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Life of a Night Owl

~ An eclectic collection of life, love, food, and health.

Life of a Night Owl

Tag Archives: smoothie

Crockpot Apple Butter!

30 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by aneris91 in Ash's Updates, Ash's Weight Loss Journey, Bettering my Body, Food and Recipes, General Updates

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

5 hours, affles, apple, apple butter, apple peeler corer slicer, apple sauce, applebutter, apples, applesauce, Arts, bearded dragon, beauty, bistcuits, butter, caramel apple, cardio, caterpillar, cinnamon, cleanse, cloves, Combination Skin, crackers, crock pot, dad, diet, dieting, diets, DIY, exercise, Facebook, fiji, food, foozy, frozen strawberries, fruit, fuji, fuzzy, gala, gamera, gaming, GM Diet, golden delicious, granny smith, green, health, healthy-living, honey, honey flavor, how-to, immersion blender, iscuits, Jillian Michaels, life, loves, Makeup, mom, nature, nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp, New Skin Products, nutmeg, pampered chef, pancakes, pink lady, potato peeler, product testing, red delicious, restaurants, saltines crackers, Shopping, smoothie, smoothies, social media, south, southern, style, toast, tutorial, veggies, washington, washington apples, water, Weight loss, work out

Our readers from the south most likely know exactly what I’m talking about! (And maybe our readers up north! haha) But for those who are looking at the title and scratching their heads, Apple butter is a highly concentrated form of apple sauce, produced by long, slow cooking of apples with cider or water to a point where the sugar in the apples caramelizes, turning the apple butter a deep brown. The concentration of sugar gives apple butter a much longer shelf life as a preserve than apple sauce. It’s great on fresh biscuits, toast, pancakes, waffles, saltines/crackers, and really just about anything you want. And the kicker?

It’s so easy!!

Start with about 5-15 apples, any type

I used Red Delicious because that's what I happened to have, but playing with your varieties can give you different flavors!

I used Red Delicious because that’s what I happened to have, but playing with your varieties can give you different flavors!

Then peel,

I prefer to use my pampered chef Apple-Peeler-Corer-Slicer, but it is in a box in the garage! lol

I prefer to use my pampered chef Apple-Peeler-Corer-Slicer, but it is in a box in the garage! lol

But the potato peeler is awesome too

But the potato peeler is awesome too

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Core and chop

They look like potatoes!

They look like potatoes!

Add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and honey (or your choice of sweetener)

I used probably about 3-5 tbsp of cinnamon (add more or less per your preference) a few sprinkles of each nutmeg and cloves, and maybe 3 tbsp of honey. Flavor to your liking!

I used probably about 3-5 tbsp of cinnamon (add more or less per your preference) a few sprinkles of each nutmeg and cloves, and maybe 3 tbsp of honey. Flavor to your liking!

Then put on low for at least 5 hours.

I forgot to get a pic of this step so here's my brother's Bearded Dragon, Gamera :-)

I forgot to get a pic of this step so here’s my brother’s Bearded Dragon, Gamera 🙂

Then blend to your chosen consistency

Here's where an immersion blender comes in handy!!

Here’s where an immersion blender comes in handy!!

Let cool and enjoy!!

 

I absolutely love this recipe and in a mason jar, makes a great gift for the holidays!

I hope you all enjoyed! If you try it, let me know how it turns out!!!

Foozy caterpillar ish foozy

Foozy caterpillar ish foozy. As my dad found out the hard way, DON’T PICK THESE ONES UP!!! 

Good Night and Much Love!

