I recently returned from an amazing trip to Portland, Oregon where not only did I reconnect with family, friends and the city at large, I also ran a workshop – Transforming Your Body From the Inside Out. There was a great turnout and I enjoyed sharing information about emotional eating, eating more alkaline vs. acidic, juicing and making more conscious healthful choices.

Since my return I got a juicer and thought I’d give juicing a whirl. I had never previously juiced so it was exciting buying all of my fruits and veggies, getting them home, washed and prepared and then making my first juice. That was four days ago.

Since my workshop in Portland and here in New Jersey, I’ve had many people talk to me about getting started juicing. I thought, well it’s more fun and easy to do things with others support and encouragement so why don’t I find out who wants to go on a juice cleanse with me?

Here are my thoughts, I want this experience to be simple and easy to commit. Most of the people who I’ve talked to have never juiced before. I’m new to juicing myself and I know how hard and daunting it can be to add something extra to do in your already packed day. My goal is to create the opportunity for those who want to join me, at whatever level feels right, and be able to check in with their experience along the way. So this is how we’ll do it, aka ‘The Guidelines’…

Official Start Date: February 20th

You decide what level of commitment you’d like to join me at:

  1. Add at least 1 glass of freshly made juice (veggie/fruit)
  2. A Juice Cleanse – Get yourself a copy of Crazy Sexy Diet: Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It!
  3. A Juice Fast – To be inspired watch Fat Sick & Nearly Dead
  4. And if you need a juicer I recommend the Breville BJE820XL Dual Disc Juice Processor

Let’s see how we do over 30 days, March 21st will be our official end date.

Here is my commitment:

1 week juice fast, and then at least 1 juice a day.

I want you to try your best to stick to your commitment and if you get off track, the important key is getting going again. I want you to focus on your success of moving towards living more healthful for yourself and your loved ones…and another benefit you’ll gain is a more sexy, streamlined body. Not only will you let go and rid yourself of physical toxins, you will be letting go of old emotional toxicity (I’ll save that for a later post) and gaining more energy. How could you go wrong with that?
To get started:
  1. Leave a comment below telling us a bit about yourself and what you are committing to. Make sure to leave us your name.
  2. Share with us your daily progress, challenges, and thoughts. The more you share the more you will get out of your experience.
  3. If you find or create a delicious juice, share it in the comment section.
  4. If you have suggestions you think others could benefit from, leave a tip.
  5. Make sure to visit back to see how others are doing, what tips and suggestions have been shared and just be part of the fun!

Let’s all give and receive support to each other in taking small steps to greater wellness. Ready? If so, you don’t have to wait to start posting comments. Let’s make this a fun experiment!

xoxo
Angela, The Goddess Next Door

Chocamaca: Organic Chocolate with Amazon Herbs

This is a delicious chocolate you can feel good about! I love this chocolate and enjoy eating it as a snack everyday. It helps minimize my sugar cravings and helps curb my appetite between meals. It also:
  • Supports cardiovascular health *
  • Increases mental, physical and sexual energy *
  • Elevates your mood *
If you keep up with current events, you’ve probably been hearing about the positive effects of dark chocolate. It contains antioxidants, triggers the release of endorphins and is a great source of energy. Cacao, the primary ingredient in chocolate, is being linked in studies to heart health and cholesterol control. According to a study by Cornell University, cocoa powder has twice the antioxidants of red wine and three times that of green tea.
Chocamaca™ contains all the benefits of dark chocolate, plus much, much more. Amazon Herb Co. has taken organic cacao and added 11 healthy botanicals, including camu camu, kiwicha, jatoba and suma – concentrated nutrients from whole foods that provide energy, boost the immune system and support the cardiovascular system.
Key Ingredients

Need more convincing? Check out the Cacao Research

Are you ready to nourish your body and indulge your love of chocolate?

It’s Just Personal, written by Ellen Postolowski is a wonderful guide to assist you towards healthy eating. In the past few months as I have been using the Amazon Herb Rainforest products and my cravings for processed and unhealthy foods have significantly decreased. I found myself drawn to this book and was inspired by Ellen’s down to earth, easy to use suggestions to shifting your kitchen and eating habits towards health and wellness.

She shares as a Personal Chef the essential ingredients to have in your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator at all times. In fact I was so inspired, I pulled out my notebook and created my shopping list. It’s amazing when you begin to put healthy foods in your body it becomes attracted to whole and natural foods. One of the problems with processed food is that they are designed to create cravings and addictive tendencies in our body and our life. Sure they taste good and are quick and easy, however they are devoid of nutrition. The body does not get what it needs to stay vital and young, creating a vicious cycle of over eating and not feeling satisfied.

In It’s Just Personal: A Personal Chef’s Essential Guide to Shopping, Cooking, and Eating Smarter, not only do you get the basics to get started and on the right track towards healthy eating, you get many recipes to fill your week. Just to give you a tease of recipes you will find in It’s Just Personal they include: Crab Cakes, BLT Stuffed Avocado, Chicken & Dumplings, Chicken Enchiladas, Ginger Honey-Glazed Salmon, and Brownies in a Snap. As an added bonus she includes lots of great little kitchen tips.

Well I’m off to the store to get stocked up and have some creative play time in the kitchen.

xoxo

Angela, The Goddess Next Door