juice fast update

So we are only on day 4 and it's getting a little tough.

Sunday-Mario really wanted to EAT something so I said at least snack on fruits and veggies instead of reaching for his usual popcorn or quesadillas. Well snacking on fruits was not cutting it for him. He made fresh guacamole and then realized he couldn't eat it with chips (we didn't have any anyway)! So he made lettuce wraps with the guac and strips of carrots. It was good! That satisfied him for the night.

Carrot Apple Ginger Juice
(see previous post)

Mean Green Juice
(see previous post)

Sunset Blend Juice
1 large Sweet Potato
1 Carrot
1 Red Bell Pepper
2 large Red Beets
2 Golden Delicious Apples


Monday-Back to work for Mario. He juiced in the morning and brought 2 different flavors with him. He is fortunate to have a fridge at work so he brings his juices and has them ready to go. I juiced as normal. By mid-afternoon I started to crave "food". Uh oh...yep now I had the need to chew on something. I started with munching on a few chunks of cantaloupe, a few banana chips, and later in the day a guac lettuce wrap. I thought maybe the wrap would settle me instead of just munching on snacks. Well, I found that every time I "ate" a little something, the cravings got stronger. My stomach would feel empty and in need of more food. More juice didn't help. It was like my tummy got a little taste and went nuts and wanted more! By the time Mario got home from work, he was still hungry too. So we decided to have a "meal". Okay, okay, yes we gave in...already. We chopped up some sweet potato, zucchini, squash, bell peppers and broccoli and drizzled a little EVO and broiled in the oven. It hit the spot! We were pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted and how filling all these veggies could be. We discussed how maybe we could juice as usual, but have a nutritious veggie based meal once a day. It was sealed for Mario, I was still wanting to stay true to the reboot plan, hopeful I could do it. Before bed I had another juice, just for good measure.

Watermelon Pineapple Ginger Juice
(this one we just threw in what sounded yummy)

Green Lemonade
1 green apple
1 1/2 cups Spinach
6-8 Kale leaves
1/2 Cucumber
4 Celery stalks
1/2 Lemon

Mean Green Juice
(see previous post)

here is our meal! two bags of green waste! looks so healthy!

Bountiful Brassica Juice
2 Broccoli stalks
1/2 head Green Cabbage
6-8 Kale leaves
1 Granny Smith Apple
1/4 Lemon
1" Ginger

Tuesday- I started my day with a V8 type juice...not my favorite. I was able to drink it, but it took me a lot longer to finish it than the others we had tried. Again, I made it to about mid-day when my belly started to scream "feed me Michelle". We bought some hummus the night before, so I snacked on some red bell peppers and that. Once again, that little bit made my belly scream for more. I tried to ignore it, keep busy, distract my mind from thinking of food. Had more juice to help shut my belly up...it worked for a while. Oh and I've failed to mention how preparing meals for the kiddies and feeding them was not fun...not fun at all.

So back to my poor, hungry belly...by lunch, I noticed I was getting rather irritated. Mario came home for lunch and made more broiled veggies. I had some, and felt guilty for eating solids again :0/ I was already on edge from the kids and the hectic morning. So we are sitting on the couch and Mario is snacking on banana chips and give one to the baby (1 year old, still a baby). Well after mentioning nicely for him to not give her anymore, I snapped at him. Well Marielle needed to nurse, but her mouth was full of soggy chunks of banana chips. She wouldn't spit them out so I had to dig them out myself. At this point I was just fully irritated that daddy still gave them to her after repeatedly telling him not to and that she can't chew them. So I dig the pieces out and wipe them off in daddy's hand and wipe my fingers on his arm with a little bit of attitude and a whole lot of sarcasm. He responds, as he's laughing at the fact that I was so bothered by her eating the chips and not wanting to spit them out, "Really?? You have to wipe it on me?!". I say, snippy, "Well I told you so many times not to feed her those anymore! She can't even chew them and she just hoards them in her mouth! I had to pick up so many piece of chips (that she spit out) off the floor last night!". He went to clean off, still not understanding, lashing back, "Whoa! Someone has some attitude today." I told him, that yes, I was grumpy. I admitted it was (likely) because I was hungry. His snide remark was, "Go eat something.".

