Healthy Entertaining Recipes - Baked Potato Bites

I Love entertaining and am always looking for little finger foods while trying to keep it somewhat healthy.  Most things are dips which are heavy on Fatty cheeses and meats or things like Ranch dressing.  So I have been trying to incorporate veggies with low fat options.  These particular little baked potato bites are made with Reduced Fat Sour Cream and topped with Chives.  First I scooped a little out of the tops to make a well for the sour cream to sit in.  Then I lightly applied Olive Oil to the potatoes and baked them for 10-15 minutes.  I let the potatoes cool slightly so the sour cream wouldn't melt.  Added the sour cream to a piping bag and added a Wilton #1 decorating tip to make them look extra purrty :) 

Skinny Jeans Amy Juice at Juicy Lucy's Juice Bar in NYC

I am so thrilled to be typing this right now and it's a little over due.  But sometimes life carries us away, right??  Well I wanted to post about a message I received on Facebook in the beginning of August from Juicy Lucy's a cold pressed juice bar with two locations in NYC.  She found my Pineapple, Cilantro, Jalapeno Juice Recipe and wanted to put it on her shelves :)  I know, so exciting!!  So here it is, all bottled up and ready to go!  I can't wait to go to NYC in December and try it, I will be posting pictures about that trip too.  If you live in or near NYC stop in and give it a try and then tell me what you think ;)  Check out her locations here!  Jucy Lucy's NYC
~Amy

Tuna Fish Triangles - Low Fat Healthy Recipe

How Delish are these Yummy Tuna Fish Triangles!!  Made with a Low-Fat Mayo and Spicy Brown Mustard, Yum!!  Add some chopped Spinach and Diced Tomatoes for a yummy healthy snack.  Scoop onto a Whole Wheat Pita Triangle and Enjoy!

Yummy Tuna Triangles - Low Fat Healthy Recipe

1 Can Tuna in Water drained
1 Tbsp Low Fat Mayo
1 tsp Spicy Brown Mustard
2 Tbsp Chopped Spinach
2 Tbsp Chopped Tomato
1 Whole Wheat Pita cut into Triangles

Mix everything together, starting with the Mayo and Mustard, scoop onto triangles and enjoy!!

Optimum Nutrition - 100% Whey Gold Standard - Protein Shake

My go to for a before workout breakfast is definitely this Whey Protein from Optimum Nutrition!  It mixes well and isn't really thick so it goes down easy and keeps me feeling full and satisfied which prevents my over snacking on unhealthy foods because I am starving.  I am sure you know what I am talking about :)   It's not fun once it gets to that point because there goes all your hard work right out the window! 

I buy it in bulk because my husband uses it too :)  I am including a link to  the actual product on Amazon.   I find the more I study and read the more focused I stay on healthy weight loss and just eating healthy in general.  So I Follow Optimum Nutrition on Facebook.  Along with a few others, I will be mentioning in my next couple of posts.  Don't forget to "Like" Skinny Jeans Amy on Facebook! 

Healthy Yummy Low Carb Recipe - Asparagus Salad

This Yummy Asparagus Salad was actually brought over by my neighbor.  She is so sweet!!  And who doesn't love a neighbor that brings you Healthy Food :)  This Salad looks super easy to make and is one that when it sets it gets better and better. 

What you need for this Recipe:

• 1 bunch of Asparagus
• a handful of Roma Tomatoes, not too many if going for low carb
• Kalamata Olives
• Red Onion sliced really thin, this was pretty light in the salad I'd say maybe two slices cut small
• Crumbled Feta Cheese
• Balsamic Vinegar

Combine all ingredients, the feta was crumbled all over the top, I did mix it in before eating it though, and didn't think to take the picture until I had mixed it in.  Measurements don't have to be exact which makes this such a nice recipe.  Perfect for a hot summer day!

My Gym Routine - Favorite Kindle Fire Read

My new favorite thing is my Kindle Fire!!  My husband bought it for me this past Christmas and it has been a huge part of my weight loss journey.  I take it to the gym alot, usually to read a good book while I am on the Elliptical, or sometimes I Facebook on it too, the screen is larger than my phone, so it works great for propping on the Eliptical's dashboard.  

