Eggs Benedict & Eggs Florentine

So This One is not really that Healthy, but sometime you just have to give in and live a little!  I have tried several different ways to make Hollandaise sauce and I wont lie, I don't really have a set recipe i kind of throw it together every time, so I apologize if it is a little strange you just have to experiment until you like the consistency, if you like it thicker, add more egg yolk, if you like it richer add more butter, etc.  

This is enough for two people

Each person gets one English muffin but you put one egg on half so you end up woth two halves per person.

Eggs Benedict:

Two whole wheat English muffins

Two slices of Canadian Bacon

4 Eggs

For the sauce:

2 egg yolks

½ stick butter or butter alternative

Salt & pepper

Lemon juice

Toast the English muffins.  Heat the Canadian bacon in a skillet and place on top of the English muffin.  Poach the eggs and place on top of the Canadian bacon.  To make the sauce, in a double boiler, quickly whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice and slowly pour in melted butter careful that the eggs don’t get too hot or the will cook!  Add  a bit of salt and pepper, pour over the eggs on the English muffins and serve!

Eggs Florentine:

Two whole wheat English muffins

1 cup cooked spinach

½ tsp minced garlic

2-3 Tbsp  cream cheese

Onion powder (optional)

4 Eggs

For the sauce:

2 egg yolks

½ stick butter or butter alternative

Salt & pepper

Lemon juice

In a small sauce pan add garlic the spinach the cream cheese and the onion powder if using.  Sautee until fragrant and cheese is melted.  Toast the English muffins.  Place creamed spinach on top of the English muffin.  Poach the eggs and place on top of the Canadian bacon.  To make the sauce, in a double boiler, quickly whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice and slowly pour in melted butter careful that the eggs don’t get too hot or the will cook!  Add  a bit of salt and pepper, pour over the eggs on the English muffins and serve!

Kale Asparagus Tart with Herb Crust

Kale Asparagus Tart with Herb Crust

I know for some people it can be intimidating to make their own crust, but tart crust is really the easiest thing to make once you get it down.  I hope my instructions are easy to follow!  Now for the next few days ill be posting a lot of egg recipes because there was a little mix up with the grocery list and my boyfriend and i both went shopping and we ended up with about 30 eggs in our fridge.  So i hope you all like eggs!!  This is a very tasty dish, i love Quiche and think it is even better with the tart crust!  i have a few pic, i know im getting better at the picture thing!  

For the Crust:

1 Bunch Basil

1 Stock Rosemary

3-6 leaves Sage

1 Clove Garlic

2 Cups Flour

¼ stick cold butter cut into cubes

1/8 – ¼ Cup Cold Water

For the Filling:

1 Cup Greek Yogurt

3 Eggs

1 Cup Shredded Swiss cheese

1 Yellow Onion

1 Stock Green Onion Chopped

1-2 leaves Kale, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a food processor add in the herbs and Garlic pulse a few times.  Add in flour and pulse more to combine.  Turn processor on and slowly add in butter one cube at a time, stop and feel to see if it holds together when pinched.  If not add a little more butter, if it does, while running, add slowly in the water.  Press into the bottom and up the sides of a nonstick tart pan with a removable bottom.  Poke holes in the bottom of the crust to create vent holes and bake for about 10-15 mins.  Remove and cool on wire rack until ready to fill. 

Cut the Asparagus into about 1 inch strips and place in a bowl with a chopped yellow onion.  Heat a table spoon of olive oil in a pan and cook vegetables until soft.  Remove from pan and place kale in pan and cook until it wilts.  Place wilted kale on bottom of tart crust. Meanwhile chop up the green onion and place it in a medium bowl. 
Add three eggs and whisk them with the onion.  Add in the asparagus and onion and add Greek yogurt.  Add salt and pepper to taste and add in ½ cup Swiss cheese.  Mix to combine.  Pour into tart crust and spread around evenly.

