Detoxifying Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie

While browsing Pinterest today I came across THIS recipe for a detox strawberry lemonade smoothie.
So of course I had to try it.
It is DELICIOUS!
And healthy. And low-calorie. And filling.
Who wouldn't love it?!?

Check it out!

Ingredients

1/2 cup pure coconut water
1 1/6 cup local, organic strawberries
1/4 medium-large local, organic lemon
1 handful of organic spinach
2 to 3 small pitted, local Deglet Noor dates (optional and can be used to sweeten according to taste)
2 scoops ice

Directions

The recipe is from smoothie enthusiast Heather Scott, who owns Purple Plant Smoothies, a San Francisco-based smoothie catering company. She recommends having the smoothie as a light snack or in addition to a healthy meal. "Most whole food, real fruits, and veggies have a number of extremely beneficial nutrients to help the body cleanse and detox naturally," Heather says. Get her recipe below!

Place strawberries, lemon, coconut water, ice, spinach, and dates (optional) in a blender.
Blend on medium speed for about 30 seconds.

I did not have any dates, so I used some liquid stevia instead.

This is my new favorite smoothie, EVER.
And...it's a great detoxifier!!!
I LOVE foods that also serve as a natural detox!
It reminds me of a (high sugar and super unhealthy) frozen strawberry lemonade that you can buy from a number of places.

I will definitely be making this throughout the summer!

Hello Homemade: Whole Wheat Biscuts

So....I am still pretty stinkin' excited that I made my own biscuits from scratch!!!!
This is something that even the thought of just 6 months ago terrified me.
So I'm pretty proud.

The recipe I used was SO SIMPLE that it had me wondering why anyone even buys canned biscuits in the first place?!??
And to make it even better, they were WHOLE WHEAT and "clean"!

I served these as my "crust" for my chicken pot pie tonight, they were delicious!
I will definitely be making these biscuits again and again! :)

Super Easy Whole Wheat Biscuits
SERVES: 8-10 BISCUITS

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole wheat organic flour)
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup cold unsalted butter
1 cup milk (any kind)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well with whisk or fork.
Cut the ½ stick butter into little pea sized pieces and then mix the pieces into the flour mixture.

Using a fork, try to mash the butter pieces as you mix it together with the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. It is okay if the outcome just looks like the same pea sized pieces of butter covered with flour.

Then pour in the milk and mix it all together. Knead the dough with your hands 8 to 10 times and then turn out onto a counter or cutting board.

Pat it out flat with your hands until the dough is a somewhat even ¾-inch thickness (sprinkle with a little flour if necessary).

Turn a drinking glass upside down and cut out biscuit rounds. I have also used shaped cookie cutters (like a heart or star) if you have little ones helping you!

Then put them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Enjoy!

Cream of X Soup Mix!

Let me start by asking this, how many of your favorite recipes (especially those wonderful comfort foods) call for a can of Cream of Something Soup!?!
My guess is, a lot! I know several of mine do!

If you are like me, once you learned what was actually in those cans of soup, you never wanted to buy one again, much less eat it! (Plus, the texture always grosses me out!)
Well, now I don't have to!

I found a wonderful recipe HERE for a DIY cream if X soup!
One batch of this equals 9 cans of soup!!

I used this tonight for my chicken pot pie filling and it was FABULOUS!
I am in love with this!!
And it's healthy!!!

Ingredients:
2 cups powdered non-fat dry milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup instant chicken bouillon (regular or low sodium)
2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
2 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a recloseable plastic bag, mixing well.
Store in air tight container.
Equal to 9 (10.5 oz) cans of cream soup.

To substitute for 1 can of cream soup:
Combine 1/3 cup of dry mix with 1 1/4 cups of cold water. Whisk until well blended.Cook and stir on stove top or in microwave until thickened. Add thickened mixture to casseroles as you would a can of soup.

The Oil Cleansing Method: Why I Wash My Face With Olive Oil

So....I let it slip to some of my friends yesterday that I wash my face with olive oil. As u can imagine, I got several weird looks. I am here to explain why.

As I continue to switch all of my beauty products to all natural I have been in search of the perfect face wash for me and my skin!
I hadn't found it yet....until I read THIS BLOG POST and THIS WEBSITE!

Now I have ditched all of my bottled face wash and stopped my search for an all natural face wash and started using a blend of olive oil and grapeseed oil.

You heard me right, I wash my face with OIL!
And my skin has never been smoother or cleaner. It's amazing.
You may be thinking What?!?! How does oil clean your face!?! Wouldn't it make it more oily?!?
Nope. It's basic chemistry, like resolves like. Basically, oil resolves oil.

I'm sure you are a bit skeptical. I know Jonathan was. He has oily skin and was extremely hesitant to try it, but once he did, he is an oil cleansing method believer! He even commented on how clean and "normal" his skin felt.

And it's GREAT for removing make-up too. This was my biggest fear that I would end up with mascara under my eye. Not the case at all.

Instead of going I to detail about how and why I use the oil cleansing method I will refer you to the 2 links I posted above. They explain it all so well! I'd check out the blog first, then read the article. ;)

Let me know what you think!

Let the Juicing Begin!

Ever since beginning our clean eating journey Jonathan and I have been struggling with the decision of buying a juicer.
"Why Juice?"
"Would we really use it?"
"Is it too expensive to juice?"
"Would we even like the juice!?!?"
These were all questions we discussed over and over. And over and over.

After MUCH research and thought we finally decided to take the plunge and buy a juicer!
We got the Breville Juice Fountain.
I love it!!
It is pretty amazing and super easy to clean!

Of course we just HAD to try it out after Jonathan and I went for our run!

We made a "mean green lemonade" and it was delicious!!!

