those pre-packaged juices you can get from the stores, but I guess in a pinch they will work if there is nothing else.  Just check the labels.

So today Memorial Day, I have decided to use a short cut juice to add sweetness to a kale juice.  I got the BoltHouse Juice - Mango Madness.  First off, mangoes are a pain to peel and slice.  So this makes sense.

I took 2 big Ball jars and divided the juice in it.

Then, in the Breville, I juiced a bunch of kale, 4 cucumbers, many stalks of celery and added it to the jars.

I will drink the one on the right today and the other, more full, is for tomorrow.

The Bolthouse added the right amount of sweetness and I added my own fresh blend to get even more nutrients in to the juice.  Sweet, delicious and good for me.

Enjoy the holiday and remember those that served and serve to protect our freedom.

The morning after...

I hope everyone celebrating had a Happy Easter.

I overdid it this week end and I am thankful for no weight gain and thankful that I learned a lesson and thankful that I am ready to detox - no matter how painful it may be.

I had 1.5 cinnamon sugar muffins, a cinnamon biscuit, french toast and syrup along with eggs and potatoes. My body did not like me.  I felt nauseous for the rest of the day.  Luckily I was able to start functioning in the afternoon.

Lesson learned.  No sugar.  No carbs in high doses.

I have a recipe to share from Friday because I have finally found my beet recipe.  This was a delicious juice!

Awesome Beet
1/2 red beet
4 peeled oranges
1/2 lemon
1/2 bunch dandelion leaves
4 carrots
nub ginger
nub turmeric.
Of course that juice is pictured on the right.

The juice on the left was not my favorite.  I will share the recipe anyhow

Green
1/2 romaine head
bunch kale
2 cucumbers
dill
ginger
turmeric
2 apples
1/2 lemon

One thing I have learned about apples?  Get either Gala or Granny Smith.  The red delicious do not impart enough sweetness to a juice and that is what this juice needed.

Today, my Monday, I have made the detox Green juice

Detox Green
Kale
1/2 romaine
1/2 pineapple
4 carrots
2 cucumbers
5 celery
1/2 lemon

I will drink this as a snack and have a Bullet for Breakfast and lunch today.  

Hitting it hard

We are vacationing in 3 weeks and have decided we are losing 10 pounds prior to that.

My husband has lost 45 pounds since we started this journey January 6, 2014.  I have stalled at 30.

Over the last 2 weeks we were eating a little more, but maintaining.  Were they all good meals?  No.  However, we did supplement with juicing.  This is, after all, a lifestyle change and it does take time.

So.  Back to juicing thru the day until dinner and making sure that we eat a sensible dinner.

I made a simple, easy juice today.

carrots
apples
celery
1/2 lemon
turmeric
ginger

So.  Back at it.  We shall see what happens by the end of this week.  Hoping for a few pounds off.

Juicy Thursday

Today, my first juice is a garbage juice.  Doesn't sound delicious does it?  However, this is why it is garbage juice.  I take a look in my fridge and see what produce needs to go ASAP and I make it in to a juice.  I just so happened to have quite a bit!

Week old tomatoes, both round and a few grape ones, and green onions as well as a head of butter lettuce.  I added a bit of fresh produce to round it out in to a nice tomato juice

Garbage Juice
1 head of butter lettuce
tomatoes (as many as you want)
4 carrots
4 stalks celery
green onions
wedge lemon
2 hands full of spinach

 I was off the diet this past week end and I certainly paid the price.  Although I did not gain any weight, the toll it took on my digestive system was great.  I suffered, up til today, with bloating and gas pain.  I imagined that there was a battle in my intestines between the good stuff moving in and the bad stuff trying to hang on, but getting moved out.  I am feeling MUCH better today.

Next juice is a citrus beet juice.  I had a piece of leftover beet as well as grapefruits and oranges that needed to leave the house one way or another.

Citrus Garbage
2 peeled grapefruits
3 peeled oranges
1/4 beet
4 carrots
wedge of lemon
nub ginger

Enjoy the juice.