  (I added some cherry tomatoes on the top of mine here) and top with remaining Swiss cheese.  Bake covered for about 20 mins.  Remove cover and bake another 20 mins.  Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Wild Rice Stuffed Peppers

I Love Fall!! Esp for the food and the flavors, my favorite are all the things you can do with squash!  I apologize i forgot to take a picture until i was eating the last one for lunch the next day so if my pic doesnt look that great i apologize, but i promise they taste amazing!

Butternut Squash Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

3 Red Peppers

1 Cup Wild Rice

½ Cup Crumbled Feta

1 Cup Cooked Spinach

2 Cup Butternut Squash, chopped into small ½ inch cubes

1 Summer Squash chopped

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

1 Bunch Basil

1/3 Tsp Minced Garlic

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Note:

It is best to use left over rice for this but if you do not have any you can make it fresh before starting anything else!

Place squash on baking sheet spaced out and spray with olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bake only to make slightly tender about 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Cut peppers in half, length wise and de-seed.  Place sitting upright in baking dish. 

In a medium bowl, add the rice and squash.  Over a small bowl squeeze the spinach to get out any extra water, especially if you are using thawed frozen spinach.  Place spinach in medium bowl with rice and squash.  Then open can of tomatoes and pour the tomato juice into the small bowl with the spinach water, add the tomatoes to the medium bowl.  Add half the feta and add the butternut squash and mix well to combine.  Add salt and Pepper to taste.

Stuff the peppers with the filling mixture and top with the extra feta.  Pour the tomato and spinach juice into the bottom of the pan to help steam and keep the peppers from drying out. 

Cover with Aluminum Foil and bake for about 40 mins.  Remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes, depending on how melted you like the cheese and how hot your oven gets.   Enjoy!

Turkey bacon wrapped sea scallops

This is an easy and quick appetizer to make and is delicious!  

Ingredients

Turkey bacon

Sea scallops

Lemon pepper

Salt

Garlic

Olive oil

Instructions 

Soak tooth picks in water.  Fold the turkey bacon in half length wise and  wrap around  the sea scallops.  In a small bowl combine olive oil garlic and a small amount of salt.  Pour over scallops and top with the pepper.  Broil on high with the pan towards the bottom of the oven. Leave in oven for about 5-7 mins based on the heat of your oven.  

Berry pie

Today I decided to bake a pie.  I bake all the time but I have only ever made one pie before and it was pecan pie so It was kind of different than most pies.  So I was craving strawberry rhubarb and I went to publix and they didn't have rhubarb... I guess it's not Abailable down here in the summer. So I thought I'd just make a mixed berry pie!  Here's what I did!

It would probably be better with home made crust but I was feeling kind of lazy ;-)

Ingredients

Pre made pie crust

Strawberry a (2boxes)

Raspberrys 1 box

Blueberries 1 box

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour 

Instructions:

Slice strawberries and mix in bowl w blueberries and raspberries add sugar and flour and mix well.  Unfold one of the pie crusts and place carefully into a greased pie pan.  Pour berries into pie crust.  Make lattice on wax paper then transfer on top of pie.  Brush with an egg and top with sprinkled sugar.  Bake 375 covered for 25 mins.  Remove foil cover and bake for about 40 mins more. 

Caprese Roasted Tomatoes

I was really in the mood for something refreshing but I was also kind of craving comfort food.  (my comfort food is tomato soup!)  So I decided to bake the tomatoes to give a little bit of both!  They are soo good.  You can serve them as a main dish with a salad, or as a side.  Either way, they are my new favorite dish! I apologize about the picture.  I keep forgetting to take pictures after i make a dish, so this one is just the last one the next day.  But it was still delicious! 

