The Accurate Account

Dear former juicing self-- I doubt that you will recognize me, but I used to be the girl who juiced religiously. You might not believe who I have become, but I have fallen so far from my beloved juicing habits. What happened? How did I ever come to this? How will I ever be the person I once was? It all began with jury duty. Now, I am not one to blame my life on certain events or situations, but a couple of weeks ago, my life and stress level went into overdrive. While on jury duty, the judge bought us lunch and we had many very nice meals. That was the beginning. After my service was complete, then came the game of playing catch up with my life. I had piles of papers to correct (at school), a house to be cleaned, laundry to be done, tickets to issue (at the box office), interview potential counselors (at camp), grad school, and yes...a new puppy who had surgery. I think I forgot to mention that we also sold our house and now only have 40 days to find a place to live. This all hap...

I knew my mind could make it to day 15, but at times, I wasn't sure about my body. Yes, there were times I could murder a tray of pizza, but, let's face it. It takes time to adjust to any new routine. I am here on day 15 and I am 7 pounds lighter. My skin looks so fresh and healthy. My breath is not sticky and gross. I feel like my insides went through the car wash and are sparkling clean. Many people I work with are sick, and other than a quick case of pink eye, I have never felt healthier!  The key to juicing is just to keep doing it. I have decided to extend my cleanse until the end of January. I am going to keep going forward in 2 -4 week segments. Juicing is not a diet for me, it is a lifestyle. The alternative, for me, is to be fat, sick, and nearly dead. My Great-Grandmother's Juicer (Little Nana) Last night I was a little hungry after dinner. I did not feel like messing up my juicer for a small glass of juice. I decided to break out my grandmother...

It is the dawn of Day 7 of my New Year's Resolution. Before I begin, I ask you, how well are you doing on your resolution? Did you join the gym? Did you exercise yet? Have you been kinder to your neighbor? Did you scale back your family budget? Did you learn to say "no" to your child, boss, or spouse? I believe we all start the new year with good intentions and then fall quickly back into our former-less admirable- selves. Not this girl. I have had 7 days of juice and clean food. When I try to explain to others what I am doing, I am always greeted with a furrow of the brow and and question; usually something like, "So, all you eat all day is that juice?" or "Don't you eat real food?" I love it. While in the lunchroom, someone might say, "That can't be healthy for you?" --as the questioner is munching on a sugary snack or a leftover casserole. I guess we all have our own interpretations as to what is or is not healthy. For me, t...

There is no way to describe Day 3 of juicing other than "detoxing." Last night I had a pretty annoying headache. Today, for the most part, was good, other than feeling a bit tired. Hopefully tomorrow will bring a renewed sense of energy. Tomorrow's breakfast I started today off with my Morning Goodness, the same recipe as yesterday but I added some mango. Delish! I also had the same juice for my lunch. My morning routine has improved and I am getting pretty good at ironing out this new schedule.  Here is my line up for tomorrow morning. As you can see, a lot of food goes into each juice.  7 small apples (or 4 regular) 2 small cucumbers (or 1 regular) 2 romaine  2 oranges 4 stalks celery  The interesting thing about juicing is that you never need to feel like you are hungry. Once you feel the hunger, drink some juice or have some veggie/fruit snacks. Drink as much as you want!  Joe Cross and Reboot your Life wa...

"Don't mess with my morning routine." I think that was my response to Jonny's suggestion to buying a house with one full bathroom. My morning routine is sacred. Don't mess with it. Wake-bathroom-teeth-shower-makeup-hair-coffee/dogs/banana. I have been performing this way for years, and my system is down to a science. Enter juicing. Ah@$nalkh!!!***##&!*! Juicing after-school is a cinch. I can choose my veggies or fruit, leisurely chop, and relax in my big cozy chair as I sip the goodness. Juicing during the summer is even better - no schedule, no hunger! I can juice whenever. Juicing with a job - not so fun. I am working on creating a better morning routine to get the freshest juice possible. Although I can make my juice the night before, sometimes I like to make a large batch in the morning for my breakfast and lunch. Here are some Juice Routine-Buster tips: Pick out your ingredients the night before Chop and peel anything that needs it Put e...

Ok, so here is the disclaimer: I am by no means an expert at juicing. I am not a nutritionist. I am only a huge fan of consuming my daily caloric intake by the form of juice. Why? I'll leave that to the other non-expert to explain.  Read about Joe Cross.  So, why blog about my juicing experiences? Many people are striving to "start the new year right." Every year, we make resolutions and quickly slide back into our former-less admirable-daily routines. Juicing is the kind of lifestyle change that can change with you. The cleanse is the most challenging part. My first attempt at the cleanse brought about a roller coaster of mixed emotions and experiences. You can read about it on my blog. I only documented days 1-4 but you should know that I lasted 10 days before I had to go to North Carolina for nearly 3 weeks. I wish I never had to stop. When I returned from NC I fit in another 5-day fast before school started. I have maintained a juicing lifestyle since. Typically, ...

Brown bag, brown bag, in the fridge..tell me what type of life this is! Everyone  says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that dinner is the most important time for a family. Lunch, on the other hand, is a meal which we rarely neglect; partly because we are usually hungry around mid-day, and partly because our employers actually tell us we have to take one. But, what does your meal scream about you? Are we really what we eat?  Unfortunately, yes, we are. Try out this sample menu: Monday : Baby green salad, roasted walnuts, cranberries, grilled chicken, and Gorgonzola cheese. Warm balsamic dressing and bottle of 0 calorie flavored water. Snack: little pomegranate seeds and honey glazed almonds. Interpretation: I love having lunch with my girlfriends!!! In fact, I love showing off my healthy selections while ravishing my mouth with little petite treats. I may have credit card bills out the wazoo ...

Why in the world do we need some scientific research to tell us that by putting more chemicals in our bodies, that we are going to have negative side effects?? I understand why some farmers and food manufacturers will add these preservatives, food additives and pesticides to their products...money, money, money. The time is now, people, to go back to basics. Sure, a completely organic and whole food diet can be challenging. I am struggling myself. In this economy, when we are just barely making ends meet, we are charged MORE money for eating FEWER chemicals and preservatives!! As an example, a lb of organic baby cut carrot is nearly a whole dollar more than non-organic. Just to let you know, I am very proud of my backyard garden. I have 23 tomato plants, 8 string less bean plants, 6 cucumber plants, 4 butternut squash plants, garlic, chives, basil, carrots, and corn (which usually doesn't yield anything but looks cool). It really takes up only a portion of my yard (15x15) and littl...