Tropical Spinach

Tropical Spinach

(Try to remember, you might have to use more or less of the ingredients listed below. No two fruits or veggies are alike. Use the recipes as a guide).

Tropical Spinach (this yielded me about 16 oz of liquid)
1 large bunch of spinach (2-3 handfuls)
About 2 inches of a fresh pineapple, cored and without the skin
1 medium size sweet orange, peeled
About 1 inch of ginger

This drink was refreshing and I had to fight off Little Dude 3.0 for this juice because he loved it just as much as I did!

Change up the amount of each ingredient, if needed, but feel free to use a lot of spinach. Your pineapple and orange will cut through a lot of the taste of the spinach. I would recommend this juice for beginners and long time juicers.

Fresh Strawberry Juice (with hidden veggies)

(Try to remember, you might have to use more or less of the ingredients listed below. No two fruits or veggies are alike. Use the recipes as a guide).

This made 2 servings 

A large handful of red cabbage (cabbage is good for weight loss)

2 Roma tomatoes

1/2 of a large beet

2 large handfuls of strawberries 

This is a sweet and delicious juice. Try it and tell me what you think.

My Juicing Recipe Bible

Here are some of the different recipes I've tried throughout my fast. Keep checking back often! 

(Try to remember, you might have to use more or less of the ingredients listed below. No two fruits or veggies are alike. Use these recipes as a guide).

The (yummy) Pink Granny kid favorite
Beet, apples, pear, ginger

Orange, Spinach and Mint
The name says it all

Refreshing Citrus kid favorite
Strawberries, cucumber, celery, tangelos, mint, lime

Anti-Cellulite Juice aka The Fat Shredder
Grapefruit, apple, celery, mint

Spinach (x3) Green Juice
Spinach, celery, cucumber, grapefruit, pear, lime, mango, ginger

Kale Limeade kid favorite
Kale, cucumber, celery, apple, orange, lemon, lime

Hidden Greens

Mean Green Spinach
Spinach, cucumber, celery, apple, lime, ginger

Sweet Potato, Carrot and Citrus kid favorite
Sweet potato, carrot, grapefruit, tangelo, lemon

Tropical Cabbage
Cabbage, pineapple, strawberry

Rabbit Juice kid favorite
Carrots, pineapple, oranges, grapefruit

Kid Juice
Carrot, orange

Playing with Parsley
Parsley, kale, carrots, celery, apple, orange, pear

Kickin Carrot Juice kid favorite
Carrot, orange, lime, ginger

The Mean Green (Joe Cross' juice)
Cucumber, kale, celery, apple, lemon, ginger

The Lipsmackin Limeade  kid favorite
Orange, apple, celery, spinach, lime

Reader Request Juice 
Kale, cucumber, grapes, apple, lime

Broccoli, Celery, Citrus! 
Broccoli, carrots, celery, oranges, apple, lemon

Perfection in a Cup
Spinach, orange, grapefruit, mint

Fresh Strawberry (with hidden veggies) (kid approved)
Red cabbage, beet, tomatoes, strawberries

Tropical Spinach (kid approved)
Pineapple, orange and lots of spinach

Pretty in Pink
Cucumber, grapefruit, watermelon and mint

Peach Pie Dessert Juice
Peaches, sweet potato and ground cinnamon

Army Green Juice
Carrots, kale, cucumber, grapefruit, orange, cantaloupe, ginger

Eve's Envy
Beets, apple, cucumber, celery, ginger

Good Morning, Granny!
Celery, cucumber, grapefruit, Granny Smith apple, mint

Veggie Strong
Beet, celery, cucumber, ginger

Perfection in a Cup

I found the perfect combination for a juice.

1 bunch of spinach

1 naval orange

1/2 a grapefruit

Small handful of mint

Oh me, oh my. This drink is delicious! 

Starting Over- A 16 Day Juice Fast (Journal)

Well folks, since most of May was just insane for me (juicing exclusively, then for 5 days I was unable to juice) I've decided to start from Day 1 again. This time I will be aiming for a 16 day fast.

Day 1:
Starting weight: 163.4
BMI- 27.2


I woke up feeling pretty good, which can't be said for the past month. I am thisclose to being in the 150's and I am THRILLED! I'm only 2 pounds away from being at my lowest weight since adulthood. I'm so happy I could scream.

This morning I had Perfection in a Cup. Spinach, orange, grapefruit and mint. It is SO good. I figured I'd start off with something I knew I liked. And I don't just like it, I LOVE IT!

