Determination, Motivation, and Planning

Good afternoon everyone,

How are you all today? Today I seem to have more energy than I did previously.  I am uncertain of why that is, one could deduce that it is attributed to juicing and eating healthier. :-)

Ok first things first, yesterday was a good day overall. I did not crave sodas, artificial sugars, or nutri grain bars as I once had.  This could be attributed to the fact I was so distracted with my Nutrition Class. I did not complete it until 11:00 pm which left me only 45 minutes to spare! Nothing like procrastination to get me on my A-game? lol

Not so fast!!! When it comes to sticking to a lifestyle change especially one that involves your daily consumption of food,  we must plan, plan, plan! With that said, I do not like to plan when it comes to eating, now Disney or Vacations that is different. Anyway planning is necessary, because I am determined to get my allergies in check. As a result, starting off I have decided to stick to the simple ingredients I have been juicing.  This week I only spent $20 for the entire week for juicing produce! Yay me! But keep in mind I only juice for breakfast and if I have some left over which I usually do, I have it for lunch. 

In any event $20 a week for 7 days of breakfast and lunches consist of: 5 bunches of Celery, 2 bags of large carrots, 9 cucumbers, 1 large ginger root, 2 bags of lemons (which I stopped juicing, 5 kiwi, 1 bunch of bananas ) and 2 bags of apples (usually granny, but this time red delicious apples).  You may wonder how that is possible to purchase all that for so cheap? Keep in mind things are much cheaper at the base commissary than they are at local supermarkets. If you do not have access to a base simply visit your local farmers markets or local produce farms to see if they sale produce at a cheaper price than grocery stores.  But this summer I am planning to start my own patio garden since it stays in the mid 80's during winter in the Keys.

Oops I went out on a tangent! Ok, when I juice I can yield at least 26 ounces but no more than 38 ounces.  This is dependant on the size of the produce I am juicing that morning.  Currently I juice-- 1 cucumber (peel the skin if it is waxy), 4 or 5 celery stalks, thumb-sized ginger (remove the skin), 2 apples (green, yellow, red), 1 lemon (peeled).  Today the produce yield approximately 26 ounces. I could not drink the last 8 ounces so I placed it in a glass jar. Then placed it in the freezer for 10 mins so it would cool faster.  Then I moved the glass to the refrigerator for consumption when I feel hungry in the hours to come.
 
Sometimes all this planning makes me feel like a squirrel stashing nuts! lol My husband would agree because the first two shelves of our refrigerator consists of only fruits and vegetables! However, he has no problem with me taking over the freezer, which has collected a vast amount of broccoli which he loves and a mass of frozen fruits.  This is because I make my husband and our daughter fresh smoothies each day before work and school.  When I do this I add a tablespoon of flaxseed to their smoothies.  Ha! There is nothing like sneaking fiber into their diets without protest and occasionally a lil spinach shhh! Thats our secret.

Again I am long winded. Please have a safe and fun filled day! It is beautiful outside here, time to go ride the bike! Enjoy your day no matter what you do-- God Bless.

-GP  


To avoid adding artifical flavoring to my water. I use a 1 liter pitcher and fill 3/4 of the way with water. I then slice 2 lemons horozonatally with peel on, then I add 1 sliced kiwi, and 5 frozen strawberries.  The combination is wonderful! After about 6 hours I usually eat the fruits before dinner which is usually around 6:30pm.

Ok you can stop reading now, but please feel free to continue. I know I am going to sound like a broken record, but make sure if you are counting calories to count the whole caloric value.  No matter that state of the produce rather whole or juiced the caloric value is the same.  When juicing calories are not removed, yet the pulp which is the fiber of the fruit and minimal juice depending on what juicer you purchased.

Since I live in the FL Keys and I totally dislike throwing away the pulp accumulated in the juice extractor. I decided it would be ok to give my dog 1/4 of a cup of pulp.  That is not nearly close to what is extracted from the produce which yields aapproximately 4 cups of pulp.  If I were at the North FL house I would lightly cover it in the forest behind my house and leave it for the birds and squirrels to eat.  But until I am there next week, this is what I have done. So far so good :-). Be sure not give carrot pulp to your doggie if you try this.  As you know humans should not consume alot of carrot juice.  Due to the fact that, it could change the skin color to an orange color and too much of anything can be bad for our health.