VEG UP~

Get those veggies in the tasty way!!

1/2 head read cabbage (small)
3 carrots
handful parsley
bunch of asparagus (I reserved the stems after cooking the tips to juice instead of throwing out)
6 kale leaves
1/4" ginger root
1 pear

Serve immediately over ice~makes 1 large glass!!

Enjoy!

REFRESHING~

This is the best drink to date~ Serve over ice!

• 1 med cucumber
• 3 med carrots
• a few sprigs of parsley
• 1 stalk celery 

 ENJOY~

Finally~A JUICER

It's Monday already. With last week officially gone and  the weekend to regroup~I welcome the start of a new week. I was so off track and overwhelmed  last week with my Aunt being hospitalized and  I'm happy to say she should be going home soon. More than ever it has become evident of the importance of taking care of our bodies~both inside and out, which leads us to the topic for today.....Juicing. We've heard about the benefits of juicing and seen all of the TV infomercials for the those super machines so it definitely piqued my interest.

A few years ago at a friend's house, they had the Vitamix juicer that her brother had brought over so his family could juice at the cookout. Seemed a little odd that someone would bring a juicer to a party but I obviously had no idea what the family had been going through. The wife had cancer and juicing was one of the ways they were being proactive in the fight. The family swore by it so my ears were open. I watched as  he chunked in all the leftover fruit and veggies from the party tray~an interesting way to use it all up. The green liquid pouring out of the spout most definitely didn't look appetizing~that's for sure. I was hesitant to try it but what the heck~I gave it a shot. Much to my surprise~it's was actually quite tasty!!

Fast forward a couple of years......my lifestyle has changed drastically health wise and I've been considering  juicing for quite some time now.  I just never took the plunge with the machine because they aren't necessarily cheap and I didn't want to get a machine and have it be a waste of money. With all of the controversy over the orange juice being stored in barrels up to 5 years, arsenic in the apple juice and so forth, it has been on the forefront of my mind more than ever. My husband is a juice drinker and has not drank conventional juice in  several months due to the shocking information that has come to light. So, over the weekend, I got a machine. One of my dear clients had bought the one on TV and never used it, saw that I was hand squeezing lemonade for my husband, and offered to barter with me for the machine~she got her hair cut and I got a juicer~I am THRILLED!!

 You know I ran out to Whole Foods as quickly as possible to get me some foods to juice~I couldn't get there fast enough. I picked up apples, oranges, and lemons for Bob and carrots and ginger for myself. So yesterday evening, I got out that juicer and was ready to go. I was amazed at how easy the juicer was to use and clean. I've also been reading up on it and am amazed at all of the juicing recipes available. What an incredible way to add all of our daily requirements of veggies and some fruits to our diets~raw and in their most beneficial state. The one thing to keep in mind is SUGAR though~don't juice more fruit than you would normally eat in a serving so I would limit it to one type of fruit per serving~I'm mostly interested in the "Green juicing" as it's not possible to eat enough veggies.  My first glass of juice was delish!

3 small carrots with the skin
1 medium sized beet with the skin
1 cup spinach
1 small apple with the skin

This one contained a little more sugar than I would like so I'll have to really pay attention~beets, carrots, and apples are all sugar dense so I would only use this recipe once per week. With beets being a blood builder and detoxifier it's recommended to only use once per week especially in the beginning.

This one I had this morning after my 9 miler. I figured it would be the perfect time to load my system with juice for recovery. The carrots and apple would replenish my glycogen stores and I followed with eggwhites and chicken sausage.


1 cup spinach
1 med zucchini with skin
2 carrots with skin
1" ginger root
1 small apple with skin


This one was more of a "green" juice and was good but different. I really didn't realize how spicy ginger is so be careful~we are juicing veggies so it'll take some getting used to the taste. It wasn't bad at all~just different. 

Thus far, I can tell you that the effects of the juice are definitely cleansing. Isn't that what we are after though~to cleanse the toxins from our bodies and become the healthiest we can be? I will be posting more juicing recipes and their benefits as I try them~


Until next time~


Jess..xoxo

Food for thought:


Many juicing combinations are designed for specific reasons, i.e., blood builders, detoxifiers, cleansers, and energy. Now, I'm not saying to run out and buy a juicer~but do stay tuned...Who knew...:-)





 

Cottage Cheese & Pumpkin

This is one of the easiest snacks and it's packed with power foods. Cottage cheese is a Superb source of protein and you know my love affair with pumpkin. I never thought I would say that cottage cheese is now one a staple in my diet~Wow!!
  

• 1/2 cup canned or fresh pumpkin 
• 1/4 cup lowfat cottage cheese (I use Nancy's Brand found at WF...it has the least amount of sodium)
• 1/2 tsp. Stevia
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• scant handful of pecans or walnuts 

Tip: Cottage cheese is the best food to have as a late night snack if you find yourself hungry before heading to bed. It has Casein protein which is a slow digesting protein and keeps the muscles from breading down while you sleep.
 