I am currently reading "The Everything Juicing Book" By Carole Jacobs and I had an epiphany.  Many people ask me why I juice?  As in why not drink a smoothie, or just eat the vegetables.  While reading "The Everything Juicing Book" I wasn't even two pages into it and this what I read "Although most people understand the importance of eating more fruits and vegetables, they often lack the time, energy, and motivation to make it happen.  For such people, juicing can be the difference between great health and chronic illness". - The Everything Juicing Book

Juicing is the easiest and quickest way for me to get my daily intake of fruits and vegetables.  Am I lazy, do I lack energy, and motivation??  I don't think I am but maybe, that isn't really the point though.  This is what works for me :)  You know that saying "if it isn't broke don't fix it".  Well Juicing isn't broke for me so I am going to continue doing it.  I haven't felt or looked this good in a long time and so thankful to have me back!

Juice Fast down 20 lbs

So here I am!!  Down 20 lbs and feel great, feel like I look great too :)  Still have weight to lose but very happy with where I am at.  Best part of all I fit into my Skinny Jeans!!!!  Yes my skinny size 10 jeans :)  I can't believe that drinking juice is this amazing and am only sad I didn't discover it sooner.  I have alot of family and friends asking me how I lost my weight so I wanted to post the basic steps of where to start here.

• Sign up on Loseit.com (I did this straight from my phone through a Mobile App which is perfect for tracking calories.  It also gives you an estimate of the number of calories YOU need based on your age, height, and weight.  Super easy to use) and no I am not getting paid to reccomend this site.  This what worked for me to achieve my actual results.
• Watch Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (this moving can change your life)
• Buy a Breville Juicer already you are going to need it :)
• Buy lots of Fresh Organic Fruits and Veggies to begin your juicing journey!! 
• Don't be afraid of going to the gym.  Take walks around your neighborhood if you like.  A walk can do wonders for stress. 

What are you waiting for??

Kid Friendly Juicing Recipe Peach, Grape, & Apples

My son is a pretty Healthy Eater, he does not like Meat of any kind, so when we have meat at meals it's a struggle to get him to eat anything.  It is almost like his brain is processing meat at mealtime as the meat fairy sprinkling little meat dust particles all over the entire dinner.  So needless to say we have a hard time with it.  So I have been juicing for awhile now and figured I would give him the option of a Veggie Burger or a Juice.  Surprisingly he went with the juice and asked if he could make up his own recipe.  I agreed with the condition that I would pick one thing to go in it and he had to pick at least two vegetables to go into his recipe.

I was surprised by his choices.  And really wanted to try it.  We got everything ready and he juiced everything himself.  He definitely got a workout after pushing all those fruits and vegetables through the juicer.  There he is above pouring some for me and some for him :)  What a gentleman!! 

And the verdict, HE LIKED IT!!!  Score!!!  He drank the whole thing.  Which was such a relief from trying to get him to eat at mealtime.  I might use this more often :) 

Roman's Juice Recipe:

• 2 Apples
• 4 Celery Stalks
• 1 Cup Grapes
• 1/2 Cup Spinach
• 1 Peach
• Bunch of Kale (mom's addition)

Place everything in the juicer and enjoy!!  Makes two small servings.

This juice was a little on the sweet side.  I prefer more veggies and not as much fruit but for a 7 year old this was great getting those vegetables in a natural juice :)

 

Pineapple, Cilantro, Jalapeno Juice Recipe

Today was a great Day for me :)  I started juicing a couple years back but started a Juice Fast December 30th 2011 after watching Fat, Sick, Nearly and Dead the DVD.  It was so inspiring to see Joe Cross turn his health around and lose all that weight.  When I first started I weighed 189 lbs (almost 190).  I did the juice fast for about 12 days and saw great progress.  Had some ups and down moments which I talk about in earlier posts.  Then in mid January we were heading to Orlando, FL on vacation and I was really sick with what I thought was a cold.  Well after reading this awesome Blog Post about The Different Juice Fasting Stages of Detoxification it helped me to see that it was totally normal.  

I didn't think I would be able to juice on vacation so I put my detox on hold for another time.  I blogged about Healthy Restaurant Choices while on Vacation here, wanting to stick to a diet of mostly fruits and vegetables to keep on track with maintaining my weight.  So when we came back from vacation I kept juicing at least once a day and today woke up and stepped on the scale and smiled :)  I weighed in at 176.4 lbs!!  So happy about that.  Now that I brought you up to date with what has been going on I have a fun Recipe to share.

