Orange Carrot Muffins

I bought a juicer a few days ago & I hate food going to waste...so I searched for things to do with the leftover pulp & found All About Juicing, and they had soooo much information! I took their recipe & tweaked it a bit. The end result was delicious! I took them to our office's Christmas party & they got an A+ from everybody! Even prompting a few to have seconds and thirds! It's a fairly easy recipe, don't get too scared of all the ingredients!

Ingredients


2 cups flour
1/4 cup carrot/orange pulp (after juicing)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup stevia
1 tbsp orange zest
2/3 cup orange juice (made fresh juice just for this occassion!) 
1/4 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1/4 cup smart balance butter
1/3 cup egg whites

Topping

1 tbsp meltedbutter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

***Keep in mind, these are the ingredients I used...be creative & alter what you need!***

First mix the dry ingredients & then stir in the wet ones. I made mini muffins (and got 35) but you can use the regular muffins & should make around 12'ish. If you're doing the minis, bake at 350 for 10 mins, if you're using the reg cupcake tins, bake for 20-25 mins.

Once you put the batter into the cupcake molds, combine the "topping" ingredients together & sprinkle over each muffin. Voila!

The nutritional information below is based off of 1-cupcake size muffin.

Calories 121
Total fat 2.3g
Saturated fat .3g
Cholesterol 0mg
Total carbs 21.8g
Dietary fiber .9g
Sugars 4.9g
Protein 3g

Good points

No cholesterol
High in selenium
High in Vitamin C

NO BAD POINTS!

Bon appetite!

xo,
Nancy

2nd Juice of the Day - With Swiss Chard!

I think tomorrow I will strictly be juicing & thinking of alternating juicing days. It'll be good. I just hope Christmas falls on a non juicing day! lol. Here is what I had for lunch today.

Ingredients

1 cup kale

2 swiss chard leaves

1/4 cup parsley

2 apples

2 carrots

1 orange

I have learned that kale & some greens don't let out a whole lot of juice, however there is a ton of nutrients in the juice that it does produce, so enjoy!!! Again, this made approx 25-30 oz of juice.

Calories 383

Total fat 1.9g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 330 mg

Total carbs 94.8g

Dietary fiber 20g

Sugars 62.0g

Protein 8.2g

The following is based off of a 2000 calorie diet:

Vitamin A 769%

Vitamin C 418%

Calcium 30%

Iron 27%

Good points

Very low in saturated fat

No cholesterol

Very high in dietary fiber

High in manganese

High in magnesium

High in potassium

Very high in Vitamin A

Very high in Vitamin C

Bad points

Very high in sugar 

Let the juicing begin! Bon appetite!

xo,

Nancy

My First Juice - Sour Green

I finally *FINALLY* got a juicer this weekend & I am super excited for so many reasons. With a lot of things going on that I cannot control, what I put into my body is one of the few things I can control, so I am going to take that & RUN with it! I love how it froths on top & gives you a mustache. Oh, it's the little things in life. Below is the recipe & I used, along with the nutritional information. 

Ingredients:

8 oz spinach 

2 carrots

1 grapefruit (I swear, this was the mother of all grapefruits!!! Local too!)

2 oranges

I can't remember off the top of my head how many oz this made, but I want to say around 25-30 oz & nutritional information is based on this recipe as a whole.

Calories 316

Total fat 1.7g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 263mg

Total carbs 73.5g

Dietary fiber 18.6g (75%!!!!)

Sugars 50.1g

Protein 11.9g

The following is based off of a 2000 calorie diet:

Vitamin A 873%

Vitamin C 518%

Calcium 43%

Iron 39%

Good points (Brace yourselves!!!)

Very low in saturated fat

No cholesterol

High in calcium

Very high in dietary fiber

High in iron

Very high in manganese

High in magnesium

Very high in potassium

High in riboflavin

High in thiamin

Very high in Vitamin A

High in Vitamin B6

Very high in Vitamin C

Bad points 

Very high in sugar

As always, nutritional information was calculated at Calorie Count.

