Friday, July 18, 2014

Jenny's doggy hotel!

Long time no blog!

Y'all I'm dog sitting this week and also all of next week. Wait, let me back up...I'll actually have at least ONE extra dog in my home, that I do not own, from now until July 28th and I love it!

I joined Rover and one other dog sitting service a few months after I first moved to the Charleston, SC area and my "business" has REALLY picked up the past six months. I started just to have something to do with all the free time I spend sitting at home. I figured I could at least be making some money while doing something I enjoyed. And we all know I love a dog.

I'm watching Winston until Sunday and the poor baby has horrific allergies. Hot spots, raw spots all over him. His parents have tried special food, fish oil and Benadryl, among all the other things their vet suggested. When he was first dropped off with me, he was pretty nippy, but that all changed once I got home from work the same day and he wanted to be walked. Mmm Hmm. I see how it works, Winston.
Winston in all his cone and "cape" glory.
Stella is being dropped off Saturday and I'll have her for nine days. Next WEDNESDAY a pug and a Boston will be joining our house full. lol. It all sounds chaotic, but really it's a fun, fairly simple gig. Just love on some dogs.

I do highly suggest Rover.com if you're looking for a pet sitter or want to pet sit yourself. You can use my referral code. I think I may get $20 off a stay for my pets if you sign up through me, and you also get $20 a stay for yours. Totally worth a shot, especially in bigger areas that have a need for reliable, kind people to watch other people's pets. My special referral sign-up page can be found HERE.

Just thought I'd share what I'll be up to for the week or so.

Also getting a MUCH needed pedicure tonight with a friend from work. My feet like like they were puked on and ran over. Gross.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

OOTN- Target dress and shopping my closet!

It feels like I hardly ever wear the things in my closet anymore, so when I get the chance, I take it! Not that I really need an excuse--if I wanted to walk around my house all dolled up that's perfectly fine, too, but damn it's nice for this homebody to get out sometimes!

Dress: Target Shoes: Old from Anne Klein (bought off ebay!) Clutch: ebay
It's fairly simple and I snapped photos before I could add jewelry.

Makeup of the night: I used the Naked palette and Sephora's Lipstick Pencil in the color Strawberry Delish. OBSESSED with this pinky color for the summer!

That's it. I haven't done a fashion post since I've been "back" to blogging and thought I'd share!

Have you guys found any cute summer clothes at Target? I am ALL about their dresses. I just love them- I love that they always have the same dress shape in different colors and patterns.


Monday, June 16, 2014

Recipe Obsession: Trader Joe's

Every Sunday I meal prep for the entire week in order to set myself up for healthy food success.

What that means exactly is that I cook my lunches and dinners and prepare my two daily snacks in one fell swoop. Less to worry about when I get off work when all I want to do is relax, because God knows, my job can be one hell of a headache.

Lately I have been OBSESSED to the max with Trader Joe's Chili Lime Chicken Burgers! And more specifically their recipe for Crunchy Chicken Burgers. O. M. to the G, you guys.


  It's so easy that you'd think it was awful for ya....

Crunchy Chicken Sandwich 
  • 2 cups TJ's Organic Broccoli Slaw
  • 1 tbsp TJ's Fresh Cilantro, chopped
  • 3 tbsp TJ's Champagne Pear Vinaigrette
  • 4 TJ's Chili Lime Chicken Burgers
  • 4 TJ's Multi-Grain or Honey Wheat Hamburger Buns ( I used Ezekial Bread!)
Mix broccoli slaw, cilantro and vinaigrette. Heat chicken burgers according to package directions. Place one burger on each bun bottom. Top burger with slaw mixture and close bun. Enjoy!
Serves: 4
Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 


I seriously cannot get enough and I had to share. I even went in to get more yesterday and Lord help me, they were SOLD OUT. After asking if they had any in the back the dude just looked at me and said no, but that they had turkey burgers that were good.

No, thank you good sir. 

I believe my exact word was, "Yeah" and walked away. lol  

Have any of your tried Trader Joe's Chili Lime Chicken Burgers?  
Sunday, June 1, 2014

Urban Remedy Juice Cleanse: The Aftermath




I feel rather lithe and long-limbed, like a....gazelle.

I am happy to say I am FINISHED with this juice cleanse. DONE. No more.