 I have been wanting to juice a jalapeno since I started juicing but wasn't sure just what to put in it to pull it all together.  I think I may have found it.  This Healthy Pineapple Juice Recipe is really good and for those of you who might be scared by the jalepeno, I only put half with the seeds into the Juicer and I couldn't pick up any spice but my husband commented on the smokey flavor of the jalapeno in the juice.  Next time I will add more to see if I can get that extra kick in there :)

Pineapple Cilantro Jalapeno Juice Recipe:

•  1/2 Pineapple
• 1 Cup Cilantro
• 1 Cucumber
• 1/2 Lime
• 1/2 Jalapeno w/seeds

Add everything to your juicer.  I juiced the Pineapple first, then loaded the cilantro and then the cucumber.  Pushed those down half way and added thejalapeno and the lime (skin removed)

Check out Affordable Juicers here!

Linking Up At:

Recipe - Juicing Carrots & Parsley

This morning, I was cleaning out the produce bin in my fridge before my next trip to Fresh Market to restock.  I had Carrots, a Cucumber, an apple, an orange, and some parsley left over.  So that was the inspiration for this juice.  I wish I would have had some Ginger since it was a breakfast juice and that is when I need the most pick me up in an energizing juice.  But for today Carrots and Parsley were the main ingredient.  Most people look at Parsley as just a garnish but there is much more to it. 

Carrot & Parsley Juice

•  5 Long & Skinny Carrots
• 1 Orange
• 1 Cup Parsley
• 1 Apple
• 1 Cucumber

Push all ingredients through your juicer, add a straw, and enjoy :) 

Health Benefits of Parlsey Juice: via GreenMuze

Parsley juice is great for the blood vessels.  However raw parsley juice is most potent and shouldn't be taken alone in quantities of more than 1 or 2oz. at a time unless you are mixing it into a sufficient amount of carrot or other juices.

Parsley Juice can help with:

• Expelling watery poisons
• Excess mucus
• Flatulence (gas)
• Reducing swollen or enlarged glands.

Check out Affordable Breville Juicers Here

Purple Juice Recipe - Energizing with Red Cabbage and Ginger

I have been feeling a little sluggish the past couple of days and really needed a pick me up (hold the caffeine) this morning.  This Pretty Purple Juice did just that :)  This Purple Juice Recipe was not only pretty looking but tasted good as well.  That was mostly due to the fact that there was alot of fruit.  Way more than I usually juice but I needed it! 

Pretty Purple Juice Recipe

• 3 Oranges (Skin Removed)
• 1 Apple
• 1 Cucumber
• 1/4 Head of Cabbage
• 1/4 Head of Red Cabbage
• 2" of Ginger
• Drinking Straw (Optional)

Put all ingredients (except for the drinking straw of course) into your Juicer and Drink and enjoy :) 

This juice was the perfect pick me up drink, check out my other Energizing Juice Recipe here!

Have Leftover Red Cabbage from this Recipe and don't know what to do with it??  Check out this other Red Cabbage Juice Recipe Here!

Wondering where to get an affordable Juicer like the one pictured above??  Check out this Affordable Breville Juicer Here!

Healthy School Snacks for Kids - Fruit Kebabs Recipe

You will need:

• 1 Bag Green Grapes (seedless)
• 1 pack of Blueberries
• 1 pack of Strawberries
• 3 Oranges
• 1 pack Coffee Straws

My youngest daughter, Emma who is 4, was in charge of Snack all week at Preschool.  Instead of the normal snack choices of Animal crackers and a huge jug of Red Fruit Punch that most Mom's would send in, I chose to do Fruit Kebabs. 

Most Mom's would choose something other than fresh fruit because it's expensive and their child is picky, right??  Well I wanted to prove that Healthy snacks could entice kids, even the picky eaters to try them.  These fruit kebabs didn't even use a whole bag of grapes or even a whole container of strawberries or blueberries and took about three oranges to make them.  Plus these Fruit Kebabs were a huge hit!  All the kids loved them and they turned out so bright and colorful. 

I started with Coffee straws that I bought at our local grocery store.  Added a grape, a blueberry, a strawberry, an orange, then a strawberry again, a blueberry, and finished it off with a grape.  My Preschooler even helped.  She thought the pattern was so fun and kept asking...now a strawberry Mom....and now a blueberry...it was cute and alot of fun doing it together.  I only needed 30 (2 for each child) so the leftovers I packed in my older two children's lunch boxes.  They were a hit for all.

