ALONG COMES MARY

How is it already May? It’s been a beautiful Spring and I’ll celebrate my first Mother’s Day this week. As I head into my fourth month of motherhood, something on my mind is losing the stubborn baby weight. I’m 30 pounds down from when I gave birth to Mabel (20 came right off after having her) and I have just under 20 to go. Progress? Definitely. Does it feel like it all of the time? Not always.

This is where my friends at Melissa’s Produce come in, once again. I’ve been on a heavy low-carb diet and juicing quite a bit. Organic is always key for me and enjoying what’s in season. It was an early Mother’s Day treat for me to come home to two humongous boxes of organic goodies from Melissa’s.

Living in LA, you’d assume juice cleanses would be second nature to me. Yet, I used to roll my eyes at the trend as I munched on peanut butter cups. Nowadays? I feel lost without a celery juice! I began getting on the juice wagon a bit before Mabel, and have increased my game over time. Mike got me a juicer at Christmastime, and it’s insane the amount of money I’ve saved. A simple small green blend can set me back ten dollars easy, so it’s already paid for itself. This gives me more cash to buy organic goods, am I right?

With my latest stash from Melissa’s, I received their Organic Mixed Fruit Box and Organic Family Box. With a three-month-old (and my tendencies anyhow), I usually go the easy route and quickly juice a bath of celery and squeeze in some lemon. These beautiful assortments are forcing me to get creative, and I’m loving it.

Over the weekend, I dreamed up a green juice concoction of kale, celery, apple, half a pear, ginger, and lemon. It was the perfect fuel before an impromptu three-mile walk at sunset with the family. Another on-the-spot recipe was orange, carrot, and ginger. Since I’m attempting to ignore my go-to desserts like a cookie or chocolate, I’ve made friends with a juicy grapefruit before bed. Although I usually buy conventional fruits I peel, I gotta say, I may stick to organic grapefruits and oranges.

As always, Melissa’s Produce provided me an abundance of delicious nourishment. We’ve also got carrots and broccoli to roast, and artichokes to steam. Juicy red strawberries are great to eat as-is but would be irresistible in a pie. Mike is a secret pie-maker, yet lucky for him, that wouldn’t be low-carb!

Whether for Mother’s Day or any other reason, Melissa’s is always a terrific gift option. From produce boxes like what I received or a gorgeous basket, visit them HERE.

(*Disclosure: Special thanks to Melissa’s for my fantastic organic boxes. All opinions are my own.)