Before I give you my feedback I have to make one admission.........
I only did 3 days of just juice, instead of the 4 I had planned. I really just didn't want to do it anymore. Three days was enough for me. I don't feel bad about it, because it's not as though I started to eat junk today (Day 4), but I mixed in some fruits and veggies, quinoa and almonds along WITH the rest of my juice.

The weird thing is, once I started eating real food, I found that I WANTED juice. Or a salad. I can literally feel a change in my taste buds and the foods I'm craving.

For a recap I decided to do this Q & A style.

Why did I want to do a juice cleanse?
I am telling you RIGHT now, I did not do this for weight loss. I am educated and smart enough to know that the weight I'd lose as a result wouldn't be in the form I wanted to lose (water vs. fat). Do NOT let weight loss be a driving factor for you in doing a 3-4 day juice cleanse. It's not that you won't see the scale move (I weighed out of curiosity and I've dropped 6 pounds) but more than likely some of that will come right back when you eat regular, solid foods. Now, if you're doing a juice cleanse for longer than a week, maybe...just MAYBE you could keep some of that weight off, but damn....that's dedication.

I decided to try this for my health, to see if it would make me feel more alert and more awake as people claimed it did for them. I felt like I needed a jump start again- I had been in a workout slump and needed to feel better.

How do I feel?
I really feel GREAT. Besides having a small craving for a hamburger, I feel more energetic than I have in a long time (and I've felt this way since day 2 mind you), my skin is super soft, I feel like I can go workout for hours on end and I'm ready and wanting to eat big salads and healthy even more than I did a week ago. No headaches, no aches anywhere. No stomach grumbles.

How much coffee do I usually drink? How much alcohol?
The cleanse said to stay off of caffeine/coffee a week before the juice cleanse. I usually drink about 2-3 cups every morning. Sometimes less. The past week I hardly drank any to easily transition into the "no-caffeine" zone that the Juice Cleanse asked of me. Alcohol? Usually it's a few drinks on the weekend: wine or whiskey with one ice cube.

Was it tough to give up alcohol/caffeine?
Nope. I only had one small hankering for a glass of wine while watching TV last night. This morning I really wanted a cup of coffee, but tomorrow will come and that cup of coffee will taste like the best thing in life.

Did I miss anything/have cravings/get actually hungry?
There were times at work when I'd get small cravings for things. Not really cravings...more like just a desire to EAT them. lol. I just wanted to bite into them.

What did I like most about this particular cleanse?
SUPER impressed that the drinks are quite low-glycemic and have a very low sugar content. The green juices have only about 7 grams of sugar per bottle, and 18-20 grams on the higher end. A few other cleanses I looked into contained about 40-60 grams of sugar per bottle! No. Just no, thank you.

Urban Remedy's cashew milk and cleansing lemonade drinks are sweetened with stevia (other cleanses tend to use agave), so they’re even lower in sugar than the juices.

I also really love their use of super-nutritious veggies like dandelion greens, burdock root, fresh turmeric, etc. I'm all for trying new and interesting veggies and....weeds/roots. haha?

Would I do it again?
Ehhhh, I'd definitely drink juices again, but I think I'd only do a juice cleanse for 3 days and it would be MAYBE twice a year during season change. I could see myself doing it after the holidays. Other than that, a long-term juice cleanse isn't for this girl, but never say never.

What did I learn the past four days?
First and foremost, my long-time suspicions were true... I love food. I just do. I love the way food tastes, I love the "experience" of eating and dining with others, and trying new foods. I will never NOT love food and that's OK. But, I also love the way I feel when eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet...

90% of the time I'm careful with what goes into my body because I want to take care of it- I want it to last a good while. I want to set a good example for other women on what a healthy body image is and how to have a HEALTHY relationship with food.

That's just how it's going to be for me, but that being said a juice cleanse is a nice way to break things up, try new things. ESPECIALLY if you don't get enough fruits and veggies, I think this would be outstanding for you.

I also learned that tastes and habits can be changed and redirected toward something better.

Urban Remedy Juice Cleanse Info:
Cost: Urban Remedy cleanses cost $60 a day plus shipping (which costs $45 per 3-day cleanse).

Support: Urban Remedy sends you a pre-cleanse email containing tips for how to prepare for your cleanse. I liked that little something extra.

