My Story Update

Hello!
If you have followed my blog so far you will know I started the Juice Plus products last year, a year ago this month in fact! I fell in love with them very quickly as most people do and religiously stuck to the program for the first 8 weeks. I loved the feeling of being healthy, you feel so clean and so light…I was addicted to it! After my first 8 weeks I treated myself to a pizza and some wine….oh my god did I regret it! I felt disgusting!!!!! I instantly regretted it however I do think it is very important to treat yourself every now and then. It also helps to remind you how great it is to be healthy.

After the 2nd part of the Juice Plus Fatloss program I found myself at a good weight and I was so happy with my progress. I still had more I wanted to loose but I no longer had to worry about finding an outfit when going out (I used to take ages and clothes got thrown all over the floor) but now everything fitted!

I really enjoy being at a good weight and am still loving the Juice Plus products now. I take the Vineyard Capsules daily and use the Complete shakes. At the moment I have gone back on to 2 a day as I put on a little bit of weight over Christmas which I still have not shifted! I am loving using the shakes again, makes meal planning so much easier and they are so yummy!

I have learnt a lot over my journey. I used to have frequent dizzy spells and get really tired easily however I haven't had a single dizzy spell since starting my healthy routine. I have also learnt about exercise. You will read in my past blogs how I think that it is important to understand how you work, and use that. I still think this…I used to hate exercise and the above pictures were achieved with very little exercise however I found even though I had lost the weight and the inches, I wasn't as toned as I would have liked to be. I used to not push myself as hard as I should have because I thought it would put me off. Well, as I said I still agree that understanding yourself and how you work/what you can do is very important, but it is also important to push yourself and give yourself a challenge. I have recently started the Insanity workout…it is crazy! I never in a million years thought I would be able to or even want to do a workout like that. I love it and every morning I wake up wanting to exercise! So my advice is, don't be afraid to push yourself.

Not only do I have Juice Plus to thank for health and weightloss, but also for teaching me about nutrition and diet. The Fatloss program comes with a great Meal Plan and advice document which has actually changed my life. The whole idea of the program is that it is a lifestyle change not a diet and that is exactly what it is. It makes you question things and really think about what you are putting into your temple that is your body : )

And now I work for Juice Plus too, spreading my story with others and telling them about the products. I have gained a lot from just one decision a year ago to get healthier!

For more information on the products you can visit my website or email me. And for fabulous healthy recipe ideas, take a look at my Facebook album.

Any questions no matter how big or small are very much welcomed.

Much love,
Rachael
rachaeljuiceplus@gmail.com

Saturdays Challenge

Happy Saturday!

I know it's the weekend and people want time to chill but Saturday surely is the best day to concentrate on being healthy and working out? It's a day where hopefully you have time on your side, as opposed to the busy schedule of Monday - Friday.

Take some time today to work on YOU!

For recipe ideas, take a look at my Facebook Album.

Stay happy, stay healthy!

Rachael : )

rachaeljuiceplus@gmail.com

www.letsgethealthyjp.co.uk

Meal Plan

I have been asked by one of my clients to help them put together a meal plan for a week, so I thought I would share it on here. This is based on their likes/dislikes but should give a good start to anyone looking to plan a healthier week of food. This client is on the Juice Plus+ Shakes and taking the Vineyard Capsules daily for added nutrition.

I will copy in the recipes below but please do email me with any questions
Rachaeljuiceplus@gmail.com

Day 1

Breakfast: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: sliced apple with peanut butter

Lunch: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: oatcakes and avocado 

Dinner: Turkey Pizzas

Day 2

Breakfast: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: banana with Greek yogurt and granola 

Lunch: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: carrots and humus

Dinner: Clean Curry

Day 3

Breakfast: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: Fruit - mixture of your choice..blueberries...satsuma..strawberries. Add Greek yogurt if you like.

Lunch: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: protein bar

Dinner: Portabello Mushrooms recipe

Day 4

Breakfast: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: banana pancake

Lunch: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: nuts and raisins 

Dinner: Salmon Fishcakes

Day 5

Breakfast: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: grapes with yogurt 

Lunch: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: cucumber and humus

Dinner: Stuffed Pepper recipe 

Day 6

Breakfast: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: watermelon

Lunch: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: grilled tomatoes (see recipe)

Dinner: Chicken with seasoning recipe

Day 7

Breakfast: Juice Plus Shake

Snack:  mango, melon and strawberries fruit salad

Lunch: Juice Plus Shake

Snack: roasted veg in lettuce leaf

Dinner: Fish, steamed vegetables and brown rice or boiled potatoes 

A nice dip to add to meals is a healthy guacamole made of avocado mixed with Greek yogurt. 

