Category Archives: Recipes

how to do a juice cleanse

How to do a Juice Cleanse: My First Experience with Juicing!

how to do a juice cleanse

A 3 day supply of Juice!

This past weekend I did my first Juice Cleanse.

I have always been skeptical of “cleanses” but I figured I can’t judge something I’ve never tried.

I decided to do Doctor Oz’s Juice Cleanse, but first I did some research to figure out why Juicing is becoming such a trend.  My research not only taught me how to do a juice cleanse, but also how many health benefits there actually are to juicing!

Why Do a Juice Cleanse?

Juice Cleanses are a way of detoxing the body to improve your overall health one of the benefits being weight loss.

Other benefits include:

  • Increased Energy
  • Mental Clarity
  • Enhanced Immunity
  • A Healthy Glow
  • Elevated Mood
  • Restorative Sleep
  • Fewer Unhealthy Cravings
  • Healthy Hair and Nails, see here the detailed explanation from doctor
  • A Feeling of Lightness

All of these side effects come from a decrease in toxins in the blood stream.

Scientists studying weight loss are finding people with high levels of toxins in their blood samples have a much harder time losing weight then those who have detoxed, try with Detoxic Ulasan.

Most toxins in the body come from Pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, preservatives and are stored in our fat cells because they are fat soluble.  Scientists are finding that when our fat cells store these toxins they begin to multiply; storing more fat, as well as becoming resistant to letting fat go, making weight loss difficult.

Having more fat cells isn’t just a cosmetic problem.  As the number of fat cells increases, our bodies release more lepton into the  bloodstream.  Lepton is the hormone that aids in the body’s ability to burn stored fat.  You would think increased lepton is a good thing, however, your body can become lepton-resistant, (just as Type II Diabetics who become insulin-resistant) making nearly impossible to burn fat, but with lysine supplement applied it can be a little easier.

It is also important to note every time you make new fat cells, you have those fat cells for life. You can only shrink fat cells, which is why weight yo-yo’ing or cycling can be very common.   Juicing is one way to detox allowing your body to not only be in prime condition to lose weight, but also just be overall healthier.

Juicing detoxes the body through 2 phases.  The first phase involves enzymes that actually makes a toxin more toxic, however, the second phase changes the chemistry of the toxin from being fat soluble to water soluble so that you can excrete toxins through your urine eliminating them from the body.

That was a lot of science, however, it is becoming increasingly more obvious that weight loss isn’t quite as simple as calories in/calories out.  I’ve addressed this issue before when I’ve talk about our eating ratios, but from my research I’ve discovered every now and then it’s important to give your system a reset.

How To Do a Juice Cleanse

It is important to make sure you are getting appropriate nutrients, so I recommend either buying juice from a reputable company in your area or online, (One good company is JuiceRX.) or following recipes such as the  Doctor Oz’s Juice Cleanse.

I really liked the ease of Doctor Oz’s Juice Cleanse.  It even provides a print out with recipes and shopping lists, which is awesome because you do buy a lot of produce and the math can be a little mind boggling if you are a juicing novice!

how to do a juice cleanse

how to do a juice cleanse

Produce enough to make 30 juices (enough for 2 to do a 3 days cleanse!)

If you are going to be making your own juices, I highly recommend using the Omega Vert 350.  It may not look like much, but it is easy to clean, hard to clog, and allows you to save the pulp which can be used to make veggie burgers for your one meal!

how to do a juice cleanse

Ideally you would want to make  your juices on the spot, but I borrowed a friend’s juicer so I had to make all 15 juices at once.  The process while very easy, was time consuming.  It took 3 1/2 hours to make 30 juices.  (I was juicing for 2)  I also produced a trash can full of pulp!

Once you have your juices ready, there isn’t really much to the cleanse.

Doctor Oz recommends doing a ramp a couple days leading up to your cleanse help ease the system.

The ramp up includes eliminating caffeine, sugar, red meat, dairy and processed foods from your diet and primarily eating fruit, vegetables and lean protein.  You should also make sure to drink 16oz of hot water with lemon and ginger in the morning and 1 cup of hot herbal tea at night.

(I didn’t do the ramp up and was fine.)