~Ashley<3

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Body After Baby

17 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by aneris91 in Bettering my Body, Food and Recipes, General Updates, Health and Beauty

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

baby, baby body, baby workout, beauty, c-section, cardio, celebrity mom, cleanse, crossfit, diet, dieting, diets, DIY, exercise, Facebook, food, frozen strawberries, fruit, GM Diet, health, healthy-living, how-to, Jillian Michaels, life, mom, mother, nap time, nature, nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp, post baby, postpartum, pre baby body, prebaby, restaurants, Shopping, smoothie, social media, style, veggies, water, Weight loss, work out, workout, yoga and pilates

So I’ve seen a lot of buzz online about these new celebrity mom’s and how by the time baby pictures finally surface (usually about a week or two later), they’re back to their fit pre-baby bodies.

1805 alessandra-ambrosio pink1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, ladies, this is possible, but it may take a little longer than Hollywood shows it to be (what do you mean not everything in Hollywood is real??) Most of those mom’s have access to a lot of resources that the average woman doesn’t, i.e. personal trainers, chefs, nannies, etc. But you can have your pre-baby body back, and even get into better shape! It just takes some dedication and killer timing!!

For example, when baby is asleep!!

Here are a few naptime routines from sheknows.com

Lotta Tabata

Tabata is a great way to get your heart rate up in a very short period of time. You do 20 seconds of hard, intense work, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Each Tabata consists of eight intervals for a total of four minutes work. You work at your level and take breaks as needed. Tabatas are a more advanced form of exercise, but they can be adapted to all fitness levels.

Perform each each four-minute Tabata by doing eight rounds of 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds rest.

  • Tabata #1: Pushups
  • Tabata #2: Squats
  • Tabata #3: Burpees
  • Tabata #4: Plank

Cardio blast

For this workout, you do each exercise for one minute and complete the workout as a circuit with one exercise after another. The cardio blast workout gets your heart rate pumping and keeps it elevated for the 20-minute workout for maximum calorie burning.

Repeat series four times. Perform each exercise for one minute.

  • Mountain climbers
  • Butt kicks
  • Jump rope
  • Burpees
  • Rest

Full body

Incorporating weight training is an effective way to help lose those last stubborn pounds. All you need for this workout are dumbbells.

Repeat series two to three times. Do 10 to 12 reps of each exercise.

  • 1 Minute jump rope
  • Biceps curls
  • Triceps kickbacks
  • Pushups
  • Dumbbell rows
  • Squat
  • Lunge
  • 1 Minute plank

Belly slimmer

As moms, one of the areas we are most focused on improving is our stomach. These exercises target each area of your abs and help to whittle your middle.

Repeat series two to three times. Perform each exercise for one minute.

  • Traditional crunch
  • Bicycle crunch
  • Reverse crunch
  • Feet up crunch
  • Plank

♥

Now, not every woman is able to have a natural delivery, but don’t worry C-Section moms, here are some great fit tips for you too! Here are some exercises from BreezyMama.com

So you had a cesarean section, now what do you do for exercise? Whether it was planned or an emergency cesarean, it’s time to rehab those core muscles. But first, there are a few things you should know about your C Section:

The external bikini scar is horizontal, but the inside incision of the abdominal wall is vertical. Trust me you wouldn’t want it any other way. The good news is that if you had a diastasis rectus (split of the abdominal wall) or a hernia, it was repaired during the surgery. Just remember that the scar is layers deep. Your internal organs were also moved around and exposed to air. It takes a few weeks for things to find their position again. In the meantime, gas pains and little twinges are normal.

Physiological healing time for any body part is about 6-8 weeks. Give yourself some time to heal. That being said, some of us need to ask for extra help and be nudged along the way. Nudging is what our Mom’s and friends are for, so take the help and get moving.

Although your pelvic floor wasn’t traumatized by the birth, bladder position may be altered due to the procedure. It’s just another reason to do your Kegels! More on that later.

Most C-section scars heal without any need for extra measures. Occasionally, scars are sensitive to touch. You can do a few things to help that along. First, once the stitches or staples are removed any scab is gone, gently massage the scar in all directions. Here at CTS, we also offer silicone gel sheets to be worn 24/7 to cover, protect, desensitize, and flatten the scar. Let us know if you need, extra help in the scar department. Physical therapists can also facilitate healing with modalities and specific soft tissue techniques.

