Juicing...

One of my very favorite things after working out is fresh green juice. The Common Market near my house makes fresh juice daily, and the Supreme Green is my "treat" to myself. I'm not great about eating leafy greens, so I started to think more about juicing and incorporating it into my getting healthy plan new lifestyle. So, after a few weeks of research (wow, had no idea there were so many opinions on types of juicers!) I took the plunge and bought one last week! I decided on the Omega 8006 for two main reasons- one, it's a masticating juicer which supposedly is better for leafy greens, and two, it's not just a juicer- oh no, this baby makes sorbet, nut butter, almond milk, and salsa! Here it is:

Couldn't figure out a way to not be in the photo!

Of course the minute I got it I had to hurriedly unwrap it like a kid on Christmas and put it to use. Never mind that my fridge wasn't really stocked, I was going to juice something! Luckily, I did have a grapefruit, a few clementines, spinach, and a lemon....
Get Up & Go Juice (great for the morning)
1 grapefruit, peeled
4 clementines, peeled
1/2 lemon, peeled
1 handful fresh spinach

Into my juicer they went...and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to use the juicer. It's also very quiet which is a big plus- Bob likes to make protein smoothies in the morning and I swear our blender must wake the neighbors.

In action...go juicer go!

When I finished I had a nice big glass of citrus-y juice. The spinach was completely masked. It was a little tart, so I added just a smidge of pineapple juice to it. Overall, a success!

Way tastier than it looks!

I decided to freeze the pulp for sorbet- I'll let you know how that turns out in another post!

Poached Eggs Made Easy...

If there is one thing that I absolutely love for Sunday brunch, it's Eggs Florentine- similar to Eggs Benedict, sans the ham, with tomato and spinach instead.  I went to bed feeling ambitious last night and decided to try making poached eggs myself.  I was a bit nervous, especially when I learned I only had two eggs left so didn't have enough for a "do-over" if I needed it (and my hungry hubby was patiently waiting with a fork in his hand), but it was much easier than I anticipated!  One thing I learned- don't cook over a gas stove while wearing an oversized terry robe...the arm just may catch fire.  So my tally of fires started in the kitchen is now 5, but don't worry, after a crazy fire dance in the kitchen to put it out I wasn't burned, and my robe will live.  Ready to poach an egg?  Here's how I did it:

 

Bring about 4" of water to a simmer.  You want that barely-there simmer that comes right before a boil, but you don't want it actually start boiling.  Once it gets there turn the temperature down.  I have a gas stove and even on low it tries to start boiling, so I took the pot off the burner before adding the egg, and then put it back on the burner.

 

While the water is getting hot add  a splash of vinegar.  This helps the egg whites set.

 

One of the biggest mistakes in poaching an egg is cracking the egg directly into the water.  Instead, crack the egg in a small bowl or ramekin and then pour the egg right at water level.

  

Your egg will try to spread out all willy nilly, don't worry!  Just take a spatula and push the egg whites together.  After at least 30 seconds run your spatula around the whole egg to make sure it's not stuck anywhere.  I like to nudge mine to move it just a bit.

 

Pretty egg in progress!  Cook for 3-4 minutes, not a second more.  I didn't take pictures when I pulled it out, I just didn't have the hands- sorry!  Just take a slotted spoon and gently scoop out the egg, then place it on a paper towel to let it drain.

 

Place on a piece of buttered toast and voila!

 

Perfectly poached eggs!

 

I prefer mine with spinach and tomatoes.  So good, and good for you!

Healthy Breakfast Egg Cups

When 2013 rolled around I decided it was time to kick it into gear and get healthy!  In the past I've been bad about letting life get in the way of eating healthy and last year was no exception- with Bob practically living in Charlotte before we moved,  packing up and selling our house, moving to Charlotte, and me starting a new job (all within 3 months!).  Now that we are finally feeling settled I've decided to focus on me for a change.  I think as women, we have a tendency to put everyone else's needs ahead of ours...it's the nurturer in us.  The two things I'm focusing on right now as Part 1 of Jamie's New Healthy Lifestyle are eating healthy and portion control.  I've realized that if I don't eat breakfast I can and will eat anything in sight at lunch (don't get in my way!) so I've started making these yummy egg cups on Sundays so I can grab-n-go throughout the week.  They're easy, satisfying, and the best part is that you can tailor them to the veggies you like to eat.  Don't like tomatoes?  Add your chopped veggie of choice!

Healthy Breakfast Egg Cups

6 Eggs

Handful of fresh spinach (thicker stems taken off)

1/3 cup milk

12 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup shredded cheese of choice (I used fat free mozzarella)

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  I lined my muffin tins for easier cleanup, but if you're storing these to eat throughout the week I would just spray the tins with cooking spray- the liners didn't hold up too well.

Place a small amount of spinach in the bottom of each muffin tin

Divide the cheese and tomatoes between the cups, so that they are 2/3 full

Crack an egg into each one, then add a teaspoon or so of milk and a dash of salt and pepper.
Stir just a little.

Pop in the oven for 14 minutes, or until egg has set.
Enjoy immediately or refrigerate to eat throughout the week!

These egg cups are right around 100 calories.  Feeling adventurous?  Add salsa, avocado, red peppers...even cooked turkey bacon or sausage!  The possibilities are endless!