Drink plenty of water each day. If it starts to get boring add in squeezed lemon/lime/orange 

Mix fruit with both Juice Plus shakes each day. This way you are definitely getting more than enough fruit.

Try not to eat too late in the evening.

When appropriate, try and add to the meal/snack: garlic, tomato, avocado, kale, hemp seeds, spinach, cucumber, grapefruit, pepper as these are great things to have in your daily diet

The banana pancake is great to have, especially after exercise. It is also very filling so if you are especially hungry one day then have it as ur snack. Make sure u follow the recipe though:
Slice up a banana and brown off in frying pan. Beat together 2 eggs and then pour over the banana. Once the bottom has started to cook put under the grill. Voila!

Recipes:

Stuffed peppers. This has everything u need in be pepper so if u want to fill the plate out more add more veg.

Salmon Fishcakes. You can add good carbs to this if u want...boiled potatoes, sweet potato, brown rice....

Turkey pizzas.... Take a turkey breast...cover with tomato purree, out on too sliced onion, mushroom, pepper, tomato, mozzarella and sprinkle with oregano. Serve with sweet potato chips. (There is a knack to cooking the chips...I haven't quite mastered them yet...but it's all to do with slicing them to a good size and keeping an eye on them in the oven...also making sure they have enough oil)

Clean Curry:

Ingredients:

1 large onion

6 garlic cloves roughly chopped

50g ginger roughly chopped

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

5cm cinnamon stick

1 tsp chilli flakes

1tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp honey

400g chopped tomatoes

8 chicken thighs, skinned, boneless (about 800g)

250ml hot chicken stock

2 tbsp chopped corriander

METHOD

Roughly chop the onion, transfer to a small food processor and add 3 tablespoons of water - process to a slack paste. You could use a stick blender for this or coarsely grate the onion into a bowl (there is no need to add any water if you are grating the onion). Tip into a small bowl and leave on one side.

Put the chopped garlic and ginger into the same food processor and add 4 tbsp of water - process until smooth and spoon into another small bowl. Alternatively, crush the garlic to a paste with a knife or a gralic press and finely grate the ginger.

Heat the oil in a wok or sturdy pan set over a medium heat. Combine the cumin and fennel seeds with the cinnamon and chilli flakes and add to the pan in one go. Swirl everything around for about 30 seconds until the spices release a fragrant aroma. 

Add the onion paste - it will splutter in the beginning. Fry until the water evaporates and the onion turns to a lovely dark golden - this should take about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for another 2 mins, stirring all the time.

Stir in the garam masala, turmeric and honey and continue cooking for 20 secs before tipping in the tomatoes. Continue cooking on a medium heat for about 10 mins without a lid until the tomatoes reduce and darken.

Cut the chicken thighs into 3cm chunks and add to the pan once the tomatoes have thickened to a paste. Cook for 5 mins to coast the chicken in masala and seal in the juices, and then pour over the hot chicken stock. Simmer for 8-10 mins without a lid until the chicken is tender and the masala lightly thickened. You might need to add an extra ladleful of stock or water if the curry needs it. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve.

Tomato Snack:

Also for making the banana pancake...
Slice up a banana and brown off in a frying pan, whilst that's browning beat together 2 eggs. Pour into frying pan. After bottom has cooked a little put under the grill. (Not sure how easy the grill part is on the Aga but if need be just fry it) 

My Juice Plus+ Story So Far...

I first heard about Juice Plus+ through a friend. I saw the amazing results she was getting and I was instantly interested! It took me a bit of time before I actually made the move to change my lifestyle. I was cautious of things like Will it work for me? Will I stick to it? Will I be able to afford it? Well, I can now safely say it was the best decision I ever made!

I have always been a size 10-12 and although interested in eating healthily and exercising, never that motivated. I also had a lot of issues with my energy. I would often find myself completely lacking in energy and I would often get dizzy spells.

So, I decided to make that change! I am quite an organised person and I really enjoyed reading all the information that was sent to me and planning my meals for the first week. The first couple of weeks were a detox stage however it's not what you think...it's not starving yourself or drinking only liquids, it is just simply eating healthily! I really enjoyed this process although to be honest I did get a little obsessed with the recipes and probably spent a lot more money on food then I needed to! I was having a fancy healthy recipe every night when infact a simple fish, vegetables and boiled potatoes would have done!

In the detox stage I didn't actually do any regular exercise. Although I did feel great from eating so healthily I still wasn't brain motivated  - I struggle with this! Once I get going I'm really into it but it takes me a while to get exercise mad! The detox stage was great. It was just simply re-training your diet to be healthy, understanding what foods are good etc. I lost 6lbs in the 2 weeks I was on detox. Result!

