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What does your skin eat??

I know.. such a strange question but its a question we should all ask ourselves. Did you know that your skin absorbs anywhere between 60-90% of what you put on it? When was the last time you checked your ingredients? Its no wonder cancer is on the rise and our immune systems are struggling. Our bodies and brains are not made to process most of the ingredients packed into the average skincare product. Most of these "additives" serve no other purpose than for esthetic packaging purposes. 

I would like to touch a moment on the most harmful skincare ingredients.

Fragrance/Parfum: A catchall for hidden chemicals such as phthalates. This ingredient makes me the most upset. I believe in the power of essential oils and our brains ability to use the to work on our bodies. That being said synthetic frangrance goes into our nose and to our brain which thinks its getting helpful information and then when it goes unrecognized it starts attacking our bodies.

Ethoxylate surfactants and 1,4-dioxane: Never listed because its a by product. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found 1,4-dioxane in 57% of baby washes un the U.S. Avoid any ingredients containing the letters "eth."

Hydroquinone: Used for lightening skin. Banned in the UK, rated most toxic on the EWG's Skin Database and linked to cancer and reproductive problems.

Lead: Known carcinogen found in lipstick and hair dye, but never listed because its a contaminant not an ingredient. Lead is the cause of many neurological problems.

Mercury: Known allergen that impairs brain development. Found in mascara and some eyedrops.

Mineral Oil: By product of petroleum thats used in baby oil, moisturizers and styling gels. It creates a film that impairs the body to release toxins.

Parabens: Use as a preservative and found in many products. Linked to cancer and reproductive toxicity. Please note that paraben awareness is very much a trend these days so even though it says paraben free please check your labels.

Let's talk about how to educate ourselves. I know not everyone has the time to set around and research things like I do but fortunately there is a very helpful site that can take a lot of guesswork away for you. Its called Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. They have most all commercial products listed. You just type in the name and it will tell you on a scale of 1-10 how toxic the product really is. It even goes into the detail of specific ingredients and what they do. 

Light&Love

Credits: Cosmetic Database and Treehugger Blog

Acai Bowl Recipe

After spending most of last summer in California I became obsessed with acai bowls. I decided to bring Cali to the South and make these yummy bowls for breakfast. Hope you enjoy my recipe!!

Acai Bowl

1- 4oz frozen packs of acai puree

1/2-1 cup coconut water

1/2 banana 

a handful of blueberries

Pulse in blender until smooth. Top with cut berries, honey, cut up bananas and granola. 

Its a very easy and healthy breakfast.

Vegan Cashew Alfredo with Garlicky Kale

Whats for dinner tonight? None other than my now famous Vegan Cashew Alfredo with Garlicky Kale. It was a hit with my wonderful Fiance and our friends Suman and Olivia.. Check my recipe out below.

Vegan Cashew Alfredo with Garlicky Kale

*Make 8-10oz of gluten free pasta 

* 1 cup peas (I used organic frozen)

*5 Stalks Kale

*4 Garlic Cloves 

*1 1/2 cups plain almond milk

*1/2 cup raw cashews

*1 cup nutritional yeast

*1 fresh lemon squeezed (juice only)

* Onion powder to taste

* Garlic powder to taste

* Cayenne to taste

1. Make pasta according to directions

2. While cooking the pasta place 3 cloves of minced garlic in a pan with olive oil and cook for a couple minutes. Add in kale and peas with a couple tablespoons water then cover stirring occasionally. 

3. Add almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, cashews and seasonings in a high powered bender. It will be very thin. Add to a large stock pot and cook on medium low, whisking the whole time for 5 minutes or until thick.

4. Put drained pasta and kale (drain if there is any extra liquid) in the sauce and toss until covered. Add extra nutritional yeast and seasoning along with plenty of sea salt and pepper. 

Vegan Apple Peach Pie!! My Great Grandmothers recipe veganized!!!!!

Today I woke up to chillier than normal temperatures and it inspired me. During the transition from Summer to Fall there is a variety of fruits available and what better to cozy up to than an apple peach pie just like my great grandmother makes (well veganized of course).

Apple Peach Pie

Crust

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup Earth Balance butter (about half a container)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp organic sugar

1/4 cup ice water

Chill the butter in the freezer for about an hour. 

While butter is chilling I start on the filling (see below). After the butter chills put the dry ingredients in your food processor or high powered blender and pulse a couple of times. Add half the butter and pulse another couple times and then add the rest and pulse until it gets pebbly. Then add about 1/4 cup ice water (dont add the ice). Then if it needs more add a teaspoon at a time until it starts to hold. Be sure to add just enough to bind but not to much. Roll out into two disks and then put in refrigerator for an 30 minutes to an hour. After that time your filling will be ready so you can roll it out and get going. 

Filling

3 Apples

3 Peachs

1/2-1 cup raw sugar

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 cup Bourbon 

1 tsp real vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the apples and peaches into slices and leave the skin on. Add the apple cider vinegar and half the sugar and let cook on medium low for about 10 minutes. Then usually after I get the crust going I add the rest of the ingredients and cook until they are basically mush. After you roll out the crust add the fruit and top with the second crust and bake for about 45 minutes.