Cannot wait to post more!!! Bon appetite!

xo,
Nancy 

DIY Toothpaste & Mouthwash

I am unsure who the originator of these images are...but I just had to share!!! I have made them both already. They are super easy to make & taste wonderful. Keep in mind, if you don't like peppermint, simply choose another flavor! 

Enjoy & start living the DIY today!!!

xo,

Nancy

Homemade Citrus Cleaner - NO CHEMICALS!

And it smells soooo good! I LOVE the citrus smell & this cleaner is so easy to make!

What you need:

1 container with a larger mouth
5 cups of water (have read you can also use vinegar as well!)
2 cups of citrus peel (I kept a bag in the freezer that I would add peels too until I got to my 2 cups)
7 tbsp of brown sugar

Mix all the ingredients together & let sit for 2 weeks. Every other day or so, open the lid to release the gases.  Then transfer water to a spray bottle & you're golden!!!

Enjoy!!!

xo,
Nancy

Homemade Sweet Potato Pie!!!

OMG! I am such a sweet potato lover, so I couldn't resist in making this yummy treat for Thanksgiving. This is just the recipe for the pie itself; I do have a post with the crust I use a few posts down!!!

Ingredients:

1 lb sweet potato

1/4 cup butter (I used Smart Balance)

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 

1 cup stevia

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/3 cup egg whites (equals 2 whole eggs)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-9" pie crust

-First you need to boil the sweet potatoes. How you do it is completely up to you. You can boil with the skin on & it should come off easily once they are soft or you can peel & then boil (that's how I did it)

-Once they are soft, I mashed them & added the rest of the ingredients & mixed til smooth. I don't own any fancy mixing gadgets, so it's just me & my own force! lol.

-Pour mixture into the pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 - 60 minutes. It'll sink a bit once it cools down, don't freak! :~)

The nutritional information below is based off of 1 serving, not including the pie crust. 

Calories 87

Total fat 2.8g

Saturated fat .8g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 94mg

Total carbs 13g

Dietary Fiber 2.1g

Sugars 4.6g

Protein 2.3g

Good points

No cholesterol

High in manganese

Very high in Vitamin A

Very high in Vitamin C

Bad points

High in sugar

Contains alcohol

Rated a B recipe from Calorie Count. Bon appetite!

xo,

Nancy

Homemade Cranberry, Apple & Pear Sauce!!!

I know, it's a mouth full....but this sauce just came out so yummy, who cares how long the title is! lol. I am a lover of cranberry sauce, but ever since I started my weight loss journey, I refuse to buy canned/processed/frozen crap & if I can't make it, I don't want to eat it. So, I made my sauce this year!!! Below is the recipe & it takes about 20 minutes to make, no preservatives or chemicals...just LOVE!

Ingredients:

2 cups of cranberry juice (I used Ocean Spray's CranGrape bc it was on sale, but next time 100% cranberry juice for me!)

1 bag (12 oz'ish) of fresh cranberries

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup stevia 

2 gala apples (peeled, cored & diced)

1 pear (peeled, cored & diced)

2 tbsp cornstarch 

In a saucepan (over medium heat) add the cranberry juice, cranberries, cinnamon & stevia (or sugar!) & bring to a boil & let cook for 5 mins.

Add the apples & pear & cook for another 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. 

Then remove approx 8 oz of the liquid & pour into a small bowl; whisk in the cornstarch & then return the mixture into the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes; stirring constantly. 

Pour into a serving bowl & refrigerate until thickened, about 30 minutes or so.

This recipe serves 12. Below is the nutritional information based on 1 serving.

