Tip Tuesday: VANILLA SCENTED SKIN CARE PRODUCTS CALM YOUR SWEET TOOTH

Yes, you read that right. Vanilla scented skin care products calm your sweet tooth!

I use different spices or spice-type essential oils in my SLATHER products, so I am always interested in the effect spices have on the human body. 

I came across an article a bit ago that touches on the health benefits of four super spices: Black Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, Vanilla. You can find all of these "super spices" but Black Pepper in my products. Spicy & sweet combos are my fave though, so Pepper may be making an appearance in the future. ;-) 


The first few health benefits were for spices added to food. However, the health benefit for Vanilla was based on the aroma alone. The scent of Vanilla helps you cut your intake of sweets by HALF [1]. This can be by burning Vanilla scented candles or by wearing Vanilla scented perfumes & skincare products.



For two SLATHER products to help you indulge in a sweet scent without the extra pounds, try:

SLATHER LEMON VANILLA BEAN SCRUB








SLATHER NATURAL BODY in OATMEAL COOKIE





[1] "Spice Up Your Life". Eating Well. Dec 2013:18. Print.

{Handmade} PERFECTLY PALEO PICKLED PEPPERS

Perfectly Paleo. Perfectly quick. Perfectly easy. Perfectly delicious. You must give them a try!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~PERFECTLY PALEO PICKLED PEPPERS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yield:

2 pints

Experiment Length:

10 minutes + overnight rest

Materials:

6 jalapeños, sliced to desired thickness (I did 0.25 inch slices) 

1 each yellow, red, & orange bell peppers, sliced in about 0.33333 infinity and beyond! inch strips and halved. (The halved strips are easier to pack into jar halved. Leave in long strips if you like though.)

2 pint-size jars--canning, store-bought salsa, or pickled jalapeño 

Pickling Liquid for both variations of pickled peppers, half for only one variation:

.5 c filtered water

0.75 c apple cider vinegar

1 tsp sea salt

heaping 0.25 tsp peppercorns

0.5 lemon

Procedure:
Sauté bell peppers in 1 tbs. olive oil in a skillet for a five minutes until slightly browned and bubbly. Only stir/flip every couple minutes to allow the "flavor in the brown"...on that note: don't you just love Carla Hall from the Chew? End of side note. Okay, where were we? Oh yes...

Fill/pack jalapeños into one jar. I used an old store-bought pickled jalapeno jar I had saved...how perfect. Set aside.

Remove bell pepper strips from skillet & fill/pack into a second jar.

In browned bits of bell pepper skillet, (if only doing jalapeños, you can just heat up 0.5 tbs olive oil in a small skillet & proceed) heat the water, vinegar, salt, pepper, and lemon juice & half (just throw it on in the jacuzzi) over medium-high. Once the mixture comes up to a slight boil, turn off heat & ladle into canning jars. Fill until the peppers are completely submerged. 

Rest lids on top of jars (don't twist on) & cool on counter overnight and up to 3 days. Refrigerate & enjoy! 

Results:

Perfectly delicious! We had with dinner on top of salad. Excited to try them in tuna salad next.

Discussion:

Remove seeds & membranes for milder pickles. Some (me) like it hot! Some, not. :-( That's okay...just remove 'em.

The hot pickling liquid will slightly cook the jalapeño slices, turning them from bright green to muted yellow-green. I chose to keep them raw versus sautéing to maintain maximum crunch. If you prefer a milder, roasted flavor, sauté in skillet after removing bell pepper strips.

Some ideas on how to use...

Great topper for salads, baked potatoes, eggs, fish, steak, in tuna or chicken salad, and more!

How would you use these perfect pickled peppers?

Tip Tuesday: HOW to APPLY EYE CREAM for MAXIMUM BENEFIT

Hello all!

I get a lot of questions about how to apply eye cream. I keep my package directions simple as to not confuse, but I thought I could go into more detail and the the science behind the madness here. So, welcome to the madness. :-) Now you are trapped.

