Day 27: Muffin Juice?

Still juicing, juicing juicing. But I haven't had the motivation to update! Very sorry to all 3 of you lovely, loyal readers who have been waiting for this, here it is at last!

I've lost a total of 22lbs by this point and I'm wearing some of my smaller clothes again. That of course thrills me, but not enough to make me continue to fast beyond this month! I have been working out steadily for the past two weeks and I plan to continue that, along with healthy food choices, and lose another 30lbs. 

MY JUICER BROKE! That is in all caps because I did indeed yell a lot when it happened. My handy husband super glued the broken bit back on only to have in break again within hours. Oh the frustration! This was on Day 23! My Dad was over the second time it broke and I might or might not have shed some tears right before his inner Daddy hero came out just in time to save the juice fast! He called a friend of his who owns a really snazzy juicer and was willing to let me borrow it as long as I needed to finish the fast. Praise God for good friends and great family!

Now on to these beautiful muffins! No, I did not eat one. But I'm wilting outside the kitchen and I really needed a challenge to distract myself from unwanted thoughts of food. Oddly, it is cooking that most relaxes me. These are made from scratch, but do not despair! I'm not a talented baker and I still pulled it off. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Raw

Cooked

Justin says they're delicious!

Ingredients:

For the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

¼ tsp vanilla extract

For the muffins:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups pumpkin puree

1¼ cups vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:

½ cup sugar

5 tbsp. flour

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:

For the filling, combine the cream cheese, vanilla  and confectioners’ sugar  in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth.  Once blended, cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.

For the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F, and line muffin pans with cupcake  liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree ,, vanilla and oil.  Mix on low speed until blended.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

For the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend.  Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.  Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (2 tablespoons).  Spoon a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the very center of each cup.  Divide the remaining batter among the cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely.  Sprinkle a tablespoon of the streusel mixture on top of each muffin.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving, the cream cheese filling will be very hot!

I did not write this recipe! I found it on Pinterest.com and only tweaked it a bit. Perfect fall treat and you don't even have to be a fan of pumpkin! 

Two tips: 

1.) Be generous, never stingy with the vanilla extract. 

2.) Use more than 8 ounces of cream cheese, it's better to have too much than not enough filling!

Day 19: Just a quick update

Haven't lost weight in two days! I have two theoretical excuses for this:
1.) I put salt in my juices for two days, therefore I retained water. As evidence I would like to present my ring finger, where my wedding band is usually lose and is now snug do to the sudden onset fluid retention.
2.) For the third day in a row I've exercised vigorously. Fluid gathers around your muscles after exercise. 


I'm not bothered by the stand still as much as I expected to be. My clothes are fitting better and better and I can see a big difference in my body from head to toe. Therefore I'm going to juice right on through and hopefully I'll have some more weight loss to report soon!


My energy is fantastic! The increase in energy is my second favorite thing about this fast, right behind the weight loss of course!


One last thing, here is a link to several great recipes on the "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" website. Great resource, but just keep in mind that these are suggestions and you should modify them in any way that will help you like it, juice it, and drink it! For instance, I do NOT use ginger root! But you may like it!


http://jointhereboot.com/reboot-program/recipes/juice-recipes/


Happy Wednesday and thank you for reading!

Day 16: Your number one question answered

The question I get most often is, "What about protein?" To which I say, "What about it?" Here are the ways in which I get my protein.

1. Broccoli 
2. Spinach
3. Kale
4. Soy beans <---best way!

Obviously I am not consuming nearly as much protein as I was before the fast, but I am consuming enough to survive and thrive for the time being. I'm not suffering from a lack of protein nor am I losing muscle mass. I actually lifted weights a few days ago and the recovery was only slightly rougher than it normally is on my every day meat eating diet.


UPDATE: A little over half way to the goal and I'm still juicing strong! By this morning I'd lost 16.6lbs and as long as I remember to juice, my energy is souring. I'd like to take a moment to recognize my incredible husband who not only tolerates but goes out of his way to soothe my cranky moods, hunger pains, and excessive complaining. His support is priceless.


