Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Hummus Tuna on Ezekiel

Sometimes I really amaze myself.....

I've had some veggies in my fridge for a while now and they've been on my mind.. like I need to cut and eat those dang veggies before they turn gelatinous and stink up my fridge!

While I was at Trader Joe's last week I found some Roasted Garlic Hummus that screamed at me....BUY ME AND EAT ME!! I'm a lover of anything garlic and roasted garlic is even better!

So while I was cutting up my veggies today I suddenly had this AH. MAZE. ING. thought!!

What if I used the hummus as the binder for my tuna fish??  I've heard of Greek yogurt or Avocado but never Hummus..

That's how my Hummus Tuna open face sandwich was born....

Hummus Tuna


1 can white albacore tuna.. I was reading that you shouldn't eat white albacore tuna b/c it's high in mercury?? I will have to do more research on that and if it's true, well my heart will be broken.

a little chopped onion
a little chopped red pepper........ just eyeball the veggies, what ever you think is good, is GREAT!
a little chopped celery

6-7 shakes of Dill or whatever you like.. next time I might try lemon pepper (not that many shakes of course)

3-4 spoonfuls of Roasted Garlic Hummus.. or whatever hummus you like. I used 3 and it needed 1 more spoonful.


spread on your choice of bread, cracker, pita, or even lettuce..

I chose Ezekiel bread


and topped it with some homegrown clover sprouts..



The only thing that could have made this sandwich better was a ripe red tomato sliced on top!

DELICIOUS!!

Am I a genius or what??


When I sit at my table on the computer, this is what happens.....

I always get company. Say Hello Marley!
 

What was your last great recipe invention? 

Do you like sprouts or lettuce? 

Do you have any pets? 

Sherice OXOX





Saturday, January 12, 2013

Oatmeal Lavender Face Scrub

It seems that I'm a bit obsessed this week with homemade beauty products!

I made this face scrub and gave it to my sister. I haven't used any yet but she said her face felt wonderful after and the calming scent of lavender is exactly what she needed after a long hard day! 

 Lavender Oatmeal face scrub

What you'll need:
1 cup Oatmeal
1/3 or more Coconut oil melted
15-20 drops Lavender Essential oil   


First I put 1 cup oats in my magic bullet so they would be a finer texture. 


Then I added in the melted Coconut oil, and lavender 

mix well and put into glass jar 


 This Face scrub is very gentle... 

Benefits of oatmeal
  • Oatmeal has anti-inflammatory properties and is perfect for most skin types, even the most sensitive skin
  • Oatmeal contains saponins, a cleansing agent, and can therefore be used as a mild soap
  • Oatmeal is moisturizing and helps remove dead skin cells.
  • Oatmeal can help treat acne, eczema, rosacea and rashes
  • Oatmeal can helps relieve symptoms of aging skin 
Info from here  

 Benefits of Lavender ~ 

~ Headaches and migraines - Lavender essential oil has a calming aroma which makes it an excellent nerve tonic. It aids in treating migraines, headaches, anxiety, depression, nervous tension and emotional stress. 
~ Insomnia – Lavender essential oil is ideal for those who have trouble falling or staying asleep as it improves the length and quality of sleep.
~ Scrapes and wounds – Due to its powerful antiseptic properties, Lavender essential oil can increase cell growth and aid in the formation of scar tissue. It has been used to heal wounds, cuts, burns and sunburns rapidly. 
~ Anxiety and depression - It is an excellent tonic for the nervous system. It’s known to remove nervous exhaustion and restlessness while increasing mental activity and relaxation. 
~ Skin care – Just like it can be used for scrapes and wounds, lavender essential oil can also be used to treat skin disorders such as acne, burns, dry skin, eczema, itchy skin, sunburn, seborrhea and skin inflammation. 
~ Pain relief – A regular massage with Lavender essential oil provides relief from pain in the joints as well as pains caused by sore muscles, tense muscles, muscular aches, rheumatism, sprains, backache and lumbago

info from here

In this post you will learn all about the benefits of coconut oil on your skin

I hope you give this face scrub a try. I can't wait to make some for myself! 

Sherice oxox



Friday, January 11, 2013

Whipped Body Butter

Hi There ~

I don't know about you but where I live it's cold and snowy! My skin is dry, itchy and looking for some thirst quenching lotion!

Did you know that your biggest organ is your skin? And when you use products with chemicals and perfumes those are absorbing into your body and then into your blood stream. I always find it interesting that people are so careful about what they eat aka put into their bodies but a lot of people don't even think about what they are using for sunscreen, lotion, face creams, eye creams, perfumes.. These products affect your Endocrine system.. aka your hormones!

