Thursday, August 28, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Summer Fun
Hi everyone! Wow I can;t believe it's been a month since I last wrote. I'm just stopping by to say hello because we have been really busy here cooking some amazing food and have some really cool things coming up. I have more posts about clean beauty items and update you guys on all the fun things I have been up too. I have pics of some yummy desserts and a great recipe I found on With Peanut butter on Top's blog I will post pics of that and write about it more and my second camping trip ever and all the interesting things that happened this time around lol..
Hope everyone's summer is going great!! Enjoy the sunshine today!
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Clean Eating and the Summertime: Park BBQs
Finally we had a few nice sunny days after the week straight blahhh. And when it's sunny I don't about you but I think bbqs, sand, water and FUN! So we hopped in the car and drove to the closest place with those things: Lake Taconic State Park. What a beautiful day and we were lucky to get a cool spot by the water. Chilling by the water thinking and working on biz we noticed a very busy woodpecker in the tree next to us. She flew back and forth gathering bugs from all the surrounding trees for her crying babies in the tree. It was so cute and entertaining. They cried the whole time and the woodpecker working hard to get that food even with the little yellow finch trying to steal her food. It was really amazing to see that. It was a really relaxing and productive day.
SO WHAT'S ON THE BBQ THESE DAYS?
So we have not ate meat since March 24th. Why? The meat from the store we just became sick of it. The taste was not fresh. So we gave it up. Funny I thought that I would miss it but it was easy. We decided that if we wanted meat that we have pay the extra money and buy it fresh from the farm. Eating veggies, fruits, grains, eggs, fresh cheese was fine. Then on Memorial Day we were like we have to grill and it has to be some meat. Quattros Game Farm in Pleasant Valley is known for their fresh chickens and that is were we got our chicken. It was fresh and delicious and funny because I couldn't eat as much of it as I have in the past. A whole chicken lasted a few weeks. We BBQed half on Memorial Day and the other half yesterday. My husband made his own clean bbq sauce. Mmmmmmm and we had mac salad and a whole pineapple. And that was our day at the lake! Came home after the sun went down and had some coconut milk ice cream (guilt free ice cream remember we are counting GOOD INGREDIENTS not CALORIES), with organic strawberries that tasted like candy and a chocolate syrup I made with coconut oil. All these things are good for you.
SO WHAT'S ON THE BBQ THESE DAYS?
So we have not ate meat since March 24th. Why? The meat from the store we just became sick of it. The taste was not fresh. So we gave it up. Funny I thought that I would miss it but it was easy. We decided that if we wanted meat that we have pay the extra money and buy it fresh from the farm. Eating veggies, fruits, grains, eggs, fresh cheese was fine. Then on Memorial Day we were like we have to grill and it has to be some meat. Quattros Game Farm in Pleasant Valley is known for their fresh chickens and that is were we got our chicken. It was fresh and delicious and funny because I couldn't eat as much of it as I have in the past. A whole chicken lasted a few weeks. We BBQed half on Memorial Day and the other half yesterday. My husband made his own clean bbq sauce. Mmmmmmm and we had mac salad and a whole pineapple. And that was our day at the lake! Came home after the sun went down and had some coconut milk ice cream (guilt free ice cream remember we are counting GOOD INGREDIENTS not CALORIES), with organic strawberries that tasted like candy and a chocolate syrup I made with coconut oil. All these things are good for you.
Dirty Beauty Series: Beet Root lip and cheek stain
So after reading and watching lots of videos on DIY natural lip and cheek stains, I got excited to start experimenting. You can easily use your favorite powder blush for this, which I did but I also wanted to try an all natural lip and cheek stain. The best recipe I found was on YumUniverse and made a few substitutes. I did not use lanolin. It also did not strain it because just clumped up in the strainer. I put the mixture back on the double boiler and just mixed the beet root power really good but it still is a bit grainy but workable. Maybe using more liquids would let it strain easier but this recipe worked fine for me.
HOW TO USE
When I feel like going foundation free, after moisturizing my face I use a Q-tip and dab a few dots from the apple of my cheeks up towards me temple and then use my middle and ring fingers to tap, not rub, from the apple to temple to blend. I do the same when using as a lip stain. I use lip balm first and then using a Q-tip or my finger and dip into the pot and tap on my lips to get the desired color.
WHAT DO I THINK
It took some time to get used to it and how to work with it and what works and what does not but I like it. I made two one with beet root powder which you can find at any health food store. It is a light tint that is great on days you want to look natural. I have another lip and cheek stain that I made using my favorite Clinique pressed powder blush that I crushed up into a powder and used this recipe and I use this cream blush when I use my powder foundation because it works better than the beet lip and cheek stain.
Will you give it a try?
HOW TO USE
When I feel like going foundation free, after moisturizing my face I use a Q-tip and dab a few dots from the apple of my cheeks up towards me temple and then use my middle and ring fingers to tap, not rub, from the apple to temple to blend. I do the same when using as a lip stain. I use lip balm first and then using a Q-tip or my finger and dip into the pot and tap on my lips to get the desired color.