Turns out my Grumpy Bear performance was likely due to 'other' reoccurring circumstances :0/  I did find myself wanting to munch more throughout the day. I am convinced that the when I eat just a little, I crave more. So I am going to try my best to strictly juice and see if that helps. On a brighter note, i did weigh myself and as of a moment ago, I now weigh 158.8lbs. :0)

V28
3 large Red Beets
2 medium Carrots
2 Celery stalks
4 Plum Tomatoes
4cups Parsley
1 Jalapeno (ribs and seeds removed)
12 Red Radishes

Beets, Cantaloupe, Carrot, Apple
(this was my own creation. I just used up what we had in the fridge)

Mean Green Juice
(see previous post)

Okay, we made it through the first part of the day. We were out running errands, including a trip to Walmart. We passed numerous fast food spots along the way. I didn't really think too much about it other than the occasional thought of, "Oh, that's a place we havn't eaten at yet (since we moved here)." or "Oooo, let's go there for lunch (after errands, like we normally would on a weekend)." No matter, we didn't struggle much considering we were just running on a glass of juice. We were out and didnt have our mid-morning juice. Hubby was getting real hungry and was a little bothered by the temptation of all the drive thrus.

So now we are home. Groceries (food for the kids) are unloaded and put away and hubby made a pitcher of the Mean Green juice (recipe below). It's not bad. The celery and cucumber are really good. However, we chose to throw the lemon in whole, peel and everything, which we were told was okay. The drawback to that is that i can leave your juice a little more bitter tasting, which I think is why this juice takes a little getting used to. So note to self, next time try peeling it to see the difference in taste.

Mean Green Juice
1 cucumber
4 celery stalks
2 apples
6-8 leaves of kale
1/2 lemon
1" ginger

I forgot to share the recipe for our breakfast juice in the previous post, so here it is:

Carrot Apple Ginger Juice
3 carrots
2 apples
1" ginger

Since we are juicing for the two of us we of course double the recipe. The carrot juice this morning produced 2 full glasses of juice. The Mean Green produced much more. The pitcher that comes with the machine overflowed and we had to turn the machine off and grab a glass to catch the remainder.

I should mention how I am feeling so far. This morning when we left the house, in the car, I did start to feel a little woozy. I'm not sure if it had to do with the new diet or not, but I thought it worth mentioning. Luckily I was smart to bring a banana with me, in case I felt the need to "chew" on some food. I did eat that (well, Marielle ate most of it) and felt better. After that I've been fine. Not feeling hunger pains or the need to 'munch'. I do notice that I have the desire to "chew" here and there, but we stocked up on some healthy fruits to  snack on and help me deal with that. Any way I can get more nutrients the better. :0)

Making a Change

Since my last post, my family has gone through a few changes. We moved to Las Vegas so that in itself brought a bunch of changes for us...new home, new town...a start to a new life. Hubby got a new, better job so he's much happier and less stressed. :0) As a whole, we are much happier where we are in the world and in our relationship. So that's a bit of an accomplishment.

Now, we have decided to make another major change in our lives. We have decided to get healthy, eat better, and lose weight. We are going to "Join the Reboot"! We are going to go on a juice fast to re-energize our bodies and introduce health into our system! My sister showed us the documentary, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, after doing a fast herself. We immediatly said, "Let's do it!". Hubby and I agreed it was the way to go for us. We are not healthy eaters, we don't like to exericse...we loooove to eat and talk about food...and it shows! Since we started dating we have both gained so much weight, and we admit we can't blame having two kids. ;0) So the movie inspired us and seemed "doable" for us. It's just something we NEED TO DO. For ourselves and for our kids. Of course, we want to drop a few pant sizes and slim down, but even if we don't we just know we need to get healthy.