Pearrific Juice

Keeping it slow and steady with another pound lost.  Matt is holding it down at 40 pounds lost.

Pears are known for their anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  Pears are also one of the easier to digest foods and have a high amount of digestible fiber.  I know when I add them to a smoothie, they add a thick texture that feels decadent on the tongue and a nice sweet flavor.    Pears are also considered to reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes and lower heart disease.

Today, I have juiced a nice pear and citrus juice that I am excited to drink for my morning juice.

Pearrific
3 pears
2 peeled oranges
1 lemon
ginger

I am also still on my citrus juice

Citrus Kale Juice
6 kale leaves
2 peeled grapefruit
1 peeled orange
1 lemon
2 handfuls of spinach
1 cucumber
turmeric
ginger

Strawberry delight

It is strawberry season here in Florida and we are able to get these delicious berries right off the farm for wholesale prices.

Hubby brought home a flat of berries  I forgot just how much that was!!

So.  What do you do with so many berries?  Why you juice them, of course.

Strawberry Kale Delight
2 pints strawberries (I left the hulls on)
4 kale leaves
Thru the Breville

I ate a cheeseburger last night so this is my breakfast (half of it anyhow) and I will juice all the way to dinner

My afternoon juice is a melon and cucumber blend.  I had bought a yellow melon about a week ago and I knew it was time.

Cucumber Melon Delight
Whole yellow melon
2 cucumbers
Juice thru the Breville

Enjoy!!

My versions...

Another pound lost.  I seem to have re-started my weight loss.

My husband has seemingly stepped away from the diet.  He has lost 40 pounds, claims he wants to lose more, but is not making the effort.  This is a hard diet.  Any diet is not easy, but this one seemed to be the easiest we have done so far.

Onward I trudge toward my goal.

Ridgeback Lemonade
Head of green leaf lettuce
bunch dandelion leaves
2 lemons
4 small Granny Smith apples

Very tart and very green.

My next one is my newest version of V-8

Meera's Vegetable juice
5 tomatoes
5 carrots
3 stalks celery
inch of jalapeno
1/4 onion
2 cups spinach
dill to taste
1/4 beet

We'll see how this one tastes later.

So as I move on with out my husband on this diet, I think it has actually strengthened my resolve.  I AM going to lose another 20 pounds and I AM going to keep it off.

Enjoy the day.

Market Day and lots of recipes and Hump Day

Tuesday is market day.  Time to replenish the stocks

I have been doing some freezing of the fresh fruit.  I peeled bananas, cut them in to thirds and then laid them on a sheet tray until frozen and then bagged them.  Did the same with my pineapple and papaya.  Both made the transition from fresh to frozen.

I love to shop at Freshfield Farms.  Plenty of Organic produce as well as just plain good deals.

On to the recipes

Found this on the dandelion greens I bought.

Lion's Tooth Lemonade

I plan to try this tomorrow.

The link to Lady Moon Farms  Click the name and you are there.

Anyhow.  Still adding the Vitamin C to my juices.

C-Green
8 dandelion leaves and stalks
6 kale leaves and stalks
1 cucumber
1/4 pineapple
peeled lime
peeled orange
peeled grapefruit
ginger
turmeric

Delicious citrusy with a hint of green.  I felt better as soon as I drank it!

 2 more juice recipes.  One to celebrate citrus and Vitamin C and the other is a "flu fighter"  Both of these are single serving recipes.

Apple Crisp

5 apples

2 large celery stalks

2 oranges (peeled)

Foo Fighter
2 c spinach
5 kale leaves
2 carrots
2 celery
cucumber
apple
ginger

Enjoy!

A new week

Bacon cheeseburger and peanut butter pie.   That's all I am saying.

It's Monday.  It's a new beginning.  Hitting it hard after a delicious Sunday off the juice.

Needed some vitamin C since I am feeling under the weather

C Power juice
6 carrots
3 peeled oranges
1 peeled grapefruit


I also made a green juice for the afternoon

Bunch of kale
3 celery stalks
2 apples
ginger
turmeric
cucumber

Both of these juices were very tasty.

