**RECIPE** Juice & Smoothie Blends

Since I have been faithful about going to the gym, I'm losing pounds and inches faster than I expected. I think part of the weight loss is due to the better eating habits I'm practicing.

Juicing (or "smuicing" for those who also enjoy smoothies) is a great way to balance out my nutrition while trying to lose or maintain weight. The hardest  part of it all is just like with any kind of diet (or lifestyle  change), and that is variety.

I have no problem eating right for months and months. I do tend to get bored with my healthy choices of nutrition. So... I try not to get bored.

With the new - and very affordable - juicer I've had for a couple of weeks, I can change up from smoothies to juices just by rotating two appliances.

        

Juices are easier for me than smoothies. Here are my latest recipes:

Tropical Blend

Pineapple
Mandarin Oranges
(Can add a little bit of lemon if you want)

Blood Pressure Blend

Beets
Carrots
Apple (for more sweetening)

Workout Refresher Blends (for after the gym)

Celery + Ginger + Cucumber + Oranges

Beets + Apples

Cucumber + Oranges

Blend for Snacktime

Ginger
Cucumber
Apple

Someone mentioned to me that adding a little bit of cayenne to my juices could help rev the metabolism. I want to try it, but I have no tolerance for even mild heat. I might try adding cinnamon to a blend, but I haven't yet.

Another thing about juices vs smoothies: to help replenish the fiber lost from juicing, I like to add back in to the juice some of the pulp that the juicer discards. This means having to shake the pulp around in the juice so that it doesn't all sink, but it's worth it and doesn't really bother me as far as taste.

If anyone has any suggestions for juices or smoothies, feel free to email me.

Peace
--Free

Smoothie-licious

Some days I'm better at taking care of myself than others. Usually, those days come right after I've felt the effects of not taking care of myself. The last few weeks have been a little draining so I am making a renewed effort to be good to myself.

You've already heard about my love affair with the blender I purchased a while back. Here's one of the reasons I fall in love all over again just about every three days:

blueberries, raspberries, honey, spinach & flax

Two tablespoons of flax. Daily limit.

And bananas & Silk Almond Milk. And more raspberries!

It's ready to mix. How pretty!

Kind of pretty, ain't it?

And then... The yummy is ready for my tummy.

Tastes SO much better than it looks.

I like using bananas in my morning smoothies because  it makes me feel full. When I'm out later, running errands, I won't try sneaking in an Auntie Anne's pretzel.

Now that berries and veggies are a little more reasonable (fingers crossed!), the only complain I have about buying things for the smoothies is the price of Silk products. I've tried other brands of soy vanilla and almond milk, but they just don't taste as good. Maybe that's why Silk is priced higher? Hmmm... I am open to suggestions, folks.

I'm going to take some photos of my weight loss soon. It's a matter of sunlight and angles. I'm dark-skinned and I don't photograph well under less-than-perfect conditions. Now that it's nice and sunny in Anchorage, I will make an attempt to get some shots. I can't wait until you see the difference between now and last year. Serious, serious changes!

Peace
--Free