So yesterday we finally got our juicer after lots and lots of comparison and research. We chose the Breville Juice Fountain Plus, as seen on Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. Last night we went out to dinner, just the two of us, for a "last meal" lol no more garlic bread, mashed potatoes, pasta :0(  can we see how i would never have lasted on the Atkins Diet!? During dinner we talked about our goals and expectations for this journey, as well as made our peace with the foods we are going to miss. On our way home we went to Sunflower Market and walked out with a cart full of fruits and vegetables. It was quite an experience for us. Our cart (and our frige) have never looked like this before! It was like no other grocery trip we have ever made! Armed with our shopping list, we stood in front of the produce section, lost! We were looking for stuff we've never had before. "Babe, we need beets......which ones are beets???" Thanks to the cashier, he pointed out that we had a bag of 4 huge...turnips..NOT beets! Thank you cashier whose name I didn't catch. :0/

As I type, Hubby is whipping up our first batch of juice. On the menu for todays breakfast-Carrot Apple Ginger. Okay, here it is. Very pleased! Tastes great! It's sweet, refreshing, fresh. So far, so good. We feel full. Let's see how long until we need more....

Day 1 Beginning Weight
Mario 325.2 lbs            Michelle 162.1 lbs

I have given myself the goal of doing at least a 15 day reboot. Depending how that goes, I will go for 15 more days until I reach 60 days total. Mario is setting his goal for 30 days to start off. We are excited! We believe this will be achievable for us as opposed to other 'diets'. Watching the movie, it just made sense. We are not nieve to think it's going to be easy, we know we will have good days and bad days, at least until we get used to it. It will be a challenge, but a worth while challenge. With this new life change I am also going to do my best to chart our progress here in my blog. And hopefully it will light the fire under my butt to really start blogging more about everthing else in my life. Stay tuned!

Watch the entire movie FREE Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and read a synopsis
Learn more about how to Reboot Your Life and visit youtube, Twitter, Facebook

Michelle

Savvy shoppers, have you heard?

So I've been meaning to write about JBF Sales for a long while. My sis has asked me to post about it on her blog, but I figure this would give me the push to get back to my own blog.

So if you've never heard of a JBF Sale, let me let you in on it. A Just Between Friends Sale is 'The Nations Leading Children's and Maternity Consignment Sale Ever!' well to me it's just awesome! I discovered JBF about 3 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child and living in Elk Grove. I think I found it while on Craigslist (when I was at work...shhhhh...). It sounded like a great event and I was so excited to check it out. The way I describe it to my friends or fellow moms is Once Upon A Child times a hundred!! You can shop it, sell (consign) at it and/or volunteer. I was a soon-to-be first time mom and needed everything and I love a good sale! What better place to find what I needed? I checked out their site http://www.jbfsale.com/ where I learned all about the event and what to expect. They have pictures which sealed the deal for me...tons of clothes, gear, toys, etc. to choose from, including maternity stuff! Obviously, it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I was sold, and after attending my first sale, I was hooked! Now a huge fan of JBF, I've been shopping and selling (twice) ever since!

The Sacramento sale is massive! It's been around for about 7 years, so its well established. It's held at the convention center and can be overwhelming for first timers, but trust me it's worth it! You kind of don't know where to start...the racks and racks of clothes from newborn sizes to teens and maternity and even costumes...the tables and table of toys, video games, shoes, craft supplies, bedding, bath, nursing, decor, safety items...the numerous strollers, cribs, bikes and ride-ons, tummy time mats, highchairs.....pretty much anything you could need for your family from pregnancy to the teen years!! Everything is very well organized and they have big signs for each "department" so it makes it a little easier to shop. TIP: BRING A SHOPPING LIST (with child's measurements)! Once you've browsed every inch if the place you need to wait in the insanely long line to check out :o( but again totally worth it! TIP: Bring dad or a friend along to hold your place in line. You may think you're done and go stand in line, but you are sure to see or think of something else you need or want while you're in line! Oh! Don't forget to bring a 'shopping cart' (a wagon, stroller, rolling luggage). They recommend a laundry basket with a rope tied to it to pull along and toss your bargains in! i have seen a few people leave with a rolling rack full of clothes!!! When you finally reach the registers (they have about 6, sometimes more, at the Sacramento sale) they will scan your items and ring you up. They accept cash/visa/mc/discover and debit cards. It's a great shopping experience! They have a holding area for if you find large items or find so much you can't shop while lugging it around (while you shop for more!). Oh! Also while in line, they have vendors along side the line to keep you awake and help pass the time (and get samples, enter drawings or raffles, learn about new products or services). I forgot to mention that...you can promote your business at JBF sales as well (for a small fee).

