I have discovered the most amazing makeup!! Alima Pure abides my the far superior European standards and is cruelty free. They even have a full ingredient list on their website. The company was started in 2004 by a mom who wanted to develop safe makeup for her daughter to wear, and it has evolved into a billion dollar company.
As you know if you read the blog, I really struggle with my skin (which has been getting better since going gluten free and sans coffee--which I'm still mourning), but this makeup makes a huge difference in my appearance. They have a powder primer and a skin correcting powder that really help reduce the amount of redness on my skin. The best part is that they have SO many color options that you will absolutely find the right shade. AND you can order samples!! The samples will definitely last you a while and give you a good chance to experiment with various shades of foundation as well as eyeshadow colors. I have had so much fun playing with different eye shadow shades lately!
They also have fantastic customer service over email or phone...a refreshing breath of fresh air. If you can't find the right shade, they will devote as much time as needed to help you through it. If you haven't tried mineral makeup yet, this is your chance. It's amazing! And yes, you do need special brushes, but you do not have to buy theirs (I just use my old Bare Minerals set), but the brush is what makes the application so seamless. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Our First BBQ of the Summer
I am ashamed to say that today is the first day this year we have used our beautiful barbecue. I had been away all afternoon at a wonderful baby shower so I had little energy and time to cook. Thank goodness for homemade burgers! They are my easy go-to meal in the summer. You can basically add anything to them and they will be fabulous. Today I used ground beef (although I prefer ground dark turkey) and added a bit of shredded onion, garlic, a few fresh herbs that I had in the garden, salt, and pepper. Took 10 minutes to prep them, tops. Eight minutes on each side and voila!
Here's Jackson enjoying his burger....
And here's Jackson three minutes later...
Here's Jackson enjoying his burger....
And here's Jackson three minutes later...
Yes, we lasted three whole minutes. We still have no idea what caused Jackson to have a major fit, but we decided we didn't want to upset the neighbors so back inside we went...
Other burger favorites in our house include adding pieces of cheese to the middle of the patty for a little surprise while you are eating and melting blue cheese on the bun (or on the patty or both!) to make a delish blue cheese burger. Just remember, if you are using a darker, moister meat like dark turkey, you need something to help absorb the moisture, so add bread crumbs, 1/4c or so for a 1lb of meat. Also, try mixing meats. Some of my favorite burgers are a mix of various ground meats. And of course, all our meats are organic and grass fed. Happy Eating!!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Two New Recipes to Try
So I have never in my life come up with my completely own baking recipe. Ever. I have only a few times adapted a recipe to make it healthier, and this usually meant just swapping whole wheat flour for white. Well it's been a big week. I was looking over several ice cream recipes deciding which one to make when I decided to get creative and try to concoct my own. Oh man did it taste good. Do you like peanut butter? How about chocolate? Then this is the recipe for you:
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Coconut Ice Cream
2 c. unsweetened coconut milk (in a box)
1/2 c. unsweetened peanut butter
1/4-1/2c. unsweetened dark cocoa powder (depending on how chocolate-ty you want it)
1 c. hemp milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/4 c. agave or honey
3 drops of Vanilla Stevia
1Tbsp gelatin disolved in 1/4c boiling water
Add all ingredients except for gelatin in a blender; blend until smooth
Once gelatin has set, add it and blend a few more seconds
Pour into an ice cream machine and run for 25-30 min. Since I was having a serious chocolate craving, I also threw in two handfuls of chocolate chips during the last few minutes.
You can substitute whole or 2% milk for the coconut milk, but the coconut milk gives is a richness and thickness to it you can't get with the dairy milks. If you don't have a non-dairy milk to use for the hemp milk, you can substitute any dairy milk (although nonfat won't give you great consistency). If you don't have Stevia, just use a little extra agave or sweetener of choice.