What You Can Expect While on the Cleanse

The first day I felt great in the morning, but started to get a headache by mid afternoon.  That evening, I felt a little light headed with a slight “out of body.” feeling.  I had the sensation that I was standing outside of my body observing what was happening rather than being an active participant.  Others have also described this feeling as having heightened senses and some report this being much more intense than I experienced.

Needless to say, I scarfed my one meal of veggies down the first evening.  I made a broccoli slaw, onion, and edamame stir fry with sweet potato fries.  Interestingly enough I found that my body craved the veggie stir fry more than the sweet potato fries, yet my fiancee craved the sweet potato fries more.  I can only assume our bodies needed different nutrients.

The next 2 nights, I made the same meals rather than mixing it up because all 3 days our cravings stayed the same.  I highly recommend going to the store to pick out your veggies early afternoon each day.  When you cleanse your system, cravings become less and less about what tastes good and more about what your body actually needs.  It’s crazy how in-tune your body can with it’s needs when you take care of it!

The next two days, I actually felt more energetic than normal, but I was ALWAYS ready for my one meal!

Words of Caution

  • Juice cleanses are not low calorie.  They may flush your system with a high concentration of vitamins and minerals, but those nutrients do have calories behind them.  Each day on the cleanse, I consumed about 1,600-1,800 calories.  This is the perfect amount of calories to sustain energy while on your cleanse, but I would caution people when it comes to juicing on a normal diet.  Depending on what you juice, one recipe could contain 200-500 calories.
  • Always keep the option to go off the cleanse open.  It is normal to get headaches or feel nausea, your body is breaking up toxins and part of this process is having an elevated toxin level at first.  If this becomes unbearable though don’t be stubborn, you can always try another shorter cleanse in a couple days.

Can I workout on the a Juice cleanse?

Yes you can workout while doing a juice cleanse!  It is important, however, to add two extra drinks that are specially designed to fill pre- and post-workout needs.

For your pre-workout drink you want to use veggies that aid workouts.  Examples are beets that increase oxygen uptake and celery that is rich in sodium to maintain your electrolyte balance.

Your post-workout drink should assist the body in recovery.  Good ingredients include: Agave with natural glycogen restoring carbohydrates, almonds which contain muscle building proteins and fats, and cinnamon containing nature’s most powerful blood sugar stabilizer

Summary

Overall, I was actually pleasantly surprised.  I loved the energy the juices gave me and would be willing to do it again!  I don’t necessarily think you need to cleanse the full 3 days.  A 3 day cleanse is a great way to restart the system, but I would recommend doing a 1 day cleanse once a week or every other week.  Especially if you like to maintain your normal workout schedule, the body needs more protein than a juice cleanse provides.

Comment Below:  Have you ever done a juice cleanse?  How did you feel?  Would you do it again?

savory green

Savory Green

This Savory Green smoothie is a bomb treat on a rainy day. image

Add a little more lemon juice though and it is perfect treat any day!

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces Aloe Vera Water
  • 6 baby carrots
  • 1 persian cucumber
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 10 cilantro leaves
  • 1/4 cup pineapple chunks
  • 6 chunks frozen mango
  • 1 handful of kale
  • 1 scoop Met-Rx Protein Vanilla
  • 1 tbsp almond butter
  • 1 tsp. cloves

Combine all Ingredients in a blender.  I have a ninja blender and love it!!   Juicers are bomb, but so is all the good fiber you get from the pulp!

Calories: 330 Carbs: 35g Fiber: 7.1g Protein 39g Fat 9g

 

If you save old kombucha containers, you have a nice glass jar to drink your smoothie from!!

cashew chicken salad

Cashew Chicken Salad

cashew chicken salad

There are plenty of yummy things you can eat while still maintaining protein and carb ratios for maintenance or weight loss.   The problem is they all contain veggies and lean protein and preparing these items mid day can be a challenge.

That’s why a big batch of Cashew Chicken Salad is a great idea for weekday lunches!

If you take the time on Sunday to combine a bunch of yummy healthy flavors you can have a whole foods quality grab-and-go lunch in your own fridge!

Saves money and calories if you do it yourself!