This idea was inspired by Pinterest, check out my Board full of other Healthy Kid Snacks and start following today :)

Juicing Recipe with Apples, Spinach, Red Cabbage, and more!

I LOVE creating new Juicing Recipes.  The other morning I needed a pick me up juice for breakfast and my husband wanted one as well so I wanted it to be good.  I have juiced red cabbage before with tomatoes, red onion, garlic, and celery and it would have been better as soup.  I burped Red Onion for hours, lol!  So I was anxious to try it with a little bit of fruit.

That brought me to this combination.  I doubled what you see in the picture to make two juices.  Which can easily be done.  My husband doesn't always juice with me though so I wanted to post the single serving recipe.

You will need:

• 1/2 Cucumber with skin
• 1/4 cup Bluberries
• 1/4 head of Red Cabbage
• 1/2 Apple
• 1 1/2 Celery Stalks
• 1/2 Orange
• 1 cup Spinach
• 1/2 cup Parsley
• 1 inch of Ginger Root

Place into your Breville Juicer or other Brand and Enjoy!! 

My Husband and I both liked this recipe and hope that you and others will too :)  Don't forget to Follow me on Facebook to stay up to date on the latest juicing recipes.

To Check out Affordable Juicers Here!

The Sleep Doctor's Sleep Slim Smoothie - Dr. Oz Recipe

When I first saw this recipe pinned on Pinterest I was thinking, "Tart Cherry Juice??  Where in the world do I find that?"  So I set out that afternoon to find some Tart Cherry Juice.  I checked out my local Fresh Market which is kind of like a Whole Foods and as my husband was looking in the juice aisle for Apple Cider, I found the Organic Tart Cherry Juice at the top of the shelf near Aloe Juice and some other juicees that made me even more curious about them :) 

I grabbed some Silk Soy Milk and headed home to make my Sleep Doctor's Sleep Slim Smoothie.

The Sleep Slim Smoothie Recipe is really easy to make, all you need is:

Ingredients
1 cup tart cherry juice
1/2 banana
1/2 cup soy milk or 4-6 oz soy yogurt (if using soy yogurt, add an additional 1/2 cup fat-free milk)
5 ice cubes
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions
Combine the cherry juice, banana, milk or yogurt with fat-free milk, ice and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth.

This is the actual Recipe Via Doctor Oz

I really liked this Smoothie and my kids Loved The Tart Cherry Juice and Soy Milk Blended together with Ice.  Find out more Benefits of Tart Cherry Juice here.

While doing a little more research I found this on Livestrong.com

"Extra Cancer Protection

Carcinogens, harmful substances in air, water and foods, may damage the body's cells, triggering changes that may lead to cancer. Tart cherry juice offers more than anthocyanins. It is loaded with three disease-fighting chemicals that may be beneficial for halting cell transformation (that often leads to cancer). These powerful chemicals include perillyl alcohol, limonene and ellagic acid. Citrus peel offers limonene and berries offer ellagic acid but only cherries offer all three chemicals. They are particularly protective against cancers of the breast, lung, liver and skin."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/24160-health-benefits-tart-cherry-juice/#ixzz1mT2hsnPB

Losing Weight and Keeping it Off - Healthy Restaurant Choices

The truth for me is.... eating more vegetables in my diet which is leading to more fat being burned at workouts and me feeling fuller on less.  This picture illustrates it perfectly. 

After juicing on December 30th for a week and a half, and then going on vacation.  I managed to lose 10 lbs and keep it off by choosing more vegetables throughout my day and when going out to eat.  Going on vacation and not gaining 10 lbs was a huge accomplishment for me :)  I had some help by choosing restaurants that had healthy choices like calories posted on their menus.  IHOP, and Chevy's Fresh Mex were two I frequented regularly.  I would normally order a Burrito from Chevy's and when I saw how many calories it contained (almost a whole days worth for me) I changed my mind to a salad and better yet they had a half portion!!  Wish more restaurants would do this. 

This Omelet from IHOP was around 380 calories not bad for a 1300 calorie day.  It even had swiss cheese on it which was surprising because I find myself getting alot of things without cheese to save on calories and fat.  This was definitely a Healthy Restaurant Choice.

The half portion of this bottom salad was around 400 calories (dressing was extra) but they have a salsa vinagrette which was really good and only 50 calories.  Another Healthy Restaurant choice. 