SLATHER EYE (Natural Cream) is light, silky, effective, & affordable, so if you haven't tried it yet....what are you waiting for? It is my most popular product and my personal fave. Also recently featured in the Beauty Geek's blog, check it out: http://the-beauty-geek.blogspot.com/2014/06/slatherlotions-first-fully-personalized_20.html

SLATHER EYE for purchase at http://slatherlotions.com/shop/slather-eye

How to apply eye cream for maximum benefit:

Always apply cream to cleansed face, under your make-up. This allows the cream to get down into the pores and top layers of your skin to provide a barrier against the elements and give you a base protective layer before applying make-up. That way, even with make-up on the cream is working on your skin.

Your body temperature elevates slightly while sleeping, allowing treatment creams to seep in more easily and active ingredients to do their thing. Therefore, if you apply eye cream only once per day, do it at night for the most benefit. Generally, I moisturize my face both morning and night and apply eye cream at night before bed. If I have tired eyes in the morning or didn't get enough sleep, I apply eye cream in the morning too.

To apply, squeeze a pea-sized amount onto one pinky or ring finger tip (these are the least used fingers, so they are softer and apply less pressure to the eye area). Lightly rub together with the same finger of the opposite hand. Next, lightly dab small amounts under the eyes, starting below the inner corners out through the temples. You may also apply on top eyelid crease and brow bone. Continue dabbing very lightly until product is dispersed and sinks into skin. Why dabbing versus rubbing? The skin around the eyes is super thin, so it is more easily stretched when rubbed. Over-stretching skin can lead to wrinkles because it causes puckers in the skin, preventing the skin fibers from laying flat. So try not to rub as much as possible.

That's it!

{Handmade} BAHN MI for My Mr.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BAHN MI for My Mr.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My hubby absolutely loves a good Bahn Mi sandwich (sometimes hard to find) and has been hard at work all week, so I decided to surprise him last night with homemade Bahn Mi. Plus, I had leftover pork tenderloin I needed to use up, so win-win!

I have tried a bite of Bahn Mi here and there while dining out, but they often fell short for my personal taste...mostly because all have a plain mayo spread. If you take a bite that is mostly bread, it can be quite boring. Not my jam...so why not jazz it up?! For my Bahn Mi variation, I made a soy garlic mayo for lots of flavor in every bite! Also, the store didn't have daikon (which is more traditional) so I used radish.  I added extra veggies too for extra vitamins and crunch.


Yield:

 2 large sandwiches


Experiment Length:

40 minutes


Materials:

2 foot-long baguettes
0.5 lb. Pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
30 Cilantro stems
0.25 Cucumber, thinly sliced (about 16 slices)
Lemon wedges

Pickle Topper 
0.5 c. water
0.5 c. Rice Vinegar
0.25 c. Cane Sugar
1 tsp. Sea Salt
Few grinds pepper
0.5 White or Yellow Onion, thinly sliced
5 Radishes, thinly sliced
2 Carrots, thinly sliced in sticks
1 Celery stalk, thinly sliced cross-wise

Soy Garlic Mayo
0.25 c. mayo of choice
1.5 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. hoisin
0.25 tsp. honey (small drizzle)
Healthy squirt of lemon juice
Few grinds pepper
Large pinch garlic powder


Procedure:

Warm water, vinegar, sugar, S & P in a sauce pot over medium. Stir until dissolved and set aside to cool. Add sliced veggies & mix to combine. I like to use a snap-top glass container and shake to mix & coat every 10 mins. Set aside and allow the pickling magic to happen for 30 mins. You can pickle overnight in the fridge too.

Meanwhile, mix together Soy Garlic Mayo and set aside.

Bake baguettes if they are from frozen, or if already baked, warm & crisp for a few minutes in the oven. Allow to cool slightly, then half without cutting all the way through (like a hot dog bun). Soak Slather with the Soy Garlic Mayo, top with sliced pork, and allow bread to heat pork slightly.

Slide cucumber slices and cilantro stems under pork. Top pork with a generous heap of the pickled veggies and a squirt of lemon juice.

Smoosh together, halve, and enjoy!

Discussion:

Any lean protein would work nicely in this sandwich, so use any you like. That makes this sandwich a great one to keep in the hopper for when you have leftover meat. Don't you just love exciting leftover spins? Me too! I am building up my cilantro tolerance, but my Mr. loves it...so I used 10 stems for my sandwich & double/20 for his. I went a little overboard with the amount of veggies for the pickled topper because I thought it would be better to have too many than not enough. You can probably make half the amount if you don't want leftovers. They are delicious though, so I will be using to top tacos for dinner tonight. Yum!


