D-I-Y Detox

DIY (do it yourself) Detox 

The idea idea of doing a juice detox can be intimidating.  You may or may not have thought to yourself, “ I want to juice but….Should I buy pre-made juice?  Should I make the juice myself? I don’t know if I want to buy a juicer… Do I eat anything or just drink juice?  How on earth am I suppose to go days on JUST juice… ok forget it!”  

I completely understand that juicing can be overwhelming, expensive, and time consuming.  Today I am going to share my DIY detox.  This is my go-to plan when I’m too busy to make fresh juice myself.  Ordering cleanses can be pricey and this is the easiest, cheapest, and fastest way to put your own detox together which is why I consider it a DIY. I would say that this this a “mild” detox because I mix in smoothies and detox friendly foods.  This is great for beginners or those who have no desire to do a full on juice cleanse but want to jump start a healthier lifestyle. 

Start each morning with warm lemon water.  Use the juice of a fresh squeezed lemon. 

Breakfast:  Green Detox Smoothie. 1 cup of water. 2-3 cups of spinach. 1 pear. 1 banana.  2 limes.

Snack:  Evolution’s Organic Spicy Lemonade.  Ingredients:  Lemon, Ginger, Cayenne Pepper.  If you are still hungry, have 1 Granny Smith Apple 

Lunch:  Sweet Greens Evolution juice.  This brand can be purchased at: Starbucks, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Albertsons, & Natural Grocers. If one juice doesn't satisfy your hunger, feel free to drink another.  I recommend the sweet greens because It’s only 100 calories and loaded with detoxing fruits and veggies.  This juice also tastes good!  If you want to make your own juice, the ingredients are: Celery, Apple, Spinach, Kale, Lemon, Lime, Parsley, Romaine, & Cucumber.  OR Kale Yeah from Whole Foods 

Snack:  Skinned cucumber slices soaked overnight in lemon juice, lightly salted (YUM!!)  You can have an unlimited amount of this snack.    

Or a bowl of broccoli 

Or a bowl of berries 

Or a small handful of almonds 

Dinner:  Evolution’s Essential Greens with Lime.  70 Calories.  Ingredients: Celery, Cucumber, Spinach, Romaine, Kale, Lime, Parsley.  

Dessert:  (if needed) Evolution’s Organic Strawberry Lemonade.  Ingredients: Strawberries and Lemons OR Orange/Tangerine juice from Whole Foods. 

Detox Bath: 1/2 cup of Sea Salt 

                              1/2 cup of Epsom Salt 

                              1/4 cup of Baking Soda 

                              1/3 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar 

A few drops of your favorite essential oil.  (before bed I like to use lavender)

Soak in bath for at least 25 minutes.  This salt bath will help pull out any remaining toxins.

P.S. Evolution juices range from $2.99 to $6.99 a for a 15.2oz bottle depending on the juice and distributor.  I am recommending evolution juices because they are sold in the biggest variety of grocery stores across the country.  Other brands that are sold in stores that would be an ok substitute would be SUJA & Blue Print.  

If you live near a Whole Foods, I would recommend buying their brand of cold pressed juices because they are made fresh in stores.  

If you want to make your own juices, check out the ingredients in each juice and you can duplicate the same recipes with your juicer.  

Toxins are just a part of our daily lives which is why every now and then we need to detox and refresh our bodies with natural foods.  I hope that through this blog, you are able to do your very own detox and that it’s simple.  You will be amazed how great your body will feel afterwards!  

XoXo Ashley

I am not a health care professional.  I only share my experiences and the lifestyle I enjoy.  You should always seek advice from a healthcare professional before making any major changes with your diet. 

Juicing vs Blending

 Juicing is still a new concept for a lot of us therefore, I thought this week I would write about what juicing really is and how it’s different from blending. People tell me all time, “I just started juicing this weekend and I love my Nutribullet!” Although I too love my Nutribullet, using such like products is not considered to be “juicing” So this blog will be entirely dedicated to breaking down the difference between juicing and blending.

What is a juicer?