Caprese Baked Tomatoes

Makes 4

Ingredients

2 Large Tomatoes

½ C Fresh Mozzarella, finely chopped or shredded

1/3 C Fresh Basil, chopped

1/3 C Fresh Grated Parmesan

White Tarragon Vinegar

Olive Oil

Directions

Cut tomatoes in half width wise, so you have a top and bottom half.  Carefully cut out center of tomato leaving enough room for at least ½” of ‘shell’.  Dice up tomato parts that have been removed and put in bowl.  Add mozzarella and basil to bowl and mix around.  Drizzle in some vinegar salt and pepper, then stuff the tomato shells with the mixture.  Top with Parmesan, and drizzle olive oil over top.  Bake at 400 for about 20 mins, then increase temp to 450 and bake another 10 mins.  Make sure the cheese doesn't start to burn.  If it is getting too brown take out and top with tin foil. 

White Asparagus and Mushroom Tart

So i bought this new rectangular tart pan and I'm obsessed with it!  I've been making everything with it!  So i wanted to use it to make a quiche but i couldn't find any recipes for a non round pan.  So i decided to invent something my self!  I served it at my house last night while i was hosting girls' night and everyone loved it!  i hope you do too!  (i promise i'll add a pic soon...im having camera trouble!)

White Asparagus Mushroom Tart

Ingredients:
Crust:
1/3 a stick of butter cold
A hand full of Basil Leaves
1 Tbs Garlic
1 1/4 C Flour

Filling:
1 C Greek Yogurt
3 Eggs
8-10 Stalks White Asparagus, cut into bite size pieces
3 oz White Oyster Mushrooms, sliced

Topping:
1/3 C Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded



For the Crust:
take a hand full of basil leaves and dump them into a food processor.  Then take about a tablespoon of garlic and throw it in. Pulse until well minced.  Then add flour and pulse to combine.  With the food processor running slowly drop in little squares of butter until small peas start to form, (about 1/3 of a stick).  make sure dough will stick together when pinched with fingers.  Grease a tart pan, and press dough onto bottom and up the sides.  Pierce several holes in bottom with a fork.  Bake in oven at 350 for about 10-15 mins.  remove crust and let cool on a wire rack.

For the Filling:
cut up asparagus and mushrooms into bite size pieces. Cook in frying pan for about 5 mins until vegetables are tender but not fully cooked.  In a bowl add fat free Greek yogurt and eggs, whisk together.  add in vegetables.  (if this does not look like enough add more yogurt to mixture).  Add salt and pepper then pour into crust.  Spread it out evenly with a spatula, the consistency is very thick so it will not spread on it's own.  top with shredded light Monterrey jack cheese.  Bake in oven for about 30-35 mins.  allow to settle, for about 1 hour a RT or in fridge over night.

Espresso Infused Creme Brulee

I added a new twist on a classic, and it was soo good, I had to share!  I Hope you all enjoy!

Espresso Creme Brulee:

2 C Heavy Cream
1/3 C Sugar
4 Egg yolks
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Instant Coffee

1. Warm Cream in sauce pan with vanilla.  Once the cream starts to get warm add coffee and stir to ensure even distribution.
2. Wisk yolks and with sugar together, do not over mix.
3. Temper cream to yolks and mix well to combine.
1. to do this, pour a little bit of the hot cream into the yolks and stir well to heat the eggs, but not too much to cook them.  Once this is done add entire egg mixture into cream.  Remove from heat immediately.  
4. Pour into Remkins, and use torch to remove any bubbles on the surface.
5. Place a paper towel on the bottom of a baking dish.  Add the prepared remkins to the dish, and fill the dish with water, until the water is about 1/2 the way up to remkins.
6. Bake at 325 for 30-35 mins.
7. Refrigerate for about 4 hours or until custard has settled.
8. Pour Raw sugar on top of cold custard and lightly tilt Remkin to distribute sugar evenly.  
9. Once evenly distributed torch the sugar with the torch about 2-3" away from the sugar.

 custard the next day from the fridge.

Sprinkle Raw sugar evenly on top

Torch the sugar a few inches above to ensure it doesn't catch fire!

The final product!