Calories 44

Total fat .2g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 1mg

Total carbs 11.2g

Dietary Fiber 2.8g

Sugars 5.2g

Protein .2g

Good points

No saturated fat

No cholesterol

Very low in sodium

Very high in dietary fiber

High in manganese

Very high in vitamin C

Bad points

Very high in sugar

And it was suuuuuuuuuper yummy! Bon appetite!

xo,

Nancy

My Weight Loss Journey - 107 lbs GONE!

I started my journey September 2011!!! I have lost 107 lbs so far...still 53 more lbs to go before I hit my personal goal (may or may not continue after that).

It has been a difficult struggle, as I am doing it the good ol' fashion was; eating right & exercise. No pills, wraps, diet shakes, ointments, diets, etc. I have had my number of slips, however I continue to get up, brush off the dirt & keep going. 

Follow me on facebook at Health - The Ultimate DIY for inspirational quotes, support from other fans, recipes, updates, etc.

If you're thinking of starting your own journey, remember that it is 100% POSSIBLE! It is your turn to grab life by the balls & squeeze!

xo,

Nancy

Homemade Potato Soup with Hemp Milk

You read right! Hemp milk!!! And the entire soup came out super yummylicious! I am really starting to get a real liking towards homemade soup (was never a real big fan of the canned soup) Below is the recipe & the nutritional information from Calorie Count.

Ingredients (this is what I used...nutritional information may alter a bit if you use substitutes)

1 tbsp smart balance butter

1/2 cup onion

2 large potatoes

1 large carrot

1 cup mushrooms

1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups spring water (no flouride!)

1/2 cup hemp milk

1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese (I used the Vermont cheese's 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese)

1/4 tsp dill weed

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

In a sauce pan, cook the onions in the butter until tender. While that's going on, peel & dice the carrots & potatoes & slice the mushrooms. Once the onions are tender, add the water, veggie stock, potatoes, carrots & mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat & simmer for 20 minutes.

At the 20 minute mark, you can use your food processor. Or if you're like me (who doesn't own one) just take your ladle & mash up the veggies to the best of your abilities. Stir in the remaining ingredients & simmer for about 5 minutes or so.

Calories (based on a cup, will make approx 6 servings) 144 calories

Total fat 3.6g

Saturated fat 1.5g

Cholesterol 7mg

Sodium 294mg

Total carbs 23.4g

Dietary Fiber 3.7g

Sugars 3.3g

Protein 5.8g

Good points

Low in cholesterol

High in dietary fiber

High in potassium

Very high in vitamin A

Very high in vitamin C

NO BAD POINTS! 

Enjoy & bon appetite!

xo,

Nancy

Homemade Butternut Squash Soup

So, I am not a huge fan of soup. I think it's something that you should eat when you're sick! lol. However I got the craving to cook some vegetable soup; so I went down to my local veggie stand & purchased my goodies!!! One of the veggies was this humongous butternut squash for only $1.50!!!! 

 Turns out I had already added so many other veggies into my pot, that the squash didn't fit...so I saved it & decided to make butternut squash soup with it. And let me tell you, it was sooo yummy that I had 2 bowls! lol. 

Below is the recipe with the nutritional information! 

1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
3 cups broth (I used my homemade veggie broth)
1 1/2 lbs butternut squash (approx 6 cups) peeled, seeded & cubed
parmesan cheese (garnish)

Saute the oil, onion & garlic in a pot for a few minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat & simmer for 20 minutes (or until the squash is cooked).

I don't have a blender or a food processor, so once the squash was cooked, I just mashed it with one of the giant cooking spoons for a few minutes. Garnish with the cheese. This makes approx 6 servings.