The sole purpose of a juicer is to extract the water and nutrients from fruits and vegetables. The produce will be fed through a strainer, which extracts all the liquid. Once the juicing process is done, you’re left with a liquid version of all your fruits and veggies making it a lot easier to get your daily dose of nutrients. (Plus, it’s a lot easier to down a quick glass of veggies rather than trying to sit down and eat an entire plate full of vegetables!)  Juicing fruits and veggies provides us with a hefty dose of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that immediately nourish our cells.  When you are juicing your final product should be 100% liquid with no pulp. 

Here is a list of Juicers that I recommend.

(I personally use the Breville Juice Fountain)

The Breville Juice Fountain Mulit-Speed $199.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond (make sure and use the 20% off coupon)

The Jack Lalane $99.00 at Bed Bath and Beyond (make sure and use the 20% off coupon)

The Juice Bullet by Magic Bullet $79.00 at Target 

The Black and Decker $31.43 at Wal-Mart 

*** All of these juicers can also be found on amazon and craigslist! 

 

What is a blender?

Everyone always asks me about the Nutribullet and the Ninja.  Both the Nutribullet and the Ninja are smoothie makers.  What goes into them is exactly what comes out. There is no extracting involved. The main difference between a blender and juicer is the final product.  The texture and taste of a juice and smoothie are completely different. I've tried the same recipe in both a blender and a juicer and they tasted completely different. With a smoothie you are going to be getting more fiber because all of the pulp is left in the drink. 

So which is better….Juicing or Blending?

         Although they are different, the answer is both! 

 Juicing Benefits:

·      No Digestion needed (it’s important to give your digestive system a break every now and then)

·      Disregards indigestible ingredients

·      Makes nutrients more readily available to the body in larger quantities

·      100% Liquid (zero pulp)

·      Nutrients and Vitamins directly go to the blood stream

·      Your body doesn’t need to use a lot of energy to process juice which leaves you feeling more energized

·      Benefits those with weak digestive track 

Blending Benefits:

·      Retains Fiber

·      You can use frozen ingredients

·      More filling than juice

·      Fiber helps balance blood sugar levels

CAUTION: 

All of the recipes on my blog are designed for juicers not blenders.  If you try to duplicate a recipe in your blender, it will probably overflow! You will have to cut the ingredients WAY down in a blender and the taste for my recipes will be completely different as a smoothie because they were intended to be made as juices. 

I hope this helped! If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment! 

XoXo, 

Ashley

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

Super Green Juice Detox

Super Green Juice Detox 

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted a blog in awhile... I have been out of town for several days! With that being said, I am in need of doing a major detox (One too many "cheat" meals in Texas)  and I thought I would share my three day detox with you all.  It's all natural, all fresh juice, and ALL GREEN.  

When doing a detox I like to drink a 15oz juice every two hours.  In between drinking fresh homemade juices I'll either drink water, detox water, or green tea, all of which help with detoxing process. 

Also, just a little tip that will rock your juicing world... add Chia seeds, sparkling water, or coconut water to just about any juice recipe for an extra little kick and it will change the juicing game for you!

Time to get Green in 2014 ;)  

Juice #1 

• Pineapple 
• Celery 
• Ginger 
• Cucumber 
• Green Apple 

 Juice #2

• Cucumber 
• Celery 
• Kale Leaves 
• Lemon 
• Granny Smith Apples
• Ginger 

Juice #3

•   Granny Smith Apples
• Cucumber 
• Celery 
• Mint 
• Kale 
• Spinach 
• Bok Choy 

Juice #4

•  Cucumber 
• Celery 
• Pears 
• Limes 
• Mint 
• Kale 

Juice #5

• Granny Smith Apples 
• Kale 
• Celery 
• Cucumber 
• Parsley 
• Spinach 

Juice #6

• Cucumber 
• Green Apple 
• Kale 
• Spinach 
• Lemon 
• Ginger 
• Cayenne

Juice #7

• Cucumber 
• Apple 
• Kale 
• Celery 
• Lemon 
• Parsley

Juice #8

•  Green Apples 
• Mint 
• Lemon 
• Orange 

• Cucumber 

DETOX WATER RECIPES 

  #1 Water, Lemon, Aloe Vera Juice 

#2 Lemon, Cucumber, Mint 

#3 Strawberries, Cinnamon, Lime 

#4 Juiced Ginger and Lemon mixed with water 

#5 Raspberries, lemon 

#6 Blackberries, Blueberries, Lemon 

 Excluding #4 the way to make all of these detox waters is to slice up the fruit, and add it to a pitcher, mason jars, or any type of container full of water.  Let the fruit infuse over night and then the next day you have yourself some delicious detox water! 