White Wine Garlic Mussels

Last night I made mussels, and i had limited ingredients so i used what i could find, and the simplicity of it was so wonderful!  I took about a tablespoon of butter and melted it in a skillet then added about a tablespoon of garlic, and let it cook until fragrant, then i added white wine, and let it simmer all together, then i added the mussels and let them steam until they opened and served them just like that!  It was delicious!  sorry i didnt take a pic but im sure you can imagine it looked fabulous!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

So i know that a lot of my friends LOVE this low-carb 'pizza'.  There are lots of variety's on how to make this, but after experimenting around a little i found the way i like it with as little extra fat as possible!  I added some toppings in mine but you can change the toppings to whatever you like!

Oh and one more thing...I like thin crust pizza, so i spread mine out very thin on the pizza tray.  If you like a thicker crust don't spread it out as much and make it a smaller diameter!  

Enjoy! <3

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Yield: One 14 to 16-inch pizza (feeds 4 people)

Prep Time: 25 min Cook Time: 18 min

ingredients:

CRUST:

1 LARGE head cauliflower (about 3+ cups shredded cauliflower)

2 large eggs

1 1/2 finely shredded fat free mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 clove garlic (or 1/2 tsp minced garlic)

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

TOPPINGS:

3/4 cup tomato or marinara sauce

1 cup crumbled low fat feta or goat cheese

3 chorizo sausages (skin removed and cooked crumbled)

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes

directions:

1.  Chop the cauliflower into smaller florrets.  Place 2-3 florrets in a food proccessor to 'rice' the cauliflower into small crumbles. Be careful not to puree. You'll need the whole cauliflower.  Place the cauliflower crumbles in a microwave safe bowl and microwave them for 8 minutes.  Do not add water.

2. Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spread a little olive oil or fat free butter alternative on surface of pizza pan.  In a large bowl, mix the riced cauliflower with the remaining crust ingredients. Spread the "crust" on the prepared pan. Spray the crust lightly with nonstick spray and bake for about 15 minutes (or until golden depending on your oven). Remove the crust from the oven and turn the heat up to broil high.

3. Prepare the pizza: Spread the sauce on top of the baked crust, leaving a slight border around the edge. Add the Chorizo crumbles and sundried tomatoes, spreading it evenly over the pizza surface.  Sprinkle the feta or goat cheese on top. Broil the pizza 3 to 4 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the cheese is melted slightly.  (some Feta cheeses maintain their crumble shape even when melted). Cut into 8 slices and serve immediately.

Pizza is hard to pick up so it is best eaten with fork and knife

Nutritional info per serving for JUST THE CRUST- per slice

Serving Size: 1 slice (pizza cut into 8 slices)

Calories 84,

Fat 4.3g,

Sat Fat 2.6g,

Cholesterol 40.8mg,

Sodium 166mg,

Carbohydrates 4.6g,

Fiber 1.9g,

Sugar 0g,

Protein 7.1g

WW Points Plus: 2

Goat Cheese Pesto and Sundried Tomato Spread

So Last night for my brothers birthday my mom made this and I forgot just how delicious it is!  It is so elegant and so simple to make (but don’t tell people that!)  So I thought id share it with you.  And I finally got a picture! ( I can’t take credit for the picture I found it online, but it looks exactly the same!)

·

Goat Cheese Pesto and Sun-dried Tomato Spread

             10 oz. goat cheese

·         ~10 oz cream cheese

·         ¼ C pesto  

·         1/2  C sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

·         ¼ C cup pine nuts, coarsely chopped

Line the inside of small bowl (roughly 4-5 inches across the top) with plastic wrap.  In a mixing bowl, mix the goat cheese and cream cheese and season with a little salt and pepper; add more cream cheese if too liquidy.  Spoon about 1/3 of the cheese into the lined bowl and flatten the top.  Add the pesto for the second layer (use all).  Add another layer of cheese for the third layer.  And then top that with the sun-dried tomatoes.  Top with the remaining cheese. Pack down and chill covered for at least 30 mins to up to 2 days. 