When my Juice Plus+ Capsules and shakes arrived I waited until a Monday to start as Monday is my day off so I knew I would have time each week to assess how I was doing, re-plan my meals etc.

I have to say this first day was actually really difficult. I had my morning shake (Vanilla, Soya Milk and Blueberries) it was lovely. I also took the Capsules, great. I had a morning snack (oatcakes and avocado), lunch (Shake of banana and choc), afternoon snack (nuts and raisins) and for dinner I had the Portabello Mushroom recipe (listed in my Healthy Recipes section) which was ridiculously yummy! So I ate well....but when it got to the evening I struggled.....I just wanted to keep eating!!!!!!! I text my friend Allan who is also on the diet and had been for a few weeks and he said just keep drinking water and you will get through it, it's just your body getting used to it all. And he was right. I powered through and I literally haven't had a single hard day since. The beauty of this diet is that you are not starving yourself, you are eating regularly and healthily so you never go hungry.

After a week I had got in the swing of the eating side and I was shedding pounds however there was something missing...exercise! I was very aware that my body was changing and I didn't want to end up with any loose ends : ) So...how to make my brain exercise motivated.... I had seen a lot of home workouts posted on the Juice Plus+ group and I noticed alot of them were based around situps and jumping jacks, so as I work at home on a Wednesday I thought I would set myself a challenge (as I knew my brain would react to this!) I decided every hour on the hour I would do 30 situps and 30 jumping jacks. It was immense!!!!! I was feeling amazing by the end of the day, shattered but amazing....and I did have to work an extra half hour as it actually took up a fair bit of time lol But that was it, brain engaged....lets workout!!

About 3-4 mornings a week I am following some of the home workouts and working out for about an hour and a half (getting up early!). I started with just doing 1 workout like this:

But then I wanted more!!! So I now combine them, like this for example:

I am totally in the workout mode!


Now in my 6th week, I have lost over a stone. I am loving food (healthy food), and I am LOVING exercise!!!!

I am a little nervous about putting up my before and after (well mid way) pic...but hopefully below will give you an idea.

This is a pic of me taken before Juice Plus+ (I know it's not an underwear one but you get the idea)

and this is me this week, on a video shoot.

My energy levels are amazing, I never get my dizzy spells any more and my make up artist (I'm a performer) has commented on how different and amazing my skin is. RESULT!

I have still got further to go to reach my goal but I am totally in the Juice Plus+ flow and loving it. I think even when I have finished the plan I will keep it in my life as it is amazing.

My advice to anyone on it would be:

Be strong - stick to it, it's so worth it!!!
If you do have to have time off the plan then make it work...last weekend I went on a hen do, so there was no time for shakes however I kept up with the capsules, drank mainly gin and tonics (the healthiest alcoholic drink I could find!) and chose my meals with my healthy head on. I thought I would be a lot more naughty and take the time to pig out a little, but I actually didn't want naughty foods. I craved goodness!

Don't compare yourself to others. This was my main issue. I was seeing all these success stories and thinking, she's lost a stone in 2 weeks, why haven't I??? Everyone looses weight in different ways. Look at how it is working for you, you will definitely see results!!!

Don't obsess over numbers/inches. Weigh yourself every 1-2 weeks. Make sure it is first thing in the morning, straight after a wee! Make sure you are wearing the same outfit/or nothing each week. And make sure your scales are on a flat surface and in the same area each week. The other day I weighed myself in a different room in my house and it said something different to what it did in the kitchen!!??? It was only a matter of a couple of lbs but it did make me panic!

Understand how YOU work! If you are not the kind of person who likes going out for a run, then don't! Start with some home workouts! I am this person....I started with home workouts and now I actually enjoy going out for a run...mad eh!?


I am now working for Juice Plus+ because I find it so inspiring and I want to help people like it has helped me. I have a page on Facebook if you would like to check it out or get in touch : )

Stay healthy!


Rachael
rachaeljuiceplus@gmail.com

Recipes

I have been using the below meals alongside my Juice Plus+ shakes (2 a day with a healthy meal in the evening). I feel amazing and have discovered a new love for food! I don't even crave the bad things any more, I just crave yummy goodness!

Take a look at the recipes below, these are my favourites. I have made a few notes to go with them...