Some of you may be wondering, "Whats so special about emerald colored juices anyways?"

-If you hate vegetables like myself, it's a whole lot easier to down a class of veggies masked by the taste of delicious fruit.  Sometimes one apple is sweet enough to make all those veggies taste great!

-You would never sit down and eat a full plate of cucumber, celery, apples, lemons, spinach, and kale.  Drinking a juice not only saves you time but it also saves some space in your belly.

-We need the detoxification.  That's pretty self explanatory. 

-Our digestive system needs a break every now and then! 

I always say... If I can do it, you can do it :)

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

I hope you all have a very, very blessed Sunday! If you are thinking about joining me on this three day green juice detox, let me know! I would love to hear from other people while I myself am doing a detox! 

XoXO

-Ashley

 

Quick and Painless Juicing

 

It's no secret that the WORST part of juicing is the clean up.  Juicing can be extremely time consuming and tedious but don't let that prevent you from juicing all together.  Here are some tips to make juicing quick and painless.  

Here is a list of things you will need. 

1. A Juicer 
2. Fruit and Veggies
3. Paper Towels 
4. All-Purpose Cleaner 
5. A GOOD knife.  (if you don't have one.. invest. It will make your life a lot easier) 
6. A Beach Towel 
7. A trash can/bag 
8. Grocery Bags 
9. A Big Bowl 
10. A Cutting Board 

Tip #1  ALWAYS, always, always, ALWAYS clean your juicer immediately after juicing.  If you leave pulp in your juicer all day it will dry up, making it nearly impossible to clean out. 

Tip #2  Take REALLY good care of the strainer.  That's the most important part of your juicer.  If your juicer did not come with a scrubbing brush I recommend going out and purchasing one (probably the one that has a soap dispenser) It is very important that no pulp is left on the strainer after making fresh juice.

Tip #3  Use warm water when cleaning your juicer out... it will simply make your life a lot easier.

Tip #4   Clean as you go... Juicing can get messy.  I find  it a lot easier to clean up a few small messes rather than one large one.  

Tip #5  Clean your juicer piece by piece.  I usually take off the smallest piece first, rinse that, and then go on to the next piece.  Before you know it, you'll this down to a science!

Here's run down of my juicing process....

I always assemble my juicer first. I use my left over grocery bags as "trash bag" for the pulp.

  After I've done that I lay a beach towel down on the floor because juicing gets messy no matter how careful I try and be (Juice spilling, fruit falling etc.)  Then I place a Trader Joe's paper bag to the left of where I'll be standing so I can throw all the peels that I cut off into the trash bag immediately.  If you have a trash can that is easy to move around you can also use that. 

 

 Once I have all of that done I like to get out the fruits and veggies I'll be using.  I also get out my cutting board, knife, bowl, and the mason jars I store my juice in.  I then clean all my produce and start cutting everything up....

As I clean and cut everything up, I throw the ready-to-go stuff in a bowl.  I find it easier to grab out of a bowl rather than trying to reach all over the counter. 

I throw all of my peels in the trash right away so I don't have a million things all over the counter. 

 Then I just start grabbin' from my bowl and start juicin' away...

Once I have all my juice made I start rinsing off my juicer piece by piece with warm water.  I then toss the pulp out (if I'm not re-using it)  

 Once I have my juicer cleaned I then wipe off my counter tops ASAP.  You never want to skip this step or else you will be left with some sticky counter tops.  After that, I usually shake out my beach towel and then toss it in the washing machine.  

I know the clean up seems like such a long process but you will develop a routine over time, I promise! And the results you'll get from juicing will be so worth it :) 

P.S.  Summer is right around the corner!!! 

Have a very blessed week and happy juicing!!! 

XoXo

Ashley

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

P.S.S. I never thought I would feel comfortable walking around with stomach showing... Like ever.  If I can do it... You can do it!