inspired to make every day, life + work stellar

Happy Monday ya’ll! So far, it’s been a good start {I know it’s just a few hours into Monday!}. I started this morning with spin class + now feeling the burn! Before I went to spin, I made this carrot grapefruit juice. It’s a good one!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 carrots, peeled
• 1 large grapefruit, peeled and quartered
• 2 inch ginger {yes, i really like the zing in my drinks!}
• 1/4 lemon, peeled

THE BENEFITS OF THESE VEGETABLES/FRUITS*

• carrot – rich in beta-carotene, keeps eyes and skin healthy and vibrant
• grapefruit – lowers cholesterol, helps in losing weight and cancer prevention, treats common ailments
• ginger – rich in antioxidants, improves digestion, treats nausea, used for centuries for a variety of different ailments
• lemon – rich in Vitamin C – helping to neutralize free radicals linked to aging, treats common ailments, contains powerful antibacterial properties, stimulant to the liver, cleans your bowels, strengthens blood vessels, etc.

* Disclaimer: this is for informative purposes only and does not in any way attempt to replace the advice offered by an expert on the subject.

Have a stellar week!

{Photos by Tiffany Nguyen}

The crazy thought of juicing for 7 days started with my bf who challenged his team into juicing for 7 days straight. I decided I was up for the challenge {i called it “The Reboot”} and why not go for it when I can go through this experience with him? I honestly thought I could never do this. I love food too much! AND no coffee for 7 days? Whoa. The world must be ending. Let’s say that I finished this challenge and made it to the finish line… 9 lbs lighter.

THE GAME PLAN

I decided to make my own juices. I used organic veges and fruits whenever it was available but didn’t go all organic. I basically started my mornings by making a pitcher of juice, passing through veges and fruits with this breville juicer. I made enough to hold me over for the day. I had about less than 60 ounces per day, so about 20 ounces per meal and water in between {this is not considered a lot but it took me all day to finish the pitcher}. The majority of the days, I stuck to green juice. I’d alter the green juice on some days and would add some lettuce, chard, etc. A couple of days, I made carrot-based juices with beets and realized that I could not drink a lot of beets {it didn’t settle well with my stomach. i think i may have overdosed on beets}. The only fruits I used were green and red apples and pears as my base. Then on day 6, I gave myself a treat and juiced a 4-lb bag of orange juice with some lemon juice and that yielded only about 30 ounces. This was my routine for 7 days. If you want a more concrete, written plan that also includes taking laxatives to really get everything out of your system, I have access to a plan so please let me know if you would like a copy.

MY JOURNEY IN THE LAST 7 DAYS…

• Day 1 will be the hardest. I felt very nauseous and had to take several naps because I was lacking energy. I had been so used to drinking coffee every morning; it was my source of energy. My head was really heavy all day. I kept forgetting to drink water. So the key to not getting headaches is to keep drinking water!
• After day 1, the following days got easier except on day 6.
• On day 6, I gagged after my brother brought home onion rings. I could not stand the smell!
• I loved how much energy it gave me throughout the day. I never felt lethargic. I had so much energy, it was difficult to fall asleep at night.
• I loved waking up feeling so charged and ready to conquer the day.
• I never ever felt hungry {weird right??}.
• I was constantly thinking about food. I had dreams about eating solid foods again. I thought about all the foods I could eat after this detox. Food was constantly on my mind.
• Even with all those thoughts and being surrounded by food, I never caved in. I never ate anything but drank juice during the 7 day detox.
• If if wasn’t for my busy schedule, I would have been entirely miserable because the days would have felt so long.
• I didn’t watch any live TV because I know the food commercials will just taunt me. So I stuck to recorded shows and fast-forwarded through all the commercials.
• The past week has been boring and repetitive. I had to pass on social outings and events because I didn’t want to lose sight of my accomplishing my goal and didn’t want to end up feeling miserable when people around me were eating. So I avoided it all together.
• Let’s make it clear that my intention to detox was not to lose weight. People kept asking me, how’s your juicing diet and I had to correct them, it’s not a diet. I’m detoxing.
• I should have taken laxatives so that I could flush literally everything out.
• It takes a lot of mental strength to go through this detox for 7 days. 7 days is a very long time.
• I held myself accountable. I told my friends and my family what I was doing. I posted updates on Facebook of my progress and thoughts.
• I was thinking about food so much throughout the week and had all these plans about all the things I wanted to eat after the challenge, and then all that really went away when I realized it’s almost over and I’m not sure if my stomach will take all that food I want to eat.
• I lost a considerable amount of weight, 9 lbs. It’s probably mostly water weight.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS REBOOT EXPERIENCE