Get your cardio going by walking….a lot. Yep, put that baby in your stroller and start walking. When I was recuperating the following morning after the birth of my daughter, I held onto that IV pole and walked the perimeter of the hospital floor. When I got to the nurses station, they were surprised to see me. I explained that they had instructed me to walk. The nurse responded, “Yes, but nobody actually does it.” Well, those nurses know something. Walking is the best way to get moving, manage the lingering discomfort and drop the baby weight. Practice walking as tall as you possibly can to strengthen your core.

The abdominal wall needs rehab and conditioning just as any other body part would need after surgery. So here is a sequence of exercises that should be started within 24 hours of delivery.

– Diaphragmatic Breathing:

Picture 4 Postpartum Exercises for the C Section Mama

Lay on your back with knees bent. Take deep breaths expanding your ribcage. When you breathe out, make sure you exhale completely which will facilitate a light contraction of your abdominal wall. As you improve straighten your legs until you are completely flat on your back. Repeat 10 times. 2 times per day.

– Kegels:

Picture 41 Postpartum Exercises for the C Section Mama

Lift your pelvic floor muscles up and in. Hold up to 10 seconds. Relax and drop your muscles completely and repeat 10 times up to 3 times per day.

– Pelvic Tilt:

Picture 42 Postpartum Exercises for the C Section Mama

Lay on your back with knees bent. Pull your belly button to your spine to tilt your tailbone up while flattening your back. Relax down. Repeat 10 times.

– Heel Slides: 
Picture 5 Postpartum Exercises for the C Section Mama

Place your finger tips just inside your pelvic bones. Maintain your neutral spine. Activate the muscles under your finger tips by pretending to zip up a tight pair of jeans. Your pelvis should maintain this same position as you straighten one leg, return to start, and repeat on the opposite side. Repeat 10 times maintaining the same position.

– Bridge:

Picture 6 Postpartum Exercises for the C Section Mama

Picture 11 Postpartum Exercises for the C Section Mama

Picture 12 Postpartum Exercises for the C Section Mama

Picture 13 Postpartum Exercises for the C Section Mama

Picture 10 Postpartum Exercises for the C Section Mama

Start on your back with your knees bent. Roll through your pelvic tilt to lift your buttocks all the way off the floor. You should be able to make a straight line between your shoulders and knees…..no sagging. Roll back down through your pelvic tilt and repeat 10 times. As you improve, hold the up position and add a slight twist from side to side. As you improve further, bring your arms overhead and perhaps close your eyes. This is also a great exercise to do with your feet over a ball.

– Cat/Camel:

Picture 7 Postpartum Exercises for the C Section Mama

This yoga move is a great way to get your core activated. On your hands and knees, pull your belly button to your spine to round your back while exhaling. Sag your back as you raise your head on inhale. Coordinate the motion with your breath as you repeat 10 times.

– Kiss the Baby:

Picture 8 Postpartum Exercises for the C Section Mama

From your hands and knees, bend your elbows to kiss your baby. Babies love to watch you go up and down. Repeat at least 10 times. This exercise progresses to knee push ups or the plank maneuver.

– Bird Dog:

Picture 9 Postpartum Exercises for the C Section Mama
From hands and knees, activate your core muscles and raise one arm and the opposite leg. You can look down at your baby, maintaining neutral posture while you alternate sides. Repeat 10 times. Add a rattle or toy to your hand and really make your baby giggle while toning at the same time.

As stated, you can start any of these exercises within 24 hours of your cesarean. Start with just a few repetitions, maybe 3-5 and progress to 10. Eventually, you should get up to at least 30 reps of all these exercises. These exercises should become easy for you before starting any other “core classes”, like Pilates. These exercises should also be painless. If you have any trouble, please contact your women’s health physical therapist. We can help.

