Let Your Food Be Your Pharmacy

Flu season has officially kicked off! The colds, fevers, runny noses, sore throats, headaches, and congestion are in full swing.  We all know the signs, and who has time to be sick these days?! The good news is, with a few immunity-boosting juice recipes we can fight that winter misery. Don't let the cold catch you!

Immune Enhancer

2 Gala Apples 

5 Carrots 

1 Inch of Ginger 

1 Lemon
(a pinch of cayenne for the daring) 

Wash and properly prep. Place in juicer. Juice!

Big Green Cold Fighting Machine 

1 cup of Spinach 

1 cup of Kale

6 Brussels Sprouts 

1 Jalapeno 

2 Garlic Cloves 

1 Lime 

2 Cucumbers 

Wash and properly prep. Place in juicer. Juice!
 

Orange Sparkler 

1/2 Pineapple 

2 Oranges

1 Lemon 

2oz of Sparkling Water

Wash and properly prep, Place in juicer, Juice, add sparkling water! 

Angry Apple Fizz 

1 inch of Ginger 

1 Pear 

2 Apples 

2oz of Sparkling Water 

Wash and properly prep, Place in juicer, Juice, add sparkling water!

Warm Ginger Tea 

(good for the stomach flu)

2 inches of Ginger 

2 Lemons 

4 cups of boiling water 

 Juice ingredients and then add boiling water

Grab a juice rather than over the counter medicine

If you already have a cold these recipe are also good for easing symptoms.  I highly encourage you to fight flu season the natural way! When you give the body what it needs (fruits and vegetables) you are giving your body the proper fuel to function.  Rather than going to the store and purchasing over-priced, chemically-filled medicine, grab a juice and super-charge your immune system! 

Please keep in mind that these JUICE recipes are designed to juiced in a juicer. If you try and blend these, you will most likely have an overflowing blender! If you prefer smoothies over juice, you are in luck! Stay tuned later this week for flu fighting smoothie recipes.

If you are interested in doing a juice cleanse click here. 

For more juice recipes click here. 

Stay tuned for Flu Fighting Smoothie Recipes!

XoXo 

Ashley 

For daily tips recipes follow me on 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

or  

On Instagram: ashleynicolemora1

The Juicy Truth on Going Green

Why you should be starting each morning off with a green juice or smoothie! 

If you are anything like me, weight loss and maintaining weight is extremely hard.  Trust me when I say, I've been on just about every "diet" out there.  In the past I've tried protein, supplements, fat burners, low carb, everything you can imagine! Although I had temporary success... whenever I deviated from the plan in the slightest way, I ended up gaining everything back and then some,  which left me feeling completed defeated.  That is until I started drinking greens regularly! 

If you are reading this thinking, "that's me" I have good news... You don't have to live that way anymore.  Just by making a few small changes you can achieve your dream weight and improve your overall health.  All you need to do is Go Green.  

Start off taking baby steps.  I want to challenge you to start swapping your breakfast out with 1 green juice or smoothie.  Think of each night as a mini fast and upon wakening you have the chance to cleanse, detox, and reboot your system with a delicious green drink.  

Green juices and smoothies are very easy on the digestive system... think of this as giving your digestive system a little break.  This allows your digestive system to start breaking down old foods that may be stored in the body, in lieu of breaking down a heavy breakfast.  This is one reason why drinking greens in the morning is fat flushing... cool, I know! The most powerful and health boosting thing you can do for your body is let fresh juiced/blended up greens be the first thing that enters your system.  I cannot emphasize how important it is to start each day off with a green drink! Green juice cleans out your system and your blood, which actually boots your energy and sets you up to be awake and alert the rest of the day.  