My second major brainstorm came during my last craving for cookies. I again was reading over several recipes I'd tried, but hadn't been quite happy with, when I decided to be adventurous. Here's what I came up with:
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 stick of butter or dairy-free margarine
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. brown rice syrup (you can play with these proportions)
1 egg or egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla (optional for added sweetness, but I don't think the recipe really needs it)
3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp brown rice flour
1/4 c. coconut flour (this is really what makes the cookie amazing)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum
1 1/2-2 c. chocolate chips
Blend softened butter and sweeteners until thick and creamy. Add egg or substitute and vanilla if using and blend briefly. Then add the flours, soda, gum and blend. Then stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, checking before you take them out of the oven. They should be puffy and soft to the touch, but not mushy. They need longer cooking if they are mushy. If you don't want to use the gluten free flours, you can probably just substitute white or whole wheat flour and omit the xanthan gum, but I can't promise anything since I haven't tried it, but I can't see why it wouldn't work.
So this is what the hubby and I are enjoying tonight as we sit down to watch the second to last episode of Friday Night Lights...sigh....but at least our tummies will be full of delicious goodness!!
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Coconut Ice Cream
2 c. unsweetened coconut milk (in a box)
1/2 c. unsweetened peanut butter
1/4-1/2c. unsweetened dark cocoa powder (depending on how chocolate-ty you want it)
1 c. hemp milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/4 c. agave or honey
3 drops of Vanilla Stevia
1Tbsp gelatin disolved in 1/4c boiling water
Add all ingredients except for gelatin in a blender; blend until smooth
Once gelatin has set, add it and blend a few more seconds
Pour into an ice cream machine and run for 25-30 min. Since I was having a serious chocolate craving, I also threw in two handfuls of chocolate chips during the last few minutes.
You can substitute whole or 2% milk for the coconut milk, but the coconut milk gives is a richness and thickness to it you can't get with the dairy milks. If you don't have a non-dairy milk to use for the hemp milk, you can substitute any dairy milk (although nonfat won't give you great consistency). If you don't have Stevia, just use a little extra agave or sweetener of choice.
My second major brainstorm came during my last craving for cookies. I again was reading over several recipes I'd tried, but hadn't been quite happy with, when I decided to be adventurous. Here's what I came up with:
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 stick of butter or dairy-free margarine
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. brown rice syrup (you can play with these proportions)
1 egg or egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla (optional for added sweetness, but I don't think the recipe really needs it)
3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp brown rice flour
1/4 c. coconut flour (this is really what makes the cookie amazing)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum
1 1/2-2 c. chocolate chips
Blend softened butter and sweeteners until thick and creamy. Add egg or substitute and vanilla if using and blend briefly. Then add the flours, soda, gum and blend. Then stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, checking before you take them out of the oven. They should be puffy and soft to the touch, but not mushy. They need longer cooking if they are mushy. If you don't want to use the gluten free flours, you can probably just substitute white or whole wheat flour and omit the xanthan gum, but I can't promise anything since I haven't tried it, but I can't see why it wouldn't work.
So this is what the hubby and I are enjoying tonight as we sit down to watch the second to last episode of Friday Night Lights...sigh....but at least our tummies will be full of delicious goodness!!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Blog Redesign
So I clearly don't have enough to do because I spent a few hours today redesigning the blog. I'm getting more comfortable with this whole blog thing, so I thought I'd try to make the blog more stylish :) Please let me know what you think and if you have any problems navigating it...
Argan oil...my latest hair miracle?
So I have a lot of hair. And I mean A LOT OF HAIR. It's thick and never-ending. And I've always had to wash it everyday. EVERYDAY. Ugh....between working and being a mom, it was starting to get old. Well, I've discovered a new product (that's organic and chem-free) called Argan oil. I put it in wet or dry and it makes my hair so soft and prevents my hair from getting too oily so I don't have to wash it everyday. Yay! And, since it's oil, it repels water so it will help hair dry faster, especially if you are using a hair dryer. Pure Argan oil can also be used on skin and nails to help moisturize and strengthen. Now, there are many companies out there with Argan oil based product, but be careful because they also often contain artificial preservatives like parabens. Pure Argan oil is all natural and completely safe. Give it a try and let me know what you think....
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