♥

Another big thing to remember after your pregnancy, is that your body won’t quite function the way it used to when it comes to food. Your hormones are all over the place, your metabolism is most likely slowed, and a lot of times, women develop thyroid problems. Any kind of fitness starts in the kitchen, and that goes double for postpartum “dieters.” You need to be sure that you’re replenishing the nutrients your body lost while giving birth, but also making sure that what you’re eating is still helping baby (if you’re breastfeeding.) Your body requires just 500 extra calories a day to support your breastfeeding. As a breastfeeding mom, you need adequate fluids to ensure a proper milk supply, so drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. It’s most important to remember that what you eat winds up in your milk. If your baby is gassy or showing signs of an upset stomach, check your diet.

A big concern for a lot of new mothers is bowel regularity (hey, we all go!) A lot of people don’t like OTC meds or have allergies preventing them from utilizing certain stool softeners. You can easily add foods to your diet that will naturally help with the process!

Here’s a great recipe from simplebites.net!

Stewed Prunes with Citrus & Cinnamon
Recipe type: Dessert
Author: Aimee (adapted from Molly Wizenberg)
Prep time: 2 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 32 mins
Serves/Yield: 10
Gently poached prunes are infused with citrus and spices to produce a plump and fragrant stewed fruit that is sure to please.Top them with chopped almonds for an extra boost of fiber.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb pitted prunes
  • 1/2 orange, cut from top to bottom
  • 1/2 lemon, cut from top to bottom
  • 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
  1. Slice the orange and lemon very thinly, giving multiple half-moon pieces and remove the seeds, if any.
  2. place all the ingredients in a heavy saucepot and just cover with water.
  3. Bring to a very gentle boil and cook for 30-40 minutes.
  4. Serve warm or refrigerate overnight. Keeps 1 week.

The big thing is to be sure to give your body healing nutrients. Eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies and lean proteins. Be sure to include milk in your diet too, to be sure that baby is getting everything they need!!

And remember moms, DON’T OVER DO IT! Take care of yourself and don’t let baby get pushed aside by your wants, and don’t put yourself last getting caught up with baby. It’s always okay to ask for help!!

Much love and good luck to everyone!!

~Ashley<3

Life of a Night Owl

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Nail Growth/Strengthening UPDATE!

17 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by aneris91 in Ash's Updates, Ash's Weight Loss Journey, Ashley's Tips, Bettering my Body, General Updates, Health and Beauty

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

30, 30 day, 30 day challenge, 30 day fitness challenge, 30 day squat challenge, 5-7 day nail growth, Arts, beauty, biting my nails, blogging, cardio, cleanse, dad, diet, dieting, diets, DIY, exercise, Facebook, follow-up, food, frozen strawberries, fruit, gaming, GM Diet, grow 10 nails, health, healthy-living, how-to, Jillian Michaels, life, mental-health, mom, nail, nail biting, nail growth, nail products, nail strength, nailene, nails, nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp, nutra nail, Shopping, skinny wrap, smoothie, smoothies, social media, squat challenge, squats, squatting, style, technology, thighs, tutorial, update, veggies, water, Weight loss, work out, workout, yoga and pilates

Hello all! So I’m a few days behind, but Saturday before last I posted about a few new nail products I’m trying. After 10 days, I’m actually really impressed with the results.

Here is my before:

Left hand again

Left hand again

right hand again

right hand again

And my after:

Left hand 10 days Right hand 10 days

Wow!! The picture quality isn’t great, unfortunately my hands has been in water that day so my nails look really transparent hehe but here’s a side by side to compare!

LHAND RHAND

I was very pleased!! I still had some issues with breakage, but that’s normal as my nails haven’t been thins long in YEARS! I’ll be posting again at 21 days so you can all see what my progress is!

On another note! I am doing another 30 day challenge!! This time?