About 30 mins before serving, take the bowl out of the fridge unwrap it and flip it upside down onto a plate.  Top the (once last) now top layer of cheese with pine nuts.  Serve with a fresh baguette or crackers!  

Jalapeno Popper Pastry

Ok I'm sorry I don't have any pictures up yet.  I usually just make things spur of the moment and don’t plan to take pics, but I promise I will get some up soon!

So this last Sat. was one of my good friend's party's.  My house was volunteered as the Pregame.  Even though other people were bringing food, being the slightly neurotic person i am i wanted to throw together something too just in case.  I scavenged through my fridge and found goat cheese jalapenos and pastry puffs.  So I decided to throw something together.

Everyone loved them!  I was so happy!  (Honestly I had NO idea how they would taste so i was a little nervous!) Here is what I did:

I finely chopped 3 jalapenos (I left the seeds in for an extra kick, but for a less spicy version make sure you de seed them!)  And I added them to a bowl with a little tub of goat cheese.  I mixed them in until the goat cheese was soft and everything was combined.  Then i flavored it with some salt and pepper and paprika.  Then I added in grated cheddar cheese and combined again.  I took out the pastry puff and sliced it into about 3" X 3" squares, and laid them on a baking sheet lined with tin foil.  (I like to line with tin foil b/c they always stick to the pan and it’s easier to peel the foil off the pastry then to rip a crumbled pastry off a baking sheet.) I painted each puff with a beaten egg and a pastry brush, and then I added the jalapeno mixture into the center of each pastry square.  I put it in the oven at 350 F for approx. 20 mins.  Mean while I sliced another jalapeno into thin circles, and deseeded the slices.  When just about done baking, i took out the pan, and to each pastry i topped with more cheddar and one jalapeno circle.


Jalapeno Popper Pastry:

4 Jalapenos; 3 finely chopped, 1 thinly sliced de-seeded
5 oz Goat Cheese
1C Cheddar Cheese, grated
Salt, Pepper, Paprika to taste
1/2 Package Pastry Puff (1 Sheet), thawed
1 Egg, beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a bowl mix together goat cheese, chopped jalapenos and 3/4 C cheddar cheese.  Season with salt, pepper and paprika.  Let sit at room temperature about 5 mins.  Meanwhile slice pastry puff sheet into
3" X 3" squares.  Place on prepared baking sheet, and paint on egg to top of each square.  Put a drop (about 1 tbs)  jalapeno mixture onto the center of each pastry square.  Place in oven for about 20 mins.  When about done baking remove baking sheet and top each square with remaining cheese and one jalapeno slice. 

Note:  to make more spicy keep the jalapeno seeds in the cheese mixture.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

Last night I was in the mood for something kind of tropical and exotic.  I read a few recipes for Teriyaki Turkey Burgers and I picked out the best ideas from each one.   I made this for 8, so for simplicity sake ill try to cut everything in half to make for 4, but i apologize if the proportions done come out quite right.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
Yeilds: 4

1 lb Lean Ground Turkey
4-5 Scallions, chopped
1-2 tsp Cilantro (to taste)
Teriyaki Marinade (low sodium)
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1/2 Pineapple, sliced
4 Whole Wheat Buns

In a bowl, put ground meat, egg scallions cilantro and Teriyaki sauce.  Mix well.  Divide evenly into 4 patties.  Grill the patties and pineapple and serve with pineapple slice on top of the patty.  If desired can serve with other condiments, but i found this had so much flavor nothing more was needed.
I served mine with Spicy Sweet potato Fries.  :-)

Buttermilk Flax Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I was experimenting around with an old pancake recipe and decided to switch it up a bit.  The result was delicious!  So I’m sharing it with you all. :-)

Elyse’s Buttermilk Pancakes

1 C Flour

¼ C Ground Flax Seeds

1 Tbs Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 C Light Buttermilk

1 Egg

1 tbs Oil

1Tbs Agave Nectar

½ C Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl, add in everything except the chocolate chips and mix until just combined.  Then add in chocolate chips and stir a few more times.  Pour desired amount onto a nonstick pan over medium high heat.  Enjoy!