Overall, I am feeling positive. I hope that by June 7th I will be in the mid 150's. I'd love to get down to 130-140's by my 31st birthday (July 16th) but we'll see. Either way, I am happy to start over from scratch!

I'll be back to update you tomorrow on (hopefully) my weight loss. See ya then!
Teela Juicing Herman


Day 2:
162.2- down 1.2 lbs

I was highly irritable today, but that could also be because my youngest was extra clingy and was constantly whining. It. Drove. Me. Crazy. So much so that I am blogging from our grocery store! Hahah. Don't judge!!!! I live in Texas so it's already summer. (94 degrees fahrenheit or 34 degrees Celsius). The grocery store has a small little area with tables and most importantly, AC. And I really, really needed the break.

I will be meeting some friends later on so I think I will *gasp* buy a Naked brand juice for dinner and take it to the restaurant so I'm not tempted by their half off appetizers. I know Naked drinks are not as good for you as fresh juice, but it's much healthier than nachos or a burger. We are going to play darts and shuffle board, neither of which am I remotely good at...but oh well, I need time with my friends!

And a big shout out to my husband for picking up the slack! He is a great guy and I love him very, very much.

Teela Juicing Herman



Day 3:
162.0- down 1.4 lbs

I woke this morning feeling okay and then all of a sudden, I felt extremely faint. I literally could not stand up for more than a minute at a time without my face getting tingly, my lips turning white and getting the overwhelming urge to lie down. In the midst of this, I remembered that my last juice was at 4 pm for dinner. I came home and drank water, but I think I either needed more juice after 4 pm (I usually drink my dinner juice around 6 pm) or it shouldn't be a Naked drink for my last juice. I think they are higher in sugar than my homemade juices.

Anyway, I could't just wait it out as I needed to get the kids to school on time and my body was screaming at me, "eat a few bites of that banana right now!" So guess what? I listened to my body!!!!

I didn't go crazy and rush out to get myself an egg McMuffin. I ate half of a banana. Then I was able to drink some of the juice I had made earlier that didn't have a chance to drink yet and after about 10 minutes, I was feeling much better.

Lesson Learned: Don't make a Naked juice for my dinner juice and don't have my dinner juice earlier than 5 pm.

Upwards and Onward! Not letting this bring me down. I'm ready to face the day!
Teela Juicing Herman


Day 4:
161.8- down 1.6 lbs

The weight is coming off much slower this time but, I'm happy to report, I don't have as much weight to loose this time! So any steady weight loss I have, I'll take it! It means that I am doing good for my body.

Last night felt wonderful. We went to spend time with my in-laws. My husband's family is always loving and supportive and last night was no exception. They were really fascinated with how much our 3 little guys have grown. Then they could not stop remarking about how good we looked, how much healthier we looked and they kept saying, "Tell us about the juicing thing!" and asked, "If we do this juicing thing, are we going to need a good juicer?" It felt very affirming to me that again, I'm doing something really good for my body. My mother in law talked about that desperate feeling you get when you are obese. How much you just don't like yourself therefore making it hard to keep up good relationships with those closest to you. I remember it all too clearly.

It was one year ago.

I weighed the most, 234 lbs, in my entire life. To say I didn't like myself is an understatement. I hated myself and my body. And I knew I needed help. I was completely out of control with my eating and I was miserable. It still hurts to think back on it. It was bad and a very low point in my life. And after being told by a doctor that weight loss surgery was not covered by our insurance plan...I was desperately hopeless.

And today, just over 70 lbs lost, I can not remember being 161 lbs in my adult life. It feels good! I'm almost 31 years old and in the best shape I've been in since High School! My body, of course, is different now. I've had twins and a toddler since then. My skin is a little softer in my belly area and my arms are also softer, I'm a mom to three wonderful children and married to one amazing husband. I wouldn't trade my life today, even for a single day, for firmer skin. I've earned these wrinkles from laughing it's friends and family and smiling at my young children. And now I know that my kids are being very healthy and for snacks and deserts, they ask for fruit or a juice. They eat a lot of beans and less beef. I'm glad to know my kids have the support and guidance to live a healthy life.

Teela Juicing Herman


Day 5:
161.5- down 1.9 lbs


I'm feeling really good. My mother in law and her twin sister, my husband's aunt, are both very interested in doing a juice fast. They are fired up and ready to buy a juicer. It feels good to have so many different people reaffirm why I'm doing this. Not only is it helpful to me, but it also helps others and I can't say what's more important. Having such a loving and supportive family on both sides, we are very lucky!
Teela Juicing Herman


Day 6:
Current Weight Unknown

I woke later than normal so I knew there was no sense in trying to weigh myself late in the day, only to get frustrated. I avoided a potential meltdown over here. Haha.

