It has been some time since I have updated my blog, I am sorry for the lapse. Just like everyone, the holidays always seem to take everything over. But I am happy to report I am back and will try to be better with keeping this current.

So you voted, my next post is on winter remedies.  Below is what you will need:

Make sure all your oil is cold press

• Almond oil ($4.99 at local health food store)
• Castor Oil ($2 at local health food store)
• Vitamin E (bought mine at TJs for $5)
• Organic extra virgin Olive oil (This is from TJ’s I think around $7)
• Baby or Toddler tooth-brush (this is an old one from Viv, we go through them weekly so I am upcycling)

As you may know, this is our first real winter and holy smokes, the desert isn’t as drying as the air up here… My skin flipped out, I have been peeling, my lips were cracked to the point they were bleeding and my skin is beyond itchy. I bought more intensive lotion and nothing was working. I turned to google and found out about the oil cleansing method or OCM. What, clean with oil and clean your face with oil, psssh you crazy beotch! No way, wasn’t happening! My skin is beyond sensitive, I break out if you look at me the wrong way and I get a rash with 99% of the soaps that are on the market so I was skeptical to try anything other than doctor prescribed. But my skin got worse and with nothing to lose I tried it and it worked, like really worked.

For your face (OCM)

Did you know oil breaks down oil? It is true not just because the web told me, I actually called my derm and grilled her on it. Though I have been subscribed lotions, creams and washes to dry my skin out, oil in fact breaks down oil and if you suffer from acne, you most likely will have no issue with this, I haven’t broken out once! This is a girl who has spent $200 on a cream and spends over $150 a month on facial potions… Yeah, I am kind of pissed too!

Start with a cold pressed Castor oil, that will be the base and what breaks down oil. The more Castor Oil the dryer the oil is. Next you want your filler or moisturizing oil, I used Olive Oil. I have read that sunflower oil is used a lot, I didn’t want to invest a lot if it wasn’t going to work so I tried olive oil and really like it. Below is a ratio to mix your oil:

• Oily skin: 30-40% Castor Oil and 60-70% EVOO
• Normal Skin: 20% Castor Oil to 80% EVOO
• Dry Skin: 10-15% Castor Oil to 85-90% EVOO

Using a funnel, measure your oils into a clean bottle. See the one in picture, I bought it for $.50 at my grocery store. Start small to get the mixture right, I started using 2 tsp of Castor and 8 tsp of EVOO. This is the mixture I am still using, I really like it, but could probably up the EVOO on bad days.

Once you have your oil, now you get to use it! I carefully remove my eye makeup with TJs nourishing face wash (it is $5.99 and a great wash for long wearing mascara), I make sure to keep my face dry and dry my eyes after washing. Then I massage the oil into my face and neck using circular motions careful not to pull at my skin. Think facial! Work into your skin for 2 minutes and then rinse a wash cloth with HOT water. It should not be scalding, but it needs to be hot. Press the towel into your face so you get a steam action going. Then carefully wipe the oil off with the same towel. You will find there really isn’t much to wipe off and I leave mine kind of oily and just pat it with a towel. Poof baby soft skin! I cried I was so shocked! I am doing this night and day, but my skin was cracking, I would do this with normal skin every few nights. You do not need to moisturizer with this.

Added tip: If you have a zit, put a dab of tea tree oil on it, it is the best zit zapper you can find!

Next is your itchy body

After having such amazing results with the OCM, I thought I need this in the shower. I know from my experience making salt scrubs that Almond Oil is my preferred base so I started there. If you are allergic or you know you do not respond well, use Jojoba or Avocado. They are a bit pricier than Almond so keep that in mind. Below is the ratio for my suggested body oil, but feel free to mix it up for what works for you:

• 60% Almond Oil, 10% Vitamin E and 30% EVOO

Funnel oils into a clean plastic bottle, same type I used for the OCM. I filled it half way so I could make adjustments if I needed to. Then when I was satisfied I filled it up. The above is my final mixture. Right when I am about to get out of the shower I pour the oil into my hand and massage it on all of my skin, other than neck and face. I pay special attention to my legs, elbows, feet and hands. Just slightly rinse off and then dry as usual. Poof moisturized skin and NO lotion needed. I have not used lotion since starting this routine.

Pucker up baby!