Change up

Normally I get the hubby to make the juice in the Breville and then I do the blended juices.  Today, I did the Breville since he was out late and still in bed.

I had an epiphany on Monday.  I am going to have to eat a burger on my cheat days.  It is what I crave and I am not satisfied until I have one.  Which usually means I cheat!  Yes.  On Tuesday, I had a burger at lunch. And guess what?  That craving ended and I found it easy to juice on Wednesday and I have no cravings today either.  I had the same thing happen the first week.  I wanted a burger, didn't get it and I was in torment all week long until I could eat on on Sunday.

My best advice is that you eat what you crave on your cheat days.  If you don't, you will continue to crave it!!

Cucumber Melon blast

Whole cantaloupe
1 cucumber
run it thru the Breville

It smelled delicious!  I can not wait to try it.

Spicy Greens
bunch of kale
4 celery stalks and leaves
handful of fresh dill
2 apples
cucumber
ginger
turmeric
small bit of fresh jalapeno
peeled lemon

The dill smelled outrageous going thru the juicer.  So delicious.

Experiment with your ingredients.  I know I do.  I remember some combinations to enjoy later and some I take off my list.

One of my new favorite ways to get beets in my system is the juice I made on Tuesday.  I made it again yesterday.

1/2 beet
4 peeled oranges
peeled grapefruit
1/2 sweet potato
5 carrots
turmeric

I call it the Hi-C.  It really calms the flavor of the beet down and it tastes very citrusy.

Enjoy your day.

Re-set Monday

Daily gratitude:  That I was able to get my husband to get some things done around the house this week-end.

Spent Saturday visiting the produce places and then came home and processed all of the fruits and veggies - mainly the fruits.  Mango, pineapple, papaya for the tropical mix, and blackberry, strawberry raspberry for the berry blend mix.  Also snagged some citrus - oranges, a few limes, grapefruit. I also grabbed some seeds - pumpkin and sunflower.  I am getting back to the fruit in the morning and a veggie juice in the afternoon.

Monday is re-set the diet day.I am hovering at the 27 pounds lost mark and I want to shake it up and get a few more pounds lost this week.

So, with all that good produce, here are my juices for the day.

For breakfast I am doing the NutriBullet blended smoothie.  Greens, my tropical mix, a banana and some pumpkin seeds.  For lunch will do in the Bullet - greens,berry blend, protein powder and banana and almonds.

Mid morning juice:

4 peeled oranges
1/2 sweet potato
8 carrots
1/2 beet
turmeric
grapefruit (not pictured)

For my afternoon juice (not a great photo)

Peeled grapefruit
4 celery stalks
bunch parsely
3 cucumbers
lime
ginger

It's Monday.  A new week begins.  Broken resolutions can start over fresh.  Enjoy

Advice to new juicers

I think that since I have been doing this for nearly 60 days and my weight loss is 27 pounds, I can comment on what to do when you are first starting out.

1.  Decide how serious you are about this.  Do you want to lose weight?  Do you want to get more greens and veggies into your diet?

2.  How long do you plan to do this?  Is this something that you are doing for a month?  A year?  The rest of your life?

3.  Based on your above decisions, get the right equipment.
    a.  decide how much money you want to spend.
         - a blender will make a smoothie, but will not extract the nutrients you need completely.  You can can              get spinach and softer fruits to break down pretty well, but nuts and kale, hard fruits and most
           veggies will not break down.

            -  Nutribullet 600 or 900.  One of the best options.  The 600 is cheaper and will do the job.  These                   extract the nutrients and break down your fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds completely.  Easy to
                use, easy to clean and I highly recommend it.

             - Juicer.  One of the best options to get if you are looking to get the nutrients right in to your system               and looking for a consistency that is more juice like and less smoothie like.  Everything can go in
              the juicer.

4.  Decide how you are going to juice.  Do you have time to juice 3-4 times a day?  Or is it easier to juice all of your daily juices at once.  Don't worry about reading that it's not good to store your juice.  If you are drinking them all in one day, nutrients are not going to be lost.