30-day-squat-challenge

That’s right! Squats!! My thighs are a problem area so I figured why not!!

I’ll try to post before and after pix and if anyone else is following along, I’d love to hear your story!!

Much love!!

~Ashley<3

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June Fitness Challenges

01 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by aneris91 in Ash's Updates, Ash's Weight Loss Journey, Ashley's Tips, Bettering my Body, Food and Recipes, General Updates, Health and Beauty

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Tags

30 day, 30 day challenge, abs, Arts, beauty, captio, cardio, cleanse, dad, diet, dieting, diets, DIY, exercise, Facebook, food, frozen strawberries, fruit, GM Diet, grasshopper, health, healthy-living, hey you guys, holy cow, how-to, Jillian Michaels, Makeup, mom, nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp, plank, pretty flowers, restaurants, Shopping, smoothie, smoothies, social media, spoiled brat, style, tutorial, veggies, water, Weight loss, work out, workout, yoga and pilates

Hey you guys!! June has been pretty crazy! The weather hasn’t been the greatest haha Lots of thunderstorms

Spoiled brat doesn't like thunder!

Spoiled brat doesn’t like thunder!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lucy isn’t a fan! But I’ve been trying to spend sometime outside of the house as well. I’ve found a recent obsession with photographing weird bugs and pretty flowers!

Holy Cow these things are real!!

Holy Cow these things are real!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These make me think of Hawaii!

These make me think of Hawaii!

Yellow Beach Flower <3

Yellow Beach Flower ❤

Big Green Grasshopper

Big Green Grasshopper

I can't for the life of me remember what these are called!!

I can’t for the life of me remember what these are called!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love walking the dogs and going out with friends too!

Black Light Party!

Black Light Party!

:-)

🙂

Never underestimate the big sister!

Never underestimate the big sister!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been feeling a lot better since I’ve been forcing myself to workout and be more active, too. As of Sunday I completed my 30 Day Plank Challenge and my Mean Abs June Challenge!! Even though I didn’t hit my goal of a five minute plank, I was really happy with my progress.

30 day Plank Challenge

30 day Plank Challenge

Time to take them down!

Time to take them down!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It felt awesome to be able to cross off each day as I progressed from 15 sit ups, 5 crunches, and 10 push-ups to 100 sit-ups, 200 crunches, and 60 push-ups!! My body still hurts! lol

As promised, here are my times for the whole month!!

  1. 42s
  2. 47s
  3. 47s
  4. 56s
  5. 1m3s
  6. 40s
  7. 52s
  8. 1m10s
  9. 54s
  10. 56s
  11. 1m32s
  12. 2m3s
  13. 2m6s
  14. Danced all night! 🙂
  15. 45s
  16. 1m3s
  17. 1m
  18. 1m29s
  19. 1m48s
  20. 1m56s
  21. 1m46s
  22. 2m13s
  23. 2m25s
  24. 2m20s
  25. 2m30s
  26. 2m32s
  27. 2m46s
  28. 2m52s
  29. 2m49s
  30. 3m2s

It was crazy!! I likes this challenge because the plank really works so many muscles and you can tweak your stance to work different muscles each time! I ended up losing almost 25 pounds this month!! (mostly of what I gained back after my 7 day cleanse! haha)

If anyone else decided to follow along or decides to try this one out, I’d LOVE to hear your experience!!

Much Love!

~Ashley<3

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Shirley Temple Popsicle!! <3

01 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by aneris91 in Ash's Updates, Food and Recipes, General Updates

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Tags

Arts, beauty, cleanse, dad, dessert, diet, diets, dinner, Facebook, food, frozen strawberries, fruit, health, healthy-living, how-to, Jillian Michaels, life, lime soda, mom, nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp, popsicle molds, restaurants, Shirley temple, shirley temple drink, shirley temples, Shopping, smoothie, smoothies, social media, style, summer, tutorial, water, Weight loss

Perfect for summer.  Refreshing. Flavourful. Delish!