Juicy benefits of starting each day with a Green Juice or Smoothie: 

Weight Loss 

Boots Immune System 

Increased Energy
Cleanses your blood stream

Increased Nutrient Intake 

Bigger Variety of Vegetables are Consumed 

Glowing Skin 

Hair Growth 

Hair Shine 

Reverse Dark Circles 

Reverse Aging 

Disease Prevention 

So, for one month ditch the eggs and coffee and just try this out.  What do you have to lose?  There will come a point where at night, all you will think about is having your green drink in the morning! After you start making green drinks part of your morning routine, I guarantee you'll never want to go back! 

For green juice recipes click here. 

For green smoothie recipes click here. 

Update:  For those of you who have been reading my blog, you know that I lost over 30 lbs a year ago when I started making these exact small changes.  I am happy and proud to say that for the first time in my life I have been able to keep the weight off!  Sure, there were a few times I went out of town, overindulged, and gain a few pounds but I was able to lose it right away.  I still fit into the "skinny jeans" I bought last december when all the weight came off (woo hoo!) and I have never felt healthier in my entire life! 

Curent before & after.

If you have any question please feel free to message, comment, or tweet me! 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

XoXo 

-Ashley 

5 Smoothies for Long Luscious Hair

We all want it... that beautiful long luscious looking hair!

Did you know that damaged and corse hair can be caused by our diet?  The good news is we can reverse hair loss and damaged hair with a few delicious recipes! In fact, we can actually promote hair growth just by adding a few ingredients into our daily diet.

I typically blog about juicing, but keep in mind that these are smoothie recipes, so you will want to use a blender for these.. not a juicer!

Drink one each morning as your breakfast and you will be well on your way to healthier hair and skin.  These smoothies also promote weight loss, detoxification, disease prevention, bright eyes, increased energy, and improve over all health! #winning 

Hair Health Smoothies 

Glowing hair and skin

1 cup of spinach
1 cup of kale
1 banana
1 1/2 cups of pineapple
1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut or almond milk

Shiny Hair

2-3 cups of spinach
1 cucumber
1 avocado
1 cup of blueberries
1 banana

Long Luscious Hair

2 cups of romaine
2 cups of kale
1 cucumber
1 lemon
1/2 cup of water
1 pear

No More Split Ends 

2 cups of kale
1 cup of spinach
1 cup of blueberries
1 pear
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of ice

Minty Morning 

1/2 avocado
2 cups of kale
1 cup of spinach
1/2 granny smith apple
1/2 cup of mint leaves
1 cup of water

For all my juicers out there, you can absolutely juice these recipes if you prefer a juicer rather than a smoothie.  Keep in mind that the ingredient amounts will change and you cannot juice a banana or an avocado!

I highly encourage you to exchange your typical breakfast with one green smoothie.  Starting each day with green smoothie or juice will work wonders not only on your physical appearance but it will also start changing the way your body works on the inside.  Flushing your body out each morning with powerhouse food and greens will truly make you 'Sparkle From The Inside Out'

Have a fabulous week!
XoXo
Ashley

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

Best Apps That Assist With Weight Loss

"Keep Your Goals In Front Of You" 

In order to accomplish any goal, it's vital that we constantly remind ourselves why we started in the first place, especially when trying to lose weight.  It's no surprise that losing weight can be difficult.  We can become tempted, tired, or hit a plateu at any given moment.  

In most cases, we are on our cell phones 24/7 whether it be texting, emailing, surfing the web etc.  What we are constantly looking at and listening to affects us more than we can possibly imagine!  It becomes a part of who we are, it starts to define us.  This is why I think it is so important to keep a few apps on your phone that can not only assist you in your weight loss journey, but apps that will also keep you on track and motivated. 

1.  My Fitness Pal- Free 

This app is both iPhone & Android friendly.  This is one of the most useful apps you can use! From the beginning it takes your weight, height, goal weight, and lifestyle and then gives you recommendations.  This app completely takes the "guessing game" out of eating and eating out.  Not to mention.. its VERY simple to use.  You can scan the barcode on all the food items you eat throughout the day instead of having to enter and search for what you are eating.  It also has a plethora of restaurant menu items making it easy to track what you are eating when dining out (it even  has local restaurants!) My fitness pal also tracks carbs, fats, sodium & cholesterol so you are aware of exactly what you are putting into your body.  There is so much more that this app does.. I could go on and on, however if there is one app that you decide to download, it should definitely be this one. 

