Homemade Anti-Aging Sugar Scrub

I'm now in my mid-thirties and on my third child ... let's face it, my skin is not what it used to be!  If I don't start moisturizing and doing something now, it's just going to keep getting worse and worse ... or should I say, saggier and wrinklier! I plan on aging gracefully, whether my body likes it or not!

I started doing a little research on easy (and cheap) things that I can do now. There are a million and two anti-aging serums out there and many of them would make me take a second mortgage out on my home! I wanted something that I could quickly whip up and start feeling better about those wrinkles. Mind over matter right?!

So here is what I found ... sugar scrubs: easy, quick, effective and leave you feeling silky smooth. I'm sold!

Brown sugar has anti-bacterial properties and contains Vitamin B. Honey is filled with natural vitamins and minerals and helps your body retain its moisture.

So now, what oils to use? Grapeseed oil is light in texture and is easily absorbed by the skin. Grapeseed oil has mildly astringent qualities, which help to tighten and tone both normal and oily skin types. Grapeseed oil is known to contain powerful antioxidants. I also usually always have grapeseed oil in my house. I did find that argan and rose hip are also great anti-aging oils that are help with toning and wrinkles and sagging.

Next, what essential oils should I use?

• carrot seed oil helps fade scars while improving the tone of aging skin
• patchouli helps promote new cell growth and smooths the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• rose oil can help the breakdown of collegen in the skin which leads to a loss of elasticity and wrinkles
• frankincense and myrrh are also great ... I haven't invested in these oils yet, but I have heard amazing anti-aging stories and would love to hear if you've tried them!
• You can also find a blend like Age Defy from Eden's Garden and it takes some of the trial and error away!

Homemade Sugar Scrub

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 c grapeseed oil (argan or rose hip too)
10 drops essential oils

Mix all ingredients together and keep in a airtight container. Use about 1 tablespoon or as needed in the shower and scrub away! Rinse off and your skin will be silky smooth!

The mixture should be good for up to two months.

Chai Tea Protein Smoothie

I recently had people over for brunch and people were asking for a cup of coffee ... coffee is so far off my radar, I didn't even think about it! I don't even own a coffee machine. I do have some instant decaf coffee that I use for cooking ... they thought I was crazy! I do have loads of tea though! I love my chai teas. However, after I do a workout in the morning the last thing I want is a hot cup of tea. Like many of you, I still do need the extra pick me up though, workout or not, so I enjoy icing my teas.

Over the weekend, I wanted to have a smoothie ready for the next morning. I knew we were going to be in a rush and I knew I would want some tea. I used the last bit of my Chai Tea Latte mix last week and I have been craving it ever since so I decided to try a Chai Smoothie. It was awesome! It did take a bit longer than expected. I kept adding spices little by little and it just wasn't spicy enough, but I finally got it and next time it will be a breeze! It made enough for me to enjoy three mornings in a row which was an added bonus. It was filling, it gave me a little boost and most importantly, it was delicious!

Try taking a break from the coffee and try a boosting protein-packed smoothie instead! It's great to make over the weekend and have it ready to go Monday morning.

Chai Protein Smoothie

Makes 4 cups

1 1/2 c cashews, raw and soaked for 2 hours
3 c black tea, or your favorite decaf tea
2 T maple syrup
2 T hemp or chia seeds
1 t vanilla extract
2 t cinnamon
2 t ginger
2 t allspice
1 t ground cloves
1 t cardamon
1/4 t black pepper

First, make your tea.

Them put all ingredients in a high speed blender until nice and smooth. If you are drinking it right away, add some ice to cool it down otherwise, place it in a container and let it cool in the refrigerator until you are ready to drink it.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

As you may know, I started making my own dish soap a while back. It took a bit to find the right ratio so it was thick and still worked good. That venture was nothing compared to finding out what worked for my dishwasher!