I still haven't tried a juice with parsley or cilantro and I'd really like to do that soon. I'll let you know if I find a tasty recipe! Speaking of recipes, here is one for a protein loaded juice that doesn't taste half as bad as it sounds!

• 4+ cups soy beans(buy a frozen bag and thaw)
• 1 large broccoli spear
• 2 green apples
• half of a lemon

I leave you now with an example of 

amazing support(which is something you'll need to juice fast!):

We put up the Christmas tree this weekend!
Happy October, baby Jesus!

I think he knew how much
this would cheer me up.

It worked. I feel happier and
more motivated when I see it!

Day 11: A few quick motivators

Still going strong and I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal! In case you haven't noticed it lately, the weight ticker can tell you that I have lost 13.4lbs! I had a few really rough days where I wanted to give up but here's how I got through them:

1. 7 Ways to Fight Back Against Food Cravings (READ IT!)
   http://amyswrites.hubpages.com/hub/7waystofightbackagainstfoodcravings
   
   
2. My amazing husband. I asked him to bring me home a rotisserie chicken, instead he brought me these beautiful roses for my desk. 
   
   
   
3. I made a count down calendar to hang where I spend the most time, at my desk.
   
   
   
4. We made a DELICIOUS watermelon/pineapple juice which cured me of my sweet tooth for two whole days.
       

(How do you motivate yourself?)

Day 8: I'm Positive

Just for today, I vow to speak only positive words, voice no complaints, and focus my mind on uplifting topics.
Just for today.

A couple of people have asked about juicing recipes so I'm going to continue to post them as I find tasty combinations, like this morning's breakfast for example:

2 cups seedless grapes
1 peeled orange
1 green apple
2 carrots
3 stalks celery

I am on goal so far, positive words and positive thinking, but that does not exempt me from giving a brief synopsis of dreadful Days 6 and 7.

Day 6: Scary bad. Picked up a FREE and delicious Cahalls chicken salad sandwich, bag of chips, and candy bar from my school's lobby where they were giving them away. Intended to give this to my beloved husband after class, after my THREE HOUR class. Sniffed the box all the way to class. Got to class only to find that everyone else was devouring their free and delicious food and there would be no escape from smelling, seeing, and hearing this horrific SET UP. Made it through the class by making lists of reasons why not to give up, lists of things I want to wear that don't fit, and lists of insane athletic feats I will one day be able to preform if I could just resist this chicken salad temptation. Finally made it out, took the sandwich to my hungry husband, and stared at him as a completely self-aware foodaholic while he ate the best sandwich I ever did smell. The rest of the day I was cranky, hungry, and made restless by numerous powerful cravings. I did not like Day 6.

Day 7: Not as bad as Day 6, but still uncomfortable. Spent most of the day at work where I bake, handle, and sell food. After work I ran home to walk the dogs, juice, and change clothes so I could head over to where my brawny husband was helping some friends of ours move into their new house. The three hours I got to help with moving were a wonderful distraction, but NOT coming home to put together a huge, hot, home cooked meal was a really big let down. Cold juice at the end of a long, exhausting day is not what I want.

TODAY: I'm being positive. I'm thinking, talking, and acting in positive ways in the hopes that this will make for a better day not just for me, but for my wonderful husband who puts up with my every mood!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend and that just for today, or maybe just for an hour, you can be positive too!

Day 6: Carrots speak for themselves

Day 5: A few discoveries that rock

Don't be alarmed by the pictures of solid food, I'm still juicing! I woke up at 8:10am...and got out of bed! Weirdo, I know. But that's how good I felt! I was ready to get up, so I did. Not to mention all the little critters sitting beside the bed and staring longingly towards the kitchen, that's always a strong motivator. Now it's around 2pm and I'm feeling a little sleepy, but it's time for another juice so maybe that will perk me up. But before I go I'd like to go over a few crazy facts:

1. Even though I'm overweight, I ate pretty fantastic before I started this fast. We cooked every meal at home and had two veggies for every meat on our plate, but I still detoxed. My body still went through the headaches and nausea because it contained toxins that shouldn't be there. My point - anyone can benefit from a juice fast. To illustrate my "I ate very healthy" point, here are two typical meals that I consumed on a regular basis:

2.   Celery! I despise it. But I can juice it! Spinach, Kale, Celery, Cucumber - all veggies on my black list, until I juiced them. Without the awful texture, I not only tolerate celery, I enjoy it. Don't knock it till you juice it.