2.  Map My Walk/ Map My Run- Free 

These two apps track just about everything when it comes to walking and running.  They track route, pace, calories burned and distance.  It's simple to use and has several tools to keep you motivated throughout your workout.  Map My Run and Map My Walk feature voice prompts that give you updates throughout your workout but don't worry, the voice comes on in the background so you can still listen to your favorite workout playlist! 

3.  My Model- Free 

This is just a fun app.  You enter in your height, weight, goal weight, skin tone, face, hair, body shape and outfit. This app creates an image of what you look like now, and what you will look like when you reach your goal weight.  It also give you the option to track your weight loss so it will show model like figures as you get closer and closer to reaching your goal!  Like I said earlier, keeping your goals in front of you is powerful!  

4.  7 Minute Fitness- Free

  The challenge is to do 7 minutes a day for 7 months. This app gives you 7 minute workouts that require zero workout equipment.  Sounds easy right?  This app was designed to provide the maximum benefit of working out regularly in the shortest time possible.  The workouts include a variety of cardio, fat burning, strengthening, and stretching routines.  You can also upgrade later on to an app that costs a few dollars and provides more workouts but it's not nessecary.  

5.  Juicing- Free 

I like this app because it's free and offers thousands of juice recipes.  You can hit one button 'Add Ingredients To Cart' and it provides you with a grocery list.  It also shows the calories in each recipe and offers anywhere from a 1 day cleanse to a 30 day cleanse.  You can set reminders on this app and it will notify you of when you need to drink your next juice! 

6.  Bible Encouragement- Free 

Love this app! It provides encouraging Bible verses to accommodate you through the roller coaster ride of weight loss.  It's easy to use and it's so satisfying to tell God exactly how you are feeling.  There are over 35 different emotions to chose from, all of which provide Bible verses and a quote that correlate with what you are feeling.  

 7.  Daily Fitness Motivation 

This app shows motivational images and allows you to set reminders with motivational affirmations and images.  The affirmations and quotes will always put you in a positive mindset! 

8.  Songza -Free 

Have you ever gone to a workout, spin class, yoga, or aerobics class and LOVED the music?  This is the only place I have been able to find similar pump up playlists and the REAL artists are singing (not a knock off version of a song, a lot of the remixes online sound like kids bop) You can choose playlists based on your activity or your mood.  My favorite playlists are Massive Pop Hits: The Remixes and 00s Club Bangers ;) 

I hope you enjoy some of, if not all of these apps! I use most of them daily and I absolutely love them.  Don't lose sight of your vision and your goals.  Set those daily reminders to trigger your motivation and most importantly, remember why you started! Weight loss is a journey and all you can do is take it one step at a time :) You can do it! 

XoXo 

Ashley 

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

Calories vs. Chemicals Part 1

Happy Monday everyone! Welcome to Calories vs. Chemicals part 1. 

In an effort to not gain the freshman 15 in college, I survived off of diet coke and lean pockets.  I thought diet coke was the most amazing thing since sliced bread and the lean pockets had way less calories than actual pizza... If I only knew what I was putting into my body! Once I stopped obsessing over calories and actually started to look at the ingredients in the food I was eating, (along with juicing) I then became successful in losing 30+lbs. 

 Throughout my year long journey as an avid juicer, I have learned so much about food and the myths behind what the food industry has had us eating up for years.  The biggest lesson learned has been that calories are not scary... the toxic chemical overload in food is.  Toxic chemicals are constantly accumulating in our bodies because the industry has had us obsessing over calories for years with labels like: "Low Calorie" "No Calorie" "100 Calories" 

Let me ask you a question... When you are purchasing your groceries and you turn your food or drink item over to check the calories, protein, fat etc.  How often are you checking the ingredients? 

