So…a lot of you are asking how we’ve done it - what’s the plan. Since we’ve got four weeks under our belts now, we’ve got everything nailed down to a science. Including how to save money while buying organic produce in bulk - which can get quite pricey with the volume of fruit you need to buy on a juice fast!

Find out how our week went, our weekly weight loss, and “the juice fast plan.” 

Over the last year I have really started focusing in on my health. I’ve been eating organic food and watching my fat intake. I was recently introduced to coconut oil. Before a few weeks ago I didn’t even know it existed, and now it something I find myself talking about all of the time.

Coconut oil is manufactured primarily in the Philippines. It has numerous health benefits and cooks great. Coconut oil is a fat, which consists of about 90% saturated fat.  The oil is made up of predominantly medium chain triglycerides, which basically means your body converts it to energy more easily than fat.

You can cook with coconut as long as you remember that you shouldn’t cook over medium heat. It tastes great; you can just drizzle it over your food if you like. Studies have shown that it lowers the chance for heart disease and works great as a moisturizer. It helps heal skin rashes and burns. It also helps by maintaining thyroid levels, blood sugar levels, and digestive health.

So what are you waiting for? Try some . . . you’ll love it!

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and you realize Fall is in the air!  I Love fall - it’s my favorite time of year!  I love the leaves changing, pumpkins, hayrides, bon fires with yummy smores, and not to mention all the fun get togethers you can have!!!!

I am always in a dilemia trying to figure out what to bring to our little gatherings we have with family and friends. Of course, it has to be sooo cute and fun.  I found this awesome way to use a pumpkin as a serving dish and put any kind of soup in it! Yes, that’s right, a pumpkin as a serving dish! Who would of thought?!? I love this and I am using it to take to our Church’s Fall Festival and I am going to put some yummy Chili in it and surround the base of the pumkin with crackers! How cute is that!

I would never leave you hanging, so, here are the directions to make this adorable

PUMPKIN SERVING DISH

Wash the pumpkin with warm water and pat dry. Cut away a round section on top of the pumkpin to form a lid. Scoop out the seeds and stringy mass with a large spoon.

Spray the pumpkin inside and out with a non-stick oil cooking spray. Lightly sprinkle the inside with salt. Spray a heavy baking sheet with cooking spray also. Place the pumpkin on the baking sheet. Place the lid aside of the pumpkin, cut side down.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour or slightly longer, depending on the size of the pumpkin. Bake until the inside of the pumpkin shell just begins to soften. The shell will be a deep orange color and have a shine from the cooking spray. Do not over bake. An over baked shell will not support the weight of the soup. Remove from oven. Very gently scoop out any remaining stringy areas you might have missed. Check the bottom of the the lid as well.

Again, as always a wonderful way to have fun in the fall and add Simplicity to your lives!

Enjoy!!!!

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Did you know that there are a ton of money saving resources on the web. If you know where to look you can save money on gas, cars, clothes, videos, shoes, textbooks and a bunch of other stuff. My mother just started a coupon club for women at her local church and they call themselves the Deal and Dollar Divas. These women know how to be thrifty and are learning to be good stewards of there money by not paying too much when a deal is to be had.

The websites I use the most are www.mommysavesbig.com, www.currentcodes.com and www.bradsdeals.com. These sites are good for downloading coupons for things you would buy either online or that you can print off coupons to shop in stores. The Deal and Dollar Divas recommend www.couponmom.com and www.grocerydeals.com which are great for planning your meals with the deals of the week at local stores, as well as downloading coupons. www.smartsource.com is the source for downloading coupons found each week in the newspaper. For more about the best secrets for finding a good deal be sure to read “Get a Great Deal on Anything” by Andrea Cooper by clicking here.

So…we have been baptized by fire this week…

Scene from a confession…

It was early evening on a Friday night. Jenna and Katie were exhausted from a long day of work and still needed to stop by the grocery store to pick up a few groceries to make their special treat dinner. They wandered silently through the grocery store, letting an awkwardness quietly build between them. The two roommates were rarely apart and were quick to share every detail of their lives with each other. There was something hidden in the silence, something both of them feared to say to the other.

They checked out and walked to the car. They silently bundled their groceries into the back seat and Jenna responsibly returned their cart to its home. They paused at the doors, Katie at the driver, Jenna at the passenger and their eyes locked - the unsaid still hanging like a tightrope between them. Jenna timidly caved first, “I have to confess, I ate a cheez-it!” Katie breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly, never breaking her gaze from Jenna’s, “I have to confess, I ate a cheez-it too.” They both smiled and shared a silent moment only the very deepest friendships understand; a moment that said their covenant for these forty days was not broken and the other was forgiven.