Ingredients (for 2 16 oz juices)

4 apples
1 lemon
1 small bunch kale
8 celery stalks
1 cucumber

We ran all the ingredients through the juicer then drank up!
I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was.
I'm going to make some in the morning to bring for lunch tomorrow..that's how good it was.

I REALLY can't wait to do a 3-day Juice Cleanse now! So exciting!

I'm sure some of you are wondering how much it cost us to make the Mean Green Lemonade, no worries, it didn't break the bank.
Each 16 oz juice ended up costing $3.
Definitely more expensive than some processed snack/meal, but SOOOO much healthier, like a BILLION times healthier.
And it fills you up too!

With this cost frame a 3-day juice cleanse of 5 juices a day will cost approximately $45. Not bad at all considering all the benefits that come from it. I can't wait!!! :)

Hello Homemade: Foundation Powder

I have hit the All Natural jackpot by discovering THIS website!
If you click the link it will take you to the "recipe" I am blogging about now, but her site is FULL of great all natural recipes!

As evident by my last post, I am making the switch to all natural beauty and hygiene products to rid my body of nasty chemicals and toxins.
Well...my mineral foundation powder is almost out (as in it probably wouldn't have lasted until Saturday) I was planning on stopping by the mall on Friday to pick some more up (for $27), but now I don't have to!

Thanks to thankyourbody.com I now have a super simple and TOXIC FREE foundation powder "recipe".
And of course I had to share it!
You will probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen pantry!

Base:
Cornstarch (or Arrowroot Powder)

Color:
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Coco Powder

Jojoba, Olive, or Almond Oil (optional)

Directions:

1. Start with a base of Cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) (1 tsp. for dark skin – 1 Tbs. for light skin)
2. Slowly add in one or combination of the cocoa powder, cinnamon, or nutmeg until you reach your desired tone.

Optional:
If you want more of a “compact” foundation, add some jojoba/olive/almond oil to the mixture and press down into a compact. (Start with 5 drops and keep adding until it reaches your desired texture).

Use a brush to apply foundation. Make sure to tap off excess before swiping face.

I ended up using some of all three spices to reach my perfect tone, but I found the cinnamon altered the color the easiest. All three ingredients have been known to be good for skin, so not only is this make-up non toxic but it really is good for you!

I am so stinking excited and proud of this! I just saved Jonathan $30! ;)
It makes a good amount too!
There are also "recipes" for homemade mascara, lip balm, bronzer, and blush! I'm excited to try them all! :)

Let me know if you try it!

The All Natural Me!

Ever since Jonathan and I stopped eating processed foods we have both felt so much better. We have more energy, we are happier, and feel healthy! Not only has our health improved on the I side, but also the outside (better hair, nails, skin).
The removal of toxic chemicals from our diet made me think about all the horrible chemicals that are still getting into my body through my skin and all the chemical laden beauty products I use! YUCK!

This led me to begin my all natural journey.

I am not making the all natural switch to "avoid cancer" even though the chemicals I am avoiding are directly linked to cancer, I am making the switch to feel the best I can in my skin. If I treat my body well, I will be healthier and happier, this I have already learned from our diet change!

For me, it has been a slow and gradual change for several reasons. One, it can be expensive to swap everything out at once. Secondly, I still had a lot of stuff in my stockpile from when I couponed ALL THE TIME. And I wasn't going to let it all go to waste!
So I had to decide which products were most important to ME to switch out first. My first priority was to switch to an all natural lotion and deodorant, since they are both products that I leave on my skin and allow to soak into my pores and get inside my body. Then, I slowly began switching out my other products.
I am not 100% all natural yet, but I am getting there!

WHAT DOES ALL NATURAL MEAN?

It means different things to different people.
To me, it means NO SCARY CHEMICALS.
I actively avoid the following ingredients: parabens, phthalates, fragrance, formaldehyde, toluene, and a couple of other known toxins and chemicals linked to cancer.
I also look for companies who are cruelty-free and eco -friendly. It’s great to use products that are natural and organic, but not if animals or the planet have to suffer to get there.

In the near future I hope to be using nothing but all natural products!
Here are some of the ones that I am already using, and LOVE!

Lotion
I am using Everyone Lotion, it is a great value as well as a great lotion! $9.99 for 32 oz! It can be used for face, body, and hands!

Shampoo/Conditioner
If you are friends with me on Facebook then you have likely heard of my new favorite shampoo/conditioner. Bröö. It's a beer based shampoo that is vegan, cruelty free, and absolutely amazing! Since I have started using it I no longer need any kind of extra product for my hair!

Deodorant
Making the switch to a natural deodorant has definitely been the toughest challenge for me. Since natural deodorants are not antiperspirants, they do not help prevent you from sweating, they just mask the smell. I am definitely still getting used to it, but I know that by eliminating the toxic chemicals that are in antiperspirants I am doing my body good, so it is worth it and I will continue to get used to it.
I am currently using Earth Science, but plan on trying out a few brands before I settle on one.

Tinted Moisturizer
I have just learned of a neat organic make up line that is available at DRUG STORES!! It is Organic Wear by Physicians Formula. I was so excited to see that I could find all natural makeup for a reasonable price!
I just bought some of their tinted moisturizer today but so far, I like it! I was never into tinted moisturizers, but it really helps to even out my skin tone when I use my loose powder!

Powder
I am a bareMinerals girl! Ever since I got their starter kit on Martha's Vineyard 4 years ago I have loved it! And I still do! I use the original powder foundation.

Blush/Eye Shadow
I use bareMinerals blush and eye shadow too!

Mascara/Eye Liner
Organic Wear makes a great mascara and eye liner that I bought today as well and I am loving the mascara!