This winter weather has been absolutely brutal on my skin. I'm itchy and dry and I look like kinda like Casper. Recently I decided to try some various homemade skin treatments (mostly because I did not feel like going anywhere to buy one ;-) and I ended up finding some great recipes for the spa treatment at home! The best part is that all of the ingredients for these treatments can be found in your kitchen and they are much more gentle on your skin than many of the harsh chemicals found in store bought skin care products. While these may not be recipes for eating they are made out of food so I decided to share them:
Cleaning your skin:
Exfoliant - mix 1 tbsp baking soda with enough water to form a paste. Add a couple drops of lemon juice and gently rub all over face. Rinse with warm water.
After you clean your face, try one of these masks:
Oily skin - mix 1 tbsp honey, 1 egg yolk and mix in enough oatmeal to form a thick paste. Spread over face and rinse with warm water after 5-10 minutes.
dry skin - mash 1/2 banana and mix with 1 tbsp honey and 2 tbsp sour cream. Allow to sit for 10 minutes and gently rinse with warm water and splash with cold.
Blackheads - beat an egg white with a few drops of lemon juice and spread over your face. Rinse with warm water after 5-10 minutes.
Cooling mask - mix 1/2 cup greek yogurt,1 tbsp honey, chopped fresh mint leaves and a small amount of a pureed cucumber. Spread across face and rinse after 10 minutes
Skin Toner: Grate a cucumber and place in a sieve over a bowl to collect the juice. Add a few drops of lemon juice and use a cotton ball to apply to face. This will tighten skin and increase circulation to the area.
Other homemade beauty ideas:
- put a couple of green tea bags in the tub when you take a bath. The antioxidants are good for your skin too.
- for a quick hair mask, coat hair in mayonnaise and allow to sit for about 30 minutes (put on a shower cap if you have one). Slowly rinse the mayo out with beer and then gently shampoo. Sounds gross, but your hair will be so silky and shiny!
I decided to spare you the image of what these masks looked like on, so I do not have any pics for this post. But I can tell you the treatments worked pretty well, felt great and cost next to nothing. Hope you enjoy them!
Happy Eating.... or treating, or Masking...;)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Not Your Average Salad!
When most people think about eating healthier, the first thing they think about eating are salads. A salad is a great way to get low calorie, low fat, low carb, low everything meal with lots of vitamins and antioxidants. Sounds great, but the problem is that salads can get old and boring very quickly. They can also be unsatisfying when you are craving something hearty, warm and delicious (which is just about everyday for me ;-)
In my journey to eat healthy, I have come across some pretty amazing salads and some that are less than desirable. Here are a few of my favorite salad recipes that have a lot of filling, satisfying flavor but are still good for you.
Southwestern Quinoa Salad:(This salad is not only satisfying, delicious, healthy and easy... it's also vegan)
- a half a cup cooked quinoa per person you are serving
- about a teaspoon of olive oil
- small clove garlic, minced
- chipotle chili powder (about a teaspoon or more if you like spicy)
- one diced onion
- diced red pepper
- black beans
- corn
- chopped avocado
- salsa (for dressing)
Heat olive oil in a skillet and begin cooking the onion and garlic. Once the onion softens, add the diced red pepper and chipotle chili powder and cook until tender crisp. Stir in black beans and corn until warmed through. Assemble by putting quinoa on a plate and topping with the black bean mixture. Add avocado and salsa on top. Enjoy!
Cobb Salad with Poached Egg
- mixed greens
- bacon (cooked and crumbled)
- 1 large tomato diced
- cooked, diced chicken (I usually save some from a previously cooked chicken dinner)
- crumbled blue cheese
- small amount of mustard vinaigrette (make your own with olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, S&P)
- Eggs (enough for each salad serving to have one)
Top the mixed greens with the bacon, tomato, chicken and blue cheese. Toss lightly with small amount of vinaigrette. Gently poach one egg per salad you are serving, remove with a slotted spoon and place on the salads. The yolk of the egg acts as a part of the dressing and is very indulgent tasting. It also adds a warm element to a usually cold salad. I really love the blue cheese in this salad!
Chicken, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad:
- Chicken breast
- Spinach or any other mixed greens
- Sliced pears - any kind should work
- Cucumber, lightly peeled and sliced into half moons
- Crumbled goat cheese
- Walnuts
- Raspberry vinaigarette
Start by marinating the chicken in some of the vinaigrette (save the rest to dress the salad). Place the spinach on serving plates and top with sliced pears, cucumber, goat cheese and walnuts. Next grill the chicken until cooked through and allow to rest off the heat for a few minutes. Slice the chicken and place on top of each salad plate. Finish the salad with a drizzle of the raspberry vinaigrette and enjoy!
I think one of the key things these salads offer that makes them so good is some type of warm food. There is something satisfying and filling about eating warm foods that we can often miss when eating cold salads. If you decide to try these salads you won't be disappointed!
Happy Eating!
-
In my journey to eat healthy, I have come across some pretty amazing salads and some that are less than desirable. Here are a few of my favorite salad recipes that have a lot of filling, satisfying flavor but are still good for you.