How to Order: Their website, urbanremedy.com 


Thanks for following along! If you have questions on my experience, let me know I'd be glad to answer! Now on to bigger challenges...what shall I attempt next? Hmmm.........





Friday, May 30, 2014

Urban Remedy Juice Cleanse: Day 2

I woke today feeling great! No headaches, no aching and I actually felt full of energy. The realist in me decided this euphoric feeling MUST just be because its Friday, but I'd also like to think juicing is doing something good for my body.

After drinking my water, I left for work feeling not hungry at all, but once 8:00 a.m. rolled around I was more than ready for my first juice of the day.

Going into the weekend I'm a bit on the sad side that I can't enjoy food or my occasional glass of champagne or whiskey, but that's fine- I don't drink every weekend, so it's not as though it's driving me totally bat shit crazy.

I have a movie date tonight, and while I don't usually eat any snacks at the movies, I'm really wishing I could have popcorn. Just....because, you see? Boo.


So, recap!

Was I hungry today? Any cravings?
I wasn't hungry today per se, but I just wanted to EAT. Sad, right? Sad, but true and for so many people this happens and becomes a "thing". I really just miss the act of chewing. I also am really craving a huge Italian Sub with extra pickles, black olives, banana peppers and oil and vinegar. Do I sound like a pregnant woman or nah? ha

How do I feel today overall? 
Really good. A little sleepy, but nothing I can't handle. My skin feels super soft, too, and not that I have skin issues, but it just seems extra soft today. Hmm. Also, the biggest change is while I'm usually pretty anxious and high-strung, I feel pretty calm. I feel liek my blood pressure went down a few notches or something. I'm pretty much sick of the juice already. They haven't made me want to gag (YET) but two more days will be enough for this girl.


Day 3 coming up tomorrow. See ya then.....

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Urban Remedy Juice Cleanse: Day 1

Day 1 Overview

7:00 a.m.- My day began with a huge glass of water with lemon- no difference there. Around 8:30 a.m. I had my first juice of the day: The Brainiac. Tasted just like the ingredients it listed. Typical green juice. Not bad to start the day.

By 10:00 a.m. I started feeling a few small hunger pangs, understandably, which is about the time I always eat my greek yogurt. Instead, I reached for Juice 2 of the day: Time Machine. This one was just what I was craving - and didn't even know it! It was lemony like tea and spicy from the cayenne. No chugging with this one even if I wanted to because that cayenne sneaks up on you. Two thumbs up for this baby!

I even let Meredith, my friendly friend and co-worker, have a taste. She concurred.

Unfortunately, the second juice only kept me satisfied until I started salivating hearing announcement after announcement about a "burger burn in the front of the facility" blaring over my place of work's loud speaker. Thanks, guys.

I also found myself going towards the fridge to grab a snack. Sorry. Not today. Or tomorrow...or the day after that......or the next....

12:15 p.m.- I can feel a headache trying to creep up on me. I tell it to "get the hell out of here" and push through. Other than that minor itch, I feel good. I don't feel sluggish or weak, just sleepy from a restless night's sleep.

The third juice of the day is nicely named, Flush. Flush because that's what I've been doing to the toilet all day. This juice is SUPER refreshing and minty and I love it! So far I haven't met a juice in this cleanse I don't like! Two thumbs up so far on taste!

1:00 p.m.- I finished with Flush rather quickly and I have another hour and a half before my next juice. AN HOUR AND A HALF?! I find myself nervously trying to figure out what to do with my hands...with my mind..WHAT'S HAPPENING? I keep looking out my window at work, distracted, thinking about snacks now. Almonds covered with chocolate and other NatureBox snacks I have at home. I just want to chew. Already. It's only day 1. I keep breaking out in random dance moves in my work chair (if you can even call them that? More like wild flailing of my arms.) It's a weird thing- and then I'll feel sleepy again. This is weird.

2:30 p.m.- TIME FOR THE NEXT JUICE! It's probably me hallucinating, but I immediately feel better with the first sip. Oh my God. It feels so good to have something else in my stomach, even if it's not a solid. After Party is earthier than the juices I've had so far today, but the apple and lemon cut that taste significantly. I've tasted earthier, that's for sure. Kinda wishing it were more earthy/heavier so it could have a more filling effect on my stomach.

This headache nag is still hanging around. Blah. I start doing Google searches on "juice cleanse benefits" to keep myself motivated.