WHAT DO I THINK
It took some time to get used to it and how to work with it and what works and what does not but I like it. I made two one with beet root powder which you can find at any health food store. It is a light tint that is great on days you want to look natural. I have another lip and cheek stain that I made using my favorite Clinique pressed powder blush that I crushed up into a powder and used this recipe and I use this cream blush when I use my powder foundation because it works better than the beet lip and cheek stain.
Will you give it a try?
 |
| No makeup only lip + cheek stain. |
 |
| Beet Root Powder lip+cheek stain |
Friday, May 30, 2014
Clean Eating on Vacation: Camping
Hey guys! Hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day. I went camping for the first time and it was not that bad. I had a blast aside from freaking out in the tent at night and in the morning. And as always, I HATE BUGS!. But I love the outdoors. We took a crazy long hike up to North Point. It was beautiful up there but damn rocks, rocks and more rocks. I climbed up rocks, walked/balanced on rocks in the water and on the ground, saw LOTS of rock waterfalls. The pictures to do not do the place justice, it is such a beautiful woodland fairyland. You feel like you are some place else, until other hikers come around the bend.
After that hell of a hike we came back to our site, tired, sweaty, dirty, beat up and then it started to rain, hard. We took showers and when we were done the rain had stopped and we had some pita pizzas for dinner.
28oz can of plum tomato (I should have packed the crushed but this worked fine)
one onion, sliced
a bunch of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
5 big cloves garlic, unpeeled and whole
green pepper, sliced thin
parm cheese
dry oregano and basil
olive oil
aluminum foil
sea salt and black pepper
Set up your charcoal grill with coals in a pyramid shape and light them up. Wait 20-30min until the coals are gray. During this time cut up your veggies if you have not already. Then, rip pieces of foil. Place the garlic in one (this is for the sauce), peppers in one, etc Drizzle with olive oil in each foil packet. Fold the foil with the veggies in them. When coals are ready, scatter the coals and put the grate on. Place foil packets on the grill. Grill the veggies until nicely roasted. While you wait, open the tomatoes, and pour into your pot. I had to crush the whole tomatoes with a fork in the pot but that was fine because when it heated up it all blended well. If the garlic is ready at this time, put into the sauce and put on the grill with foil over the top. When all the veggies are ready pull them off the grill and start heating the pits on a iron pan over the grill. Assemble and enjoy!
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Going Curly
It has been a month since to starting using chemical fire beauty products and I do have to admit I was skeptical but very much surprised at the results. My complexion has gotten better and my skin has never felt so soft and smooth for a while. Two weeks ago I dumped out my liquid makeup for a DIY recipe I found on Scratch Mommy that I tweaked to fit my skin tone. I also found an awesome powder foundation recipe by Live Simply, also tweaked to my liking. My skin feels like it could breathe and my breakouts have been minimal. I make the video below so that you guys can see. I do use a few store bought products like mascara, brow powder, VS face flash (LOVEEE this product) and this lip gloss I really love. There are recipes online for making this items but I did not venture down that path yet. Soap Delicatessen has great beauty DIYs and also sells her products if you do not have time to make your our stuff.
HAIR: I have written a draft about my hair issues. 20+ years of hair dying, flat irons, curling irons, blow drying, many many products with lots and lots of chemicals etc., started to take its toll on my hair. It was lifeless, dry, broken, damaged. Fearing that I would wake up one day and have no hair I had to make a stand and save this hair of mine. The hair I got loads of complaints for during my teens and 20s. I had thick curly hair that I straightened both chemically and with heat tools. Noticing that my thick beautiful hair was becoming thin and dead I had to bring it back to life. My husband LOVES my curls and had been telling me to embrance them but then I listened to others that were like your hair looks bad curly make it straight. But I was going against the...curl. It was more work to keep my curly hair straight so I decided to put my old products and tools to rest and start reviving this hair.
HAIR JOURNEY: I starting research online mostly on YouTube looking for demos on how to care for curls. Yep that's right, this curly girl had no idea how to care for her locks. I found that all these girls had one thing in common, they all raved about The Curly Girl Handbook, a bible for curly girls. The last time this hair felt a flat iron was in November 2013 and my hair has been getting more healthy. It took some self control not to reach for the flat iron a few times in the beginning but my hair has gotten used to it and it is growing!! But it still has a long way to go. What I did was I changed my normal hair gel that was drying my hair to a cream curl enhancer and purchase a more conditioning conditioner and used coconut oil in my hair before shampooing.
