Orange Crush

I don't know why it's called an orange crush when it tastes like apple pie! We got a juicer at home and The Juicing Bible by Pat Crocker with it. I made the recipe Orange Crush and substituted the 1/2 cup of cranberries for one apple.
Cranberries can be expensive.
Anyway, I am so terribly full right now, but it tasted SO heavenly. They say that fasting over the weekend is a good thing to do before starting a detox on Monday. Now, I'm not doing a detox - not now anyway - but I want to clean out my system. I decided to fast today (and MAYBE tomorrow...Sundays are macaroni and gravy days, or what you Americans call pasta and tomato sauce. I sincerely look forward to this.)

I decided to change the name and if you have a juicer, I highly recommend doing this recipe:

Apple Cinnamon Crush ;)

3 Oranges
1 Apple
2 small carrots or 1 large one
1 tsp Cinnamon

Juice everything together, admire the pretty colors before the drink turns an aweful brown from the next step and then whisk the cinnamon in.
Most importantly - enjoy to your apple pie loving heart's content and relish in this low calorie, satisfying and  easy digesting breakfast

I don't know how to rotate it so...tilt your head...

Signing off for now,
Height: 5' 4"
Weight: 168lbs

Smart Snacking, Low Calorie Meals

The bad thing about dipping your fruit in sweet, creamy dips is that the calories, as unnecessary dips are with snacking on fruit, build up and your once delicious, healthy, low calorie snack has become just as bad as eating cookies and cake. I have found that a great snack - actually breakfast - is Chobani non fat strawberry yogurt. At 140 calories (AND non-fat, mind you) it is an awesome dip for fruit! Unlike regular yogurt, it is thick and dip-able and it will stay on your fruit instead of slipping off. Who says you have to eat the whole thing if the fruit is the main course? Unless it's breakfast of course...than I say go for it.


I know I've mention this before, but who can go wrong with it. Sliced apples with sprinkled cinnamon on top. I swear - tastes almost like apple pie. Another breakfast or snack you can't go wrong with.




Lately for lunch, I've been making my own Asian broth:
1T Nutritional Yeast (50 calories)
1T Soy Sauce (10 calories)
1/2 T of Hot Sauce (more if you like hot) (0 calories)
1t ginger (depending on you acquired Asian tastes - personally I love ginger and sometimes put a tad more) (0 calories)
As much water in the pot as you want - depending on if you want your broth to be subtle, strong or doubling the recipe for the whole family - your choice. Besides, more water = more feeling full
Total Calories - 60

After bringing the brother to a boil, bring it to simmer and dump your choice of BJ'S frozen veggies and as much as you want - Vegetables are a free food, people! AND they tasted AWESOME in this Asian soup! If you want to crumble a veggie burger (100 calories)  or a serving of cubed tofu (110 calories) or even drop an egg  in it like egg drop soup(74 calories), go for it :)

With all that thrown together, who can go wrong for a hearty, fulfilling lunch at only 160/170/134 calories?!

Signing off for now and....at 9lbs lighter too :)

Height: 5'4"
Current Weight: 166lbs
Starting Weight: 175lbs

Tights Don't Lie - good or bad?

One thing my Dancer's Body Book says, which it is a fantastic book, is that tights don't lie. If you're in a tutu on stage, every bit of extra fat on your leg is going to overshadow the beautiful muscle that's sitting underneath - and it's going to drag down that muscle too, not being able to lift or jump as high. It says that for a professional dancer, they stay just below their body weight on purpose and are able to eat healthy at the same time. It sounds contradicting, but it really isn't once you read more about it. This means that for a dancing school dancer to make sure they stay at a healthy body weight (because they aren't performing for the world wide to see, just their family and friends...and friend's friends, and they aren't going professional) is a must.

"Tights don't lie" is phrase used to open the book. For a professional dancer, that's a bad thing. It shows every flaw - flaws that the general public never sees, but their choreographers do. For a dancing school dancer trying to loose weight (meeeeee :D) it is actually a good thing because, bit by bit, they can see how much better and better they are looking in those tights and leotards as the months "bouree" by (see that, I snuck a dance word in there :P ).