Shirley Temples

 Ingredients
  • This recipe makes 1 drink.
  • 1 cup lemon-lime soda (I used 7-Up)
  • 2 tbsp Grenadine
  • 1 tbsp orange juice
  • cherry for garnish (fresh or Maraschino)
Instructions
For the Shirley Temple Drink:
  1. Fill a glass with ice.
  2. Add the soda, Grenadine, and the Orange Juice. Stir.
  3. Garnish with a cherry, either a fresh cherry or a Maraschino cherry.
For the Shirley Temple Popsicles:
  1. For the popsicles, I doubled the recipe and filled my 6 popsicle molds.
  2. I pitted, then chopped up about 10 fresh cherries and distributed them evenly between the Popsicle molds. They give the popsicles a nice texture! I might even add more next time.

 

 

Recipe from Canadian Living

 

Mix one up, and sip it in the sunshine!
Summer perfection!

 

 

Or pour them into a popsicle mold, and you have a fun summer treat!
Yummy!
~Ashley<3
Life of a Night Owl

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4th of July Creme Filled Strawberries–With vodka!

01 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by aneris91 in Ash's Updates, Food and Recipes, General Updates

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

4th, 4th of july, alcohol, apricot sauce, Arts, beauty, booze, cleanse, dad, diets, DIY, easy dessert, Facebook, food, fourth, fourth of july, frozen strawberries, fruit, health, healthy-living, how-to, hulled strawberries, July, life, Makeup, mom, nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp, patriotic, restaurants, Shopping, smoothie, smoothies, social media, style, tutorial, water, yummy recipe

Fourth of July Crème Filled Strawberries  ~ Get patriotic with these adult easy red, white and blue dessert for your 4th of July barbecue or picnic. These vodka infused whip cream strawberries are the perfect way to enjoy a cocktail dessert!

4th of July Creme-Filled-Strawberries Red white and blue dessert

4th of July Creme Filled Strawberries

While this is not as fast as “chopping and blocking”, it comes pretty darn close.

No recipe just a few notes for this fast and easy dessert.

A few notes:

  • Hull your strawberries and cut the bottom tips for a flat edge.
  • Add two tablespoons of vodka to every cup of whip cream.
  • Fill hulled strawberries with whip cream. I cheated and actually used Reddi Whip. Martha would be so ashamed (sorry Ms. M, I ran out of time). On the flip side Sandra Lee would embrace me.
  • Toss the blueberries in an apricot sauce. Uh, cheated again- I nuked apricot preserves in the microwave.
  • Top crème filled strawberries with  blueberries.
  • Of course for an alcohol free version omit the vodka.

Thanks to Bakers Royal for this yummy recipe!

Much Love!

~Ashley<3

Life of a Night Owl

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Patriotic Cocktails!

01 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by aneris91 in Ash's Updates, Food and Recipes, General Updates

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

4th, 4th of july, alcohol, Arts, beauty, beverage, black raspberries, cleanse, cocktails, creative insanity, DIY, drinks, Facebook, food, fourth, fourth of july, frozen strawberries, fruit, health, healthy-living, how-to, July, life, mom, nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp, night owl, patriotic, punch bowl, restaurants, shirley shirley, Shopping, smoothie, social media, style, tonic water, tutorial, water, Weight loss, yummy

Yankee Doodle

1 part UV Blue Raspberry-flavored vodka
2 parts sour mix
1 part tonic water
Combine ingredients and serve in a rocks glass over ice.
For a non-alcoholic version of this drink,
 substitute raspberry-flavored fruit juice for the vodka.

Patriotic Punch

1 part UV Red Cherry-flavored vodka
3 parts lemonade
Combine ingredients and serve in a rocks glass over ice.
 For a non-alcoholic version of this drink
, substitute cherry-flavored fruit juice for the vodka.
 This is a great recipe either by the pitcher or by the punch bowl.
Add some red and black raspberries or even blueberries
to the punch bowl to make it even more patriotic!