CHEM FREE HAIR: For the past 2 weeks I held an experiment with my hair, I wanted to see how it would be if I only used natural shampoo, conditioner, and gel. I have an herbal shampoo for dry scalp and a apple cider vinegar rinse as the conditioner (it goes hand in hand with the shampoo because the vinegar rinses out the shampoo and anything else but keeps your natural oils). Dr. Bronner's liquid soap is great for making natural shampoos and facial cleansers. Before I shampoo, I detangle my hair with coconut oil and my fingers. Then I shampoo and rinse with the ACV conditioner and then I use Mane & Tail and comb out my hair in the shower with the conditioner in my hair and then rinse out. Wrap my hair in a cotton t-shirt. I did more YouTube research to find a natural hair gel. Now if you do not have the time or the items to make these products you can purchase them at whole food stores, but really it only take some time and then you can store in your frig for 3-4 weeks keeping only a week's worth in the bathroom and it really saves money. So I found a really cool video on how to make hair gel using flax seeds. OMG!!!!! so easy and it works!!!! I was also very, very skeptical. I watched so many videos about this gel and everyone seemed pleased with the results so I figured what the hell. Boil some water and add flax seeds, how easy. Check out Natural85 and search for more videos about this gel while your there. Yes, it was and the gel works so nice. It enhances your curl and feels natural. I don't feel like my hair is weighed down with product. And you can customize to your liking. This is my recipe and it lasts for 3 weeks in the frig. Using the gel right out of the frig works great to seal my cuticle and the curl - frizz free curls. Apply the gel and DO NOT touch your hair until it dries and then flip your head upside down, shake curls and you are done. I also made a lavender spray for next day curls. I put in a little honey for hold and it's also good for your hair, a tablespoon of coconut oil and a few drops of lavender essential oil. I try to keep a black tea rinse in my frig (it lasts for two weeks in the frig) to keep those grays at bay. Check out the video below.
This is my first real video hope you like it and sorry about the audio being so low. Still trying to get the hang of this. And don't forget to subscribe!
HAIR: I have written a draft about my hair issues. 20+ years of hair dying, flat irons, curling irons, blow drying, many many products with lots and lots of chemicals etc., started to take its toll on my hair. It was lifeless, dry, broken, damaged. Fearing that I would wake up one day and have no hair I had to make a stand and save this hair of mine. The hair I got loads of complaints for during my teens and 20s. I had thick curly hair that I straightened both chemically and with heat tools. Noticing that my thick beautiful hair was becoming thin and dead I had to bring it back to life. My husband LOVES my curls and had been telling me to embrance them but then I listened to others that were like your hair looks bad curly make it straight. But I was going against the...curl. It was more work to keep my curly hair straight so I decided to put my old products and tools to rest and start reviving this hair.
HAIR JOURNEY: I starting research online mostly on YouTube looking for demos on how to care for curls. Yep that's right, this curly girl had no idea how to care for her locks. I found that all these girls had one thing in common, they all raved about The Curly Girl Handbook, a bible for curly girls. The last time this hair felt a flat iron was in November 2013 and my hair has been getting more healthy. It took some self control not to reach for the flat iron a few times in the beginning but my hair has gotten used to it and it is growing!! But it still has a long way to go. What I did was I changed my normal hair gel that was drying my hair to a cream curl enhancer and purchase a more conditioning conditioner and used coconut oil in my hair before shampooing.
CHEM FREE HAIR: For the past 2 weeks I held an experiment with my hair, I wanted to see how it would be if I only used natural shampoo, conditioner, and gel. I have an herbal shampoo for dry scalp and a apple cider vinegar rinse as the conditioner (it goes hand in hand with the shampoo because the vinegar rinses out the shampoo and anything else but keeps your natural oils). Dr. Bronner's liquid soap is great for making natural shampoos and facial cleansers. Before I shampoo, I detangle my hair with coconut oil and my fingers. Then I shampoo and rinse with the ACV conditioner and then I use Mane & Tail and comb out my hair in the shower with the conditioner in my hair and then rinse out. Wrap my hair in a cotton t-shirt. I did more YouTube research to find a natural hair gel. Now if you do not have the time or the items to make these products you can purchase them at whole food stores, but really it only take some time and then you can store in your frig for 3-4 weeks keeping only a week's worth in the bathroom and it really saves money. So I found a really cool video on how to make hair gel using flax seeds. OMG!!!!! so easy and it works!!!! I was also very, very skeptical. I watched so many videos about this gel and everyone seemed pleased with the results so I figured what the hell. Boil some water and add flax seeds, how easy. Check out Natural85 and search for more videos about this gel while your there. Yes, it was and the gel works so nice. It enhances your curl and feels natural. I don't feel like my hair is weighed down with product. And you can customize to your liking. This is my recipe and it lasts for 3 weeks in the frig. Using the gel right out of the frig works great to seal my cuticle and the curl - frizz free curls. Apply the gel and DO NOT touch your hair until it dries and then flip your head upside down, shake curls and you are done. I also made a lavender spray for next day curls. I put in a little honey for hold and it's also good for your hair, a tablespoon of coconut oil and a few drops of lavender essential oil. I try to keep a black tea rinse in my frig (it lasts for two weeks in the frig) to keep those grays at bay. Check out the video below.
 |
| July 2013 Curls |
 |
| May 2014 Curls |
This is my first real video hope you like it and sorry about the audio being so low. Still trying to get the hang of this. And don't forget to subscribe!
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