   

When we focus only on the calories, we miss the fact that in exchange they are filling our food with toxic chemicals.  

& the scariest part about this is 

The more we fill our bodies with nutrient dense foods & empty calories, the harder we make it on ourselves to lose weight and the more we put our health at risk.  

Here is a short 2 minute video on chemicals in our food! I love this video and the way it describes what science and technogoly is doing to our food.

Let's take a look a protein bar.  Most of us think a protein bar is an optimal healthy snack.  They have protein, tons of delicious flavors, they're portable... something we can keep in our car or purse.  In hindsight, it's perfect! Not to mention that it comes off as a healthy alternative. 

At a first glance we see 20 grams of protein 

Flip it over and read

Calories: 280 

Fat: 10g 

Carb: 29g 

Protein: 20g 

Ingredients: 

Soy protein, isolate, beet juice concentrate, organic brown rice syrup, organic dried cane syrup, palm kernel oil, organic peanuts, cocoa, organic rolled oats, vegetable glycerin, soy protein concentrate, natural flavors, peanuts, peanut flour, rice starch, organic sunflower oil, unsweetened chocolate, inulin (chicory extract) sea salt, organic oat fiber, soy, lecithin, calcium carbonate, organic vanilla extract, cocoa butter, vanilla extract, natural vitamin E, calcium, carbonate, magnesium oxide, ascorbic acid, DL-Aplha tocopheryl acetate, thiamine monoitrate, beta carotene, niacin amide, D-Calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, erocalciferol, cyanocobalamin, potassium iodide.  

Can you pronounce that last sentence?  I know I had a hard time with it.  I am not in any way trying to discredit protein bars or say that you should never eat them. I am just simply trying to bring awareness to the chemical overload in foods we think are better than others.  

3 Rules of Thumb

 If you can't pronounce it, Don't eat it 

Try to stick to prepackaged or frozen foods that have 10 ingredients or less 

If it has a long shelf life, put it down 

If anything, I encourage you to start reading the labels on the back of food.  When you can, buy local. Food should always come from the farm and go straight to your table.  Ditch the diet and just be the healthiest, happiest version of yourself that you can be! 

Stay tuned for part 2 later this week, where we will compare and decode labels! 

XoXo

-Ashley 

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

17 Benefits of Juicing

17 Benefits of Juicing



 Hello Everyone! As we approach a new month I thought I would share some of the most important benefits of juicing.  I am coming up on my one year anniversary of being an avid juicer (Yay!)  So… why not share some of what I’ve learned this past year!  The holidays will soon be upon us and it’s no lie that set backs are defeating… so beat them! This Wednesday (October 1st) is the perfect opportunity to start fresh and head into the holiday season with confidence that you will start your new year without feeling like you need to start over.  Who says that January 1st has to be the only day we make resolutions?! The truth is.. it doesn't! We only have 3 months left of 2014, lets make them count! End 2014 with a bang! 

1. Raw juices help remove chemicals that we store in our bodies.
2. It helps cleanse out bacteria.
3. Cleanses your blood.
4. Juicing gives your digestive system a break & lord knows we can all use one of those!
5. It allows you to add a wider variety of vegetables in your diet. You would not sit down and eat two apples, 1 cucumber, 3 celery stalks, and inch of ginger, a lemon, and 2 cups of kale. 
6. Juicing not only promotes but it also jump starts weight loss. Juicing rids your body of excess weight. It can provide a way to reach a dramatic weight loss goal.  
7. Increases energy.  When you start to add rich nutrients into your body you wont feel so tired and sluggish.
8. Helps boost your immune system.
9. It can help you ease into a healthier lifestyle.
10. Our bodies require a certain amount of nutrients from fruits and vegetables.  Juicing not only provides us a way to get those vegetables down but the juice is immediately absorbed into our blood stream making those nutrients we are consuming, more efficient. 
11. Can assist in helping you de-bloat naturally. 
12. Curbs appetite.  Yep, you heard me! All of the nutrients that are filled in one glass of juice make you feel full!
13. Juicing is great for your skin, hair, and nails.
14. Mental alertness and happiness.  Juicing improves blood circulation therefore it transports oxygen into the brain and body keeping you from hitting that 3 o'clock feeling.
15. Full of antioxidants!
16.  Keeps your cells hydrated.  Juicing replenishes nutrient rich fluid back into our bodies. 
17. Juicing truly is a Fat Flusher.

