“On your post on May 9 (Simplifying My Morning Routine) you posted a picture of a white bench and shelf (I am guessing in your entryway). Can I ask where you got them? I need those things exactly! Thank you,” Carol H.

The white bench and shelf are from this article at Women’s Day.com.  Its a great look, isn’t it?

“What does the banana do? Could I leave it out? I’m allergic to latex and bananas are a cross species or something…so fresh bananas make me react.” – Halle

The banana in Chocolate Almond Chia Oats really acts as a thickening agent and to add substance and creaminess to the recipe.  I’m not sure what else you could use.  Maybe some pureed strawberries?  In smoothies I substitute peaches for bananas because they both add good bulk to the recipe, but chocolate and peach doesn’t sound appealing to me for this recipe.  Try strawberries.

“I have a large bottle of concentrated lemon juice in my fridge and use that. Easy, quick, and no mess, no fuss. Is there a reason I should not be using that?”  – anonymous

Hi there!  Thanks for your question.  The fresh squeezed lemon juice in my 5 Reasons to Drink Lemon Water in the Morning post is in my opinion very important.  Fresh is best.  I’ve read in many juicing books that the minute juice hits air it starts to lose nutrients, so the sooner you can drink juice after it is squeezed, the better, which is why I am a big fan of freshly juiced juices!  Bottled also contains preservatives-sulfates I believe-so another reason to stick with fresh.

In my Crockpot Fajitas-A Fix and Forget Recipe, the recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs of chicken, but as you can see in the picture in the post, I used a little less.  It is a forgiving recipe.

“Hi! What are the muffin looking things in this photo (from the sponsor page)? They look so neat!”  – konacupcake

That is a picture of my Oatmeal Freezer Pucks.  I make a big pan of steel cut oats, then freeze in large muffin cups.  Pop them out, store in the freezer, and have awesome, fresh tasting steel cut oats in minutes in the morning!

“This is a beautiful article in tribute to one of my favourite things, esp. since I grew up drinking it fresh squeezed, in season. How does one get to write a sponsored ad and what is the compensation? If it was 100% Florida orange juice (which is so expensive for our huge family that I only buy it on special occasions), I wish I had kept up with my blogging better!”  – michelle mad docks

I am so glad you enjoyed the article featuring Florida orange juice in my Chilled Melon & Citrus Soup with Kiwi Salsa. I work with a company called Social Spark.  They hook up advertisers and writers.  Social Spark sends me offers from different companies, and I chose which ones would be a good fit for New Nostalgia.  The compensation is a sliding scale based on how many page views a blog receives each month.  It has been a blessing to our family to be able to write some occasional paid posts.  Note that any paid posts starts out with acknowledgement that it is one.  Also know I will never promote anything I don’t support here on New Nostalgia.  For more information, visit Social Spark.

“I was wondering what kind of taste the ginger adds. I don’t like ginger, but don’t know how much of it you can feel. I watched the movie too and really wanted to do it, but then went on the website and saw ginger and my mind just shut it off. I know….excuses, excuses, but still…if I left the ginger out would the juices taste yucky? Could I replace it with something else?” – Luliana

I don’t think it is “excuses, excuses!”  I get that your brain would say no if I kept seeing an ingredient I didn’t like pop up in juice recipes.  Yes, you can taste the ginger, depending on how much you use.  You don’t have to use the ginger in any of the recipes in the post, Juice Cleanse Day 3, especially if you don’t like the taste.  For people who do like the taste, it adds a freshness and helps mask the taste of some of the greens.  It also has great health properties, BUT no problem if you want to skip it.  You could add another half of lemon instead..or just skip it all together.

“I was on your blog site awhile ago and thought that I found a list of about 10 leg exercises ( simple planks, wall sitting etc.) and it was called the “sexy leg workout”. I recently searched your site and I can not find it. Is it still on your site somewhere?” – Diana

That was from my post Simple Workout Inspirations.  I was not sure where that was located, either, so I used the search box in my sidebar and searched the word “workout.”  FYI if you ever need to find something else on the blog…or, just leave another comment! 🙂

“Would it make a difference if I left out the cranberries?”  – Libby

Hi Libby.  No, it would not make a difference.  You could substitute dried cherries if you like them, or just leave them out all together.  These Chewy Granola bars are so awesome, I may have to go make some now!