Lots and lots to do today. I should get started. I'll write more soon!

Teela Juicing Herman


Day 7:


I woke up late again, my husband tries to let me sleep in when I can, and I was stupid and got on the scale. It said I was 163.5. Now I'm frustrated but again, I need to know that even if I'm not losing weight (or even gaining some), that doesn't mean that I'm not losing inches. I'm keeping my head up.

Today I had the Anti-Cellulite juice for breakfast. That always seems to help out with weight loss for me.

Lunch will probably be a Mean Green and I'm not sure about dinner yet but lots of water in between juices, throughout the day.

I'm hanging in there and I'll be switching it up more today. Less fruits, more greens. I'll talk more later!

Teela Juicing Herman


Day 8:

I don't know what's going on with my weight so I've decided that I am going to only weigh myself weekly, so I don't get as discouraged as yesterday.

Today is a new day and I am still pushing on! I am losing inches! I'm feeling lighter and healthier, I have more energy as before, and my face has started to clear up. All awesome benefits. I've noticed a change in my mood. Things FEEL better. I know everything I've put in my body for the last week. It's all been raw fruits and vegetables. I can't go wrong.

Until tomorrow!

Teela Juicing Herman



Day 10:

I skipped the scale yet again today. I'm working hard at staying true and getting in more than 2 juices a day. I remember with my 40 Day Fast, once I tried cutting my juices to just 2 a day, my weight loss started crawling at a very slow pace. Up the juice and up the water.

I'm feeling great!

I thought I had lost my mind today around dinner time. I made myself a rather delicious juice, took some medicine with my juice and then I set it on the table. Not even one minute later, I was looking around for my juice and I couldn't find it anywhere!! I started spinning, surveying all of the countertop in my kitchen when this cute little monster came up to me.



And he finished the drink like a boss!

Wow. The cuteness. Tomorrow is another day! Stay strong and juice on!


Teela Juicing Herman



Day 11:


I woke his morning and today I feel like I'm almost out of the haze I've been walking around in since the beginning of May. I'm feeling better and feeling lighter, even if the scale disagrees. I know what I am doing isamazing for my health and my life in general.

I've had a ton of water today and a yummy kale, celery, lime and orange juice. My youngest wanted some but he hadn't yet finished his banana so, smart as I am, I got my leftover juice and his banana and put them both in the blender. He LOVED it. He also love to drink my really green juices as is, but for those of you who are really trying to get the kids involved, and for the kids that just don't like green juices, TRY IT! I bet more kids would like the juices we make of we just blended it for a second with a banana.

Teela Juicing Herman


Day 12:


I woke feeling sick to my stomach. I'm going to have a real hard time drinking all 3 juices today, but I'm going to try my best. Right now when I stand for too long, my legs start to shake and I feel like I'm going to pass out. Ugh. I hate getting sick. No food for me though. This is not an excuse to eat. My body loves juice.

I've spent about 4 hours napping and now it's time to make some juice. Hopefully my legs don't fail me. That would just be embarrassing. Hahaha! I can imagine it now, I make a delicious juice, my legs give out and I'm down, on the ground, covered in green juice. I don't know what would be worse, the falling part or losing all that juice. I'll be extra careful.

I also feel like doing another picture of myself so keep coming back.




Day 13:


I woke up before my alarm feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed. I broke my promise of not getting on the scale :( but I'm more encouraged now!!! 4 more days to reach my goal of being in the 150's for my kiddos birthday party. Woot woot!

I got my day started off right. I had a green juice this morning with kale, celery, cucumber, orange and ginger. Then I had about 50oz of water and now I'm enjoying this simple, easy great tasting juice.

(Before juicing)

And yum! This is a good lunch.

I'm over here, staying strong. My nails are strong, I'm losing weight AND inches. Shiny hair, great mood!

Day 14:
Current Weight- 159.8!!!!

Omg! I did it! I did it! I DID IT! My goal for the boys' birthday party was to be in the 150's. I made it today! I know that I still have about 15-20 lbs to lose, but wow! That 159.8 was a beautiful sight this morning.

I'm not going out to reward myself with food. In fact, I don't think I'll stop my fast until Friday night (it's Tuesday). I'm going to keep going strong with my head held high.

It is an AMAZING feeling to actually set and reach a weight loss goal. I'm all shades of happy today!