Which brings me to this morning's weigh in AND last night's ballet class. I was only wearing a leotard and tights and towards the end of the night, my friend Kenzie says to me "Mic, I've been trying to figure out why you look shorter all night, but that's not it...you lost weight!" And then I blabbed everything that's been going on, from when I first started work and gained twenty pounds to now. So, tights don't lie - and sometimes this could be a good thing or a bad thing. It just depends on the situation you're in.

What Kenzie doesn't know is, she completely made me feel very happy last night. I was actually feeling bad about myself because two tall, thin beautiful dancers my age came in for solo time (in a rush) not wearing tights and only short shorts. I thought to myself how it wasn't fair that they could do that and how I can't without freaking out about my thighs jiggling or the backs of knees looking bigger than the front or so on and so forth. To be honest, I've never truly been able to wear shorts without feeling bad about myself (well, not since I was eight, anyway). Then Kenzie said what she said and thought to myself "It's working after all."

Then I weighed myself and....
drum roll please....(Jamie you drumming for me? ;) )
169lbs!

I've lost six pounds in the past two weeks and I'm so happy :D
(my weight went back up to 175 again and my mom and I have gotten much more strict about what I put in my mouth - that's why I haven't been writing - to collect myself and all).
169lbs!

Signing off for now!
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 169lbs

More Sleep = More Energy

Yesterday, with an extra two hours of sleep, my appetite was normal, no over eating at all (I even threw some food away!) and I had enough energy to get through a Tuesday night - which is saying something! That's three hours straight of dancing, not to mention teaching an hour of little kids to boot. Tap, ballet and pointe are all on a Tuesday night and usually I'm sitting during tap warm up, barre work and pointe warm ups in order to catch up with school and I still go home feeling drained. Last night, I was tired, but not drained, you know? Spring Break is not just wonderful, it's a relief and I wish there was more!

I've read that getting at least 8 hours of sleep not only gives you more energy, but also decreases your appetite. I now see that's true!


If I keep going to bed at 10 and waking up at 4 - this is what's going to happen to me and has already happened like...twice :p 

Well I'm catching up on as much sleep as I can and going to bed as early as I can from now on! I need to look good in my tutu for the recital this year! ;)

Height: 5'4"
Weight: 170 LBS

Yey Another Delicious Breakfast

This morning I was so caught up in school that mom made my breakfast for me - a bowl of the most delicious yogurt I ever had. It pretty much looked like a sundae, but this was of course much healthier than a sundae! I tasted it and it tasted so light and fluffy with the crispy crunch of walnuts and apples. She had whipped plain vegan yogurt and strawberry spreadable fruit together with a whisk until it was so fluffed and full of air that eating was....well, pretty much indescribable because I just can't find the words! It gave off a pretty pink hue and was mostly apple pieces with just a handful of walnuts for a little protein.

Height: 5'4"
Weight: 170Lbs

Breakfast

I am very proud of my breakfast this morning:

An apple
A Banana
1 cup of mini shredded wheat
1 cup of Silk
1 Tb Ovaltine

I have researched that when you're active, vegetables and fruit shouldn't be counted for calories since they are burned off so quickly....besides, they're awfully darn good for you too ;)

I chopped up the apples and sliced up the banana in the bowl and it filled more than half the bowl leaving just enough room for the cereal. Since it was mini shredded wheat, it took up a lot of room in the measuring cup and seemed to be only a sprinkling on top. Next, I added the milk and Ovaltine giving it a slight chocolate flavor and yet it was healthy too. The breakfast left me satisfied and feeling healthy....with a total calorie count in proteins and carbohydrates of 280, minus the fruits. It was a delicious breakfast making the fruit the center of the meal rather than the cereal and I highly recommend it!

Height: 5'4"
Weight: 170Lbs

5 Lbs!

Dear, dear blog readers!! After working very hard this week (and perhaps being done with female emotional syndrome that attacks every month) I weighed myself this morning and have a grand total of 170lbs! I have officially lost five pounds and I am very happy. This morning's breakfast is a light one of cereal and one banana and then off to dance class....

I would love to thank Rebekah Phillips for this weekend, though. I went over her house and normally we totally fill ourselves with food all day long, however she made me a fruit salad as a snack with a little spoonful of nutella on top and then for dinner we had whole wheat subs with nothing but lots of lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, olives and jalepeno  and banana peppers with Honey Mustard dressing.

I must say - pineapple with nutella.....I gasped from the deliciousness and was glad she only gave me that one spoonful!

Signing off!
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 170lbs