If you are contemplating buying a juicer, or have recently made such a purchase, you probably have questions about what to expect and how to proceed in your new cleaner, healthier lifestyle.  I have some practical tips acquired from my own experience at juicing that I am happy to share with newcomers to juicing.

Besides fruits and vegetables for juicing, I stock up on produce for fresh salads and various types of stir-fry.

With my recent purchase of an Omega J8004 Nutrition Center Commercial Juicer, I am once again a juicing enthusiast.  My refrigerator is kept well stocked with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, as you can see from the above photo.

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My Meatless Monday postings have evolved into a bi-weekly listing of food blogs that are helpful for those seeking vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free recipes.

My new five picks:

  • Anja’s Food 4 Thought
  • Happyolks
  • Lemon Fire Brigade
  • Not Without Salt
  • Veg Bowl

My previous eight articles on Meatless Monday recipes can be found by clicking here.

I have begun to post articles on juicing which can be found by clicking here.

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Part of my New Year’s resolution for 2013 was to make fresh juice much more frequently.  When I made that resolution in December, 2012 I intended to keep my Jack LaLanne Power Juicer on my counter top and make use of it daily.  Five months into the year I simply was failing at that part of my resolution – it became apparent to me that if I were to succeed in making fresh juice more frequently I needed to change course and try something different.

The Omega Nutrition Center also comes with some additional nozzles for other functions it can perform.

The Omega J8004 Nutrition Center Commercial Juicer which I have now purchased is a masticating juicer.  It kneads or literally grinds fruits and vegetables in order to extract the juice.  The Omega 8004 juicer works at a low speed of 80 RPMs and without a spinning action.

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Five months ago I purchased a Proctor Silex 10 Cup Coffeemaker (Model 4835OY) – it has been working satisfactorily for me ever since.  I don’t make coffee very often for myself anymore, but with my old coffeemaker getting slower to perk, I wanted to purchase something inexpensive to use on an occasional basis.  Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t find an exact replacement for my old coffeemaker so I just nabbed what I thought might be a workable unit according to the reviews that I read.

So far, so good with my inexpensive new coffeemaker.

It seems the K-cup coffeemakers are what are currently in vogue, but the coffee they brew is a bit too strong for my taste.  Also, I wanted an inexpensive and light coffeemaker that I can store in the cupboard rather than something heavier that would take up counter top space.

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I spent some time today untangling the delicate strings on a puppet that I made many years ago.  The time was well spent – as I worked on my puppet friend it brought to my mind a long-forgotten childhood memory.

I can see by the workmanship on this puppet that my benefactor friend allowed us the fun of crafting our puppets with our own inexperienced hands.

Appreciation of people in our lives can come decades after the relationship ends.  Such is the case with the lady who helped me construct my puppet.  Mrs. W. has long since passed to her eternal life, but I have been thinking about her today in a most appreciative manner, and wish that I could once again tell her “thanks.”

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I am finally getting the hang of this Meatless Monday program – my reminder on the refrigerator has been thrown away as this has now become part of my established weekly routine.

Here are my picks for five additional food blogs that offer a wide variety of recipes to help the rest of us stay on course each Monday.

  • Lisa’s Kitchen
  • Maple Spice
  • Preety’s Kitchen
  • Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes
  • Veg Kitchen

My previous seven articles on Meatless Monday recipes can be found by clicking here.

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This is not the type of spring weather that Twin Cities’ residents experienced last year.  Although the snow that visited our area on April 19th has disappeared, the lawns and flowerbeds that I observed while walking my neighborhood on May 1, 2013 were looking pretty sad and in need of the sun and some warmer temperatures.

This is how the trees in my neighborhood looked on April 19, 2013. A not-so-happy surprise for area residents!

In comparison to the slideshow in this article, you can see how the neighborhood looked a month ago when I walked the neighborhood on April 1, 2013.  See a brief slideshow from that date by clicking here.

A few pictures from my May 1st walk are shown in the following slideshow.

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My new resolution for learning photography is to keep my camera at the ready and not leave home without it.  If I take my camera everywhere and shoot, shoot and shoot some more, I will soon build up a catalog of images to use for all sorts of purposes.

PFS Let truth pour freely sm web

Some inspirational words that I will pin to my “Inspiration and Quotes” Pinterest board.

On my walk today I snapped an image of a storm water grate.  I liked the photo enough to import it into Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 and work with a couple of layers and text to create several all new images.

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A great advantage that I have by working from home is that I can set my own office hours and change them at will.  When I am housebound during cold weather I am quite content to work at my computer just about any time of the day – when spring arrives, that no longer does the trick for me.  I need time to get outside, breathe deeply, and take in the sights and sounds of my neighborhood.

It is still a little early for “flower smelling,” but once blooms are present, be sure to enjoy them to the fullest!

With the arrival of warmer weather here in the Twin Cities, I have changed my home office hours to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  This allows me to have a large block of time in the morning for a walk, shower, and late breakfast.  That sets such a great tone for the day and has lifted my spirits tremendously.  I also find that I have been sleeping more soundly at night.

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This boot is similar to ones I wore following my ankle injuries.

The fact that I have sustained four ankle injuries in my past must make me sound pretty klutzy!  At the time each of these highly regrettable incidents occurred I was not doing anything risky – however, accidents do happen.  As to klutzy, others can decide that for themselves.

On the positive side, I did learn some behavior-changing techniques due to these accidents which I still apply today.

What went down at the time of each accident (besides me)

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