Calories 75
Total fat .9g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 200mg
Total carbs 17.5g
Dietary Fiber 3.0g
Sugars 3.5g
Protein 1.5g

The following is based off of a 2000 calorie diet:

Vitamin A 298%
Vitamin C 51%
Calcium 7%
Iron 6%

Good points

Low in saturated fat 
No cholesterol
High in dietary fiber
High in manganese
High in magnesium
High in niacin
High in potassium
High in thiamin
Very high in Vitamin A
High in Vitamin B6
Very high in Vitamin C

Bad points

High in sodium
High in sugar

And it was YUMMY! Enjoy & bon appetite!

xo,
Nancy

Homemade Pie Crust

I know, it took a while for the follow up blog, but I made it!!!! I have been a freak about reading labels on the items I buy & I forgot to look at them when I bought Keeblers Graham Cracker Crumbs (they have high fructose corn syrup!!!). In the future, will look for an alternative, but here is the recipe below. Real simple!

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup melted butter

3 tbsp sugar

Mix together. Press the mixture into the pie mold. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool for an hr (or stick it in the freezer for about 15 mins like I did) & proceed to use like normal.

Also, what I did BEFORE putting the mixture into the pan (because I wanted to attempt to remove the pie from the mold) I sprayed it with the oil. Once I made my pie & let it cool for a good while, I just stuck a plastic spatula around the edges to loosen it from the mold. I then put a plate over the pie & flipped it. It came out soooo easily & in one piece!

Enjoy!

xo,
Nancy

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Made From Scratch!!!

It definitely had a stronger pumpkin taste than the canned pumpkin. It did take quite a while to make, but it is so nice being able to make food your way!!! I bought my pumpkin at Target (only $3!).  

First, you need to make it soft; cut in half, scoop out the seeds & the strings (the strings were really the only tough part in baking the pie...darn you strings!) & cut off the stem. Place them on a cookie sheet with foil (the cut part facing down) & cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 90 minutes. Let it cool before doing anything else.

In this picture, it had been out of the oven for about an hr & I began to scoop out the pumpkin (super easy!) It came out so soft, all I had to do with mash it with my fork a few times. Don't bother with the food processor with this recipe!

Mashed pumpkin (a little burnt, but you can't taste it in the final product!) Below are the rest of the ingredients you'll need!!!

1 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (I used a little more since there was some puree left over)

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

2 eggs

1 yolk (save the egg white!)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp lemon juice

1 pie crust (you can buy it already made or make it yourself like I did)

Mix all the ingredients (I am stubborn, I never follow the steps on to how to add the ingredients! lol) together & pour into the pie crust. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350 & bake for another 40-50 mins (mine was done in 40 mins)

I had some puree leftover (nothing goes to waist in this house!) so I made pumpkin "cupcakes". They baked at 350 for 25 minutes.

Below is the nutritional information for the pie (w/o the crust) with 8 servings. 

Calories 165

Total fat 5.1g

Saturated fat 2.6g

Cholesterol 80 mg

Sodium 67mg

Total carbs 26.1g

Dietary Fiber 1.7g

Sugars 23g

Protein 5.2g

Good points 

Low in sodium

Very high in Vitamin A (147%!)

Bad points

High in cholesterol

Very high in sugar

Even though I am still on my weight loss journey, does not mean I stop eating the "naughty" food, I just find a healthy balance between working out, eating right & a bit of indulgence every now & then! Watch for my next post on my pie crust!!!

Bon appetite!

xo,
Nancy

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

My first attempt & it came out super yummy! I found a recipe & added some substitutions. Below is the nutritional information from Calorie Count. 

Freshly grated zucchini from a medium zucchini.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp egg whites

1/4 cup smart balance butter

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup Stevia

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup grated zucchini

This recipe will make 1 8x4 loaf, 6 mini loaves or 12 muffins. Nutritional information is based off of 1 serving.

Mix all the ingredients & bake at 325 degrees F for 40-60 mins (8x4 loaf) 20 mins ( mini loaves) 12-15 mins (muffins)

Calories 80

Total fat 1.8g

Saturated fat .5g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 187mg

Total carbs 13.2g

Dietary Fiber .7g

Sugars .8g

Protein 2.1g

Good points

No cholesterol

High in selenium

Bad points

Contains alcohol (bc of the vanilla)

ENJOY!!!!! 

xo,

Nancy