Whew!...What else can I tell you about JBF?? ....I love it! ....It's fun!...They are held across the country twice a year (summer/spring sale and a winter/fall sale)...They partner up with local charities and unsold items are donated (per each consignor) as well as some of the proceeds! It's a nice community involved event...If you consign, you set your own prices (you can learn more about the tagging process on their site). You can make so much more than if you sit in your yard and have a yard sale! You don't have to worry about letting that once-worn dress or outfit go for 25cents! ...It's amazing how much you can save! I will write about my recent haul and savings in another post. You can read and see more about the whole shebang at http://www.jbfsale.com/You can find an event near you, sign up for the mailing list, learn how to and become a consignor, volunteer (TIP: Volunteer-it will get you into the sale early and earn you more as a consignor!), and learn how you can promote your business with JBF. You can even learn how to start an event in your community by becoming a franchisee!

I couldn't figure out how to insert a video so click here to see a video of a sale and interviews with shoppers!

As you can tell, I loooooove JBF sales! I get so excited when one is coming up. I urge every mom, dad, aunt, uncle, grandparent, teacher or home school parent, nanny, daycare provider and babysitter to go to the site, check out a sale and tell all your friends! Then go through all your closets and sign up to consign and make some cash! I shopped the Roseville sale one year and spent about $200. Two weeks after the sale ended, I got a check (for consigning) for about $288!This is a wonderful way to support your bargain hunting habit! ;o)

im back....for now

So it's been a loooooooong time since my last post! i am now a mother of 2, massimo, 3yrs and marielle, 4mo. iv'e never been too good at keeping up with this whole blog thing. im going to give it another try for a few reasons. for starters, why the heck not?! maybe someone will find it mildly entertaining or informative. and well also, when i find something to get excited about i like to share my knowledge. i initially started this to rave about certain kid/parenting products that i was excited about....share my expeience and opinion. so my sister, a more consistant blogger and all around web-goer (??), has been encouraging me to get on and post about two things in particular (which i will do in seperate posts, later). so as i will try to post when i can find time and or have something i want to share. please bare with me and my often repetitive and rambling posts! hope you find something for you in it all!

BabyLegs fashion

BabyLegs.....my new addiction! you may have seen these in stores or in all the baby magazines. they are a cute update on the old fashion accessory from the Flashdance days. no longer just for dancers and trendy harijuku kids of japan, legwarmers have a new purpose! I won 3 pairs of BabyLegs halloween print legwarmers and my son lives in them! i recieved them in the mail in early october. the weather here in the bay area was just starting to turn chilly. Massimo was starting to crawl so they came just in time. he wears them in the house with a onesie as they are great to keep him warm (duh!) and protect his legs from getting dry and callous from crawling. this also makes changing his diapers a breeze, his legs stay covered and warm plus i dont have to wrestle with him to get pants off then back on! another great use for them is as sun protecton especially when hes in his carrier and his pant legs ride up exposing his lower leg. right now i put them underhis pants when we go out to make his everyday jeans a bit warmer and again keep him covered should his pant legs ride up. i find they also help keep his socks and booties on a little better.

BabyLegs can be worn on the arms also. for girls they are a great alternative to tights. fussing with tights during diaper changes make me happy i have a boy! the numerous prints make it fun and fashionable to match your clothes or your personality!

Connecting Moms is giving away BabyLegs to 5 lucky winners. each winner gets their choice their favorite holiday print. join today!

Safety Tat giveway

we can hope it never happens, but you and your child can get seperated ina crowded mall or at a big event. well Safety Tat is a great way to ensure a safe return should your little one wander off at the mall or amusement park. these temporary tattoos can be ordered pre-printed with your information or you can get blank ones and write in your info with a provided tattoo pen. They go on jsut like any other temporary tattoo and are waterproof. They have fun designs and even some for allergy or medical alerts.

Connecting Moms is giving away 10 Safety Tats! if you havent already, join Connecting Moms then go to the Product Review section and check the Top Products, click on Safety Tats and follow the instrustions. as of today they havent chosen winners so hurry up and join to be entered. they dont post deadlines so hopefully you can still get in on it. while you are the enter to win one the other products they are currently giving away. Good luck!