Results:

So good! I liked better than any I've tasted at restaurants. And we each ate a whole foot-long each even though I thought they might be too big. Nope. The sandwich is so crisp & light & tasty that you feel satisfied, but not super full or heavy. The perfect dinner for a hot summer day. Which was a cool 110 degrees yesterday around Phoenix also known as the face of the red hot sun. Please try & let me know what you think!

{Handmade} MAGIC COCONUT BARS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~MAGIC COCONUT BARS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
            (a.k.a. So Good You Have To Sit Down Magic Coconut Bars)


Do you know why they are so amazing? Sweetened Condensed Milk...music to your ears & tastebuds. Quick, super duper delicious, & way better than any candy bar you can buy at the store! Also, the best part is you can personalize to your own taste. I added a pinch or two of salt and cinnamon, and used semi-sweet chocolate chunks & walnut pieces because those are my favorite. However, any nut or chocolate type would be yummy. Experimenting with spices is always fun too...cayenne, salted caramel, or flake sea salt, anyone? I just thought of something else....coconut milk instead of sweetened condensed milk would amp up the coconut flavor.

Great party dessert. Very portable & shareable. Or you can keep them all for yourself...myyy preccciousss.

Experiment loosely adapted from Rachael Ray mag. (Love her!) Here's that link:
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/mexican-magic-bars/


Experiment Length:

30 mins


Yield:

24 small or 12 large bars


Materials:

1.5 c. crushed graham crackers
1 stick butter, melted
----------
1.25 c. (10oz) semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1.5 c. grated, unsweetened coconut
1 c. raw walnut pieces
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 pinches each salt & cinnamon


Procedure:

Mix melted butter with graham cracker crumbs and press into bottom of a 13 x 9 inch pan.
Top with half of the chocolate.
Top the chocolate with the coconut.
Add a small pinch salt & cinnamon.
Top the coconut with the remaining chocolate.
Break the walnut pieces over that.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top surface.
Add another small pinch sea salt & cinnamon.
Bake at 375 for 20-25 mins until golden brown.

Cool & cut. Devour!

Results:

Uhhhhh yeahhh.....wow! So good you have to sit down. I can't wait to try different variations. Like a lemon coconut bar, mint chocolate chip, pineapple cherry bar, and more.

{Handmade} PASTA e FAGIOLI

Pasta and beans.....ahhhhh....two of my favorite things. If you also love pasta & beans and are a fan of soup, then this is the recipe for you! By far one of my go-to favorite comfort foods. Great for lunch or dinner, paired with a grilled cheese or some crusty buttered bread for dipping. Yum!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~PASTA e FAGIOLI~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Experiment Length:

1 hr for canned beans, 1.5 hr cooking time for dried beans (plus 1 hour pre-soak)


Yield:

6 servings


Materials:

1 tbs. olive oil
2 slices bacon, chopped
__________
1 medium onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 large celery stalk, diced
bay leaf
S&P
0.5 c. white wine (optional)
__________
3 garlic cloves, minced
heavy pinch Red Chili Flake
1 sprig Rosemary, chopped (or 0.5 tsp. dried)
4 sprigs Thyme, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)
0.5 tsp. dried Oregano
__________
6 c. Chicken Broth or 6 c. water + 1 tbs. Chicken Base
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Cannellini Beans or soaked beans, see *Note below.
heavy pinch salt
__________
Cooked small cut pasta for serving...I love to use Ditalini.
Drizzle of Extra Virgin or Chili Olive Oil & grated parmesan to top bowl for serving.

*Note: If using dried Cannellini beans, add to pot and cover with 3 inches water. Soak overnight, or bring to a boil, boil 3 mins., and then pull off heat and soak 1-1.5 hr. Drain & rinse.


Procedure:

Add oil to bottom of soup pot. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Add diced vegetables, bay leaf, & a heavy pinch of salt and pepper; saute until onions are slightly translucent and softened.