Ingredients:

  • 5 Chicken Breasts
  • 3/4 Cup Quinoa
  • 2 cups cabbage
  • 3/4 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 red onion chopped
  • 1/2 cup green onion
  • 1 yellow pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

dressing:

  • 1 tsbp sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 3 tsps shaved ginger
  • 6 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Prep:

  • Coat chicken in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Bake chicken for 40 min at 350 degrees, set aside let cool then chop into fine bite size pieces.
  • Cook Quinoa (usually has 15 min cooking time).  Set aside and cool.
  • Chop and combine cabbage, carrots, red onion, green onion, and pepper.
  • Add Chicken and Quinoa
  • Prepare dressing by sauteeing sesame oil, peanut butter, ginger  soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar over low heat.  Add water for desire consistency.
  • Pour dressing into mixture stirring until evenly distributed.

Makes 8 Servings

Calories 388 Fat: 23,3g Carbs: 20.3g Fiber: 4g Protein 29g

 

 

curried chicken salad

Curried Chicken Salad

curried chicken salad

Ingredients:

  • 6 Chicken Breasts
  • 6.5 oz diced shallots, garlic, and onions (mix from Trader Joe’s)
  • 3/4 Cup Yellow Raisins
  • 1 1/2 cup Chopped Cashews
  • 1 Cup Greek Yogurt (Fage is the best!)
  • 3 stalks celery chopped
  • 4 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tsp pepper
  • 4 tsps curry seasoning
  • 1/2 Bottle yellow curry (from Trader Joe’s)

Prep:

  • Put Chicken in a baking pan.
  • Coat with Olive Oil, Pepper, Curry seasoning evenly.
  • Cook at 350 degrees for 45 min.
  • Let Chicken cool, then dice into bite size pieces.
  • Combine Yogurt and Yellow Curry in Blender to make the dressing.
  • Chop Celery
  • Add Celery, dressing, shallots, garlic, onions, and raisins to chicken.  Stir well and store in fridge.  The longer it sits the more flavorful it is!

Curried Chicken salad is the perfect meal to make on Monday so you have lunch for the rest of the week!

Makes 10 servings:

Calories: 260  14g. Fat, 17g Carbs, 1.9g Fiber, 22g Protein

 

 

green smoothie

Tropical Green Smoothie

green smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 mini persian cucumber
  • 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
  • 6 frozen pineapple chunks
  • 6 frozen mango chunks
  • 1/2 cup coconut water
  • 1/2 cup kale

Prep:

Blend and enjoy this Tropical Treat Green Smoothie!  It makes the perfect snack on a hot day while also keeping you within your ratios!

 

Calories 230 Fat 1.9g, Carbs 34.2g, Fiber 6.5g Protein 26.4g

sweet potato fries

Stuffed Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato Fries

Every now and then I crave a juicy Hamburger!  The good news about eating Paleo, is you can indulge on these cravings!  You just need to nix the bun.  If you make Sweet Potato Fries you have a home cooked trendy burger treat.

Ingredients:

Stuffed Burgers

  • 1/2 lb 94% Beef
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 Spicy Pepper (if you like)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup Blue Cheese crumbles
  • Sharp Cheddar
  • Sweet Onion
  • Shredded Romaine
  • Roma Tomato

Sweet Potato Fries

  • 1 sweet Potato
  • Sprinkle Everyday Seasoning
  • 1 TBSP Coconut Oil

Prep:

  • Preheat Oven to 425 degrees
  • Chop sweet potato into frie size pieces.
  • Sautee with coconut oil and seasoning until golden.
  • Spread out on cooking tray and bake for 30 min or until golden and crispy.
  • While fries are baking, remove tops and seeds from peppers.
  • Mix beef with blue cheese, cumin, and egg.
  • Stuff peppers with cheddar cheese.
  • Wrap stuffed peppers with beef.
  • Grill on low heat (to melt cheese)  until cooked or sear on both sides for 1 min and then pop into oven for 5 to finish.

Calories: 516 Fat 36g, Carbs 13g, Protein 34g

vegetarian lasagna

Vegetarian Lasagna

vegetarian lasagna

You can always add meat to a Vegetarian Lasagna, but this meal is a great way for vegetarians to get more protein in their diet.

