Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Get Inspired With American Dream Builders {$50 Lowe's Gift Card Giveaway}



The American Dream Home is something everyone fantasizes about. Whether it’s a new closet, a larger family room, or simply a place to put all your stuff, there’s always something we want to change about where we live!
What if you could make your home into your Dream Home?
AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS – a new show on NBC airing on Sunday at 8/7c – and Lowe’s want to make your dream a reality.

Hosted by famed interior designer and best-selling author, Nate Berkus, AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS follows the nation’s top 12 designers and home builders as they compete to be crowned the Ultimate Dream Builder and take home a $250,000 cash prize. It’s the home competition that will change everything!



From the producers of Survivor and The Bachelor, don’t miss AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS, Sundays at 8/7c, only on NBC.

You can enter for a chance to win $100,000 in products and services from Lowe’s and a consultation with the winner of American Dream Builders!

Enter for a chance to win your dream renovation at www.nbc.com/lowes.

You will have the opportunity to earn 5 bonus entries when you “Dream It Yourself”! Upload a photo and description of a home project you are working on and EARN 5 BONUS SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES.


Finally, follow the show on Facebook and Twitter for a chance to win more prizes from American Dream Builders and Lowe’s!


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Win It

One LUCKY ace and friends reader will WIN a $50 Lowe's Gift Card!

Enter Below via Rafflecopter.

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Monday, March 24, 2014

My 3-Day Jus by Julie Juice Cleanse {Review & Giveaway}






Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is definitely priority and important to me. Admittedly it isn’t always for me. Sometimes, no matter how efficiently I try to plan out the week, I find myself grabbing lunch on the road or stopping on the way home from driving the kids to and from their activities to pick up dinner. I find myself eating foods that are the healthiest of choices. As of lately, this has been the norm and I knew it was time to take control and give my body a bit of a jumpstart. That’s when it was clear to me that I needed to try a 3-day juice cleanse!

About Jus by Julie
(source: jusbyjulie.com)


As a certified nutritionist, what Julie was drawn from studying many theories on diets and health is; our bodies need a lot of greens to function at peak capacity. Though greens aren’t normally our first choice of food, thus it's hard to get the daily requirement of fiber from just three meals and a few snacks. To achieve that healthy goal, Julie began to make green smoothies for herself and husband to drink first thing in the morning.

Soon she discovered that this was practically a miracle in a bottle as the effects were incredible. The smoothie provided all that much needed fiber, it was able to tame our sugar cravings, and it gave her family a lot of energy. Julie felt leaner almost instantly, and amazingly her husband's cholesterol went down 70 points!



Since, she had been sharing her experiences with friends and beyond, who all wanted in on this wonder drink. Julie started to get up at four in the morning to blend and prepare these smoothies, and then before she knew it word spread and people were calling her for juice. From there on, smoothie-making has grown into a family business.

ace and friends' thoughts

For me to successfully try and complete a three day cleanse, there were some criteria that had to met before I could begin. First, it had be easy. I don’t have the time, nor the energy to shop at various stores trying to locate some obscure ingredients. Keeping it simple is my theory. Second, if I’m drinking these juices for multiple days, it had to taste delicious (or at most, good) for me to stick it out. Finally, it was important to me that the I could clearly understand the ingredients that were actually in each drink.  I didn’t want to invest my time in consuming drinks with a bunch of random *stuff* in it, that would defeat my purpose. My main goal was to flush out the *toxins* and give my body the jumpstart that it so desperately needed.

I wasn’t actually familiar with many juice cleanses, so when I came across Jus by Julie and investigated their products, I had a feeling that this program could work for me. When i visiting their website,  what caught my eye was that their juices were made FRESH DAILY. Jus by Julie only uses pure and raw ingredients to rid the body of impurities through specially formulated drinks. The Jus by Julie website offered a lot of valuable and useful information that convinced me that this was the cleanse for me to try out.

Because I was unfamiliar with juice cleansing, the nice folks at Jus by Julie selected a variety of flavors for me to try during my 3-Day Juice Cleanse. This cleanse includes six drinks to be consumed over a three day period. It was great to see that once the juices arrived, the ingredients in each drink was clearly labeled, recognizable and items that were very familiar to me. Spinach, Kale, Bananas, Lemons, Pineapple.

