New Diet, New Friend

So, I've been feeling a little blah lately.  My body had aches and pains all over.  My legs and back would ache when I went to bed at night.  I started feeling my age, maybe even older.  My diet was not great.  I enjoyed chocolate way too much.  Wheat/gluten caused rashes on my hands, legs, and arms.  Although I had the gluten thing under control, sometimes I slipped with a few Christmas cookies.  Then my arms itched.

I know a few people who do the juicing thing.  They all look and seem healthy and happy.  Two people I know use it as part of their cancer treatment.  Obviously, raw fruits and vegetables are very healthy, with many nutrients.  So, I started reading more about it.  With 40+ years under my belt, I'm a skeptic of many things.  Juicing was one of them.  I considered it just another fad making its rounds.  I caved and bought my first juicer, the Breville Juice Fountain, my new friend.

I like it.  It is very easy to use and clean.  So, I have been juicing 2 times a day.  I usually eat a breakfast of gluten free peanut butter toast and fruit.  Around 10 a.m. I have my first juice of the day.

So, this was my treat:  apple, ginger, peeled lemon, carrots, kale, and celery.  You may be thinking it sounds terrible, but the lemon and ginger really make this taste great.

There is such a variety of veggies you can throw in the juicer.  The difficult part is probably keeping them on hand.  Mike and I have enjoyed the one with beets.  I would never enjoy beets before.  Now I love them in this juicer.

So, you may ask how I'm feeling?  Well, I've not gone to bed with an ice or heat pack for about 4 days now.  I don't ache like before, I have more energy, I sleep better.  And one strange side effect is on my face.  It actually looks healthier.  I don't have pics to prove that one, but my skin just looks better.  Oh, and it doesn't hurt that I've lost a few pounds doing this.  I don't crave the junk that I used to crave, and I am actually always content with no hunger pains.  I sound like a commercial, don't I?  FYI, Breville did not pay me to write up this post.

Skeptic no more?

Death By High Fat Content aka Chocolate Dulce De Leche Bars

Jordan made these last night.  Shame, shame, shame on her.  She has always been a great baker, but her regular cooking skills need some fine tuning.  She and her future husband may just have to survive on love and baked goods.

So, these babies have 456 calories (maybe less since I cut them into smaller pieces), 20 g fat (12 of which are saturated), 63 carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 1 g fiber, 269 g sodium, and get this...50 mg cholesterol!  Don't ask for the recipe...I might be charged with something.  Who makes up these recipes anyway?