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Fabulous Salad Dressings

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I love salads! They are a huge part of our weekly menu. Once I’ve prepped for the week, offering up a delightful bowl of goodness is super easy. I love to get creative with toppings too.

Dressings are a super simple way to add loads of nutrition into a meal with fabulous flavors. If I make a commitment I am ALL in! When I decided there would never be another bottle of store-bought dressing in this house I was on a mission to replace some of the hubby’s favorites.

Big Win!

I scored when I found Dr. Fuhrman’s, Eat to Live Cookbook. It opened me to the wonderful world of cooking without copious amounts of oil. These two yummy recipes for dressing are sans oil. Give them a try. Get comfortable with the ingredients and textures they create and then EXPERIMENT!

Before I get to the recipes, here is some valuable news on the importance of fat in your dressings. Yes, I said fat! Here is why. Fat-soluble carotenoids — important antioxidants like lutein, lycopene, and beta-carotene that help protect against a wide range of chronic diseases — contained in your salad aren’t absorbed as well by your body without monounsaturated fat.

The takeaway here is that your body needs at least some fat in order to get the most out of your salad. It serves no purpose to pile on the good veggies and not give your body the fuel it needs to make use of the nutrition they provide. The following recipes fit the bill, perfectly!

Nutritarian Caesar Dressing   (Serves 6)

I can’t claim this to taste like traditional Caesar … but it is so fresh and flavorful. It’s become one of our faves! Great on wraps or raw veggies too.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup raw cashews (Nuts.com has great prices)
6 ounces firm silken tofu
3 large cloves garlic, or to taste
2 medium celery stalks, chopped
½ cup water
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon white miso (I like Eden Foods, Certified Organic Shiro Miso)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 pitted Medjool dates or 4 Deglet Noor dates
1 teaspoon kelp granules (I like Maine Coast Sea Seasonings Kelp Granules)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (I like Bragg Nutritional Yeast Seasoning)
Freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender and process until the mixture is the consistency of conventional Caesar dressing, adding more water or some soy milk if needed to adjust consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings and refrigerate until ready to use.

Makes about 2 ½ cups.

Orange Peanut Dressing   (Serves 4)

This hits the spot when you are going Asian! So tasty. The ginger really shines through if you add a bit more than the recipe calls for. Great on a wrap too…or by the spoonful!

INGREDIENTS

2 oranges, peeled and seeded
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter or ¼ cup unsalted peanuts
¼ cup raw cashews or ¼ cup raw cashew butter (Nuts.com has great prices)
1 teaspoon Bragg Liquid Amino or low-sodium soy sauce
¼ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled (I ALWAYS add more ginger!)
Small clove of garlic

DIRECTIONS

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth.

 

Healthy Sunscreen

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Time to think about sunscreen!

Spring is here and summer is rolling in quickly. Whether you are in the sunshine to play in the surf and sand or cheer on your favorite soccer player you might want to think about a few things.

Toxic Sunscreens

Environmental Working Group (EWG) rates sunscreens every year for safety. Sadly, two-thirds of the sunscreens analyzed did not work well or contained potentially hazardous ingredients. Isn’t it sad we’ve slathered on sunscreens thinking we were protecting ourselves when in truth we make ourselves a melanoma magnet? Thank goodness for research and options. A little self education goes a long way to making safer choices.

Three Biggies to Avoid

• Oxybenzone – used to absorb ultraviolet light. Acts like estrogen in the body so it disrupts our normal flow of hormones.
• Retinyl Palmitate (aka: Vitamin A palmitate) – May actually speed up the development of malignant cells when exposed to the sun. Yikes!
• Fragrance – catch phrase for several potentially toxic chemicals. Two examples are parabens which are known to disrupt our normal hormone production and phthalates, a carcinogenic preservative, linked to liver and kidney damage as well as reproductive issues.

How to Choose Healthy Sunscreen

I like to think of my healthy sunscreen as a physical barrier to the sun not a chemical cesspool. Look for sunscreens that are broad spectrum protectors – meaning they will block UVB rays and some UVA. Ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium oxide are physical barriers that fit the bill. However, you want to steer clear of “micronized” or “nano” particle formulas to keep the reefs and oceans safe.

An inconvenient fact is that lotions are safer for you than the handy-dandy spray on sunscreens. I don’t like it either, but it is what it is. As I like to remind myself as I rub my sunscreen on – there’s a cost for everything and if I have to spend a little extra time rubbing in healthy sunscreen so be it!

Healthy Sunscreen Choices

I love Lemongrass Spa’s line of healthy sunscreens. I trust the label – no monkey business with semantics in labeling with this company. They have three great products to fit my family’s needs.

HealthySunscreenChoices
Lemongrass Spa has healthy sunscreen options for you and your family.

Sunscreen Sport Lotion – SPF 30 broad spectrum UVB/UVA protection. Natural mineral formula contains 22.5% non-nano particle Zinc Oxide. Gluten-free, Vegan and biodegradable. No PEGs, GMOs, fragrance, parabens or synthetic color.

Sunscreen Sport Stick – 100% all-natural ingredients with non-nano titanium dioxide (14.8%) and zinc oxide (7.4%). Convenient 1 oz clear push-up stick. Great for kids and adults for summer or winter outdoor sports. Comes in a tinted version too!

Sheer Minerals BB Crème – Powerhouse foundation containing moisturizing and anti-aging ingredients as well as SPF 15. The healing and repairing properties of avocado oil and fine line plumping effects of peptides are combined in the skin brightening “Beauty Balm” formula. Love it!