The scene above is the event as it actually happened. Remember the treat I mentioned giving my dogs when they come inside from the back yard? Well, Jenna and I both absentmindedly popped a Cheez-It in our mouths, at different points in the week, after administering the treat to our pups. It wasn’t conscience, something we both do out of habit. After the cheez-it incident, oh, what a sad story! The sweet Cheez-It lullaby sung to me and called after me all week long - along with many others - this was my food craving week, for sure! To top it all off - I taught a cooking school Saturday and Jenna and I worked a bridal show on Sunday (right next to a caterer with yummy pork crostini and gorgonzola & walnut bruschetta, a cake company, and the famous Doubletree Hotel cookies - my fav!). Almost too much for the juice fast girls to endure…almost…

Read the rest of our week, how we battled the food cravings, our weekly weight loss update, and yummy homemade liquid fast soup.

So…the news you are all here for…my second week’s update. First of all, I feel amazing! I am full of strength, joy, and confidence. I am sleeping really, really well and I wake up feeling completely rested and ready for the day. I battled at the first part of the week with some hunger pains, but they only lasted about 24 hours. To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know what they were at first - I mean, I’ve never had a hunger pain in my life…not even close! I miss food - I miss cooking it just as much as eating it and even more, I miss sharing it. I love to spend time with all my friends and usually lure them to my house by home cooked meals 2 to 3 times a week - it’s awfully quiet around the house with just me and the animals - tick, tock, tick, tock goes the fasting clock.

Read the full story, my weekly weight loss update, and all my information on juicing for your complexion.

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So…last Tuesday, I started a 40 day juice fast. It’s something I’ve toyed with for many months and researched and finally just said, “Hey, stop thinking about it and just do it!” Among other reasons (detoxing, body cleansing, health etc.), this decision was primarily spiritual for me. I work with food – I write about food, I research food, I talk about food, I cook food - there’s just no way around it! In recent years, it’s kind of become an obsession and while I eat a lot healthier than I ever have before and I have made significant strides in weight loss and nutrition education while being at Simplicity (in large part to my cookware, I must admit), I have yet to have a sense of real victory and freedom from the battle of the bulge. So…as one of my wise chums put it…I’ve decided to kick down the door and start taking names! Read about the Who, What, Why, When and Where’s of Juice Fasting, see how my first week went, and my first week’s weight loss.

I was reading my Rachael Ray magazine this weekend and got several great ideas! Here are 3 websites that need to be added to your favorites, they will help demystify cooking. Are you stumped on a cooking term, don’t know how to use a gadget; then check out foodsubs.com. This website is the mac daddy for help. Kaulustyans.com is the site that will bring those hard to find cooking ingredients out of hiding ounce and for all. Next add chowhound.com this is a fun site as well

Got a jar that you can’t seem to get open….even after tapping the lid on the counter, try putting a rubber band around the lid and open! The rubber band gives you that extra leverage and grip you need to get that jar open.

These were just a few of the great tips I got from my weekend reading.

Okay, so I found my dress already and I absolutely love it! I took my girls with me to try on dresses and they each picked out a dress for me to try on. I ended up going with the one I picked out but it was a lot of fun. It’s a little difficult for me to plan because my location is ten hours away. I’m getting married on Lake Michigan and I live in Nashville, TN.

I know I have almost a year to plan but I’m already starting to get stressed out about all the details. I am attending another bridal show this weekend to get some more ideas. The fact that I was able to be a part of my friend’s wedding this past weekend helped tremendously. Her wedding was very beautiful and it gave me some great ideas.

Although, I’m trying to get my fiance’ to get involved in all of the planning, I’m not having much luck. I know guys don’t care about all the girly stuff but I want him to be a part of the decision making. I’m glad I have friends who love this kind of stuff. I’m open to any suggestions on how to get him involved.

As my little guy started Kindergarten this past week it really sank in that as life goes on we need to “MAKE IT COUNT”!  Life tends to get the best of our time and we loose track of the moments we should cherish.  So from having your little guy start Kindergarten, to someone needing a pick me up, to taking a minute to recognize a good deed, take the TIME to MAKE IT COUNT!

To MAKE IT COUNT does not take alot of time or money.  For my little boy’s first day of Kindergarten I came home threw in some easy bake chocolate chip cookies ( as I boo-hooed), which took 15 minutes. During the 15 minutes I put a load of clothes onto wash and folded a load of clothes which I am all about making the best of my time.  Then I took a paper lunch bag put some of the cookies in the bag folded the top and put a ribbon thru it and ta-dah! A special treat bag to let my little guy know I love him and I really care about his BIG Day.  I gave it to him when he got in the car from school and the look on his face was pure excitement! I have also done the same thing as a Thank You to some of my friends! So here is to Making It Count and still having simplicity in your life.