Organic~SchmOrganic! The Great "O" debate!

So, this one is a tough one~I've always laughed at the very few of my friends who ate "organic" and thought they were a tad on the nutty side. Who would spend that much money on food and then turn around and tell you about it~Oh, we eat Organic? Little did I know~I would become "that person"! Yikes! 

There's so much information out there, so many opinions, so I sat down at the computer and did my research on just what this Organic thing is all about. This quest began when my husband, who has been grocery shopping with me a handful of times in 11 years, wanted to try the milk with the cows on it.  Now, me being the shopper of the family, I almost had a heart attack~$4.69 for a HALF gallon of milk? Was HE nutty? I got in trouble for bringing home the Publix brand milk because I couldn't bear the thought of paying 4 bucks for a gallon of Mayfield...LOL! I'm not a milk drinker myself so it really didn't matter one way or the other to me.  Of course, I said "sure" since he rarely  asks for anything specific from the store.  His reaction was~"Don't every buy regular milk again. This tastes just like milk did when I was a kid".....So, little did I know, that expensive milk would change our lives!!

As I have said before~people do more research on electronics and everything in between but then turn around and buy whatever food is on sale because it has a coupon.  Funny thing is, you won't find coupons for the healthy stuff, that's for sure. Trust me,I about drove myself crazy trying to. The first objective I hear is that "we can't afford to eat organic".  Hey, I used to think we couldn't afford to eat organic either but let me tell ya~we can't afford not to. I tell this to my hair clients all of the time~that pair of shoes or purse that you spend a fortune on is an accessory and your hair you wear every single day. Same goes for the food we put into our bodies.  We need the best we can afford.  Besides~Target has CUTE purses for CHEAP!

Now, I am not saying for you to throw out all of your food and hop on the organic train. What I am saying is for you to do your due diligence and at least research it. Especially if you have children. The foods that we eat today is nothing like the food we ate when we were kids.  Everything does not have to be organic and you will eat yourself out of house and home if you even go there.  There are, however, certain foods that you really should buy organic. My rule of thumb is this:
 I follow the Dirty Dozen List, anything that I eat the skin to, and most of my animal products.  Here's the list of foods that are high in Pesticides~SCARY!!

The Dirty Dozen: 

Apples

Celery (who knew)

Strawberries and other berries

Peaches

Spinach, lettuce, Kale, Collards

Nectarines

Grapes

Red/Yellow/Orange Bell Peppers

Potatoes 

Sweet Potatoes (I do only b/c I eat the skin)

Milk

Coffee

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/dirty-dozen-foods#fbIndex1

Check out the link and it'll will tell you WHY!! I will also have a permanent link to this and some other sites on organic eating on the blog.  We eat organic eggs, chicken (regular chicken makes me gag~it's sooo different), grass fed beef, local pork, milk, all cheese products, jelly (it's made from berries & grapes), and bananas.  Yes, bananas~they just taste better and last longer ~@ .88 per lb. it really isn't a big deal.

So, open your mind and at least look into it. You will be shocked at what happens to our food before we consume it~I was floored. If you stick to the basics then you'll be fine. Now, listen, I"m not trying to sell you on the fact that you must  eat organic in order to be healthy~I'm just saying that from what I've learned~it's worth it in our family. I use coupons on CLOTHES so that we can put our money where it matters.  We really don't spend more on groceries because A) I shop at Whole Foods where organics are their specialty (they are MUCH cheaper, contrary to popular belief) and B) I don't buy the junk food anymore ~so really our bill is about the same. We do spend more money on certain things~I'm not saying it's cheap but when you buy the good stuff and avoid the other stuff, it all balances out!

I hope this at least gets you thinking~I encourage you to go with what you believe is best for your family~This is something that I could go on and on about as I have learned so much  but I don't want to shove my beliefs down your throat~Do your homework. The information that I have found out has been a real eye opener  and believe it or not, the hubby is on board~he thinks it tastes much better also!

Hope you guys are enjoying the recipes & staying on track! I'll have the links up to some of my favorite sites for info just as soon as I can!! 

Until next time~

Jess~

Sweet Potato & Cottage Cheese~

Yep, this is a sweet potato & Cottage cheese sprinkled w/ cinnamon & Stevia!!!!! Don't knock it until you try it. This was one of those things that I discovered by accident b/c I needed protein for my potato and didn't have anything ready to go & I must admit~I was pleasantly surprised...LOL! So yummy!


Now, depending on what you have on hand and available to you quickly, you can either have an entire small potato w/ the cheese OR if you are like me, and need a ton of protein at every meal (snacks are small meals) then you can  enjoy it this way, also!

