Posts Tagged ‘recipe’

Posted on May 29, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

2 DIY Olive Oil and Lavender-Kissed Cleansers!

If your facial cleanser is leaving your skin feeling dry, it’s removing too much of its natural moisturizer, known as sebum.

On the other hand, if your cleanser leaves your skin feeling greasy or sticky, either it isn’t removing enough oil or it contains heavy emollient and film-forming ingredients that clog pores.

Squeaky, Cheeky Clean!

A great facial cleanser removes grime from your skin – without stripping it of healthy lipids which you need to protect from the environment.

That’s where a great DIY green cleanser comes in.  Olive and sunflower oils are suitable for almost every skin. Try the following recipe, which green cosmetics author and advocate Julie Gabriel considers “a green replica of conventional cleansing” products.

Just Olive Cleansing Oil

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces organic extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ampoule of vitamin E (a blend of tocopherols and tocotrienols)
• 1 drop essential oil of chamomile

note: an ampoule is a small sealed vial

How to:

1. Pour the oil into a stainless steel shaker; add the vitamin E and essential oil. (if you have acne outbreaks, replace the chamomile oil with one drop of tea tree or geranium oil).

2. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds.

3. Pour the contents into a pump bottle. Thanks to the antioxidant action of vitamin E and chamomile, this blend has a long shelf life in dry, cool conditions.

The following DIY recipe can be used as a mask if you’re experiencing pimples, dullness, or overall uneven complexion. Just leave it on for 5 minutes to let it do its magic.

Day in Provence Cleansing Powder

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon loose organic green tea
• 1 teaspoon dried rose petals
• 1 teaspoon dried calendula (marigold petals)
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender florets
• 1 uncoated aspirin tablet
• 1 ounce white clay (bentonite)
• 1 ounce rice bran
• 3 capsules of vitamin C

1. Crush the green tea, rose and calendula petals, and lavender florets in a mortar.  Add the aspirin tablet, crush it, and blend with plant particles. Add the clay and blend thoroughly. Add rice bran. Twist open capsules of vitamin C and add them to the mix.

2. Transfer to a wide-neck glass bottle and shake vigorously so the ingredients form a homogeneous mix.

3. Use daily by pouring a teaspoonful (size of two quarters) into a dry hand. Add a few drops of water, form a dense paste, and rub into face, avoiding the eye area.

note: this concoction can be stored up to three months in an airtight twist-cap bottle.

Let us know how you like the results, right here: we’d love to hear from you!

recipes via The Green Beauty Guide, by Julie Gabriel

Posted on March 24, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

2 Healthy Treats Inspired by Easter and Passover

Whether you celebrate Easter, Passover, neither or something else, these two treats are a great way to celebrate spring!

Make a Natural Egg Facial Mask for Dry Skin

When I think Easter, I think eggs.  Here’s an interesting way to infuse some spring into your skin using:

·        Organic eggs

·        Honey (a great skin healing agent)

·        Organic virgin olive oil (another great skin healing agent)

·        Organic lavender essential oil

How-to:

1. Mix egg yolk, a teaspoon of warm honey and a teaspoon of olive oil together in a bowl.

2. Apply the egg yolk to your face and neck. Let it stand for 30 to 40 minutes or until dry and rinse with cool water.

3. Rub organic olive oil into your skin for extra moisturizing. Add an optional two drops of organic essential lavender oil to your olive oil to prevent wrinkles and enjoy lavender’s stress-relieving aromatherapeutic effects.

Upgrade Your Matzah Brei!

Shifting gears over to healthy eating I found this recipe and fell in love. Give your matzah brei a new twist by making it into an organic pear frittata this Passover and impress your family with this tasty treat.

Matzah Brei Pear Frittata

Ingredients:

• Extra virgin olive oil spray
• 2 ripe pears, sliced, cores and stems removed (if organic, don’t peel)
• 2 whole wheat or whole grain spelt matzah boards (organic is best)
• 6 egg whites
• Dash sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric

How-to:

1.  Spray a non-stick 12” skillet with oil. Place pears in skillet.
2.  Rinse the matzahs with hot water until they are pliable. Break matzahs and fit into the pan over the pears.
3.  Beat egg whites with salt and turmeric. Pour over matzahs and pears.
4.  Heat the frittata on top of the stove until the edges are set. Finish baking in a 350° oven until top is dry.
5.  Top with organic sugar, honey, maple syrup or Passover confectionery sugar.

From Florence Goodman’s  book “Something Healthy to Eat, as seen on The JewishJournal.org

Do you have a healthy tradition you enjoy this time of year? Share it with others, here!

Posted on December 8, 2009 - by Leslie Billera

Holiday Gift Giving: 2 DIY Perfume Recipes

I saw a White Diamonds perfume commercial on TV the other day – featuring a 1992 air-brushed Liz Taylor – and I thought I’d been sucked into a time travel vortex.

In addition to the post-collegiate flashback (in which ‘I’m Too Sexy for My Shirt’ topped the charts), the dated perfume commercial reflects the sea change I’ve undergone when it comes to the simple term ‘fragrance.’