4:30 p.m.-The time seemed to fly between the last juice and number 5. Probably because I was driving home from work and all I could think about was consuming the next juice, The Warrior. The Warrior is strawberries, chia seeds and stevia. This was the most filling of all of the juices so far and delicious- strawberries? How can you go wrong?

6:00 p.m.- Last call for alcohol!!!
SIKE.

Last juice of the day and the "creamiest". Relax was cashew milk with vanilla and cinnamon. It was a nice ending to the day- creamy, comforting (if THAT'S even possible) and now I'm definitely welcoming bed with open arms. It's been a long day. Thank God tomorrow is Friday.

Was I starving today? It seemed like when I started to get that hungry feeling it was time to drink another juice, so I didn't felt ravenous or dying for food. My stomach had a bit of an empty feeling, but I didn't have bad cravings for any food.

Most frequent thought of the day?
"This is hard, but it's really not THAT bad."

Overall thoughts for Day 1?
Not bad, but not ideal. I wouldn't say awful by any means, but difficult, yes. The baby headaches I experienced were the most annoying part about day 1. Plus I was a little emotional overall today, so that didn't really help my longing to chew something.

Check back here tomorrow for Day 2, when I either push forward or trip and fall. lol Just kidding. I'll make it. 

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Urban Remedy Juice Cleanse: The Arrival

I used to think juice cleansing wasn't necessary and I was going to just cross my arms, make a Grumpy Cat face and refuse to participate.

Of course, my high-level of curiosity and nosiness got the best of me and I succumbed to the juice.

After comparing companies I decided on Urban Remedy.


"A foodie favorite...our Signature Cleanse is our most popular juice cleanse. It seriously tastes as delicious as it is effective. Whether you’re a first-timer or a juice cleansing fanatic...our 100% organic, raw, gluten-free signature cleanse program is a fabulous cleansing option to detox, drop a few pounds, restore balance in your body, and kick start your revived commitment to healthy living."

So, how is this going to work?

By the numbers: 
-Urban Remedy offers 3 levels of juice cleanses. I opted for The Signature Cleanse, Level 1.

-4 days of liquids. Sounds so appealing, I KNOW.
-I'm supposed to drink 1 juice every couple hours.
-6 bottles per day.
-16 ounces each
-The total daily caloric intake per day is about 1,250 calories. However, as the Urban Remedy site     indicates, 500 calories of juice is almost all usable calories, whereas 500 calories of a bagel and cream cheese is not. It’s like mainlining pure nutrients so you require less, in theory.

The package arrived TODAY and was tucked away nicely in an insulated box with plenty of ice packs.

In the box? My 4-day juice cleanse "experience" that includes (descriptions provided by Urban Remedy): 

Brainiac: A green juice designed to support optimal energy levels, and continue the elimination of toxins, regeneration, healing and repairing that occurs at night while the body sleeps.

Time Machine: A cayenne-rich acai lemonade. Cayenne is a thermogenic food that boosts metabolism so the body burns more calories.

Flush: Contains cucumber juice, a natural diuretic that helps rid the body of toxins. Cucumbers also supply electrolytes to restore hydration to cells and balance fluid levels.

AfterParty: A sweet carrot, beet, apple juice with lemon and ginger that supports a healthy liver and detoxification.

Warrior: A filling chia and raspberry shake to get you through the rest of the day.

Dessert: Sprouted cashew milk infused with cinnamon and vanilla will support a good night’s rest so you wake up refreshed. (We'll just see about that, won't we?) 


Along with the cleanse itself I picked up one of their "meal" shakes, a de-stress spike and a Coconut Brownie "dessert." I used the coupon code meals to get the brownie and shake FREE. WOO! These will be consumed AFTER the cleansing of course.

Cleanse starts tomorrow and I'll follow up after every day to let you guys know how it's going. I've always enjoyed reading other reviews on products of interest to me, so I hope you'll get some use out of mine. See you on the other side...

Follow me on Instagram for more up-to-the-minute coverage @jenny-leeeee


About Jenny



Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
Youtube
Facebook

That time I interviewed Britney

That time I interviewed Britney
Click the image for video proof

Followers

Recent Instagram Posts

Shop



Get $10 OFF your first NatureBox! LOVE them!

What I'm Reading

Powered by Blogger.

Blog Archive