With one meat muffin~Now, that's Grey Poupon on my meat.....I can't get enough...:-)

Yummo!!

Steel Cut Oats

Steel Cut Oats~Do you know them? If not, do yourself a favor and get to know them!! They are delish, filling, & great for reducing belly fat ladies~ A staple in my breakfast ! 


Here's what you need:

• 1/3~1/2 c. oats 
• water~mix 1:2 1/2 ratio, oats to water, more if you like creamier
• vanilla whey protein powder OR egg whites (gotta have the protein)
• Cinnamon
• Topping of choice ~berries (organic if possible, fruit (organic if you eat the skin) or nuts

Add oats and water to small pot. Bring to a rapid boil and boil 10 minutes. Put a lid on and turn the burner off. Allow to steam cook a remaining 10 minutes. OR Boil for 15 total, stirring often. 


Topping: This time I used apples cut up, sprinkled with cinnamon, covered w/ press n seal, and microwaved 2 minutes. Perfect!!

Add your whey protein powder and mix well~it takes a moment to get it all mixed in!

ENJOY~

What 's for LUNCH?

"What should I eat for lunch? A salad"?  I can't count the number of times I get this question.  I may be the wrong person to talk with about salads. Don't get me wrong, I love salads and eat them from time to time,  but me personally~I need lots of protein. My husband always laughs at me because I'm a MEAT girl...! The biggest misconception is  if you eat a salad then you must have had a healthy lunch, right? Not necessarily. By the time you add all of those little "toppings" and then pour on the dressing, well~you've just bombed your lunch.  Salads are really GOOD choices IF you make wise decisions when making yours~ add lots of protein and have your dressing on the side. Better yet, make your own and then drizzle it on or dip your fork in there before you take each bite~that will l make the biggest difference amongst my salad lovers...:-)

So what do we eat for lunch, then? I am a huge proponent of leftovers. We all need something quick and easy so if we've prepared for the week properly and/or made "extras" at dinner the night before, then lunch will be a snap. I always cook more meat & veggies than we need so I can use it for the next few days in a wrap, mixed in with rice/quinoa  or in a "salad"...see, I do eat them! I'll share with you quite a few of my choices for lunch. The main thing to remember is to have a protein, complex carb  & a healthy fat to fill you up and get you through the next 2-3 hours  until it's time to eat again. Remember, we are eating  5-7 times per day in order to keep our metabolism in HIGH GEAR and our blood sugar regulated.

Protein:

Canned or fresh Tuna (chunk light in water..... my personal favorite is skipjack ~Albacore rarely due to the mercury content)

Canned or fresh Salmon (wild caught when possible) Salmon counts as a protein and healthy fat.

Chicken Breast or Ground chicken breast

Pork tenderloin or loin chops

Lean Steak

Bison

Turkey breast (this is where the meat muffins come in handy)

Lean ground beef (grass fed when possible)

Tofu for my non~meat eaters

*any of the ground meat can be used for taco meat, meat muffins, burgers, etc.  Think of all the yummy foods you would normally eat and go from there.

Complex Carbs:

Sweet potatoes

brown rice

quinoa

Beans, Lentils, & other legumes

whole grain bread (Ezekiel is best)

Arnold Whole Wheat Deli Flats (I call it flatsie bread) are fine also. I like to have a burger from time to time and these are what work best for me.

whole grain wraps

whole grain pastas (spinach pasta is great also)

Most veggies~broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, yams, cauliflower, greens, etc.  

Fruit 

Healthy fats (in moderation, of course)

Natural peanut or almond butter (notice this under the fats category and not the protein category..:-)

Avocado

coconut oil

olive oil (if you make your own dressing w/ vinegar and evoo then you have your "fat")

raw nuts/almonds

**be sure to check your serving sizes on your grains. 1 serving of these. If you are still hungry~fill up on your veggies. If you are lifting weights and working out (which you should be...:-)~a rule of thumb is 1~1 1/2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Calculate how many meals you are eating, realistically, and divide that by the number of grams of protein you should be getting and that will give you a guideline as to  how many grams of protein per meal.

I'm building my lunch, snack, and dinner portfolio and will be posting more about specific meals, recipes, etc.  Please let me know if you have any questions!. I hope this is at least helping you get going in the right direction. I really wish I had a solid week to put everything on here but I don't, unfortunately. My real job is making people look beautiful!!  This is something else that I love and am passionate about. I do promise, it's all coming. Once we get the food basics down, then we can move on to the FITNESS part~my favorite~as I say, it starts in the kitchen, ladies. 80 percent diet....20 percent working out. We don't want all of our hard work in the gym to be wasted if we aren't eating CLEAN!!

Take care, find your motivation & Stay tuned~

Love~

Jess