Southwestern Quinoa Salad:(This salad is not only satisfying, delicious, healthy and easy... it's also vegan)
- a half a cup cooked quinoa per person you are serving
- about a teaspoon of olive oil
- small clove garlic, minced
- chipotle chili powder (about a teaspoon or more if you like spicy)
- one diced onion
- diced red pepper
- black beans
- corn
- chopped avocado
- salsa (for dressing)
Heat olive oil in a skillet and begin cooking the onion and garlic. Once the onion softens, add the diced red pepper and chipotle chili powder and cook until tender crisp. Stir in black beans and corn until warmed through. Assemble by putting quinoa on a plate and topping with the black bean mixture. Add avocado and salsa on top. Enjoy!
Cobb Salad with Poached Egg
- mixed greens
- bacon (cooked and crumbled)
- 1 large tomato diced
- cooked, diced chicken (I usually save some from a previously cooked chicken dinner)
- crumbled blue cheese
- small amount of mustard vinaigrette (make your own with olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, S&P)
- Eggs (enough for each salad serving to have one)
Top the mixed greens with the bacon, tomato, chicken and blue cheese. Toss lightly with small amount of vinaigrette. Gently poach one egg per salad you are serving, remove with a slotted spoon and place on the salads. The yolk of the egg acts as a part of the dressing and is very indulgent tasting. It also adds a warm element to a usually cold salad. I really love the blue cheese in this salad!
Chicken, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad:
- Chicken breast
- Spinach or any other mixed greens
- Sliced pears - any kind should work
- Cucumber, lightly peeled and sliced into half moons
- Crumbled goat cheese
- Walnuts
- Raspberry vinaigarette
Start by marinating the chicken in some of the vinaigrette (save the rest to dress the salad). Place the spinach on serving plates and top with sliced pears, cucumber, goat cheese and walnuts. Next grill the chicken until cooked through and allow to rest off the heat for a few minutes. Slice the chicken and place on top of each salad plate. Finish the salad with a drizzle of the raspberry vinaigrette and enjoy!
I think one of the key things these salads offer that makes them so good is some type of warm food. There is something satisfying and filling about eating warm foods that we can often miss when eating cold salads. If you decide to try these salads you won't be disappointed!
Happy Eating!
-
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Loveable food!
I love Valentine's day! Even when I was a kid it was one of my favorite holidays. I can remember how great it was coming home from school and finding my bed covered in conversation hearts, chocolates and a nice card from my dad. Even when I was older and single I enjoyed valentines day. Any holiday dedicated to the concept of love is good by me!
The first year Ryan and I were together for Valentines day, he took me out to a nice Italian restaurant where we fought the crowds, paid too much and found it hard to enjoy each others company. The following year we started a tradition and now every year Ryan makes me an amazing homemade dinner of Chicken Marsala. It is always sooo delicious and with a few candles and a bottle of wine we have quite an intimate stress free Valentine's meal together! This year I decided to add to the tradition by offering to making a delicious dessert. I knew I wanted something rich and chocolate-y and I found the recipe below which sounded perfect.
Espresso Chocolate Molten Cakes
- Two 6 oz ramekins
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter plus more for the ramekins
- 1 tbsp flour, plus more for dusting the ramekins
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (use dark chocolate chips for an antioxidant boost)
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Butter the ramekins and dust with flour. Place the butter and chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg, egg yolk and sugar in a medium bowl until thick and lighter in color, about a minute. Add the melted chocolate mixture, flour and espresso and beat until fully incorporated and smooth. Divide the batter between the prepared ramekins. Bake until edges are set and center still jiggles slightly, 8-10 minutes. Let stand for 15 seconds. Run a knife around the edge, then invert each cake onto a plate.
I am going to serve them with a really good vanilla ice cream and maybe a drizzle of caramel.
Also, I found this cool romantic Valentine's meal planner on Epicurious today. You just answer a few questions and it gives you menu suggestions. So if you want to impress someone you love, give it a try!
Happy Valentine's day and Happy Eating!
The first year Ryan and I were together for Valentines day, he took me out to a nice Italian restaurant where we fought the crowds, paid too much and found it hard to enjoy each others company. The following year we started a tradition and now every year Ryan makes me an amazing homemade dinner of Chicken Marsala. It is always sooo delicious and with a few candles and a bottle of wine we have quite an intimate stress free Valentine's meal together! This year I decided to add to the tradition by offering to making a delicious dessert. I knew I wanted something rich and chocolate-y and I found the recipe below which sounded perfect.
Espresso Chocolate Molten Cakes
- Two 6 oz ramekins
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter plus more for the ramekins
- 1 tbsp flour, plus more for dusting the ramekins
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (use dark chocolate chips for an antioxidant boost)
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Butter the ramekins and dust with flour. Place the butter and chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg, egg yolk and sugar in a medium bowl until thick and lighter in color, about a minute. Add the melted chocolate mixture, flour and espresso and beat until fully incorporated and smooth. Divide the batter between the prepared ramekins. Bake until edges are set and center still jiggles slightly, 8-10 minutes. Let stand for 15 seconds. Run a knife around the edge, then invert each cake onto a plate.
I am going to serve them with a really good vanilla ice cream and maybe a drizzle of caramel.
Also, I found this cool romantic Valentine's meal planner on Epicurious today. You just answer a few questions and it gives you menu suggestions. So if you want to impress someone you love, give it a try!
Happy Valentine's day and Happy Eating!
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