• I am capable of doing anything I put my mind to it.
• I have more strength than I thought I did.
• I never really needed coffee to keep me going, it was all in my “head”. Having all that caffeine in my body all day really exhausted my body. I crashed at night. I woke up feeling groggy every morning. But with juicing, I felt alert as soon as I woke up every morning.
• Your body really only needs the essential nutrients for survival.
• I really enjoy making my own juice {it does take a bit of work to wash the veges/fruits and clean the machine, but it’s worth it}.
• It was rewarding to know that I could eat real food again after the challenge. They say if you reward yourself when finishing a goal, you are more likely to complete a goal!
• To my surprise, I had a lot of energy throughout the day. I was able to work and function just fine.
• I want to continue incorporating juicing into my daily meal plan. I’m thinking about making it a routine to have one in replacement of coffee every morning. I must admit, I love the taste of coffee, so I’ll enjoy a latte once in awhile but juice will now be my new coffee.
• I did this juicing detox to be healthy, not to lose weight. I noticed when people did it thinking they wanted to lose weight, they end up failing and not making it through the plan.
• I want to continue rebooting my system once in awhile, maybe every other month or every two months. But it’s definitely going to be shorter than 7 days.
• Challenges are fun. What’s the next challenge?!

7 days of juicing is tough. I’m not going to sit here and tell you it was the easiest thing in the world. You really have to keep yourself busy. If you don’t, you’re going to be bored and your days are going to be dragging. Take yourself out of any environment or situation that makes you lose sight of your goal. If this is your first time, I recommend that you start out with 3 days first. And don’t forget to always consult with your doctor.

Overall, I am thrilled to have accomplished something that in a million years never thought I had the strength or the desire to do so. I have never felt so great + full of natural energy. I could have coffee today, but I’m not going to because I don’t need it {and I don’t want it either!}

Would I do it again? Absolutely yes, but maybe for only 3 days max. Now, I’m off to eating my first meal after this reboot: congee {i have tums + pepto bismo ready!}.

Disclaimer: This is my own personal experience with detoxing and I did it accordingly to my own plan + terms. Please consult a doctor if you decide to detox.

I’m on the 3rd day of my 7-day juice cleanse and let me tell you, it hasn’t been easy but it is getting easier! I was completely miserable on the first day. My head was heavy all day and the only thoughts in my head was I want food, badly. Thankfully, I didn’t cave in. I ended up sipping on more juice + water whenever I had these crazy food thoughts. Surprisingly, I have not been feeling hungry and have been waking up every morning feeling refreshed.

I made this beetle juice on day 2 and suddenly had a surge of energy. This is some good stuff!

Here is the recipe to the beetle juice that not only will give you natural energy, it will also make your skin look radiant!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 green apples, cored and quartered
• 2 beets, peeled and quartered
• 2-3 inch ginger {leave skin on}
• 4-6 carrots {cut off the ends but leave the skin on}

MAKING THE BEETLE JUICE

1// Pass the apples, beets, ginger and carrots through the juice maker

Notes: beets have a very earthy taste so the ginger really helped subdue the earthy flavor. Without the ginger, the juice will taste like you’re eating a pile of dirt {excuse me for being so dramatic}

THE BENEFITS OF THESE VEGETABLES/FRUITS*

• green apple – helps protect against diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer
• beet – powerful antioxidant and cancer-fighting agent, helps lower blood pressure, detoxifies your liver, radiates your skin
• ginger – rich in antioxidants, improves digestion, treats nausea, used for centuries for a variety of different ailments
• carrot – rich in beta-carotene, keeps eyes and skin healthy and vibrant

* Disclaimer: this is for informative purposes only and does not in any way attempt to replace the advice offered by an expert on the subject.

Happy juicing! Make it a stellar day!

{Photos by Tiffany Nguyen}

Let me start by saying that I love food. Isn’t it quite obvious? Most of my blogs are about food! But for the next 7 days, the only thing I will be eating and drinking is juice. Today, I am embarking on a 7 day juice cleanse that I call a reboot of my system to detox my body from all the toxins that have been stored in my system. This is going to be interesting because I have never done such a thing. I hope that I have enough strength + energy to make it through 7 days of just juice!

I woke up this morning, and juiced about less than 1.0 liter. I tried to fill up this beverage pitcher but sadly, I could only fill it up half way. This morning, I made the same green juice recipe but this time around, I added a handful of parsley.

I’ll let you in 7 days if I made it through and brief you on my 7-day cleansing experience!

{Photos by Tiffany Nguyen}

I finally broke in the Breville juicer {it was fun passing the veges through the chute}! In an effort to lay off caffeine, I am attempting to replace coffee with the naturale green juice.

Here is the recipe to the green juice I made today:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 apples, cored and quartered
• 2 celery sticks
• 1/2 lemon
• 3 cups spinach
• 6 kale stalks with leaves and all
• 3-inch piece ginger {with the skin on}

MAKING THE GREEN JUICE

1// Pass the apples, celery, spinach, kale and ginger through the juice maker
2// Squeeze the lemon, adding the lemon juice to the green juice

Notes: add more ginger if you like to remove the bitter taste from the greens or add more lemon if you like your drink citrusy.

Check out the remains from the juice mixer reservoir! They say 95% of the nutrient content of fruit and vegetables is found in the juice.

Have ya’ll seen this documentary on juicing? It was pretty funny to see when I opened up the box. Check it out! It’ll convince you to start juicing too!

{Photos by Tiffany Nguyen}