Deglaze with the white wine & scrape up the frond (isn't that what they call it?) from the bottom of the pan. As Carla from the Chew says, "Why? Because there's flavor in the brown!" I couldn't agree more. In fact, I went outside to water the plants as my veggies were cooking and got distracted watching a caterpillar and came back in to lots of so brown it's black "flavor". Oops. At least the garlic wasn't in the pool yet, so it is all good. Let the wine reduce slightly.

Next, add the garlic....I like it garlicky! Garlic gives the soup oomph and is so good for you. If you don't like garlic, it's okay, but we can't be friends. I am just kidding! I can't see you, so if you don't like it, leave it out. Buuuut....maybe try pasting a small clove in or adding a pinch of garlic powder to give it a chance, okay? Add the herbs & spices. Cook 1 minute to help them bloom.

Add Chicken Broth or water + Chicken Base.  I prefer base because I like the flavor and feel better with less packaging waste. Plus, they sell it at Costco, so score! I like this kind:

Add tomatoes & their juices. Add the beans. Bring to a rolling boil, then turn to low and simmer until beans and veggies are tender to your liking. This takes about 30 mins. for canned beans and 1 hr. for soaked beans.

When done, pulse a few times with a stick blender or puree 1 c. of soup in a blender & add back in. This helps thicken the soup slightly and gives it a nice beaniness creaminess. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over a scoop of pasta, topped with olive oil & parmesan cheese. Mmm! Enjoy!

Results: Delicious as always! Had a bowl for lunch & I just might have again for dinner.

Tip Tuesday! LESS is really MORE

Avoid over using skincare & anti-aging products to help your skin glow (and thank you)! Here are some tips:

Look for multi-use skincare products to avoid buying tons of products and confusing your skin. Stick to a small arsenal of a few products that really work and pass on the rest. SLATHER FACE & HAND, SLATHER EYE, a SLATHER SCRUB & a good, natural cleanser is really all you need.

Drink lots of water! I know everybody says that, but it is so easy to do and lots of people don't. 

Wash your face regularly and pat dry. Avoid scrubbing with towels or washcloths. A couple splashes of water is better than washing with a cleanser if you don't have makeup on. Over-using cleansers can strip your skin of natural oils, dry your skin, and irritate the eyes. 

Avoid rubbing around the eyes. Do allergies give you watery or itchy eyes? Try rinsing your face or put a wet towel or baby wipe over face for a few minutes to calm skin. Even wetting the skin under your eyes helps. This also is beneficial if your eyes get tired from staring at computer screens or book pages...it helps increase micro-circulation in the under eye area. It seriously works, try it!

Use a natural, high quality moisturizer for face and hands (SLATHER FACE & HAND of course) daily. Apply by patting onto cleansed skin, versus rubbing. Helps prevent skin damage, adds vitamins & antioxidants, improves skin texture, and helps skin stay healthy! Apply once a day, or both day and night. 

Use an eye cream (SLATHER EYE of course) to wake up and de-puff tired eyes. Also helps prevent wrinkles, soften fine lines, and diminish dark circles. Have laugh, squint, smile, and other mystery lines? You don't need another product for those. Eye cream works great for those too! Apply once a day, or both day and night.

Exfoliate with a sugar scrub at least once a week. You can exfoliate as often as every other day if you like. Exfoliating helps soften, deep clean and minimize pores, remove spent skin, increase circulation, and tone and tighten skin. There is a collection of SLATHER SCRUBs to choose from: SLATHER SAND SCRUB {Dry Exfoliant Mask for Face}, SLATHER LEMON VANILLA BEAN SCRUB {Exfoliant for Face & Body} (Brand new! I know, yummy! Will be up online this week), and SLATHER PEPPERMINT ICE SCRUB {Exfoliant for Face & Body}. All SLATHER SCRUBs have either natural plant oils and/or powders and extracts to nourish skin with tons of vitamins and antioxidants. They also have sea salt to add trace minerals and help detoxify skin. Plus, they smell scrumptious! Try one...you won't be sorry.

Follow these tips for healthy skin that can't help but glow!


SLATHER products mentioned in the post for purchase at http://slatherlotions.com/shop
and https://www.etsy.com/shop/slatherlotions