Stars and Stripes Forever

1 oz. UV Blue Raspberry Vodka
2 oz. sour mix
Fill the glass the rest of the way with lemonade
Top off with a cherry
For a non-alcoholic version of this cocktail,
 substitute raspberry-flavored fruit juice for vodka.

The Patriot

 (aka a not so Shirley, Shirley Temple)

1 oz. UV Red Cherry Vodka
Fill the glass the rest of the way with 7-Up
Garnish with orange slices
For a non-alcoholic version of this drink,
substitute cherry-flavored fruit juice for vodka.
For a great punch bowl idea,
 also add in a little champagne and garnish with
 strawberries and blueberries!
Hope you guys enjoy!! Thanks to Simply Creative Insanity for these delicious recipes!!
Much love and be safe this Thursday!!
~Ashley<3
Life Of A Night Owl

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7 Day fast Follow up!!

25 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by aneris91 in Ash's Updates, Ash's Weight Loss Journey, Bettering my Body, Food and Recipes, General Updates, Health and Beauty

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Arts, beauty, c apple juice, cardio, circle stickers, cleanse, clear plastic cups, diet, dieting, diets, DIY, edible ingredients, exercise, Facebook, food, frozen strawberries, fruit, health, healthy-living, how-to, Jillian Michaels, kiwi 2, life, Makeup, mom, nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp, product testing, restaurants, Shopping, skinny wrap, smoothie, smoothies, social media, style, tutorial, veggies, water, watermelon juice, Weight loss, work out, workout, yoga and pilates

Hey you guys!! Sorry I missed posting yesterday, my day caught up with me! haha!  Unfortunately I forgot to take my before pictures >.< but I did make sure to jot down my weights. Overall I lost 12 pounds this week! I have to say I am quite happy with those results! I don’t think I’ll do a 7 day smoothie cleanse like this again, but I will definitely be keeping smoothies in my diet regularly! I think what really helped was finding a couple different smoothies that I really liked so I always had those to fall back on. My two faves were my watermelon juice

Watermelon Juice

And my orange blend!

2 oranges, watermelon, orange bell peper

2 oranges, watermelon, orange bell peper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also found a really cool idea if you have children in the house who don’t like to eat their veggies!

Monster Smoothie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plus it helps if you’re doing a cleanse with kids in the house, or if you need another idea for a green smoothie!

  • Clear plastic cups
  • white vinyl (or white circle stickers)
  • green and black or brown permanent markers (I used Elmer’s Painters pens)
  • approx 1 C almond milk
  • about 1/2  C apple juice
  • about 1/2 C canned pineap­ple chunks
  • 1 apple (we used granny smith to keep every­thing green)
  • 1 banana
  • 2 small kiwi
  • 2 small hand­fuls of washed, fresh spinach
  • 2 hand­ful of ice cubes
  • blender

Just blend the (edible!) ingredients and serve!

(for more fun monster theme items and fun ideas check out Mom Endeavors ^_^)

 

Well! I hope everyone had a great weekend!! Be sure to like our Facebook page for a chance to win some awesome prizes!!

Much Love!

~Ashley<3

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And so it ends!

23 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by aneris91 in Ash's Updates, Ash's Weight Loss Journey, Ashley's Tips, Bettering my Body, Food and Recipes, General Updates, Health and Beauty

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Arts, beauty, cantaloupe, cardio, cleanse, dad, day seven, diet, dieting, diets, DIY, exercise, Facebook, food, frozen strawberries, fruit, gaming, GM Diet, green tea, health, healthy-living, how-to, Jillian Michaels, life, lunch dinner, Makeup, mom, nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp, New Skin Products, peper, product testing, restaurants, Shopping, skinny wrap, smoothie, smoothies, social media, style, tea blender, transportation, tutorial, veggies, water, Weight loss, work out, workout, yoga and pilates

Before I start, be sure to check out our Facebook page and hit the little “like” button!! We are so close to our 100 fan giveaway so be sure to Like, Share and Invite for your chance to win!!

