Clean Eating

Since finishing the detox last Sunday I have been following Jason Vale's "Turbo charge your life in 14 day's".

There are rules for eating and one of them is gluten free, which really isn't a huge stretch for me since I'm not too bread crazy except for that amazing brown bread at Cheesecake Factory!

I would totally recommend reading this book by the way before starting. But I did want to share some of my meals I have been eating since. They are super clean, just good ole protein and veggies with the occasional gluten free pasta here and there.

This night I had tomatoes stuffed with smushed avocado with lime juice and sea salt on top as my app.

And for my main I had cucumbers marinated in EVOO and balsamic vinegar, a small piece of salmon with a fish rub on top, and half of a acorn squash with a tiny sliver of butter and a drizzle of agave nectar.

So yummy! Stay tuned for more meal ideas to come.

Bamboo Compost Pail

Here is the compost pail I have been raving about!

Hubby got mine from:

http://www.kitchenandcompany.com
It was $39.99

Composting

This is the perfect time to chat about composting. If you are juicing and have a lot of veggie pulp to discard or just prepping your dinner, composting is a great way to give back to our earth and make your soil soar with nutrients! With regular juicing I dump my compost pail about every other day.

In the spring when I am prepping my vegetable garden the hubby uses the rototiller once on the garden without the compost then we add it and he does it again about two times throughout that day. The soil smells about good enough to eat after! I also get random tomato plants popping up everywhere from dried up seeds in the compost.

Below is a picture of my bin. There are tons of options for your pile though. Just a pile in the back of your yard, a box system with a crank (available at lowes or home depot), or something similar to mine. The compost isn't too picky though! I usually use a pitch fork and toss it every week in the warm months and in the cooler months every 2-3 weeks. The things I add to the pile are:

1. All veggie and fruit scraps (if something is on the large side like a grapefruit skin, or pineapple I do cut or tear it up to speed up the decomposition process)

2. Egg shells

3. Pine needles

4. Grass clippings, old mulch

5. Small twigs, branches

I do have a new bamboo compost pail the hubby bought me for Christmas this year which I will share too ; )

Day 7 & and a special splurge!

Again today I woke up with busting energy, which with two kids is saying something!

If you haven't read 7 lbs in 7 days...DO IT! It will change the way you think and taste of green juice and help you make it a permanent part of your life and your families ; )

Shown here is my breakfast juice of Juice Master's super juice, which I have in my 24oz Tervis tumbler with a lid. I have had too many juices knocked over by a certain 3 year old so I had to get a lid!!

I wanted to talk about a splurge. While doing the 7 day program I wanted to reward myself with something for a job well done. I'm thinking a massage, facial, shopping....nah not happening here! But I did treat myself to my favorite bottled water! I love smart water and I usually feel guilty spending $1.49 on just special water but this week I gave in. Having this water felt like my reward and I enjoyed every clean sip of it!

Day 5 & Day 6 begins on a sweet start!

Yesterday continued to just get better and better. My energy went strong even till midnight. I made myself go to bed since I knew the baby would be rising early!

Today started off sweet with Jason's "Passion 4" smoothie. So yummy, I took a pic of it before I gulped it down.

If you are doing the detox make sure you watch Jason's videos for each day. They are a great motivator and really informative. He knows exactly what you are going through each day and gives wonderful tips.

Composting post is still to come later, weather didn't cooperate yesterday!

Day 4

I have to admit, day 4 was my toughest so far. It was a cloudy day, I was run down from waking up with the littlest one and I was just plain tired. But....I pushed through, even made some for on the go while running Mommy errands. The hardest part of the day was going to the grocery store in the evening shopping for my family. So when I got home I had just. 1/3 of an avocado with some lime juice on top and I was again soaring!!

When I woke up today (day 5). I literally was a new woman, I cranked up the music, got the juicer going first thing and made my first drink, prepping the next two as well. I can't wait to get jumping on my trampoline and do some crunches and maybe even some 5lb weights for my arms too!

Happy Juicing!

Stay tuned for more of day 5 updates and a post on composting!

Detox Diary day 2 & 3

So day 2 & 3 went really well. I have been super busy with my two kids running to doc apts. and such but I still managed to take my juice along with me in a little cooler. I like to use my 24 oz Tervis tumbler with a lid and straw. I will have to post a pic of it with my lunch juice in it.

I have learned that sipping the juice slowly rather than gulping it down really cuts back on hunger. Think of it as your meal, because it is!

As far as exercise I haven't been able to fit in as much as I hoped but I am striving to do some jumping on the trampoline and also some stretching on my yoga ball this afternoon while my 3 year old is at preschool.

Jason has posted his videos on his site daily updating us with his progress and some great motivation! He is doing the cleanse as well so it really helps to hear his perspective too. Here is the link:

http://www.juicemaster.com/us/45p89-dn23

Happy Juicing!!

~The Mellow Mermaid

Nail color and review for this week!

Recently when I was in Target I saw a fellow bargain hunter scouring the clearance rack when her nail color caught my eye. It was super sparkly..and it showed up sooo well. She said she used a black base then sparkle on top.....why didn't I think of that?! I wanted to do a dupe for the Debra Lippmann cult fave "Happy Birthday" which retails for $18.00 at Nordstrom.

What I found was wet n wild "Party of Five" glitters. A total score at $1.50!! Then on to the black. Surprisingly I didn't have one in my collection yet. So good old Kmart had my pick, Essie Licorice, $7.49.

Both go on beautiful (2 coats of black, and just one of glitter), and of course topping it all off with a nice coat of Seche Vite. PERFECT!!

Stay tuned for more swatch's to come in the future of my polish changes ; )

And yes that is my kitty in the background begging for her pedi!

Day 1 diary & a quick tip

Yesterday went well, enjoyed an array of nutritious juices. My favorite being the Turbo Express. I did exercise a little, jumping on my trampoline while watching tv. My energy was on the low side which is totally normal the first few days.

The one thing I am struggling with is the no caffeine rule. Yeah.....I kinda broke that one. I had one cup of black tea around 7 p while I was dragging. Not bad considering I am a Starbucks venti Skinny Carmel Macchiato and 3 cups of TAZO awake tea a day kinda girl!

My tip I was talking about is prepping. Things can be crazy in the am or even the evening with kids running around or running about the door, so I really suggest prepping you veggies and fruit for your toughest time of day.

~The Mellow Mermaid

Another great product rave!

Jason Vale aka Juice master recommends rebounding, which basically means jumping on a mini trampoline! It's a great work out, just
try it for 5 mins..you will see ; )

I found this one at Kmart. On sale this week for $29.99. It is a 38 inch one.

Happy Jumping!

Must have's for the detox

A few must have's are:

1. A good juicer
I love my Breville Juice Fountain

2. Blender
Magic bullet is what I use, compact
and quick

3. Wheatgrass powder

4. Spirulina powder

5. And not pictured, good probiotic pills

Also pictured above is The JM Super Juice!!

2012 is here... What's to come!

Now with the new year upon us it's time for good things to come!

This week I will be blogging about the Juice master Jason Vale's "The world's biggest juice detox", I will be detoxing again and you can follow along. What a great. Lean way to start the year!!

Also up this week will be nail polish swatch's of some awesome new color finds and combos.

~The Mellow Mermaid