Tag: Summer

Spring to Summer Beauty DIYs

These DIY face masks are perfect for transitioning your skin from Spring to Summer!

Blackhead Buster

ingredients

  • 1/2 fresh lemon
  • 3-4 drops of raw honey

directions

  • mix the juice from half a lemon with 3-4 drops of raw honey
  • apply the mixture to your face
  • leave the mask on for about 5 minutes and rinse off with cold water

Brown Sugar Coconut Body Scrub

ingredients

  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1⁄2 cup sea salt
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus
  • 1 tbsp of your favorite essential oil

directions

  • Combine ingredients in a bowl until it forms a paste
  • Apply to moist skin in a circular motion using your fingertips to help get rid of dead skin cells
  • Rinse off with warm water

Honey & Oat Facial

ingredients

  • 2 tbsp natural yogurt
  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • 2 tbsp dry oatmeal
  • 1 tbsp ground almonds
  • squeeze of lemon

Directions

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl to form the exfoliating facial scrub
  • Massage gently onto face, and rinse with warm water

Balancing Avocado Face Mask

ingredients

  • 3 tbsp green clay powder
  • 1 small avocado, mashed
  • 1⁄2 small cucumber, finely grated
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

  • Combine ingredients in a small bowl
  • Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes
  • With clean, dry skin, apply a thick layer to your face and neck, avoiding the eye and lip areas
  • Leave for 10-15 minutes, and wipe skin clean with a damp cloth

Exfoliating Breakfast Mask

ingredients

  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • 1⁄4 banana, mashed
  • 1 tbsp Greek yogurt

Directions

  • Combine ingredients in a bowl, and apply to face for 15-20 minutes
  • Rinse off with cool water, and pat dry face

Source: Coveteur

Try This— Sweet Potato Hummus

this sweet potato hummus recipe is the perfect Paleo addition to your summer menu!

Since Winter basically refused to end this year and all the farmers’ markets and farm shares are either opening late or decidedly scant because of it, I thought I’d try my hand at hacking my favorite summertime dip. Hummus is a staple in my house. We smear raw veggies with this creamy delicacy all summer long as a healthy snack and sometimes it even winds up replacing a meal all together because we just can’t stop eating it. This recipe comes from the appetizer menu of Miss Ada, a cute little Mediterranean restaurant on Dekalb Ave. a few blocks from where I went to High School (Brooklyn Technical High School). Chef Tomer Blechman brilliantly uses sweet potatoes as a base instead of chickpeas in this recipe, so it’s perfect for anyone on a Paleo diet, or anyone that wants to use their chickpeas for something more productive like these beauty recipes. Best part is that by using sweet potatoes, your adding a healthy dose of complex carbs and fiber, oh and it makes your finished hummus totally Instagrammable. Drop everything… You must try this!!!

Chef Tomer Blechman in the outdoor eating area of Miss Ada 184 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205

Sweet Potato Hummus

Ingredients

serves 6 people

  • 5 medium sweet potatoes
  • 5 garlic cloves,
  • 1 cup tahini
  • 1 cup smoked paprika
  • 1 cup + 2 Tbsp canola oil
  • 2 Tbsp creme fraiche
  • 1 red onion, small diced
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • Baharat spice mix (1 Tbsp each of cinnamon, cardamom, and English pepper)
  • 1 tsp Aleppo pepper

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • In a medium pot, boil sweet potatoes until tender.
  • Allow to cool. Add to a food processor and blend with garlic and tahini until smooth.
  • Make the paprika oil: In a medium saucepan over low heat, simmer paprika and canola oil for five minutes. Allow to stand for 20 minutes; strain into a squeeze bottle.
  • In a small bowl, combine creme fraiche and onion. Set aside.
  • On a baking sheet, spread almonds in an even layer. Toss with remaining canola oil and baharat spice mix. Bake for five minutes.
  • Scoop sweet potato mixture onto a plate. Create a nest and place creme fraiche in the middle. Add the almonds, paprika oil, and Aleppo pepper. Garnish with thinly sliced onion and parsley sprigs.
  • Serve with pita or sliced vegetables.

Try This: Tart Cherry & Cherry Tomato Freezer Pops

I’m always looking for crazy things to try in the kitchen. If there’s a dish that’s traditionally sweet, I try to add a little something savory and vice versa like I did here and here. Anyway, it was brutally hot here yesterday. Humid and muggy. Yuck. I was dying for a freezer pop, ya know, something icy but not too sweet. I had a ton of cherry tomatoes and some tart cherries from last week’s farm share, so I decided to do a little experimentation. I came across this super interesting recipe for freezer pops over at Dolly and Oatmeal, and decided to throw my hat in the ring. I just loved the idea of making a Summer, sweet treat using cherry tomatoes. Pure genius.

