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

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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!!

Banana Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Snacks - Kid Friendly

This kid friendly recipe is so easy my daughter helped to make it and enjoyed eating it even a little more :)  With only 3 ingredients it is quick and nutritious as well.

You start with one banana, I cut it into half, one for me and one for Emma, then spread peanut butter onto one end. 

Next comes the Kid Friendly part!  I let my daughter scoop up mini semi sweet chocolate chips (I am partial to Hershey's growing up 30 minutes away it's hard not to be)  and then she sprinkles them all over both of our bananas.

She sprinkles some more :)  And then some more :) Until I tell her o.k. o.k. that's enough.  If it were up to her she would dump the whole bag on top!

She did a great job!  And look at that smile for some reason a smile and chocolate are almost guaranteed :)

Now for the fun part, actually eating it.  As you can see they are very finger friendly and not hard for little hands to pick up at all.  I asked her if she would like to make this again sometime and of course her answer was Yes!!  I hope you enjoy making this recipe with your kids, are there any variations you have tried with this recipe?

Weight Watchers Body Fat Analysis Scale

I am throwing out my old scale and going with a new scale that doesn't just show me my weight.  That alone is extremely frustrating!  So I looked online for one that would tell me my BMI and of course Water weight.  I browsed through some pretty pricey scales until I found this inpaticular scale.  Don't let the name Weight Watchers fool you.  I am not doing any plans with Weight Watchers or any other program for that matter.  This just happens to be the scale I need. 

So this took me a coupl eminutes to setup (very user friendly) I set it up, took me 2 minutes including the time to read the instructions.  All you need to know is your age and height.  That was easy enough.  I programmed myself as user 1 and plugged in all my info.  Next I stepped on the scale with my clothes on.  I was wearing workout clothes including sports bra, Yoga Pants and jacket and a simple t-shirt from the Gap.  V-Neck with a small pocket if you need to know specifics, LOL!  I am sure you don't but thought it would be funny to some. 

Back to the scale.  It read 184.4 with all my clothes on.  I told you I was between 179 and 190 to begin with right??  Well I was always told you should weigh yourself in the morning before you do anything and weigh yourself naked.  Since it was 7:00 until I received the scale I had to play with right away, so I decided to check my naked weight.  Would you believe it said 182 lbs exact.  Who knew clothes weighed that much!?!  Anyway, I am weighing myself in the morning and then I am done for the week.  So I will be updating my weight every Friday morning for those who are interested.  Like I said in earlier posts I am not interested in weighing myself everyday.  That only leads to frustration.  So keep checking in to see what I am eating and how i am doing with keeping the weight off.  Hopefully you will catch me in a couple months when I fit into my "Skinny Jeans"  :)

If you would like to purchase the exact scale I bought you can check it out here


Weight Watchers Body Analysis and Weight Tracker Scale 

Don't forget to take off your socks when weighing yourself :)

Nuts About Granola - Perfect "To Go" Snack for Healthy Eating

(Don't worry, No Granola was wasted during or after the Photo Shoot!  I snacked on the Yummy "Johnny Appleseed" Granola the whole time.) 

I have found that one thing always stays true when trying to lose weight the Healthy Way.  Staying Hungry is a disaster for grabbing Calorie and Fat Loaded snacks.  So I always carry a little travel sized bag of Nuts About Granola along with me in my purse.  It is like a staple right next to the Lip Gloss :) 

I consider it my secret weapon in fighting crime, ok, maybe I went a little too far........More like my secret weapon to Healthy Weight Loss.  It never fails when I run to the store to grab something "quick" I am hit with a huge hunger attack.  Having three kids doesn't make it any easier.  All I hear in the car is "I'm hungry" or "Can I have a Snack" or my personal favorite "my belly hurts".  So I need to be prepared with something healthy and good for the whole family to enjoy.  Otherwise I will have three kids, with empty stomachs. all yelling, whining, and screaming at each other in the car.  Any mother knows this is not a good time and can probably relate. 

So I am Super Thankful for these adorable Snack Sized Packs of Granola from Nuts About Granola to help me fight crime...I mean Hunger, and get back into my "Skinny Jeans" :)  Giving me the perfect Healthy Snack to control my hunger and get through the day!

Thank you NUTS ABOUT GRANOLA!!

Check out the Website where you can Order Granola Online to be shipped to your door!  Check Out the Awesome flavors too :)

Banana Puree Instructions

 Believe it or not a Banana Puree actually starts out using bananas!  I know it's a no brainer but these are the Instructions so I have to say "Start with Bananas" somewhere.  :)  So you Start with 3 small bananas (this will make Approx. 1 cup of Puree) and I simply broke them up with my fingers and placed them into a bowl. 

Next you take a Fork and Mash the Banana down until it looks like the Picture Above. 

Yep, Mashed Bananas look like that  :)

Then you place your Mashed Bananas into your Food Processor (Love this thing) and turn it on for about two minutes.  I actually add a tiny amount of water about 1 tsp - 1 tbsp after it has run for a couple of seconds.  This helps it to really become liquid.

I pour it into a Measuring Cup, use it my recipe and store any leftovers in the Freezer labeled Banana Puree and I also include the Date.  This makes it easy to pull out and thaw for a later recipe.  Do not get scared if your bananas get a little darker while sitting in the measuring cup waiting to go into the recipe.  This is natural :)

Deceptively Delicious - Peanut Butter and Banana Muffin Recipe! With Nutrition Facts

It sounds innocent, right?  Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins.  My kids thought so.  Which is all that matters.  Shhhh.....don't tell them that these muffins are actually good for them! 

Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins - Deceptively Delicious By: Jessica Seinfeld

• Non Stick Cooking Spray ( I just used Cupcake Liners so this wasn't necessary)
• 1 Cup Firmly packed Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Natural Peanut Butter ( I actually used J.I.F. Creamy because that is what I had on hand so Nutrition Facts below will reflect this change)
• 1/2 Cup Cauliflower Puree or Carrot Puree (I used Cauliflower which protects against Cancer, and Strengthens your Immune System.  Perfect for Flu Season)
• 1/2 Cup Banana Puree (Click for Directions on making the Banana Puree)
• 1 Large Egg White (Instead of using a whole egg, this cuts out 4g of fat)
• 1 Cup Whole-Wheat Flour (I use King Arthur Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour - All Natural)
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp. Salt (I use Pure Ocean Sea Salt Ground Fine not Coarse)



Instructions:

This is from the Deceptively Delicious Cookbook 

 Instructions Found on LiveStrong.com

Using Skinny Jeans Amy's Personal Photos

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the brown sugar with the peanut butter, the vegetable and banana purees, and the egg white, using a wooden spoon.

3. Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (or Sea Salt) in a bowl or zipper-lock bag and stir or shake to mix. Add to the bowl with the peanut butter mixture and stir just to combine (the batter will be a little lumpy-do not over mix). Add the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar and stir once or twice.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in to the center, 15 to 20 minutes. (they took me about 22 minutes)Turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool.

5. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 1 month.

Nutrition Facts using all of the Specific Ingredients I used listed above.

Makes 12 Muffins.  Nutritional Facts Based on 1 Muffin.

• Total Fat:            5.6g
• Carbs:                 28.4g
• Dietary Fiber:     2.21g 
• Protein:               4.6g
• Sodium:               151.25
• Calories:             175
• Potassium:          49mg

Compare Nutrition Facts to this Peanut Butter Banana Muffins Recipe found at AllRecipes which uses Vegetable Oil, Whole egg, and Milk, and Butter.

The not as Healthy Version has 11g of Fat per Muffin, 226 Calories, 27g Carbs