5.  If you do not like the taste of vegetables, making them in to a juice is not going to change their taste.  You need to make sure you are adding fruit to the juice.  Pineapple is your sweetest choice.  Costco has a Festival blend that includes pineapple, strawberry, mango and papaya.  You can use it frozen or thawed Bananas also add sweetness.
Spinach is one of the mildest dark greens.
My advice is to make a green smoothie in the morning with your greens, banana and pineapple and then in the afternoon, do a more veggie one with pineapple added.

6.  Beets are not for everyone.

7.  Once you get your tastebuds used to it, move on to other greens such as kale, chard, etc.

8.  Use resources to look for recipes.  Pinterest is a great resource.

9.  Read ingredients on soy milk, almond milk and other "healthy" drinks.  You might be surprised.

10.  Lastly, enjoy what you make  If you did not care for a juice, tweak it the next time and see.  This is all trial and error.

And be healthy.

 

Monday morning

I feel the need to detox today.  Perhaps all week long.

Will be taking it lightly today.  Cheat day was definitely a cheat day PLUS, my husband and I had a cheat lunch on Friday

My morning and afternoon juice is a carrot/beet juice.

10 carrots
1/2 a beet root
nub ginger
2 apples
1 pear
All ingredients thru the Breville.
Remember, I juice for 2

I have another friend that has replaced a meal (lunch) with a blended smoothie.  She lost 2 pounds in 1 week.  I think she could have lost more, but is still also eating fast food on a near daily basis.  I guess the good part is that she is getting in greens and fruit  However, the processed stuff is still going in as well.

Baby steps.

Week end pre-made juices

Going away this week end, so I decided to make my juice ahead and pack it in a cooler.  This way will leave little chance of me cheating.  I plan to take the Nutribullet with me, but I juiced some other recipes and packed them in mason jars and a pitcher with a sealed top.  I will be home most of the day today, so these juices are for today and tomorrow.

I had some fennel I needed to either toss or juice.  Into the juicer.

10 carrots
6 celery stalks
1 pear
1 apple
1/2 fennel bulb and fronds
turmeric
ginger

Second juice I decided to go green

Bunch of kale
1 pear
1 apple
ginger
1/3 fennel bulb and fronds
bunch of red seedless grapes

Have a great week end.

Another week down

I lost 3 pounds this past week.  THREE!  Unbelievable.  I have lost a total of 21 pounds since we started this January 6, 2014.

Every time I make it to a Sunday I am grateful.  Not only does it mean I get to have a cheat day, it also means that I have another week under my belt.  Each week I am seeing results.  Each week it seems to get easier and easier.

I have also reached the point where my body craves these juices.  CRAVES THEM!!

I can do this.  This diet is working for me.  30 more to go.

Monday, Monday

Now I am not gonna tell a fib and say I was very good this week end.  I did pretty good on Saturday.  Sunday was a true cheat day.  However, the good news is that I did not gain any weight.  Whew.

So now to detox and get back on track.

I have a bit of a scratchy throat from being out in the rain and cold on Saturday, so I wanted a juice high in vitamin C.  I also wanted our regular morning juice and a green juice to detox on.  I guess that means we made 3 juices.

The morning juice is the same - the spinach and fruit in the Nutri-Bullet

The juice on the right I will call Vitamin C Plus

2 ruby red grapefruits peeled 

12 hulled strawberries

ginger

turmeric

What a refreshing juice.  I can feel the vitamins going right where I need them.

Green juice is simple

Kale

half bunch dandelion leaves

1 wedge pineapple

celery

2 cucumbers

ginger

turmeric

Both of the juices went thru the Breville juicer.

My goal for this week is to lose 3-5 pounds.  I am determined to do it.  

Made it to Friday... again

No daily gratitude

After today's blog, I am signing off for the week end.

Fennel.  That slightly sweet Italian bulb with the licorice flavor.    Most people use the seeds.  Rarely do we use the bulb or the green tops.  I am intrigued by fennel.  I have broiled it and sprinkled on lemon and parmesan.  Delicious.  I have sliced it thin and used it in salads.  Again.  Delicious.