Today ends day seven of my cleanse! I have to say I really enjoyed my experience. For breakfast I had another green smoothie 🙂 I think I’ll be making a habit out of this hehe

2 oranges, 2 banana, green tea, blender boost, spinach, kiwi, cantaloupe

2 oranges, 2 banana, green tea, blender boost, spinach, kiwi, cantaloupe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That lasted me till almost 1. I ended up spending most of my day over at a friends house so I ended up just having an apple for lunch. Dinner was very orange!!

2 oranges, watermelon, orange bell peper

2 oranges, watermelon, orange bell peper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was amazing actually lol I have to say I was really satisfied with this cleanse. I felt really energized (most days haha) and it was difficult not eating crap foods in the house, but once I had my smoothie, I was set. I was full. Plus seeing the results on the scale and in the mirror really helped. I don’t know if I’ll do a whole week fast like this again, but I will definitely be keeping a lot of smoothies and juicing in my diet for sure! Tomorrow I’ll be posting my before and after pix as well as my weight change. I really hope you guys enjoyed following along and if anyone decides to try their own smoothie cleanse, I’d love to hear your story!!

Much love and have a great week!

~Ashley<3

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Day 6!

22 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by aneris91 in Ash's Updates, Ash's Weight Loss Journey, Bettering my Body, Food and Recipes, General Updates, Health and Beauty

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Arts, beauty, blender, cardio, cleanse, dad, detox, diet, dieting, diets, DIY, exercise, Facebook, food, frozen strawberries, fruit, GM Diet, green tea, health, healthy-living, how-to, Jillian Michaels, life, Makeup, mom, nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp, oranges, restaurants, Shopping, skinny wrap, smoothie, smoothies, social media, step photo, style, tomorrow is my last day, veggies, water, Weight loss, work out, workout, yoga and pilates

Hey everyone!! Today ends day six! Tomorrow is my last day of the detox! I didn’t get a chance to run or walk today because of the weather. It was either too hot or storming…yay Florida >.< But I may be going for a walk in a little bit with a friend provided it stops raining lol

Today for breakfast I had an orange melon smoothie. Since I wasn’t able to upload my video on how the smoothie packs work, I went ahead and did a step-by-step photo set!

Start with the liquid and not frozen ingredients. I used Green Tea, 2 oranges,  my blender boost, and a banana

Start with the liquid and not frozen ingredients. I used Green Tea, 2 oranges, my blender boost, and a banana

Blend until smooth

Blend until smooth

Take your smoothie pack, and make sure it's slightly broken up so it's not just one big chunk

Take your smoothie pack, and make sure it’s slightly broken up so it’s not just one big chunk

add to blender

add to blender

Blend until smooth. add ice as needed until desired consistency

Blend until smooth. add ice as needed until desired consistency

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See? Easy! For lunch I just had a few pieces of frozen pineapple and some carrots (I was pretty full from the smoothie!) I also accidentally had a bite of orange chicken at the mall. They were giving out samples and she handed me one and I was like oh yum…then I took a bite and went…oops…haha but oh well. One bite won’t kill me!

Dinner was a nice green smoothie that I forgot to take a picture of, but it was some green tea, 2 oranges, 2 bananas, a handful of spinach, and some frozen pineapple. Super yummy!

Tomorrow I plan on making this one for breakfast

Lean Green

I’ll let you now how it turns out!! I hope you all have a great weekend and I’ll post my update on my final day tomorrow, then look for my week sum-up with before and after pix and weight change on Monday!!

Be sure to like our Facebook for a chance to enter our 100 fan giveaway!!

~Ashley<3

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