As I was trolling around pinterest I found some amazingly easy options for beauty and skin care.. like so easy I couldn't believe it could be so easy!! But in usual Sherice fashion I thought how can I do this and make it my own?

well I got my brain working and ideas just started coming... like a flood, if you will :)

I want to share these with you because I'm a firm believer in sharing is caring and I care for all of you! I hope that you will enjoy these as much as my sister and I do!!

Whipped Eye Cream

2 ingredients.. that's it!!

Coconut oil, vitamin E oil... before I get into the how to's of it.. let's spend a min on why coconut oil and vitamin E...

Coconut oil ~

1. Coconut oil is nature's most abundant source of Medium-Chain Triglycerides. When applied to your skin, your natural good bacteria convert these Medium-Chain Triglycerides into Antimicrobial Fatty Acids. Antimicrobial Fatty Acids prevent viral, fungal, and bacterial infections, including yeast! Antimicrobial Fatty Acids act like nature's natural bodyguards for your skin. In other words.. it will help with blemishes and breakouts.. clearing up your skin

2. Coconut oil is vitamin enriched with vitamins A, B, C, and E, and nourishes your skin, coconut oil is a natural anti-oxidant that helps the skin repair itself. Coconut Oils protective anti-oxidant qualities protect the skin from free radicals and other environmental aging factors.

So coconut oil helps heal your skin of wrinkles and helps with younger looking skin

3. If your using pure virgin coconut oil.. which you should be, it won't clog pores

info from here and here

Vitamin E ~

1. Vitamin E is also a natural antioxidant.. in this day and age we need all the help we can get against all those free radicals roaming around, right! YES!!!

2. It helps in the healing process and prevents scarring

3. It's also moisturizing and helps healing of sunburns and cold sores.. which I'm sure to get when my lips are really dry and chapped! Did I mention that this could also be used as a lip cream.. A FLOOD I TELL YOU!!!!

4. last but not least Vitamin E will not clog pores.. so it's perfect for your skin.

info from here and here

Now lets get to the how to's, shall we?!

start with 1 cup coconut oil.. DO NOT HEAT OIL!! you want it to be solid. put into your kitchen aid. Add in 1 tsp of Vitamin E oil

I used Vitamin E capsules b/c when I went to get the oil, Walgreens was out of the stuff.. really?! popular stuff. and so I improvised.. wow that was a good thumb workout as it was about 25 capsules to get almost 1 tsp of oil.. END RANT!!!

Turn on mixer to 8 and mix with your whisk attachment for 6 mins or until light, airy, fluffy and wonderful..


once done I put it into these little pill containers I found at Walgreen's. 

This is light and fluffy. It melts into your skin on contact and leaves your fragile eye area soft, smooth and eventually wrinkle free.

Always remember when you are applying anything around your eyes and your using your fingers, always use your ring finger.. the skin around your eye is the thinnest and most fragile skin on your body and your ring finger is your weakest finger. You don't want to do damage by pulling and tugging around your eyes!

Once I was done with the Eye Cream I started on the Whipped Body Butter by adding in 20 drops of Lavender essential oil to the whipped eye cream still in my mixer bowl

make sure that if you use fragrance your using Essential Oils Not Fragrance oils. Essential oils are the real deal and ok to use on your skin. It's not the same as the oils you can buy at Bath and Body works for that cute oil burner you have.

you can learn about the benefits of Lavender essential oil here
 


 
once I added the lavender I turned back on my mixer for a few seconds to incorporate it.

when done put it into a jar and keep it where ever it's handy!!



I immediately slathered this stuff on my arms... which felt like a baby's bottom for the rest of the night! The smell of lavender is soothing, calming and my serenity!

This whole process took about 10 - 15 mins.. and if your not having to squeeze vitamin E oil out of those dang capsules it will take you less... so make some, your worth it!!

Sherice oxox




Monday, January 7, 2013

Dried Fruit Snacks

I have this wonderful contraption called a food dehydrator that I borrowed from my mom quite a while ago.. it's been sitting in the box taking up space and today I had this amazing thought..... "what if I actually used the damn thing!"

So I did!!

Dried Fruit Snacks......

What you'll need..

Tools I used...


First step: peeled and cut fruit


I didn't cut it to thick, I do think for next time I will cut it a bit on the thicker side.. I like to have a bit of  "meat" when you bite into it!


Next step: I sprinkled them with cinnamon.. I only sprinkled one side, and then loaded up the trays...


Then I let these little morsels of tasty fruit dry for about 7 hrs. Every couple of hrs I would rotate the trays.. they stack in a triple layer. At the half way mark I flipped the fruit.


When done the fruit was sweet, chewy and delicious.. Everyone in the house, dogs and humans thought it was The Bomb!!


It didn't last long.... YUM!!!

Sherice oxoxox