I wasn’t kidding when I said my lips were bleeding, they were, it was really bad. They hurt so bad I would wake up at night just to put carmex on. After my experience with the OCM and body oil I said hmmmmm, what about my lips. I remember reading to use EVOO and sugar for a lip scrub. I have used my own tooth-brush in the past and found it is too rough and rips my lips. Of course that made me think of Viv’s tooth brush. We get her expensive natural toddler tooth brushes she just chews on and then I throw away a week later. Totally wasteful! I decided to grab one that was out the door and some oil and see what happens.  Below is my ratio:

• 50% EVOO and 50% Almond

Using a circular motion I brushed the dead skin from my lips. I was very careful as again I was bleeding. I then applied a layer of the oil onto my lips. What shocked me is that the oil disappeared. In a minute the oil was gone, I didn’t lick it, it didn’t evaporate, but it went into my lips. Something that carmex has never done… I use the oil throughout the day, I put it in a little pot and so far so good. It has been a few days and already no bleeding and no new peeling of dead skin. SUPER HAPPY!!! I plan on getting coconut oil which is solid and mixing it with EVOO and putting it in a pot to take with me as the oil is not very portable. I will update this entry when I do that.

Hope this helps you guys winterize your skin. I rarely share stuff like this because I believe that what works for some may not work for all, but I really am happy with the results so far.

I have several friends who are on gluten-free diets and when I made this last weekend I thought of you. The holidays are around the corner and though there are a lot of GF pie crust options, it is nice to be able to quickly throw something together that you can eat and that your family will scarf up. My daughter asks for this all the time and she doesn’t know many words so I assume that is a great thing! The best part is you can alter the recipe a hair and have a nutritious breakfast, great for Christmas morning! Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 honeycrisp organic apples – cored peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 cup of organic oats – make sure they are GF

1/8 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk – if you do not have vanilla just add a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp of organic brown sugar

1 tsp of cinnamon

1/4 tsp of nutmeg

1 tbls of reduced fat butter – I like balade but you can use whatever you like even EVOO

Nonstick cooking spray

 

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat up butter on medium heat in medium-sized sauce pan, once melted add apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Cook until brown sugar is fully melted and apples start to soften, about 5 minutes or so. Add oats and almond milk and cook for another 2 minutes, not too long. Spray a pie dish or small casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour apples into dish and then bake for 15 minutes. Serve alone or over ice cream.

 

Alternate recipe – Christmas Oatmeal

– 3 cups of oats

– 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened almond milk

– 1/8 tsp of sea salt

– Use large stock pot and cook on stove for 5-10 minutes depending on your oats. Want to make sure they are soft before transferring to oven.

 

We have a tradition in our house, that every Sunday, also known as family day, I make everyone, including our 2 dogs, pancakes. I love to play around, banana chocolate chip, cinnamon spice, you name I have stuck it in a pancake… Ok, not everything, but you get my drift. The base to pancake heaven is pretty simple, I have toyed around with many alterations and found the best low-fat, reduced calorie recipe that still tastes EXACTLY like the real deal!!! We love them in our house and hope you do too!

Simple Pancake Recipe

1 1/2 cups of Organic whole wheat pastry flour (can sub with Quinoa or regular whole wheat flour)

3 1/2 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of sea salt

1/2 tbls of agave nectar

3 tbls of organic unsweetened apple sauce

2 egg whites (or one egg but do not use egg mix, not as fluffy)

1 1/4 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (this is gluten-free and the vanilla adds a great kick, but you can use skim milk, increase milk to 1 1/3 cup if not using pastry flour or quinoa flour)

Method

Place pancake griddle on burner(s) and start preheating at medium. If your range runs hot, set at just under medium. Add dry ingredients to bowl, mix with fork, add remaining ingredients and mix. I have added everything all at the same time and it still turns out perfect!

Using an ice cream scoop (my scoop is barely used for ice cream), pour batter on griddle and spread using back of scoop till pancakes are uniform in size and shape.

Cook until center starts to bubble, make sure sides are cooked, then flip and cook for an additional 45 seconds to a minute. DO NOT press down unless you want hard disks…

If you like yours on the light side, reduce heat, if you like on the dark crispy side, just cook until sides are really done and then 1.5 minutes on other side.

We serve ours with Justin’s hazelnut spread or real organic maple syrup, which is much sweeter than normal so a little goes a long way, plus it ain’t cheap… But you can add anything to the mix, try sauted apples with cinnamon and nutmeg for a holiday treat. Or add some cocoa and chocolate chips for a decadent treat. Just be mindful of the fat and calories you add. Enjoy!!!

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month I wanted to post a pink recipe. Since this cake is not extremely sweet, the hub thinks it is more like a breakfast cake. I personally think it is a great dessert cake, especially paired with a little ice cream.