 Green Drinks are Not For Me!

If you are the kind of person who looks at a green drink and thinks to yourself that you would never be “into that” I highly recommend just TRYING it out.  I personally hate vegetables.  I wish that wasn’t the case, but unfortunately it is.  There is something so magical about being able to blend up broccoli, spinach, kale, celery, cucumber etc. toss in some apples, oranges, strawberries and have them mask the nasty taste of the green! Juicing is all about finding the right combinations of different fruits and vegetables that work for you!

Quick Green Juice Recipes: 

Mean Green 

2 Medium Apples 

4 Celery Stalks 

1 Cucumber 

1 inch of Ginger Root 

6 Kale Leaves 

1 Lemon 

Green Lemonade 

3 cups of spinach 

1 lemon 

1 cucumber

1 pear 

1 gala apple 

De-Bloat 

2 Apple 

1 Cucumber 

1 cup of Kale 

2 Stalks of Celery 

1 Lemon 

Dandelion Greens 

Green Mary Cocktail 

1 Apple 

1 Cucumber 

3 Carrot 

1 Green Pepper 

1 Tomato 

1 cup of Grapes

1 cups of Spinach

Tropical Green 

1 Pineapple 

1 Cup of Kale 

2 Oranges

1 inch of Ginger 

XoXo

-Ashley 

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

Dining Out & Staying on Track

Guidelines for Dining Out & Staying on Track 
How to Navigate through a menu 

Dining out is a part of life, it's pretty much inevitable.  You can try to avoid it, but unless you decide to never leave your house, cut off all communication with friends and family,  and hire a personal chef... you will most likely end up dining out at one point or another.  As the weekend approaches, I thought I would share some easy tips for staying on track while dining out.  One bad weekend can destroy a weeks worth of hard work and lets face it... set backs are NOT fun.

The Rules For Dinning Out 

1.  Order before you walk into the restaurant.  Thankfully most restaurants these days offer an online menu.  I highly recommend going online, deciding what you are going to order and then DO NOT EVEN OPEN THE MENU.  If you can, order as soon as your server asks you what you want to drink so that you are not tempted to order something else.  

2.  If you can, pick the restaurant! It's a lot easier to stay on track if you stick to restaurants that offer a decent amount of healthy choices. 

3.  Eat before you go out!!!!!!! I know this sounds strange, but it's oh so helpful.  Even if you know you are going to order food, eat something small and healthy before you walk through the doors of the restaurant.  It's dangerous to walk into a restaurant hungry and if you aren't starving... You'll be more likely to stick to your diet. 

4.  Ask Questions.  I always use to be so afraid to bother or annoy the servers when dining out, BUT I had to get over it and you know what?  You shouldn't be afraid to ask! Asking important questions and finding out exactly what is in your food can make or break your diet.  Sometimes it may appear that you are eating healthy when in reality, there are hidden ingredients.  So, ask away!

5.  Avoid Gluten.  I know there is a lot of hoopla about gluten-free diets however if you are trying to stay on track with your diet... ditch the bread.  Just by simply eliminating bread, you will feel so much better and less guilty when you leave the restaurant.  You can order a burger with no bun, chicken, salad with no croutons etc.