3.   I feel nourished, healthy, satisfied even when I drink a juice. It's not at all the same as drinking water or something else in the traditional "beverage" category. 




Have you taken a look at the weight ticker in the top right corner yet today? Check it out to see how much I've lost by the morning of day 5! 

Day 3: Hunger drains my focus

Day 3 is here and almost gone! NO headaches today and only the slightest bit of nausea - what a relief. I was in school all day and I was feeling a little stressed so as soon as I got home I automatically walked to the kitchen. Not really hungry at all, just wanting to soothe myself with something salty. Thankfully, I remembered I'm fasting and ran from the kitchen but the experience was eye-opening because I wasn't aware that my after school snack was a pleasurable habit, not a need. 

I can't seem to get my thoughts together today, unless you want me to think of something delicious to eat and then I'm your woman. So here's a few bullet points to sum up the past 24 hours:

• I'm not tempted to break the fast, but I do very much enjoy sniffing other people's food.  I never realized the world smelled so tasty. 
• My sweet mother gave my loving husband a marinated steak and two potatoes to cook for himself for dinner last night. I'm glad someone's feeding him, but did he have to eat it in front of me?
• Purchased a purple bottle to take juice with me to school and work. Glad you can't see through it. I'm not ready to answer questions about "the brown stuff in that bottle."

This turned out to be MUCH too sweet,
so I added 4 cups of baby spinach and greened it right up! 

At least it's pretty, right?

My dinner.

Oh and by the way, I've lost 6 pounds. I'm looking forward to getting past the water weight, but I'm still happy about the loss! I've added a weight ticker to the top right hand corner of my blog so I can count down, pound by pound to my goal. Please leave a comment before you go and come back soon for more updates!

Day 1: Nausea can't last forever

Day one is over! I'd celebrate if I didn't have a headache. I miss my coffee and turkey sausage this morning, but I have already had my breakfast juice and sent my husband out the door with one as well and I'm feeling good. We took "before" pictures last night and I find those very motivating. This isn't how I want to look or feel - so I'm changing it. 

Just to be clear, this is a very healthy program. There is nothing our bodies want more than fresh fruits and vegetables. But I realize that people respond much better to results than they do to talk so we'll save that conversation for a little bit down the road. For now, take a look at what I juiced yesterday on day one:

Breakfast

Lunch

An afternoon pick me up I split with Justin.

I didn't have a "supper" juice because I was feeling quite full and tired, but I did have one cup of an organic vegetable broth just for the sodium content (23%). Vegetable broths are a good option for anyone who has low blood pressure like myself and wants to avoid fainting, but be careful to either make them yourself at home or find one in the store which has a list of ingredients containing ONLY veggies and water.

Day 2 will be a bit more complicated than yesterday as I actually have to leave the house for several hours today. I plan on making a juice right before I go and taking it with me because I know me, if I get hungry away from home I'm going to eat whatever sits still long enough for me to catch it. Chick-fil-A usually sits pretty still in this town. 

*Chunky, Tired, And Out of Clothes*

ANNOUNCING: My JUICE FAST!
WHEN: Beginning Saturday, October 1st 

HOW LONG: 30 days

Wait...WHAT is a juice fast? I'm so glad you asked.

I came home from work two weeks ago and my clever husband had just started a documentary on Netflix called, "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" by Joe Cross. I watched, he watched, and we think you should watch. I won't tell you a thing about the film because I believe in doing your own homework and I believe it could greatly benefit you to watch this wonderful documentary on health. But, for the sake of my blog I must explain WHAT a juice fast is: A diet consisting of ONLY freshly juiced fruits and vegetables. No solids, no dairy, no meats, no food pyramid, nothing but juice! In a drastic, yet perfectly healthy bid for weight loss I will maintain this fast for 30 days. 

So, I bought a Big Boss Juicer (700W / 18,000 RPM) on Amazon and it came in TODAY! 

In anticipation of its arrival my sweet husband took me to the grocery store at 9:45pm last night so we could run a dash and grab through the produce department and this was the result:

$30 from Publix 

We also bought this delectable cupcake:

Don't judge.

Although I won't start the fast until Saturday, we are trying out some recipes between now and then. Today we made our very first juice and in my excitement to get it going I almost dropped the juicer as well as sliced my finger open while aiming to halve a green apple. My first tip for future juicers would therefore be: Calm down. 

3 Green Apples
1 Orange(no peeling)
1 Large Carrot
2 Cups Red Grapes
1/2 Lemon(with peeling) 
{Produced 2 full glasses of juice}

We realize what a sugar fest that first juice was, but I wanted our introduction to this appliance to be a positive one so taste was the main priority. It was successfully delicious!

I invite you to follow my progress as well as provide juice recipe ideas, encouragement, and whatever else you may have to offer. Two days until we begin!

What I know to be true

Gone From My Sight

I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white
sails to the morning breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. 

She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until at length
she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come
to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says;
"There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull
and spar as she was when she left my side
and she is just as able to bear her
load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone
at my side says, "There, she is gone!"
There are other eyes watching her coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout;
"Here she comes!"
And that is dying.

by Henry Van Dyke, a 19th Century clergyman, educator, poet, and religious writer

Repost: Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. 
He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all."


"One is Evil - it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."


"The other is Good - it is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"


The old Cherokee simply replied, 
"The one you feed."


(I'm looking for ways to feed the Good wolf. How do you feed yours - or are you feeding yours?)

Admire women.

How do you pay tribute to someone who refuses to be recognized? How do you say "thank you" to someone who denies giving you a gift? How do you honor the humble? You don't tell them you're doing it.

I know a woman who I greatly admire, a woman I love with all my heart. When I'm anxious or afraid I can close my eyes and feel the rumble and heat of her lawn mower as we rode around the yard or recall the precious scent of yellowing books in a wood paneled hallway where she read to me. I can hear her singing folk songs so old that they cannot be googled, researched, or located anywhere other than certain treasured memories from her childhood, and now mine. There is so much more I could say about this woman I adore, but mostly all I need to express is - I love my Grandma.

My mother's mother

She rose obediently before the dawn

with aching back

bruised feet

and no complaint

So that she might raise four skinny kids

without dishwasher

daycare

or charity. 

Her eyes were on God

and her hands were busy.

My Nineveh

The neighbor I despise, a cruel child, the woman who flirts with my husband, the parent who abandoned you, a thug in the streets of my neighborhood. 

This is who makes up the population of my Nineveh. This is where God has put me but I spend all of my time on the shore outside the city, searching the horizon for my whale. If I stay here much longer with my feet in the sand, I know Satan will send me that whale. But Lord give me courage, I'm going back in, through you I know I'll never fail. 

The Skinny Chef

One of the worst pieces of weight loss advice I've ever read, received, or gave has definitely been: "Cook! Don't eat out!" Obviously this sounds like a winner, but have you ever eaten at MY table? I learned to cook at the elbow of my grandma, stirring pots for mama, and cracking eggs for Daddy. These people were raised on more than a little pork fat with a side of corn bread and biscuits. Having the knowledge I have, knowing how to make their savory repertoire of dishes, becoming the living embodiment of the most fabulous family cook book ever, is almost too much to bear. The temptation to add a little butter, mix up some corn bread, and forever abandon the battle for my waist line is a mighty one. 

So I'd officially like to add one very important word to the above advice and forever redeem it of its sabotaging nature. "Cook skinny! Don't eat out!" Honestly, this is not something which came naturally to me. But after almost three years in the kitchen with my wonderfully heath conscious husband, I realize that not every meal has to be incredible, sometimes it just needs to be healthy! With that in mind, I give you this:

We do our "major" shopping about once a week at the Commissary,
but several times a week we fill a buggy with fresh produce.

This recipe makes great leftovers in mass and for that reason I qualify it as "Sunday Night Cooking." That is when I make way too much of something only moderately delicious and put it away to warm up all week long! Be careful though, not everything qualifies as SNC (Sunday Night Cooking). Items such as savory, creamy, Sausage and Potato soup are much too delicious to make with the intentions of "freezing the leftovers." There's nothing to freeze when you lick the pot clean! So trust me and make this extremely healthy, tasty but not overly impressive crock pot recipe and you'll have a yummy, balanced meal on hand for days to come. 

*Crockpot Chicken Fajitas*

INGREDIENTS
2 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
2 cans diced tomatoes with liquid
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 eggplant, peeled and chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
10 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste

NUTRITIONAL INFO
Calories: 109
Fat: 1g
Carbohydrates: 13g
Protein: 13g

INSTRUCTIONS
Cut chicken breast into 1 inch pieces. Prepare all vegetables. Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles. I suggest Basmati rice or whole wheat penne pasta!

Number of Servings: 10


(If this is too easy or if you're not crazy about the natural delicious flavor of veggies try adding some fresh cilantro and/or parsley leaves in the last hour of cooking. You might also want to add some tomato sauce later in the week to change it up a bit. Grate some cheese over it, go crazy!)

Dear Mom, You reading this?

Who knew there was a mountain down here? I've been having a fantastic string of days which included:

1) dates with my exceptionally charming husband

2) visits from our two brilliantly entertaining nephews, my husband's lovely sister and her husband, and two of the most beautiful women I know who just happen to be my cousins

3) delicious cook outs with family

4) birthday celebrations with wonderful friends

5) extra time to test new recipes, open new books, hear new songs, and write on new paper

*Potato, turkey sausage, onion, and mushroom soup*
These left overs never make it past midnight.

But the bad? Bleh, I do not wish to share. There are days when I am tempted to start a new blog, create an alias, and write anonymously about "How this really is my mother's fault." That way my namesake wouldn't be angry and you wouldn't know that I am grossly human, ordinarily flawed, financially broke, overweight, under-educated, quick to anger, sluggish to forgive, hard to love. Hopefully you know this already, but if not I apologize, from one sinner to another. Begrudgingly and against my will I am becoming more aware of the truth that I am imperfect through no fault of my parentage, but through divine design. What use would I have for the name of Jesus if I did not require a savior? Would I have sought out my creator if I had no malfunctions to report, no flaws to perfect in His creation? Probably not.

*Fresh from our balcony garden*

I am still fighting my weight! But 43 pounds lost since I first threw down the Snickers and picked up my sneakers seems like a success story thus far. (Just to recap, this is all "Happy Fat" gained in the first 2 years of an incredibly joyful marriage.) To celebrate, I'd like to share a few things that work for me.

{WARNING: Skinny people need not continue. But please leave a comment before you go!}

1.) YOGA - I go in sore and cranky and tired. I come out feeling my age, which is 22. I go to Nabucco's class at the Fitness Center on Tyndall Air Force Base. She is a fantastic teacher as well as a wonderful person!
2.) I've recently started using SparkPeople.com which is now getting free advertisement through me simply because this website is MASSIVE and yet detail oriented. I track my water intake, work outs, and nutrient intake(because it's not all about the calories!). They also have lots of recipe and workout ideas for the days when I'm fresh out. 
3.) I eat delicious food.

Post work out snack. Strawberries are sweetly in season right now!

Lots of GREEN and never canned or frozen. 

Some days I feel like THIS...

...so I try to keep THESE in the freezer!
My sweet husband brought these home as a
surprise and they are delicious! The nasty
coconut bucket in the background is all his.

I'm always searching for new ideas, new recipes, new work outs, new MOTIVATION. So please share if there's anything that really gets you going or feeds your cravings without busting a seam!