Ingredients

1 stick of organic butter (room temp – can sub with canola oil)

1/2 cup of unsweetened organic apple sauce

1 cup of agave

6 large egg whites

2 tsp of vanilla extra (I prefer alcohol free from Trader Joe’s)

2 1/4 cups of whole wheat pastry flour (I used organic from Red Mills, but can sub for regular cake flour – do not flour that isn’t cake or pastry unless doing GF)

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp of sea salt

1/2 cup of strawberry puree (see recipe below)

Note: if doing GF, use GF butter or canola oil and sub flour for 1 1/4 cup of quinoa flour and 1 cup of rice pastry flour

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 round 9” cake pans and set aside. In a mixing bowl cream butter till smooth, add apple sauce and mix on low for 30 seconds, add agave and vanilla and then mix on low for one minute. Add egg whites and mix for another minute. Pour in milk and mix until incorporated on low. Sift flour into a separate bowl, add salt and baking powder and mix with fork. Slowly add dry ingredients into the wet 1/4 at a time on low. Mix until smooth and silky. Stir in puree until fully mixed. If color is not pink enough you can add a few drops of food coloring. Note that because it is whole wheat color will not pop as much once cooked. Pour mix into cake pans 1/2 way up and bake for 25 minutes. Remove cake and let stand for 5 minutes, transfer to cooling rack. Once cooled spread 1/2 of remaining puree on top of bottom layer, add 2nd layer and then spread remaining puree. You can do a simple buttercream, but they are crazy fattening so we do not use. I suggest pairing with ice cream which is non-fat yogurt in our house.

Strawberry Puree

Wash and haul one and 1/2 packages of ripe organic strawberries. Rough chop and stir in 1 tsp of sugar, let stand for an hour or until juicy. In a medium sauce pan on low heat add berries and 1/2 cup of water. Cook down berries, about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour berries into strainer and use rubber spatula to press berries into bowl. Once berries are in bowl transfer back into sauce pan and cook down until you have about 1 cup left.

As you know I am an organic girl so when a daycare fellow Mom told me that you can get organic local vegis and fruits delivered straight to your door I had to try it. Mostly because I go to 2 grocery stores and thought if I could cut out some of my grocery shopping maybe I will have time for a pedi, psshh yeah right! Anyhoo, this is my first week and my first box. I paid $50 and got a dozen eggs and enough fruit to feed our family a week and the 4 kids at daycare for a week. I wasn’t sure what I would get so I decided to wait to menu plan until after I got my box. This week we will be eating baked egg plant parm, vegetarian black bean burritos, turkey chili and chicken and broccoli stir fry, all things we like. The cool thing is I can tell them things we do not want, like leeks and kale, yeah I just can never find a recipe that my fam will eat and like but maybe that will be a new challenge. I did some research and a lot of cities have similar services. So google organic vegetable delivery in blank city and see what you find. Happy almost Friday!!!

Since it is officially fall and kids are back to school, I thought a healthy kid friendly muffin (cupcake to my daughter) would be a great first recipe. I do mini muffins since they are a perfect kid portion and this is a great mid day snack. My daughter doesn’t eat vegis unless they are hidden and she loves these muffins so does my hub!

Ingredients

1 1/4 Cup of organic whole wheat flour (Red Mills is great)

1/4 Cup of organic oats

2 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of cinnamon

1/2 tsp of nutmeg

1/2 tsp of ground ginger

1 cup of organic unsweetened apple sauce

1 tbsn of canola or flax seed oil

1 egg or 2 egg whites

1 medium organic zucchini shredded on 2nd to finest shred (about a cup or so)

1 good sized organic peeled carrot shredded (about a cup)

1/4 cup of organic agave nectar

 

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients, but vegis, with wooden spoon, batter will be almost bread like. Stir in zucchini and carrots. Take a 24 mini muffin pan (can use a standard 12 muffin tin) and spray with nonstick spray. DO NOT USE LINERS!!! Using a tablespoon, spoon mix into muffin tin evenly. Bake 14-18 minutes or until golden and bounce bake after touching.

Note: To convert to GF, use 1 1/4 cups of Quinoa flour instead of whole wheat flour and verify on labels that other items are GF.

 

 

Hi everyone (or possibly no one),

If you know me then you know I bake, I bake a lot, but I also am a crazy health nut and generally these two do not go hand in hand. I cannot tell you how many times I would see a cupcake and think, man I wish that could be healthy or just healthier. After finding out my daughter Vivienne had dairy sensitivity, I was forced to cook completely dairy free, which means no boxes, packages and lots of altering. I started out small, but eventually I was able to take almost any recipe I found and alter it into a completely new recipe that was healthy and seriously delicious. I post pics and recipes on Facebook all the time, but thought a blog might be easier. I won’t post a new recipe daily, but I will try to weekly. Enjoy!

~Nicole