Natural Antidepressants

·         Water

o   Although it seems so simple, most people do not get enough hydration throughout the day.  Keeping hydrated and drinking proper amounts of water helps you body stay refreshed and energized.  When your body is up to par then everything it produces will maintain normalized and be produced/recycled at normal rates.  Sometimes this slow down can cause waste back up which can make us feel sluggish and depressed.

·         Leafy Greens

o   Spinach and kale especially.  That whole fad with the green smoothies now, well, although they don’t look so appetizing they are actually great for your body and also your brain.  The folic acid and iron in kale and spinach help to power your brain to keep everything up to speed.

·         Wheat breads and Pastas

o   The brain loves carbs, which is partly why when you feel sad you want sugar.  But you have to be careful with this one.  White breads and pasta have refined bleached wheat which get digested rapidly by the body creating a good feeling but then it quickly crashes leaving you right back or even worse than before.  Whole grains and whole wheat bread products are best because it takes the body longer to digest them leaving you with a longer feeling of satisfaction.  With that said.  Carbs are probably the quickest food antidepressant because carbohydrates drive serotonin production.

·         Fish

o   Especially oily fish.  The omega-3 fatty acid in fish oil is sooo good for your brain cells.  . Dietary fats and cholesterol can clog up cell membranes causing them to block the flow of fluids and chemicals in and out of the cell.   Omega-3s help to unclog this junk and allow the cells to function properly. 

There are so many products out there with pills to take or something, but just try to keep it natural.  Usually if you are feeling blue or depressed its most likely because something in your body is out of sync.  Just try to eat right and exercise and unless it’s a clinical diagnosis, you will probably start feeling better sooner than you think!

Strawberry Banana Muffins

So I have been trying to eat Healthier and cut down on sweet things.  My problem is that I LOVE baking!  So I decided that I was going to experiment with a bunch of recipes and try out substitutions for a healthier version.  This one came out really well the first try so I don’t see any need to change it.  The nice thing about this recipe is that you can substitute the strawberries with almost any fruit.  So depending on what you are in the mood for or what is in season where you live, you can make these muffins year round!  I use all purpose flour but you can mix in some whole wheat flour if you want, just remember when adding whole wheat flour that it will fall apart unless you keep the ration under 1/2.. Ex: for 2 cups flour use 1 c whole wheat and 1 c white.  Also whole wheat flour makes them denser.

Strawberry Banana Muffins:

	1 tsp baking powder
	1/2 tsp table salt
	1 tsp ground cinnamon
	2 medium banana(s), really ripe, (black skin)
	3/4 cup(s) fat free skim milk
	1 tsp vanilla extract
	2 cup(s) all purpose flour
	2 item(s) egg(s)
	1/3 cup(s) agave nectar
	2 cup(s) (raw) strawberries, chopped
	1 Tbsp baking powder
	1/2 tsp baking soda
	1 Tbsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground cloves

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 spray muffin pan with Pam. In a bowl of a stand mixer add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. mix to combine. In a small bowl add milk, eggs, and vanilla and whisk lightly until egg yolks are broken. Add milk mixture to mixing bowl with flour and stir a few times only until combined, it is important not to overmix. Add strawberries and banana, stir until just combined. Divide batter evenly among cups and bake for 25-30 mins. Let muffins cool in pan on wire rack for about 10 mins then remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.
  

These muffins are really moist because of the fruit in them so keep them in the fridge or else they will mold!!!

Your at Home Spa

How to set up and enjoy a Spa experience at home!