A typical perfume contains a mixture of between 50 and 100 fragrance chemicals including, but not limited to:

• Coal tar distillates
• Petroleum distillates
• Benzene derivatives
• Aldehydes
• Phenols
• Phthalates (banned in cosmetics in the European Union since 2003 – see more in the ‘jargon alert,’ below )

Today, science makes it possible to dissect any natural scent and recreate it using synthetic fragrances.  Smelling machines, or ‘electronic noses’ use chemical sensors to produce a fingerprint of any scent. ¹

Doesn’t your special someone deserve something a bit more personal this holiday?

Try your hand at either one of these all-natural elixirs, and let us know how they turn out!

DIY Perfume

by Heidi Hill via www.MNN.com

Basic supplies for making perfume:

• 1 1/2 cups chopped flowers (we recommend lavender of course!)
• Cheesecloth
• Medium-size bowl with lid
• 2 cups distilled water
• Small saucepan
• Washed and sterilized vanilla extract bottle, or another small colored bottle with a lid or an airtight stopper

Instructions for making perfume:

1. Wash the flower petals. Gently clean off any dirt and sediment with water.

2. Soak the flowers. Put cheesecloth inside a bowl with edges overlapping the bowl. Put the flowers into the cheesecloth-lined bowl and pour the water over them, covering the flowers. Cover the bowl with the lid and let the flowers soak overnight.

3. Heat the flower-scented water. The next day, remove the lid from the bowl and gently bring the four corners of the cheesecloth together, lifting the flower pouch out of the water. Squeeze the pouch over a small saucepan, extracting the flower-scented water. Simmer over low heat until you have about a teaspoon of liquid.

4. Bottle the perfume. Pour the cooled water into the bottle and cap it. The perfume will last for up to a month if stored in a cool, dark place.

Green Eau de Toilette

by Julie Gabriel, The Green Beauty Guide

Basic Eau de Toilette Supplies

• 1 ounce vodka
• 4-10 drops essential oil of your choice
• 2 tablespoons distilled water

Instructions for making Eau de Toilette:

1. Pour the vodka into a small glass measuring cup (that has a spout) and add the essential oil, stirring slowly until the oil is fully mixed in. Pour mixture into a small, dark, lidded bottle and leave in a dark place (such as a closet) for two days so that the oil can fully blend with the vodka.

2. Slowly add the distilled water, shaking well. Again, let the mixture sit for two days (or more I you want a more potent mix). Now the perfume is ready. If you like, you can transfer it into a pretty spray bottle.

Homemade scents educate the gift recipient on why we can’t always trust what’s in our bath and beauty products. Plus, they earn serious brownie points for being hand-crafted. And most importantly, homemade scents are the healthiest way to smell great – naturally!

Top either DIY scent with a coupon for a relaxing Lavender Oil Massage, and you’ll win the award for best holiday gift, hands-down.

¹ The Green Beauty Guide, Julie Gabriel

_________________________________

Jargon Alert: Phthalates

Phthalates (pronounced ˈtha-ˌlāt) are found in perfume, soap, shampoo, nail polish, hair spray, mascara and more.  Listed in ingredient labels as dibutylphthalate, DPB, DEHP, DHP. Phthalates are not listed when used in fragrance. May cause developmental and reproductive problems. It is used to make materials more pliable, prevent cracking, and retain scents by ‘fixing’ perfumes to reduce evaporation

Posted on March 19, 2009 - by napavalleybath

Zuppa di Farro — Farro Soup

Another popular soup of Tuscany…. To serve 4 you’ll need:

* 6-8 ounces farro
* 3/4 pound ripe plum tomatoes (or canned tomatoes), chopped and seeded
* 2-3 ounces pancetta
* Grated pecorino toscano cheese, or Parmigiano (romano will be too sharp)
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1 onion, finely sliced
* A small bunch parsley
* Some fresh basil
* A few sprigs thyme
* Epstein Napa Valley Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* Organic Grey Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
* 1 quart hot broth

Prepare the farro: Wash and pick out the impurities. Soak in water for 8 hours.

When the farro is ready, mince the pancetta and sauté it together with the thyme, onion, and garlic cloves…in the olive oil.

When this begins to brown, discard the garlic, and add the chopped tomatoes, parsley and basil. Cook for a few minutes and then stir in the hot broth.

Once this comes to a boil then add the farro. Cook over a low flame for 2 hours or until done…..taste it toward the end. Make sure you stir it often and check it throughout for the need for more seasoning. Let the zuppa sit for about an hour and serve it warm…..drizzle it with the Epstein Napa Valley Extra Virgin Olive Oil and then cover with the cheese.

Posted on March 19, 2009 - by napavalleybath

FARRO WITH MOZZARELLA DI BUFALA

Prepare the farro: wash it well and pick out any impurities. Soak it in water for at least 8 hours.

Boil the farro in salted water for 15 – 20 minutes and drain.

Put the farro in a bowl and cover with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes

Drizzle with the Epstein Extra Virgin Olive Oil….add a splash of our 6 year old Balsamic Vinegar….and finish with a pinch of our Grey Sea Salt.