While that recipe calls for raspberries, I decided to use the tart cherries that I had on hand. I figured raspberries aren’t all that sweet either, so I could get away with substituting them with cherries. I’m pretty pleased with the outcome, though admittedly, I don’t think this recipe is for everyone. I had to play around a little bit with the ratio of cherries to tomatoes to suit my taste, but it really is an interesting combination that’s totally refreshing on a hot Summer day. You must try this!

Tart Cherry & Cherry Tomato Yogurt Freezer Pops

ingredients

  • 1 1/2- 2 cups tart cherries
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup coconut milk or almond milk yogurt
  • 2 tbsp coconut nectar (find it here), plus a little more for dipping
  • 1/2 cup toasted, sliced almonds

Directions

  • in a blender, mix cherries, cherry tomatoes, yogurt, and coconut nectar until smooth
  • pour the mixture into popsicle molds, insert popsicle stick, and freeze until firm (about 5 hours)
  • in a small bowl, pour a little coconut nectar
  • in another small bowl, place the sliced almonds
  • dip the top of the freezer pop into the coconut nectar and then into the almonds
  • serve immediately, or place them on a baking sheet and back into the freezer until you’re ready to serve
  • Enjoy!

This recipe makes about 7 pops,give or take. I will neither confirm nor deny that I ate several spoonfuls of the mixture straight from the blender. That said, these freezer pops are not super sweet, so if you want to add a little extra sweetness, go for it. There is a slight tomato flavor to them which I really find refreshing, but again, I know that’s not for everyone. Just give the mixture a taste while it’s still in your blender and tweak it to suit your taste.

4 Homemade Sports Drink Recipes to Beat the Heat

It’s brutally hot here, you guys. That yucky humid heat that just lingers and sucks all of your energy smooth out of your body. Because of this weather, my usually temperate home yoga routine has inadvertently become hot yoga for two days in a row now. Anyway, after yesterday’s hot yoga session I was feeling a little light headed and super thirsty. Fortunately, the hypochondriac in me immediately diagnosed my symptoms as being the tell tale signs of mild dehydration. I needed a sports drink fast not only for the electrolyte replenishment, but if for no other reason, the placebo effect. Hypochondria is real, y’all.

Anyway, these homemade sports drink recipes will have you feeling fully hydrated and raring to go no matter how hot the weather gets in your neck of the woods. With ingredients like coconut water, fruit, and even herbal tea, you’re getting all kinds of healthy goodness with delicious flavors to match. Best part is you can totally skip all the unnecessary sugars and additives that you’ll find in traditional sports drinks. You must try this!

1. Cucumber Lime Electrolyte Refresher

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 2 limes, peeled
  • 1½ cups coconut water

Directions

  • Juice the cucumber and lime in a juicer
  • Mix with coconut water
  • Serve chilled or over ice

2. Homemade Gatorade

Ingredients

  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

  • In a blender, add all ingredients and mix well
  • Serve chilled or over ice

3. Watermelon Electrolyte Booster

ingredients

  • 1 quarter of a watermelon, seeded
  • 2 large glasses of coconut water
  • 1 pinch of Himalayan Sea Salt

Directions

  • In a blender, add all ingredients and blend well
  • Serve chilled or over ice

4. Herbal Cooler

ingredients

  • 4 cups herbal tea
  • 2-4 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

  • Mix all ingredients thoroughly and store in the fridge
  • Serve chilled or over ice
Brazilian Lemonade

Try This—Brazilian Lemonade

Try This---Brazilian LemonadeTry This---Brazilian Lemonade

I was pretty sure, before I tried this drink, that there was nothing more refreshing than cucumber water on a hot summer day. You guys, Brazilian Lemonade is amazing. I’m not just saying that because it was 90 degrees yesterday and this drink literally saved my life. I’m not even saying it because it’s such a beautiful drink to look at when it’s all gussied up in a pretty pitcher. This is legit the most delicious drink I’ve had in a while. You need to TRY THIS!!!

Brazilian Lemonade

Ingredients

  • 6 cups cold water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 limes
  • 6 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Directions

  • Mix water and sugar together until sugar is dissolved. Put in the fridge to chill until ready to use.
  • Use soap and water to thoroughly wash the limes. You want to scrub really well because you are going to be using the whole lime! After you’ve washed and scrubbed your limes, cut the ends off the limes (DO NOT MISS THIS STEP!) and then cut them into eighths.
  • Place half of the limes and half of the sugar water in your blender and pulse 5 times. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into the pitcher that you are going to serve it in. Discard the pulp. Repeat with the second half of your limes and sugar water. Mix in the sweetened condensed milk. Serve over lots of ice.

***You can add a little white rum to this bad boy to give it an extra kick!

Source: playzwithfood