·         First thing you need to do is dedicate a space for  you  this will be your personal sanctuary where you feel calm and just thinking about it will help you to feel less stressed.  Everyone needs a place like this in their home.  Mine is in my bathroom.  I love taking relaxing baths to help release tension and sooth muscles.

o   You want this space to have nice soft colors so use colorful towels or a throw rug to add in some soothing colors if painting is not an option for you.  Earthy colors are the best but if you are a colorful person go with some pastel cool colors like light purple or light green.  Try to stay away from bright warm colors like reds, and yellows because these colors alert your senses, counteracting your relaxation. 

o   Buy some candles.  If you are lucky enough to have a nice bathtub try to buy some tea light candles.  They are inexpensive and the small light is very calming.  (They run you around $10-$15 for 100) and buy one candle with scents like lavender or vanilla.  Something rich that will fill the room.  Keep this candle on the counter or somewhere a little further from the tub to give a reflective light.

o   Make sure you have some nice bath salts, oils or even milk bath products.  If you don’t or you are trying to keep with a budget there are tons of things you can buy at a local grocery market and make some yourself.

§  Milk Bath:
This one is pretty simple and is so good and relaxing for your skin. 

·         2 C Powder Milk

·         1 C Epsom Salts

·         Few drops of Rose Water
(optional but rose water is great for you skin)

·         ½ C Oats
Mix together and add under running water of bath.  If you have a larger bath tub you might want to double these ingredients.

§  Salt Bath:

·         Equal parts Epsom Salts and Sea Salt

o   If you have some add in a few drops of essential oil to add a nice smell to your bath. 

§  Oil Bath:

·         ½ C Olive Oil

·         1 tbs Sesame Oil

·         ¼ C Coconut Oil

·         Pour into bath under running water.

o   If you have speakers or an ipod player you can bring into your bathroom do so and play some soothing music, it will help you clear your mind and relax.

·         The most important thing about reducing stress is that you need to make time for it.  You won’t always magically find an hour in your day with nothing to do.  You need to make time for your self.

Honey: Sweet Health Benefits

Honey is made by bees. Well everyone knows that!  But what you might not have known is that there are about 60,000 bees in a beehive, and they travel about 55,000 miles visiting more than two million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just a pound of honey!  How cool!  Those little creatures that we sometimes fear and are annoyed by, are venturing out into the great unknown to gather ingredients for one of nature’s sweetest health compounds!

People today are always talking about how bad white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners are for your health.  But people keep forgetting about honey.  Not only is it a great sweetener, but honey has so many health benefits.

Antioxidants:

Honey contains tons of vitamins and minerals.  But it also has a unique, substance called Pinostrobin.  In 2002, Fahey and Stephenson showed that Pinostrobin is a flavonoid inducer of chemoprotective and antioxidant enzymes.  In other words it supports and promotes healthy enzyme activity and cancer fighting cells.

Immune Health:

Honey contains anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties through an enzyme in it which makes hydrogen peroxide.  It has also been shown to help in some cases with ulcers but the data on this is unclear. 

Sore Throat Remedies:

Honey is a great alternative to cough syrup.  Honey is thick and viscous leaving a sort of ‘sticky’ coating on your throat which helps sooth sore throats and stop coughing. 

These are just a few of the benefits of Honey.  It is also to remember when shopping for honey that there are different grades and colors of honey.  Some are lighter, others are darker.  A general rule of thumb is that the darker the better its antibacterial and antioxidant power.  Also organic Raw honey will be the best because they have been processed less and most likely have stronger health benefits.  

for more information on Honey check out The National Honey Board's website!

Hello & Welcome

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately and it has inspired me to blog again.  I, like most people, have been trying to lead a healthier life style.  So i decided to dedicate my blog to healthy recipes, easy exercise routines and just anything that can help with a healthy stress free lifestyle <3

I have suffered from anxiety and depression in the past and by making certain changes to my daily routines and life choices, I have realized that there are so many ways to be healthier, happier, more zen, and centered just by some self reflection and attitude changes and by fixing up your diet.  The brain is such an amazing organ.  We need to take care of it.  There are certain foods we crave in times of stress that help temporarily but actually in the long term can start to become harmful for your well-being.  (Please note: these are merely suggestions to  help accompany and are NOT replacements for any medication or health care/mental health care professional advise.)