Foodie February...

New Posts Mondays!

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Did You Know...

the average Israeli eats 18-22 lbs. of hummus every year - which is about an extra 15,000 calories. - The Hummus Blog <--great blog on all things hummus!

Which would make you think twice about eating some hummus right? A common serving of real fresh made hummus (not store bought) of about one cup can contain between 400-500 calories. Add some pita to that (how could you not) and you add another 270 calories. Weight gain here I come!

BUT! All things in moderation. We eat this food for snacks all the time at the house. Kids love it!

Although it does contain alot of calories doesn't mean you should shun it from your diet. The nutrition you get from it is in the chickpeas. They have alot of complex carbohydrates and protein. And although the following recipe doesn't contain it, tahini sauce, which is a usual addition, is rich in minerals, fatty Omega-3 acids, and amino acids. Also, a little bit goes a long way in making you feel full longer so you won't have to binge eat in the middle of the night like Liz Lemon!

Now I can't say all this and not give you a great recipe right? Right.

Extra Easy Hummus

from allrecipes.com by Donalyn

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1. In a blender or food processor combine garbanzos, garlic, cumin, salt and olive oil. Blend on low speed , gradually adding reserved bean liquid, until desired consistency is achieved.

*Feel free to tweak it with peppers or what have you...

Calories: 35 Wow!

Total Fat: 3.6g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Enjoy! I've been thinking about hummus all month long...

*Oh and I love new hummus recipes, so send yours in and maybe I'll start a recipe roll for this specific thing!

My best,

Song of the Week: A cute little diddy by someone named Chris Baker I believe. "Home Cookin'" A YouTube find.

Organic Shea Butter Soap

New Posts Mondays!

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...

...that it takes at least 25 years for a Shea Nut Butter Tree to produce large numbers of fruits? - ahshayh.com

raw unrefined shea butter

I've read up on Shea Butter alot and have been intrigued by how much supposed healing power it contains for our skin. A lot of makers of products that contain shea butter say that the best kind to use is the unrefined, unbleached kinds. Otherwise, through these processes, a depleting of "the goods" shall we say, happens. Many of the healing and medicinal properties, the vitamins and minerals that are naturally in the shea butter are broken down. - ahshayh.com

I've been on the fence as to where to get some good shea butter. I figured I would buy it locally first and see if I liked it, before I got online and got it from some of my favorite online stores. It's official that I love shea butter. I use it and it leaves my skin feeling really clarified and smooth. I also use it - get this - as a hair shampoo! And my hair loves it. It comes out feeling soft and just good and clean. However.......I used it on my face one time......and...needless to say after I left the bathroom my kids kind of jumped back from me... ha! It left my skin feeling super tight and super dry. I had to quickly revert back to my tea tree oil face wash to correct the situation.

So as long as I'm not using it for my face, I love the stuff.

Where'd I get it? Why at my local Health Foods store of course! A 4 oz. bar for $3.49. Find it on Amazon where they have 5 new from $2.50. Also, by purchasing this soap a portion of the sale goes towards educating children in Benin, West Africa. I got the African Black Organic Shea Butter Soap by Out Of Africa, but it's not just for people of color. Interestingly enough, it was my very caucasian friend "Peggy" from the Health Food store that recommended this to me because she uses it daily she told me. This soap don't discriminate, so try it out whoever you are!

My best,

Song of the Week: Good ol' Whitney Houston..."I'm Every Woman" so says the soap.....

Organic Tea Tree Face Wash

New Posts Mondays!

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...

...that using too cold or too hot water to wash your face can cause broken capillaries?

photo courtesy of 123rf.com

I have not been the biggest "take care of yourself" kind of person all my life. I have been the "Make sure you look decent when you leave the house in case you end up on Candid Camera or get in a weird accident that gets you on the Nightly News". But ever since I had my extreme hair makeover, I have also been doing an extreme ME makeover.

I have adopted a mean addiction to jewelry and all things shiny, I actually dress in more than just black and browns (mostly), and I actually wear makeup ALmost every single day.

Hence, my need for an all natural face wash. And I found it in my handy dandy Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash with (take a breath) Organic Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi

The website describes it as a gentle cleansing solution that leaves your skin feeling silky and smooth. The organic tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic that cleanses without making skin feel tight or dry. Which actually is interesting because I read somewhere (trust me I did) that tight and dry skin is a sign of overcleansing it.