Let's start at the beginning. The water at my house is very hard and has lots of iron in it. It doesn't taste bad, but we definitely have our limitations ... like we can't use it to brew (a big pain in my rear)! I tried lots of different recipes that were out on the web, they would always work for about a week, but we would end up having lots of spots and my dishwasher would get cloudy after that. Ugh ... back to the chemicals!

I honestly felt like giving up on this one and just blaming our water. However, every meal I would watch the kids eat and I couldn't help but cringe a little knowing that I was using dishwasher detergent that I didn't like (even if it was 'safe'). I wanted a simple homemade detergent with very few ingredients. This would also save some money!

I decided to give it one more try ... the good 'ol college effort and of course, it finally worked. Does that happen to you? Right when you're about to give up on something you figure it out?!? Happens to me ALL of the time! Lesson learned (again): never quit!

What finally worked for me was not to use salt in my mix. I also always have white vinegar as my rinsing agent now. I have had spotless, clean beautiful dishes every time and my dishwasher is looking great! So, if this recipe doesn't work for you, keep adjusting it until you find what works best with the water in your area. If you need, try a little salt too. Citric Acid is a new ingredient for me. I haven't used it in anything before. Don't be intimidated it is a very safe and common ingredient. It can be found at many hardware stores and even natural food stores. As usual, I got mine online through Amazon.

Good luck!

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Makes 40 Loads

1 cup Borax
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup citric ccid
1 drop essential oils per load (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and keep them in an airtight container. I like using a mason jar.

When ready, add 1 T of mix per load. Again, I also fill my rinsing agent compartment with white vinegar.

Avocado Caesar Dressing

Since I started making more of my Sun-Dried Tomato Tahini Dressing, I have been on a salad kick! I know, I'm amazed it's working too. However, I'm running into my normal food rut ... once I have too much of something I get bored and stop all together. So this past week, I have been on a salad hiatus! Is anyone surprised?!

Lent is officially starting today and I really want to keep my salad frenzy running for the next 40 days. I knew I needed to stock myself with a few different dressing to keep motivated. I was about to make some Caesar Dressing when I saw a few avocados that really needed to be used. They were on the verge of brown! It's a love hate relationship I have with avocados. You wait for them to be perfect. You wait and wait and wait and BAM ... they're brown! I get so made that I didn't use them when there were ready, even though I swear I was checking everyday! This was not going to happen to me again! I am using these avocados!

So, I altered by normal dressing for an avocado caesar dressing. I didn't want to oil it down to much, so it's a super thick dressing, which it's great because it makes a great dip too. Since it is so thick, I suggest tossing it with your salad instead of pouring it on the top. This dressing works great for a chopped salad filled with yummy fresh vegetables. It coats them all so you get a nice tangy avocado-y taste with every bite!

Avocado Caesar Dressing

Makes 1 cup

1 avocado
2 T olive oil
2 T parmesan cheese (vegan)
1 t lemon juice
1/3 t apple cider vinegar
1/4 t tamari
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Put all ingredients into a bowl and puree with your hand blender or high speed blender. It's a bit thick, so if you like it thinner, just add more olive oil.

Enjoy this on your favorite salad or even as a dip!

Roasted Red Pepper Corn and Flour Tortillas

Sometimes the things that I make aren't always the most practical, but at the end of the day I think 'homemade' overrides 'practical'! Homemade tortillas are one of those situation recipes. They are really cheap to buy, but they are even cheaper to make. Once you try fresh, homemade tortillas you will throw practical out the window and start mixing some dough. I can even one up that and say, once you try fresh, homemade roasted red pepper tortillas you will run to your kitchen and start cooking!

I am not a huge fan of just plain corn tortillas. They almost always break when you are using them, except for a few select brands, but they are expensive. I usually choose flour tortillas even though I like the extra flavor that corn tortillas have to offer. This is why I make mine half and half. I get the best of both worlds. They turned out just how I hoped. They fold nicely, but they have that great gritty corn flavor.

Seriously, don't be intimidated by making your own tortillas. This does sound like a big task, but these surprisingly don't take that long to make and the outcome is SO worth it.

