I’m not much on guilt.
However, when it comes to chocolate milkshakes I admit that I can go a
bit overboard. My love affair with
chocolate milkshakes began as far back as my memory serves me. In fact, I remember that as soon as I was old
enough to work a blender on my own I was making chocolate milkshakes (anyone who
knows me well will tell you that as far as I’m concerned, there’s only one way
to make a proper milkshake: vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup; none of
that chocolate ice cream business).
However, as I creep closer to 40 and my post baby body takes on different
forms (thank you Willow Tree), combined with the realization that my every move
is being watched and mimicked by my perfect child, I’m forming new love
affairs. Enter: the Vegan Chocolate Milkshake. I knew it was a hit when Willow and I were
chasing each other around the living room trying to drink the other’s up!
These gluten-free vegan granola bars are great for busy
bodies on the go. Feel free to get
creative and substitute whatever you already have in your kitchen. Yum them up!
Ingredients
·1 cup quick oats
·1 cup brown rice cereal
·1 cup quinoa flour
·½ cup coconut sugar
·1 tsp. cinnamon
·1 Tbsp. chia seeds
·2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds
·½ tsp. sea salt
·1¼ cup each dried fruit, without added sugar (we
used raisins, mangos, pineapples, bananas and apples)
1.Grease a 9x13” baking pan (we used coconut oil).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2.Combine oats, brown rice cereal, flax meal,
cinnamon, flour, dried fruit, and salt in a large bowl.
3.In a separate bowl, whisk together brown rice
syrup, egg, coconut oil, banana, and applesauce.
4.Pour brown rice syrup mixture into oats/cereal
mixture and mix well (you may need to combine with your hands).
5.Bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or
until bars are to desired consistency (less time for chewy bars, more time for
crunchy bars). Leave in pan until cool
enough to touch and then cut into desired bars. Enjoy the yummy goodness!
Legend has it that
Cleopatra maintained her beauty with daily milk baths. This is the vegan version of her timeless
beauty ritual. Soy milk is hydrating
for the skin and helps promote healthy new cells. Dead sea salt has numerous
therapeutic properties. It relieves
symptoms of psoriasis, osteoarthritis and tendinitis, reduces muscle aches and
pains and helps detoxify skin. White
clay helps draw impurities from your skin yet is so gentle that is often
used on babies. Baking soda has a
softening effect on the skin. Epsom salt
helps relieve aches and pains.
Ingredients
··½ cup Dead Sea salt
·½ Sea Salt
·½ cup white clay
·¼ Epsom Salt
·¼ cup baking soda
·½ cup soy milk powder
·12 drops Cedarwood EO
·12 drops Sweet Orange EO
12 drops Ylang Ylang
EO
Instructions
Combine
all ingredients, except for essential oils, in mixing bowl or blender. Mix well.
Gradually add essential oils and thoroughly mix to combine.
Directions for use
Place 2-4 scoops under running bath water. Soak and relax!
Rub
it and love it! Just in time for Valentine's Day! Chocolate and vanilla
and almonds combine to not only make this an extraordinary bathtime experience,
but the exfoliating quality softens dry skin and can help reduce the appearance
of cellulite. Made with real vanilla
beans, almonds and organic raw cacao. Perfect for couples super sensual massage
or solo self-pampering!
Ingredients
·48g
(40%) Cocoa Butter
·36g
(30%) Shea Butter
·12g
(10%) Palm Kernel Oil
·8g
(15%) ground vanilla beans & ground almonds
·6g
(5%) ground adzuki beans
·½
tsp raw cacao powder
Instructions
Combine
cocoa butter, shea butter and palm kernel oil in double broiler over low heat
and heat until completely melted. Stir
in grains (ground vanilla beans, almonds and adzuki beans) and raw cacao
powder. Allow to sit until mixture
become cool but remains in thick liquid form.
Briskly stir to redistribute grains.
Quickly transfer to molds and place in refrigerator until completely
set. Remove from molds and enjoy!
Directions for use
After bathing, rub bar over wet skin
and massage in circular motions, concentrating on particular areas of dryness
or cellulite. Rinse and towel or air
dry. Exit tub/shower with caution as floor
may become slippery.
Conventional laundry detergents and cleaners contain
toxic ingredients that can be harmful not only to you and your family, but to
the environment. Organic natural laundry
detergents and cleaners can be so expensive that they are financially inaccessible
to many communities. Soap nuts offer an economical (to say the least) and an
organic environmentally friendly alternative to cleaning.
“Soap nuts are found in both the eastern and western
hemispheres, but are native to India and Nepal. They have recently become a
popular environmentally friendly alternative to chemical detergent, and are a
gentle option for those with allergies to chemicals in regular detergents. Soap
nuts contain saponin, a natural detergent. The soap nut shell absorbs water and
releases the saponins which circulate as a natural surfactant in the wash
water, freeing dirt, grime, and oils from clothing.” (Mountain Rose Herbs)
You can purchase a 1 pound bag of organic soap nuts from
Mountain Rose Herbs for $6.00 (I purchased mine on special so it was even
cheaper). You can also search the
internet for other sources. In this video, I use up to 10 soap nuts (although
you need less for the laundry). Based on
the price of a 1 pound bag and the weight of 1 soap nut, I was able to
determine the incredible cost of cleaning with this method:
1 bag of soap nuts – 454g (1 pound); cost per gram -$0.013
10 soap nuts ~ 40g
Cost for cleaning with 10 soap nuts = $0.53!
Soap
Nuts For Laundry
Place
6-8 soap nuts in a muslin bag or plastic diffuser. Place at the bottom of your washing machine
and start water. You may optionally add
5-7 drops of essential oil (I like Lavender, Lavender/Sweet Orange or
Lavender/Tea Tree) to running water.
Add
clothes or sheets or towels and wash as normal.
Remove soap nuts prior to placing clothes in dryer.
The
same soap nuts can be used until the shells become worn (5-8, maybe 10 times
for small loads).
Soap
Nuts Cleaning Solution
After
you have used your soap nuts for the laundry, give them a second life by making
this safe and effective cleaning solution.
Place
10 soap nuts in 3 cups (32 ounces) of water and bring to a boil over high
heat. Once boiling, reduce heat medium
and continue to boil for 20 minutes.
After soap nut shells soften (after 10-15 minutes) you can use a fork to
break open soap nuts to release more of their natural saponins. After 20 minutes, strain soap nuts from
liquid (but do not discard). Your liquid
amount will be reduced from boiling so add more filtered or distilled water to
make 32 ounces. Add essential oils of
your choice (10-14 drops of blend of your choosing).
Place
in spray bottle and use as you would traditional cleaners. Refrigerate any unused portion.
Soap
Nuts Scouring Powder
After
you’ve used your soap nuts in the laundry and to make cleaning solution, Grind
soap nuts into a fine powder and add equal parts baking soda. Use as you would conventional scouring
powder.
I try to eat well. All in all, I do a pretty good
job. But with running two businesses and a 2 ½ year old (although most of
the time she’s running me) the one vital food group that often gets neglected
is getting enough fresh greens. Dark green leafy vegetables are probably
the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. The added parsley
and ginger give it a nice “zing” and the blueberries make it super yummy.
So super yummy that even a 2 ½ year old will drink it!
Ingredients
½ cup frozen blueberries
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 ripe banana, cut into chunks
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
4 kale leaves, stems removed
½ cup fresh parsley
1 cup yogurt (vanilla or plain; dairy or non-dairy)
1 cup apple juice
Directions
Add in order listed above and blend until
smooth. Makes 2 servings (share with a friend or go green crazy and enjoy
all on your own!)