I received my order promptly the following day of my order placement. It came in a nice big insulated tote bag.


After receiving my juices, I immediately began the following day. It is suggested that you begin the cleanse within three days of receiving your order. To start the day, I began with Morning Glory... with romaine, celery, spinach, apple, kale, banana and strawberry as ingredients... my thoughts... it's not going to be bad at all... I'm not going to lie, this particular juice was a hold the nose, drink as fast as you can through a straw beverage. At the very moment of finishing this juice, I was not looking forward to the next drink, let alone the next three days of this cleanse.

To my delightful surprise to rest of the juices throughout the day were not only delicious, but a fantastic surprise. Each juice following the first was not only flavorful, but filling as well. My absolute favorites were the Island Coconut, Chia Berry, Not So Chunky and Sweet Spin! I will definitely be ordering these in the future for just my every day weeks!

What I really liked about Jus by Julie were the option of flavors throughout the days as well as the ability to swap one flavor for drink labeled number (2) on day one versus drink day two.

Because I am so used to eating solid food every day, I found myself craving anything that crunched. Jus by Julie recommends that you eat as little as possible when cleansing for the best results, but if you need something, you can much on raw veggies or you were also allowed egg white, which is what I gladly included. By day two, I actually felt pretty good as well as energized and continued my regular workout schedule.

So what were the overall pros and cons of the 3-day Jus by Julie Juice Cleanse? First, let me begin with the cons: {1} Morning Glory flavor was not good {2} Some of the juices were clearly thinner than others, allowing to drink much faster and not seem as full and satisfied and {3} I missed *crunching* on physical food.

Now for the pros: {1} Drinks are clearly labeled and it’s easy to identify which juice was to be consumed {2} ALL other juice flavors that I tried were delicious and I really enjoyed each of them. {3} made from pure and raw ingredients DAILY {4} ONLY 3-days.

I completed the cleanse successfully over the weekend and I could certainly tell a difference. Was I craving actual solid food, of course, but healthy non-processed or pre-packaged food.
I am thrilled to say that I finished the 3-day cleanse. My body was happy too. It was the exact jumpstart that was needed to get back on track to healthier eating. 

Finally thoughts: I would do cleanse all over again and would recommend it to others looking to take a step toward a healthier way of living. If you want to learn more about Jus by Julie 3-day cleanse, please visit their website HERE as well as find them on Facebook and Twitter!


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Buy It

The 3-Day Juice Cleanse is available at JusbyJulie.com.

ace and friends 15% Discount Coupon: JUS4FRIENDS

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Win It

Thanks to Jus by Julie, one LUCKY ace and friends reader will win
a 3-Day Juice Cleanse of their very own!

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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Campbell's Heart Healthy Address Your Heart Recipes and Savings!



Thankfully I've been fortunate to have a heart healthy family. My mom (as well as my in-laws) are still healthy and active as Grandparents for my children now. We, as a family, have also been lucky to also have healthy hearts. However, many family are tragically effected by this preventable disease. According to the CDC, about 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths which is the leading cause of death for both men and women.

With the new year, getting (and staying) healthy is prominently on people’s minds and keeping your family in tip top shape can be a challenge for a family with a busy lifestyle. Thanks to our friends at Campbell’s Soup, they offer some useful Heart Healthy Tips, recipes and more with their “Address Your Heart” campaign.

Visit AddressYourHeart.com to get heart-healthy tips, including 21 Campbell’s recipes that are certified by the AHA and product coupons, as well as Campbell's on Facebook  for the latest Campbell’s recipes and offers.


Check out these amazing heart healthy  “American Heart Association Certified Recipes”. Click on each photo below to easily download for your convenience.

Stuffed Winter Squash



Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

 

Creamy Chicken & Vegetables over Spaghetti Squash


 
Pizza Primavera with Cauliflower Crust



Pork Medallions with Spinach & Barley



Visit HERE to get a variety of money saving coupons as well as special offers just for YOU.



[Product review & giveaway disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free from Campbell's Soup Company. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." See ace and friends Disclosure Policy HERE.]
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