I'm not big into Valentine's Day, but I think I will be making these again tomorrow to get a little more red in our meal!

Roasted Red Pepper Corn Tortillas

Makes 10-12 tortillas

2 red peppers
2 cloves garlic
1 1/4 c AP flour
1 1/4 c cornmeal, fine ground
1/4 c coconut oil
3 T water
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt

First, roast your red peppers and garlic on the same pan. Click here for instructions.

Once your peppers have cooled and you've removed the skins, add all ingredients to your food processor and mix until they are well incorporated. Add a little more water should you need. The dough should like clumpy, but when easily able to form together when you  push it together.

Next, divide it into 10-12 balls. Cover them with a wet towel and let them sit for 10 minutes.

Next, begin rolling them out. Roll them out on a floured surface nice and thin ... as thin as you can go without breaking them.

Heat a frying pan with a touch of oil in it. Lay your tortillas in it and fry it for 2-3 minutes on both sides or until it starts to brown. As one tortillas is frying, I roll out my next one. This way, they don't dry out.

Serve them immediately. If you plan on saving them, let them cool under a towel then pack them in a sealed bag until you are ready to use. I only keep them for a day or two ... they wouldn't survive in my house longer than that anyways!

I have heard of people freezing them before, but I haven't tried that yet. If you do, let me know how it goes!

Citrus Turmeric Smoothie

Everyone had little resolutions that they make throughout the year. I think I have a new resolution every week! Probably 25% of them actually stick, but I don't think those are that bad of odds.

My latest resolution is to start getting more turmeric in my diet. Ever since I started making Squashin' Macaroni & Cheese with my overload of winter squash, I have been addicted to turmeric. It's an anti-inflammatory, it increases your antioxidants, it is said to help prevent and possibly treat cancer, it's thought to delay aging and this is just naming a few benefits, there are many, many more!

Another one of my my resolutions that I'm trying to conquer is to juice more (and work out more, and eat more salads ...). I'm a 'two-for' type of gal, so I figured I should try to get two done with one shot and make a juice with turmeric in it. Let me tell you, I'm hooked. It's sweet, tangy and a has a little tiny bite from the turmeric. Plus, this juice is so easy. It doesn't have a million ingredients and I almost always have the ingredients in the fridge.

I think I'm setting myself to actually meet this resolution!

Citrus Turmeric Smoothie

Makes 3 cups

1 orange, peeled
1 carrot
1 c coconut-almond milk (or any other milk of your choice)
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/2 in ginger, grated
1/2 t ground turmeric

Put all ingredients in your blender and mix. Add ice if you would like it cooler.

Sun-Dried Tomato Tahini Dressing: Annie's Woodstock Copycat

There are some dressings out there that completely make or break the salad. This Sun-Dried Tomato Tahini Dressing is that dressing for me. Usually, I need lots of toppings on my salads, yummy cheeses and a great dressing to make me want to eat it, but this dressing is the opposite. I can have it on a bed of greens ... any greens, and I am a happy camper!

A few years back, we were at Paul's Aunt's house for dinner. She served a salad with Annie's Woodstock dressing. After I downed my salad and wiped my bread in whatever dressing remained on the plate, I had to ask what dressing it was. I have never forgotten that dressing, but yet it took a while to actually make it (I vowed not to buy dressings a while back ... everything's better homemade). Once I finally got the taste to my liking, this is one of those dressings that is now a staple in our refrigerator.

The best thing about this dressing is it's more than just a dressing. The tahini makes it nice and thick so you can use it as a sauce, spread or dip too. I spread it on my wraps, dip my carrots in it. The sweetness of the tomatoes and the tart lemon and vinegar and the nutty tahini makes it the perfect everything!

Sun-Dried Tomato Tahini Dressing

Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 c canola oil, organic
1/3 c tahini
2 garlic cloves
1/4 c sun-dreid tomatoes, not packed in oil
2 T tamari
2 t apple cider vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1 T chives
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Mix all ingredients with a high speed blender or hand mixer. Keep refrigerated.