Day 15:

So last night I went to help my cousin who is going through a very difficult time. I stayed on track the entire day but when I got to see her, I just had to have one beer with her. I felt terrible for her. She's basically picking up the pieces of a broken future and it's not easy.

I'm usually asleep no later than 10 pm but I wasn't even getting home until after 11 pm. Needless to say, I got much less sleep last night and chose to NOT get on the scale today. I know that sleep affects weight and weight loss and with the one beer I had yesterday, I was scared of jumping on the scale and it saying something like 193 lbs. I know how silly that sounds but I still don't really recognize who I am when I look in the mirror. I mean, my face is familiar but even though I know I am in the low 160's to the high 150's, I still see and think of myself as the fat mom that people felt sorry for. The,"Oh, but you had TWINS! I can't imagine," types. I had twins SIX years ago. That's absolutely no excuse for spiraling out of control like I did. Plus, before getting pregnant with my youngest and just after giving birth, I was in the low 170's and in less than a year, I went from 175 to 234. But I refuse to beat myself up for that. That's in the past. What I focus on now is the fact that I went from 234 to 159 in just under a year. Now, THAT'S something to be proud of.

Until tomrrow!


Day 16:

159.4!!!!!!!!!

I did it!

For the very first time in my life, I SET AND THEN REACHED A WEIGHT LOSS GOAL!!!!

Oh.My.Goodness!!!! They say that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels, and I may not be skinny yet, but reaching a weight loss goal feels Uh-Maze-Ing! Reaching this goal is a big deal to me. When I was at most unhealthiest, I kept saying how I would NEVER get to the 150's (because it was my high school weight) and I freaking did it! I am not one to gloat for myself but I am so very proud of myself. Wow.

I will continue to juice. I have a goal to reach by my upcoming 31st birthday. I will also be trying to change some things around here a bit so if you run into pages or links that don't work, please let me know by leaving a comment, I would like to thank my readers for all of the love and support. I am very blessed to have as many readers as I do.

My 30 Day May Juice Fast Journal (updated *usually* daily)

Day 1:



So far, day one has been okay.



I'm having to deal with some very personal issues involving my children so I've been on edge, moody, emotional and just pissed off BUT I know that these feelings have nothing to do with the fast.



I've had plenty of energy today. I did get hungry once, but I just made a juice and drank more water.



I think my personal issues are making it easier to not focus on the fact that I'm not eating. So yay for that, I guess.



I went for a 1.26 mile power walk and run today and it felt great. I'm not sure that I will feel up to it tomorrow, but I want to try to stay as active during this fast. During my first fast, I did very little as far as exercising. I was VERY active with my kids, running and playing, because of the over abundance of energy, but I didn't feel well enough to get out and really push myself. So far, I do. Only time will tell tomorrow.



My starting weight is 169.5 at 5'5 with a BMI of 28.2.



And now....the moment you've all been waiting for......my lovely "before" photos.

Day 2:



167.5- down 2 lbs



I trusted the principal at my children's school to...I don't know.....do what she said she would do and PROTECT MY INNOCENT CHILD. Today I found out today that out of EVERYTHING that was promised to me yesterday, NONE of it happened. Not one single fucking thing and because of that, today has been filled with rage. I've not been hungry, but I've been so incredibly pissed off that I doubt I'd notice the hunger pain over my rage! I've been yelling and screaming at everyone. I have no headaches, aches or pains. I have anxiety, fear, depression, fury, sadness, anger, and helplessness. I want to cry and cry and cry but it has nothing to do with juice. Today sucks beyond belief. And to add more stress to my already overflowing plate, I've withdrawn my children from their school where they are no longer safe and I'm now homeschooling them. Just what I needed. A school that doesn't protect the innocent. Lovely.



I could rant and rage all damn night but I'm going to just shut up now and go to bed. Irritable doesn't being to describe how I feel. I'm lost and hurt.



Day 3:

165.4- down 4.1 lbs



Today sucked on a personal level. I was so stressed out and worn out over all of the events that happened this week that even though I've been juicing exclusively, IF I'm detoxing, I don't notice it. Maybe part of my irritability is from detoxing? But it's also very possible that it's just who I am. I turn into a very different person when the safety of my children are concerned. I'm usually a vey happy go lucky, laid back, loving person. When my kids are in danger, it's like I turn into this fierce Mama Bear that will slice the throats of anyone in her way.



Emotionally today sucked. I wasn't concerned about me at all and at the end of the day, I realized I only had 2 juices the entire day. That's not good. Tomorrow I promise to focus on myself a little more.