Portabella Sandwich Stack with Sweet Potato Chips
Ingredients
4 Portabella Caps
2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken cutlet, cooked (and cut into two pieces)
2 slices of tomato
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
2 slices cooked turkey bacon, or bacon of choice
3 tablespoons guacomole
Directions:
- Scoop out the gills and stem gently from the underside of the mushrooms.
- Heat coconut oil in a skillet and cook mushrooms for about 3-5 minutes on
each side or until the mushrooms turn golden brown on the top and become
tender.
-Remove the mushrooms from the pan.
- On one mushroom, pile on cooked chicken, turkey bacon, tomato, spinach,
and 1 ½ tbsp guacamole. Top with the other mushroom.
- Repeat with other mushrooms. Then cut in half or eat whole, and enjoy!

This has got to be my favourite meal! Soooo yummy! N.B. Don't forget the Sweet Potato Chips!!!


Stuffed Peppers

This was really yummy too! It looks like it needs something to go with it but it doesn't! There is anough going on inside the pepper!

Clean Curry

Ingredients:

1 large onion

6 garlic cloves roughly chopped

50g ginger roughly chopped

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

5cm cinnamon stick

1 tsp chilli flakes

1tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp honey

400g chopped tomatoes

8 chicken thighs, skinned, boneless (about 800g)

250ml hot chicken stock

2 tbsp chopped corriander

METHOD

Roughly chop the onion, transfer to a small food processor and add 3 tablespoons of water - process to a slack paste. You could use a stick blender for this or coarsely grate the onion into a bowl (there is no need to add any water if you are grating the onion). Tip into a small bowl and leave on one side.

Put the chopped garlic and ginger into the same food processor and add 4 tbsp of water - process until smooth and spoon into another small bowl. Alternatively, crush the garlic to a paste with a knife or a gralic press and finely grate the ginger.

Heat the oil in a wok or sturdy pan set over a medium heat. Combine the cumin and fennel seeds with the cinnamon and chilli flakes and add to the pan in one go. Swirl everything around for about 30 seconds until the spices release a fragrant aroma. 

Add the onion paste - it will splutter in the beginning. Fry until the water evaporates and the onion turns to a lovely dark golden - this should take about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for another 2 mins, stirring all the time.

Stir in the garam masala, turmeric and honey and continue cooking for 20 secs before tipping in the tomatoes. Continue cooking on a medium heat for about 10 mins without a lid until the tomatoes reduce and darken.

Cut the chicken thighs into 3cm chunks and add to the pan once the tomatoes have thickened to a paste. Cook for 5 mins to coast the chicken in masala and seal in the juices, and then pour over the hot chicken stock. Simmer for 8-10 mins without a lid until the chicken is tender and the masala lightly thickened. You might need to add an extra ladleful of stock or water if the curry needs it. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve.

Love this dish! So when you are next craving a curry...go for this one! A clean curry : ) I had it without any carbs and I didn't think it really needed anything else? On my second time making this I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and much preferred it. There does seem to be a lot of chicken in the above ingredients but it did provide about 4 portions, if not more. 

Ratatoulli
Ingredients :
-1 zucchini
-1 eggplant
-1 red pepper
-1 onion
-3 garlic cloves
-2 tablespoons of herbes de provence (mixture of dried herbs: rosemary, basil, thyme, etc.)
-1 can of chopped tomatoes (400 grams)
-Olive oil
Instructions :
-Chop up zucchini, eggplant, red pepper, onion and garlic.
-Sauté zucchini and eggplant in olive oil. After a few minutes of cooking, add the red
pepper, onion, garlic and herbes de provence.
-Once the vegetables are all cooked, add the can of tomato and simmer under lowmedium

heat for 20 minutes.

I had this when I was on my detox stage of the Juice Plus+ plan. Before I actually tried this dish I was a little bit pessimistic about it...I'm very much a 'meat' person and a dish without meat scared me! However! It was lovely! I had it for dinner one evening and then again for lunch the next day (cold leftovers) Yum Yum Yum!

Salmon burgers
Ingredients (2 servings)
– 100 g smoked salmon
- 250 g salmon
- 1/2 (red) onion
- black pepper and salt
- a bit of fresh coriander
Directions:
- cut the salmon and smoked salmon in little pieces (or cut shortly in a food
processor)
- put in a bowl together with the chopped onion and fresh chopped corander
and mix
- add the black pepper and a bit of salt
- make 2 burgers
- bake them in a non-stick pan for around 10 mins
- Serve

I have never really been that into fish however since starting this lifestyle change I have got rather hooked on it (excuse the pun...!) I usually have the above meal with 50g of brown rice.

I have really enjoyed my lifestyle change and am very much loving being a Juice Plus+ user. I feel amazing, so much energy and have already lost lot's of pounds (in weight). It is amazing waking up every day and feeling so healthy and raring to go. 

Enjoy the meals, would love to know what you think : )

Rachael