So you can go out to eat on vacation without sacraficing all of your calories on one meal.  Just remember Vegetables are your friend.  For dinner try an entree with fish and fresh vegetables.  Try taking only a bite or two of carbs to satisfy that craving if your like me :)  It's best to just ask ahead of time to keep the Dinner Rolls in the back. 

Juice Fast - Day 7: Energizing Juice Recipe with Nutrition Facts

Day 7!!!! Whoo hoo, I have made it a whole week!! My skin is looking great and I am looking slimmer. Or as my husband would say sexier ;) I have energy and really only felt like taking a nap once this whole week which was yesterday. That is huge for me because normally I am tired and would Love a nap everyday even though it's not possible. I am going to be eating some fruits and veggies this next week with mostly juicing. This week wasn't easy though so hopefully next will be a liitle easier.

I am going to post one of my favorite Energizing Juice Recipes.  I found this one to be great for Energy and it has Protein in it.  When I started posting on Facebook about my juicing on my personal page people were very quick to express their concern that I am not eating a sensible diet, and I needed proper amounts of carbs and protein to stay healthy.  I found that you can get all of that and more from a diet rich in fruits and veggies, or even fruit and vegetable juice.  Some days I would have around 50g of protein in my juice diet for the day.  I would say that is a good amount.  

I found out my Caloric Intake for my age, height, and current weight by going to Loseit.com which is really a great way to keep track of your exercise and eating while trying to lose weight.  There is an app on my phone which allows me to scan the barcode on the package of foods I am going to eat which is nice, although juicing has been a little more time consuming the first time adding my fruits and veggies, but once they are in there it saves the information making it quick to add to your day the next day. 

As far as my weight loss goes, I gained .6 lbs from my 181.2 weight yesterday.  Not mad though because I took my first Zumba class yesterday....YAY!!  Zumba is so much fun and a great way to burn calories.  Don't worry I am sooo uncoordinated and still had a ton of fun, so if you are thinking the same way I frist was you will be fine! 

Now for the Energizing Juice Recipe to get you ready for that Zumba Class ;)

Energizing Juice Recipe

• 2 Organic Gala Apples
• 1/2 Cucumber w/ skin
• 1/2 Lemon Peeled
• 1/2 Cup Kale
• 1 Cup Spinach
• 3 Celery Stalks
• 1/4 Bulb of Fennel
• 1" of Ginger

Total Calories = 242 
Total Protein = 6.61g 
Total Fat = 1.64g 
Total Carbs = 65.71 
Total Dietary Fiber = 14.1g

Don't forget to "Like" me on Facebook!!

Check Out Affordable Juicers Here!

My 30 Day Juice Fast Challenge - Day 5

So I have been MIA for awhile on this blog and was just really trying to figure out what was the best way to go about losing weight...I have tried just about everything, I feel anyway....

**Quick Update**

I was living in New Jersey last year, and my husband recently had a job change and we moved to South Carolina, living the beach life is wonderful!!  We almost immediately joined the gym here and Love it.  I even signed up with a personal trainer.  I felt great, was really starting to gain some muscle and I was tightening up a bit too.  Sounds great right, no....I was still maintaining my weight at about 185.   Not happy about that.  I know muscle weighs more than fat but I wanted to see the scale drop.  I was fitting into my size 12 pants (not quite the super skinny pants because my thigh muscles were still to big.)  So I couldn't complain a whole lot but I really wanted to see that nu,mber drop.

Which leads me to today.  I started a Juice Fast, after watching the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead", on December 30, 2011 and am now 5 days in.  This is my log of events that led to today.  A 30 Day Juice Fast sounds easy right??

Day 5 in my 30 day juice fast.....Started at 189.7 lbs and am now at 182.2 lbs, I am down 7.5 lbs, can really see where I am losing the weight and I had a persistent headache for about two days, on the third day I gave in and drank a protein shake.  It relieved my headache almost instantly.  I have been working out burning around 300-500 calories each day as well.  Still trying to maintain a 1200-1500 calorie juice intake.  Last Night I crashed, I was so irritable after lunch yesterday until I closed my eyes.  I caved and ate a Chicken Patty for dinner with two slices of bread (absolutely disgusting) but went with my F U to this diet mood......anyway, today is another day and I am not giving up....woke up and juiced my breakfast going to the gym soon, and hopefully today will be better.  Not eating is alot harder than I thought. 

So today is another day Wish Me Luck!!