So.  Why not juice?

Fennel is high in Vitamin C and has antioxidant value.  It is also a great source of fiber and may help reduce cholesterol levels.  It is also high in potassium, which can help lower high blood pressure.

So I decided to juice up some fennel.

1/3 bulb of fennel and a few strands of the stalk
5 carrots
ginger
turmeric
5 celery
1/2 handful of parsley

You get this:

And best of all?  It smells like licorice.  Now I am not a fan of licorice (unless it's the red kind) but somehow, I am able to eat fennel.  

Weight loss is another pound his week.  I probably need to up my water intake as well as my exercise routine.  

Enjoy your week end.  I will be back Monday.  

New Juice

Daily gratitude:  Hmm. Tough one today

Every start of a new week, I am more determined than the last week to make this juice diet a success.  I find that my afternoon snack is the hardest juice for me to get down.  So, today, I changed it up to give my tastebuds something they want to taste.

Watermelon juice.

Read all about watermelon and its wonderful benefits here:  Watermelon

I bought pre-cut chunks

3 cups watermelon

1 lime

2 kiwi fruit 

Through the juicer.

The smell from this juice was so fresh and light.  I can not wait to try this in the afternoon

For breakfast I did pineapple and mango with the spinach.  I bought a few mangoes on Friday and they are ripe and ready.

Our morning snack juice is a green detox juice and I got the idea from the Raw Juicing and Detox Bar in Thornton Park when we went to their Grand Opening on Friday.  Click on their name above for their Facebook page.  Click here for their website.  Raw Juicing and Detox.  

The Green Lizard

Handful dandelion stems

cucumber

6 kale leaves

half a pineapple

ginger

turmeric

All ingredients through the juicer.

The Green Lizard is on the left.  Our Mango Pineapple Smoothie is on the right.

Enjoy your day.  My goal is 10 pounds by the end of the month.  I get my Nutribullet today.  Will report on it tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

Detox Monday

Daily gratitude:  Glad to make it to another Monday

Our cheat day was yesterday.  Super Bowl Sunday.  Didn't do too bad.  The chili I made for dinner sat in my belly and my body was screaming for a detox.

That's what today is.  Detox Monday.

Pineapple is also a great detoxifier and flusher.  It is high in Vitamin C and manganese, which is good for bone strength and growth.   Pineapple is known to help in digestion and is a great anti-inflammatory and helps prevent gout attacks.  It is also high in beta carotene and helps prevent macular degeneration.

Morning juice was:

2 cups pineapple
1 banana
2 cups spinach
1.5 cups water
blended smooth

Our afternoon juice is a juice high in greens.

4 kale leaves
2 green apples
2 kiwi peeled
handful of dandelion greens
6 stalks of celery
lime
ginger
turmeric
Run all ingredients thru the juicer.  This is a mild, easy to drink green juice.

Yum yum.  Time to detox.

T.G.I.F.

Daily gratitude:  Grateful I have stuck to this plan

I have lost 2 more pounds.  Total loss for me is 18 pounds.  Matt has lost 25 pounds.  Men...


Other than the beet juice the other day, I have mainly stuck to green juice this week.  I have also looked at the detox recipes.  Our weight loss seemed to plateau and I think we needed a little extra push.

We went back to the fruit blended smoothie in the morning yesterday.  Matt likes those and it does seem to keep us fuller through the morning.  I have also started to take the protein powder in the mid morning.  That seems to help me make it to lunch.

Pear Smoothie
2 pears cut off the core
1 banana
1.5 cups water
2 cups spinach
1 avocado
blend til smooth

Our snack juice was a green juice
Rainbow chard
celery sticks
carrots
apples
lemon
lime
turmeric
ginger
I also had half a head of romaine that needed to get juiced or thrown out soon
All ingredients in the juicer.

It made an ugly juice, but I know it's good for me

Another green juice recipe
1 beet green stalk (leftover from Tuesday beet juice)
6 kale stems and leaves
cucumber
lemon
2 green apples

This was an ugly color but it was like green lemonade.  Very citrusy and easy to get down.