Ingredients:

  • 3 Large Zucchini
  • 1 Stock Broccoli
  • 4 cups spinach
  • 2 cans Diced Tomatoes
  • 2 tsps minced garlic
  • 1 tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tsp every day seasoning
  • 2 Cups Fat Free Mozzerella Shredded
  • 2 Cups Fat Free Cottage Cheese
  • 1 Cup Fat Free Ricotta
  • 1 Egg

Prep:

  • Sautee Tomatoes, Garlic, Pepper, Every Day Seasoning in a sauce pot.
  • Combine Mozzerlla, Cottage Cheese, Ricotta, and Egg.
  • Slice Broccoli and zucchini vertically into thin strips.
  • Layer Pyrex Dish with sauce, zucchini, cheese, spinach, sauce, broccoli, cheese, spinach sauce, zucchini, sauce, and finally cheese again.
  • Bake at 350 Degree for 45 min or until cheese is golden brown on top.

Calories 428, 14.3g Fat, 22.5g Carbs, 3.9g Fiber, and 55.8g Protein

Salmon with Red Pepper Cream Sauce

salmon with red pepper cream saucewas a Pescetarian for 4 years.  I know I need meat now, to keep my iron levels up but every now and then I crave fish.

 Salmon is a great source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins B2, B3, B6, A, D, and E, and the minerals iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous  and zinc.  

Salmon with Red Pepper Cream Sauce is an healthy recipe that is easy to make and will impress your friends with the pickiest culinary palates.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Salmon (Serves 4)
  • 2 Red Pepper
  • 2 Sweet Onion
  • Non Fat Half and Half
  • White Wine
  • Chives
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • Black Pepper

Prep:

  • Marinate Salmon with White Wine, Chives, black pepper, and some sweet onion sliced very thin  and let sit at room temp for about a half an hour.
  • Chop a sweet onion and red pepper into chunks.
  • Slow boil the onion and pepper with a 1/4- 1/2 cup of white wine (or water if you want to save the calories) but the liquid should evaporate out.
  • Slice 2nd onion and pepper into thin strips
  • Saute until onions and peppers begin to get soft.
  • Add Salmon to pan at medium high heat .
  • Cook 3 min one side, then 3-4 second side.  Salmon should be slightly rare in the middle.  You don’t want to over cook Salmon.
  • Add Sweet Onion and Red Pepper Chuck mixture to blender.
  • Add enough Non Fat Half and Half to blend down to a sauce.  (Should be approx. 1/4 cup depending on how your veggies cooked down.)
  • Serve Salmon on a bed of onions and peppers with Red Pepper Cream Sauce Poured on Top.

Calories 224 Fat 5.3g Carbs 12g Fiber 2.8g Protein 31g

 

broccoli salad

Broccoli Salad

broccoli salad

Ingredients:

  • 5 Cups Broccoli
  • 5 Slices Turkey Bacon
  • 1 cup Sugar Free Craisons
  • 1/2 cup Shaved Walnuts
  • 1 cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
  • 6 Tbsp Trader Joe’s Lite Champagne Vinaigrette

Prep:

  • Chop Broccoli
  • Chop Bacon in pieces and fry until crispy
  • Combine all in a bowl and toss with Vinaigrette

Bring a broccoli salad to a picnic or potluck for a healthy salad side dish option to keep you and fellow health conscious friends on track 🙂 !

Makes 10 Serving.  Each Serving:  10.7g Fat  4.9 Carbs, 1.6g Fiber, and 6.1g Protein

 

 

 

Opened Face Pesto Stuffed Burgers

Pesto Stuffed Burgers

Ingredients for 2 Burgers:

  • 1/2 lb 90% Lean Beef
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 1/8 cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
  • 2 tbsp pesto
  • Diced Jalapeno
  • Dash Cayenne
  • 1 Egg
  • Onions and Red Peppers for Sauteeing

Prep:

  • Mix Beef, Onion, blue cheese, jalapeno, cayenne, and egg.
  • Pat into burgers
  • Sautee onion and pepper
  • Grill Burgers
  • Serve over Peppers and Onions.

Calories:  401   Fat:  35g  Carbs:  7.9g  Fiber:  1.7g  Protein 34.9g