Day 4:

164.5- down 5 lbs



My promise for the day is to focus a little more on myself. In fact, it's 6:30 am here now and I think I'll go on a brisk walk and run. I'll check in again later.



I went on a mile long run and power walk today in 13 minutes. I'm pretty proud of myself for that. I am NOT a runner and just started trying to run one week ago.





I'm not sure if it's because it's the weekend and I don't have to worry about my twins' school, but today was better than the previous days. Overall, today was BLAH vs being pure hell the last few days.



We ended the night taking our kids to the park and having fun. I wanted to walk more (I CRAVE daily workouts now) but I decided I needed to spend more time with my guys so we ended up digging for dinosaur fossils. Then, we started playing zombies and when I tried to outrun a 6 year old, I could feel the burn in my legs. I'm interested to see if I'll be able to walk tomorrow!! Hahaha

And on that note, goodnight.







Day 5:

163.8- down 5.7 pounds



Today we have church and I will be helping cook a luncheon for our congregation so I made sure to drink a big juice for breakfast filled with carrots and beets (love that energy) and I prepared and will take a mean green for lunch. No breaking the fast for this girl!



Church was fun! I had quite a few people ask me what I had been doing to lose weight and MOST everyone was either nice or kept their negative opinions to themselves. There was one woman who flat out said, "Yeah! That's not healthy at all." Now, usually I'd just keep my mouth shut and move along but I was fairly offended. This woman had a good 70 lbs on me and was quite a bit sorter, stuffing her face with bread and meatloaf. I just laughed and said, "Well, something must be working because I've lost over 30 lbs, kept it off, and I feel better, younger and full of energy!"



I will be loaning out our copy of Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead to another kind woman from our church. It feels amazing being able to prove people wrong. Juicing is unhealthy? Really? Go on and eat more of that healthy green bean casserole, bread smothered in margarine and your meatloaf. And tell me how full of energy you feel in a few hours when you have to unbutton your jeans just to sit on the couch.



Trust me, I'm not judging. I was once the very same way.....but I also NEVER told someone who was far healthier than I was, that what they were doing was unhealthy.



“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven" Luke 6:37. I choose the high road and forgive her rude and unhelpful comments. :)



Day 6:



Whew. No weight check today. My kids stayed with my mom last night so I got to *gasp* sleep in! I like to weigh myself at the same time everyday to get the most accurate weight so since I slept in, I decided to skip the scale.



I got out and ran/jogged for a mile today. I waited until almost 1 pm and it was getting really, really hot. I wanted to do more but I could tell I was really pushing myself in that heat. Plus, it is different running on pavement than it is running on gravel!



Not much else to report. See ya on the flip side!



Day 7:



163.8-down 5.7 lbs



Looks like I've stalled. I'm not going to stress over it because I know what I am feeding my body is very healthy AND I've been running, which I'm sure is building muscle in my legs.



My plan for today is to really step it up with my water consumption and get a walk or run in if possible.



I'll check in later.



Very stressful day. I had a green juice with kale, cucumber, celery, pineapple, grapefruit and orange this morning.



Then I went up to school to volunteer for 2.5 hours, went shopping for this ADORABLE dedication outfit for my son on Mother's Day, and then went by and made a police report against a child at my son's school. Just got home at 12:30 and made a quick juice of romaine, cucumber, strawberry and grapefruit. YUM!



Now, off to meditate for at least 10 minutes. I need to clear my mind.



PS I'm failing at upping my water intake.






Day 17:


162.5 down 7 lbs.



Wow! I'm officially the lowest weight I've been since High School! Woot! Woot!!



I had something very personal come up and I was unable to use my juicer for 5 days. And not just that, but I also was only able to eat the food someone else made....and that kind of food was just not healthy. Tons of processed junk. I didn't enjoy it at all and I started back juicing as soon as I was able. So even though it says Day 17, I had 5-6 days of junk and since then, I've been juicing full time. It took quite a while to get back to a normal weight and today I realized I was at my lowest weight! So yay me!



The last 10 days have been incredibly hard on me. Physically, mentally, and spiritually. To
day has been a bit better and I actually felt like blogging today. So maybe things are looking up, huh?


Thanks for all of the words of encouragement and thank you for asking me to update this. I'm glad to be back in the swing of things.

I've decided to start over.

Click HERE to see my continued progress and check to see if I reached my goal of being in the 150's by the twins' birthday party!!!!


And as always, thanks for reading!