Safe Sunning Tips

The sun is not our enemy. Our lack of planning is. We need the sun to synthesize vitamin D so a daily dose of sunshine is healthy. But for those times when we’re beaching it – or soccer fielding it – for the day we need to have healthy, natural solutions to turn to. Consider my tips:

• Get your daily dose of vitamin D! It doesn’t take long, but it does a body good.
• If you know you’ll be out for longer periods of time cover up with clothing, hats or sun umbrellas or safe healthy sunscreen.
• Always protect your face. Our skin is thin here and easily damaged by the sun – think wrinkles!
• Load up on fresh veggies that are full of antioxidants. Yes, you can help avoid sun damage from the inside out!

The bottom line here is to enjoy the sun safely and with a little knowledge and pre-planning you will be ‘golden’ – pun intended!

5 Surprising Beauty Foods

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Beauty foods?!? Yep, BEAUTY foods. Get you glow on without all the toxic muck from the ‘beauty’ industry. Heck, you can grow your own beauty foods in the backyard, balcony or kitchen window sill!

All fresh fruits and vegetables contain magical powers when it comes to shiny hair, clear skin, and strong nails. However, the ones I’ve chosen below are perhaps not as well known for their powerful beauty benefits. Try and include these foods into your diet if you want to look your best without the need for botox or other unnatural remedies.

1. Red Peppers. All red and orange colored foods contain beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant. Red peppers are particularly beautifying due to the minerals A, C, and K. Vitamins A and C can help prevent cell damage that leads to premature ageing, and they can also reduce inflammation, which can cause a puffy-looking face. Pepper also has Vitamin K, which is an excellent property for protecting our cells from damage.

2. Spinach. All leafy greens are actually very powerful in terms of being a beauty food because of the chlorophyll they contain. There are also loads of other phytochemicals and fiber in spinach that help build blood that is super clean and which will show through in your skin.

3. Turmeric. This yellow-colored, Indian spice has a load of powerful antioxidant qualities. Turmeric assists in protecting our cells from free radical damage and also contributes towards cleaning up metabolic waste in our systems. It is also great as a liver flusher to get rid of any poisons and chemicals which are stored there.

4. Pumpkin Seeds. Wow, these really are powerful. What don’t pumpkin seeds have in them?! The humble pumpkin seed contains high levels of zinc, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins B, C, and E. Pumpkin seeds are also a great source of amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids, all essential for healthy cell maintenance. Make a handful of pumpkin seeds a regular part of your diet, and you will definitely notice a change in your appearance.

5. Parsley. Next time your plate is garnished with parsley, don’t push it aside. This is a pretty powerful herb when it comes to anti-aging, as well as purifying and cleansing the body. It contains vitamins A and C as well as anti-oxidizing flavonoids that protect our cells from free radical damage. Parsley also helps to purify the blood, kill bacteria, aid digestion, and cleanse toxins from the liver.

The best thing is that all these foods are easy to incorporate into your diet. Add turmeric to juice and combine the other foods with some other fixings to make a great, beautifying salad. Who said that beauty was hard to keep?

Looking for more tips? Check out my tips for Sexy Summer Legs!

Smoothie Slim Down

 

Sexier Summer Skin

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5 Natural Ways to Diminish Dry Skin

You can’t hide that dry flaky skin behind the winter wardrobe any longer. Summer is here and that means more skin showing and hopefully glowing. Good news is  – there are simple solutions hiding in your kitchen to help you say bye-bye to dry, scaly, itchy skin. Ready?

1. First things first. Ditch the lotions with petroleum based or mineral oils. Seriously, in the trash with any personal care product with carcinogenic potential. Our skin is our largest organ and needs to be treated with TLC.

2. Exfoliate regularly. You should include dry brushing into your normal daily hygiene routine. In addition, find a wonderful sugar or salt based body scrub enriched with moisturizing oils and fabulous essential oils that leave you feeling smooth and silky. Here’s a tip: It is a near orgasmic experience to feel your skin after using a body scrub to shave!

3. Turn down the heat. I know hot showers feel good on tired aching muscles, but it is best to take cooler showers if you are battling dry skin. Cold water helps “close” pores. This keeps your skin looking smooth and healthy while not drying your skin out as hot water showers can do. The cold water helps keep your hair shiny and your skin soft, rather than itchy, ashy and dried out. Here’s a tip: Always end your shower with cold water. There are countless studies which show that cold exposure improves immunity!

coconut oil and skin
Say goodbye to dry skin!

4. Consider coconut oil. It is versatile. I cook with it and use it on my skin and hair! Coconut oil is said to help exfoliate the outer layer of dead skin cells, making your skin smoother. Here’s a tip: if you have someone opposed to slathering their dry, flaky skin due to the girlish nature of lotion (aka: The Mr.) fill a jar with coconut oil and they will use it!  And if the skin is itchy, add a few drops of lavender essential oil. Works wonders! Speaking from experience here.

5. Feed your skin from the inside out. Make sure you are getting enough omega-3 fats from a quality source. Due to their anti-inflammatory properties, omega-3s help calm irritated skin as well as aiding in the prevention of cellular dehydration. Speaking of cellular hydration, make sure you are drinking enough clean filtered water every day and eating lots of organic fresh vegetables.

Start implementing these loving changes and I can guarantee your skin will love you right back! Do you have any tips to share with us?