Purchase price: $5.49 @ my local health food store. But I found it for $3.20 on healthsuperstore.com soooo....you're welcome! :o)

I love this stuff. It makes my skin feel like my little toddler daughters' face. She actually touches my face and says how soft it is. Isn't that great? From a little kid!

More Pluses...It's 100% all natural and 100% vegan, cruelty free, contains no alcohol, artificial detergents, artificial colors, synthetic perfumes (although it still smells really good) and no synthetic ingredients whatsoever.

Done. Buy.

My best,

Song of the Week: Lauryn Hill "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You"...this song actually changed all meaning for me after having my first child. Don't all love songs change lyrically for you after that first baby? I used to sing this to my son at night to soothe his cries. Lauryn never failed me...

bareMinerals Lip Gloss Review

New Posts Mondays!

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...

...that lip gloss was invented by Max Factor in 1930? He did this so as to make lips glossy and shiny for films. He also invented lipstick and the mascara wand. Thank you Max! - yoyolipgloss.com

bareMinerals by Bare Escentuals

Okay so I tried hard to get a larger picture of this but to no avail - sorry. It doesn't really matter though, because even if I didn't have a picture of it I would still hope that you would purchase it! Oh yeah, it's a good review coming your way...

Since it is the season for dry, cracked lips (attractive no?) I have upped my game in the lip moisture and care department. I have stocked up on my 100% All Natural Lip Balm, and I have been using that to death. Thinking that I look cute with just a well moisturized lip, I was going out to face the world each day. Ha! It's funny what a fresh sheared haircut will do for your self-perspective! I realized that I wasn't THAT cute just slapping some lip balm on and calling it a day. So I went on the search for some color for my yapper.

Off to Sephora I go because I had a hankering for some bareMinerals. I have had an admiration of this Co. from afar since forever ago because of its all naturalness (the $60 something sticker shock of their whole kit kept me away) and not until just recently have I justified such a purchase (to the husband ;o). Even having said that, I've started small - with their lip gloss.

I loves it!

It's a hint of color with a splash of paZOW!! I looked up all of the natural ingredients and only came across one that may irritate (according to the EWG) - glyceryl caprylate. This is used as a penetration enhancer. But I haven't felt anything weird so far and I've been using it for about 2 weeks now. Also, for you TRUE animal lovers, and not just domesticated animal lovers, but ALL things animal, the ingredient Carmine is taken from the carminic acid produced by scale insects to give it it's color - so that's something to consider. I don't know exactly how they extract the acid (don't wanna know) but as long as I'm not doing the extracting myself and it's already done and bottled for me, sorry, I can deal with a few less bugs in this world. Those of you that know me, know I can't stand any kind of creepy crawly. I sound horrible right? Go ahead, send your complaints in, I'll surely change my mind if someone convinces me otherwise, I love to be educated! ;o)

It lasts for a couple of hours before I have to reapply, and I'm still trying to get a longer application down (any tips?) My only complaint is that it was $15.00 for 0.14 fl oz (4.2 ml)! And although it's a pretty nice and thick coating and it lasts a good while, that is a bit steep in my book. I like to physically SEE the makeup before I purchase it to make sure it will match the look I'm going for. Now that I know what colors I like, guess who's off to find the best prices for us all? Here are the most inexpensive places I've found the goods so far...

Amazon.com........3 New from $16.48 each, after tax and S&H

QVC.com..............A Duo pack of 2 diff't. colors (they have 3 separate pairs to choose from) for a total of $25.09 when everything is said and done - tax, S&H...they also have a video on there with women of varying shades displaying the colors on themselves.

QVC here I come!

Op! Look at me telling half truths and all lies...here's a much bigger close-up of the lip gloss...it's a very sturdy classy looking plastic (?) container.

*I know I'm not the only user of this line of cosmetics, let's hear it ladies, what do YOU think of bareMinerals products?

My best,

Muzak! Song of the Week: "Just Kiss Me" Harry Connick, Jr. He's not usually my cup of tea, which aggravates the man of the house who owns all of his cd's, but THIS SONG HERE? Just hit play...and then repeat... ;oP....your roof will be jumping and so will you!