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!

Homemade Banana "Ice Cream"

Last night I tried the most amazing snack ever!
Homemade banana "ice cream"!!!
For those of you on weight watchers, it's ZERO points!
For those of us who are vegan (plant based diet) or eating raw, this is a perfect snack!!

This simple recipe takes minutes to prepare and can easily become a permanent replacement for a nighttime snack! And it's healthy!!!

Ingredients:

Frozen banana (however many you want. I used one and a half)
Vanilla Extract (I just used a dash)
Spices (I used cinnamon, but you can use whatever you like, or omit it all together)

Place all ingredients in a blender/food processor and blend until smooth.

That's it! Super easy and so delicious.
I expected it to be good, but I never expected it to be this good!!

Next time your craving something sweet try some homemade "ice cream"!

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Side note: you can blend any frozen fruit to make "ice cream" or sorbet!

Wild Rice Stuffed Cabbage Leaves!

I have had several people ask for the recipe that we cooked last night, so I am here to deliver!

They were SOOO good, and I can't wait to eat them leftover after all the favors have come together!

Wild rice stuffed cabbage leaves

Cabbage (I used 9 leaves, but use however many you want!
Onion diced
2 carrots diced
2stalks celery dices
2 cloves garlic minced
1tbs sage
16 oz tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup veggie stock
3 cups cooked wild rice

Blanch cabbage leaves
Sauté onions carrots and celery with a little bit of water (to prevent sticking).
Once onions are soft add the garlic, sage, and sherry and cook until liquid has evaporated.
Mix cooked rice with cooked onion, carrots, and celery.
Spoon rice mixture into cabbage leaves, roll them up and place seam side down in baking dish.
Pour veggie broth into baking dish.
Cover with foil and Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and pour tomato sauce over cabbage rolls, cover and bake for another 15 minutes. (I forgot to take a picture of them after I put the tomato sauce on them!)

We had a lot of the rice mixture left over so you can always cut that in half if you want!
Let me know if you try it!

SIDE NOTE: I think it would be just as good, if not better with some soy sauce/chinese sauce instead of tomato sauce!

Homemade Almond Butter.

As most of you know, I have been on this whole homemade kick lately. Well today I finally tried something I have been wanting to do for a while! ALMOND BUTTER!

It is easy, but tedious. And I'm not going to lie, the cleanup process is NOT FUN, but totally worth it!

All you need is some almonds!
I used 3 cups of almonds that I roasted at 350 for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.

After I roasted the almonds I put them in the Ninja (food processor/blender) and blended until they turned into powder, then blended it until it got smooth and creamy (I had to stop several times to scrape the side of the blender, and to let the motor cool down.

You may want to add a little bit of olive oil, but it isn't necessary.

Don't be alarmed, it may take 15 minutes or so to get it to the consistency that you like.

So that's it, put almonds (roasted or raw) into blender/food processor until smooth and creamy.

And just an FYI, I used my ninja for this, not my fancy blender!

There are so many different things you can add to this to make it even more tasty.
Since I love dipping my apples in it I added honey and cinnamon to my almond butter and it turned out AMAZING!

And you can totally use any type of nut, I just chose almonds!

Let me know if you try it!

Nivea Men Body Wash $.69 each!

Target had a mark down this week on all Nivea body wash from $3 to $2.69.
That doesn't seem like a super great deal, but when you pair it with the $2/1 Q it makes them only $.69 each!!!
So naturally I bought 20 of them!

20 Nivea Body Wash: $3 each: $60
Sale: $2.69 each: $53.80
Minus (20) $2/1 Q (-$40)
Total: $13.80

That's a savings of $46.20!!!!
And not to mention Jonathan has enough body wash to last a while!! :)

Chia Seed Pudding

I know, I know....two post in one day. Needless to say, after I took my online test this morning I decided not to do anymore school work!
So, lucky you! :)

Jonathan and I are fascinated by chia seeds. (Not to be confused with chai...like the tea)
Chia seeds are amazing little things!

ABOUT CHIA SEEDS:
Here are just some of the awesome things they do: They are a gelatinous plant food that helps to draw out toxins from the liver and pass them into the colon for excretion. Chia seeds are also high in omega-3 as well as tons of other nutrients and make you feel full and satiated!

Chia seeds become very soft and squishy when put in liquid. Perfect for pudding!
You can flavor it however you like by adding extracts or dry spices!

Just give it a try.....it is amazing and some even consider it a Superfood!

Why have an unhealthy snack that will harm your body when you could be loading your body up with the nutrients it needs to survive and thrive (and still have a delicious snack)?!?

Ingredients

2 and 1/2 cups almond milk (I was going to make my own, but forgot to get almonds!)

3 tablespoons agave nectar or honey

1/2 cup chia seeds

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For topping: toasted sliced almonds, shredded unsweetened coconut


Instructions

1. In a container or jar with a lid, combine the almond milk, the cinnamon, and the agave nectar/honey, mixing well.

2. Add the chia seeds, close container tightly with a lid, and shake well to combine.

3. Refrigerate overnight (the original recipe says at least 4 hours, but I thought mine definitely needed more time, so check yours if you are on a time crunch.)

4. Top with toasted almond slices or shredded coconut. Enjoy.

Below is a picture of the finished product with some yummy toppings!
Original photo and an alternate recipe found HERE!

Cannellini Cilantro Hummus

With Jonathan and I eating a clean plant based diet I am always looking for good snacks! And boy did I find one!!!
(Clarification time: by diet, I mean the ACTUAL meaning of the word. Which is defined as: The sum of the food consumed by an organism or group)

Anyway... I was elated when I found THIS Hummus recipe! It combines 2 of our favorite things, hummus and cilantro! (No worries, if you are not a fan of cilantro it taste amazing without it, I promise!) and the best part is, it's a raw food!

If you try this recipe, I am sure you will never buy hummus at a restaurant again after you know how EASY, CHEAP & YUMMY it is to make it at home! So try it out!

Everyone knows that beans are a great source of protein, which is great! But not many people know the benefits of cilantro, so let me share something I thought was cool! Once cilantro is in your body it grabs onto any metals in your body and flushes them out! This is GREAT for a) people who consume a lot of fish, therefore have a lot of metals in their body and b) for people who have had a lot of dental work (me) and constantly get metals in your system. Pretty cool huh?

Now on to the actual recipe!
Jonathan and I have already gone through one batch of this! I just finished making a double batch that I am hoping will last through the weekend! It is just so yummy!!

Ingredients:

- 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
- 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (I added a little more)

-In a food processor (or blender), combine garlic and cannellini beans with lemon juice and process until smooth.
-Mix in oil, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and process until blended.
-Add 3 tablespoons cilantro and pulse until mixed.

This is wonderful to dip veggies or pita bread in, or makes for a wonderful sandwich spread!

Now for my cost.
All I had to purchase for this was the cilantro and beans so my total cost for 1 batch was......$1.50!!
And I had enough cilantro left to make the 2 batches I made today!

PS: mine looked quite different from the picture at the top of the page, but it is fantastic!