Fresh Starts

Every year, January shows up and I begin the year with a fresh start.I love the idea of resting my GI track and the best way I know how is to introduce juice into my diet. After all the over eating and indulging it seems like the natural progression of things. As you know I love to throw parties and cook. My cookbook from Rizzoli will be hitting shelves in October so more than usual I have been cooking, testing and of course tasting all the recipes in my cookbook. yum + ugh.So I need to take some time this month to regroup and take a break from all the sugary cookies, yummy cakes and pies, candy plus all the fatty cheeses and fried foods,charcuterie, that show up at the holidays at parties,not to mention the fantastic cocktails. Oh my.If you've never juiced before this is a great opportunity to start. It's not a fast. I like to think of it as a break and rest for your tummy and your systems.It's not a weight loss program it is a reprogramming of your eating habits.Here's a great recipe for day 2Kale-Berry Juicey Shake4 cups of Kale {about 2 bunches}2 cups of strawberries2 pears1 cucumber1/2 cup almond milk *optionalPut all fruits and veggies through a feed tube of a juicer pour juice into a pitcher, stir the almond milk into the juice mixture and enjoy.YUMMY!Tonight we will have grilled lemon chicken breast over a tossed salad for dinner.I will start posting healthy dinner options along with some breakfast suggestions over the next few weeks.Here's the chicken recipe.* I serve this chicken over fresh salad like arugula or mixed spring mix add tomatoes and sliced red onions and a quarter of an avocado. splash some red wine vinegar over the salad and enjoy.Lemon Chickenserves 4Marinade3 tablespoons olive oil1 tablespoon lemon zestjuice of one lemon1 clove of garlic minced1/2 teaspoon salt2 tablespoons fresh thyme1 teaspoon dijon mustard2 large boneless organic chicken breastswhisk all ingredients for the marinade in a bowl, place chicken into a ziplock bag and pour marinade over the chicken close the ziplock bag. Place chicken and marinade into the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.Place chicken on a hot grill or saute pan {if you are cooking in a pan make sure to spray with pam or 2 tablespoons olive oil} saute until completely cooked about 10 minutes on each side.160 degrees with a thermometer.Let me know how you're doing and any tips you might have. Don't forget to drink as much water as you can.Oh and go for a long walk if you can this week.Cheers #happyjuicing!Beautiful photo from Williams Sonoma they are having a great Juicer Sale , stop by ad have a look!