6.  Ask if your meal can be cooked in Olive Oil.  Most restaurants use corn, vegetable, and canola oil.  This is one reason why eating out can be so unhealthy. Even real butter is better than vegetable oil or margarine. 

7.  ALWAYS get veggies as your side.  Always replace the starchy side.  If you are trying to stay on track while eating out... don't even consider anything else besides veggies as your side.  Just don't even go there... trust me! (this also goes back to rule #3 if you eat before you go out, you won't feel like you need much of a side anyways.)

8.  If you are going somewhere that offers "Free Bread" or other unlimited food items.. pass on it.  This is a hard one for me because it's FREE or as my dad would say.. "included in the price"  but this is a make or break decision at the very beginning of your meal.  I would recommend telling your hostess or server right away that you wouldn't like any bread so it's not sitting on the table, tempting you.

9.  Avoid Breaded Foods.  Always opt for the grilled instead of breaded.

10.  Avoid Dressings and Sauces.  Always ask for your dressing on the side.

11. Skip over the Pizza and Pasta parts of the menu.  I would recommend avoiding places that mostly offer pizza & pasta (like pizza joints or Italian) but sometimes you can't.  If you are at an Italian restaurant, then I would say just skip this part of the menu all together and only focus on the salads, meat, and seafood parts. 

12.  Ask for NO MSG.  MSG is awful and you should always try and avoid it!

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Breakfast ideas: 
Breakfast is usually a pretty easy meal to find healthy alternatives.  An omelet without cheese, an egg plate with with no potatoes, sub the toast, biscuits, pancakes and potatoes with extra bacon or turkey sausage. Always ask for a side of fruit in lieu of a starchy carb. 

Lunch Ideas:
Salads with no croutons, cheese, or dressings.  You can ask for extra meat, egg, avocado, tomato etc.
Non-Cream soups.
Lettuce Wraps.

Dinner Ideas:
Burger with no bun.
Meat, Chicken, or Fish entrees with Veggies
Fajitas with pico de gallo.  No rice, tortillas, or beans.  
A side of Guacamole goes with everything.
 Chinese:  Steamed protein and vegetables with egg drop soup
Italian:  Meatballs with a side salad.

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Fast Food Options: 

If you click on the restaurant, it will take you directly to the nutritional information for that restaurant!

CHIPOLTE 
Surrito bowl with any meat filling, salsa, and guacamole

CHIC FIL A 
Grilled Chicken Strips and a Fruit Cup

SQUEEZED 
Any fresh juices or smoothies

BOSTON MARKET 
Chicken with two sides of steamed veggies

RUDYS 
Any of their meats

WHICH WICH 
Lettuce Wrap

CRACKER BARREL
Eggs, Bacon, Ham, Sausage
Chicken Tenderloins (grilled)

APPLEBEES 
Steak
Chipolte  Lime Chicken 
Jalapeno Lime Shrimp
Garlic Herb Salmon

OUTBACK 
Aussie Cob Salad with no croutons and grilled chicken
Steak with veggies
Chicken veggies

P.F. CHANGS 
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Egg Drop Soup
Ginger Chicken with Broccoli
Lemon Chicken
Changs Spicy Chicken

CHILIS 
Cajun Ribeye
Any of the burgers with no bun and no cheese
Chicken plates with veggies

JIMMY JOHNS 
ask for the "unwiched" style.  They wrap all the sandwiches in lettuce.  Ask for no cheese.

JASONS DELI
Salad Bar
Gluten Free Menu



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There are so many other places you can go, but this is just my short list to give you a few ideas! I hope this helps.  It's important to stay on track over the weekend... even if you are planning on having a cheat meal it's important to plan ahead but just remember that life is short! Don't be too hard on yourself and enjoy the little things!  If you end up cheating when you weren't intending to, it's not the end of the world.  This blog was just intended to provide helpful tips if you are trying really hard to stay on track!


XoXo 
Ashley

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora