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Archives for August 2014

Healthy Football Season Food

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“Football Food” Dishes…in honor of the first OU FOOTBALL GAME! If you know me, you know I sure do love watching football…and how it has nothing to do with friends, food, beverages, and festivities 😉

Football season usually means beer and heavy football food. I like to find and make some healthy alternatives that will still be a festive option,  minus the overly greasiness that creates an uncomfortable stomach. Nothing quite ruins festivities, beverages and football with an untimely tummy ache.

This pulled barbecue chicken was an easy dish that tastes naughty, but is more nice. This barbecue sauce is simply mouthwatering! I had to force myself to let it finish cooking the whole time. It’s quite aromatic!

Simply place chicken breasts into the crockpot and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for 5 hours.


Then make some healthy barbecue sauce! Put it on top of the cooked juicy chicken, with about 30 minutes of cooking time left. Then, the chicken should easily shred apart. You can put on buns, salads, or just eat it plain!

Healthy Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Onion, diced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Dijon Mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Tsp Pepper
1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Red Pepper

Directions:

Saute onions, garlic cloves until soft and tender. Combine the other ingredients into a bowl. Ready!
And a baked potato just goes well with anything!! Cheesy goodness!

Check out some other healthy options for Football season!
Skinny Margaritas 
Spicy Black Bean Dip

Who will you be cheering on this weekend?

Benefits of Raw Honey vs Honey

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I think Pooh was on to something. He always ate raw honey…

What is the big deal about raw honey versus honey? Should you really only consume raw honey or is it just one of the many health controversies floating around?

Many of the healthy recipes that I try always call for raw honey, not just honey. Sometimes I use honey instead of raw honey, because that’s just the rebel I am.

Finally, curiosity got the best of me so I began to research the true benefits, or lack of, eating raw honey. Come to find out, it actually makes a large difference!

Raw honey is not processed the same as honey is and is not heated on high, leaving many of the missing elements in honey still inside. Regular liquid honey that’s heated on high loses much of the beneficial elements.

Raw honey contains vitamin B and vitamin C. It contains antibacterial and antioxidant properties. The raw honey fights off free radicals that harm our body each day and also works to keep our immune system ready for battle.

Got allergies? Raw honey. Flat Iron Burn? Raw honey. Skin Damage? Raw Honey. The list goes on…

There are many raw honey devotees out there…should you choose to drink the kool-aid, you may just become one yourself!

Lipstick Shade to Complement Your Skin Tone

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Lipstick can really polish a look off perfectly. So it’s important to choose the right lipstick shade to complement your skin!

Your lipstick shade should liven your face and awaken your coloring, not overpower your features or wash you out.

Warm or Cool?

Decide if you are warm or cool. Eye color and hair color is an easy way to figure your skin tone.

Cool: You have blue, gray or green eyes. You have blond, brown, or black hair with blue, silver, violet or ash undertones.

Warm: You have brown, amber, or hazel eyes. You have strawberry blond, red, brown, or black hair with gold, red, orange, or yellow undertones.

Yellow undertones (warm) should go with more pink undertones in lipsticks while pink undertones (cool) should go with more blue undertones in lipsticks. Now that you are armed with that knowledge, look below for further lipstick shade tips!

Which skin tone do you have?

Light skin should not be overpowered with a color. Beiges and pinks look great. Barbie pinks can really make a bold statement without overpowering your features.

Medium skin are more lucky to look good in both warm/cool colors. Blue undertones are complimentary to olive skins.

Dark skin can pull off really dark colors. Purple reds and deep rich colors look great and stands out.

Want an example? 

  • I am warm and have medium skin. So a warm pink undertone lipstick shade would look best on me. Like Nars Vesuvio
  • If you are a cool and have light skin, a lighter red with blue undertones would look good on you! Like Yves Saint Laurent Lingerie Pink (#7)
  • If you are warm and have dark skin, a deep red or brown with pink undertones would look good on you! Like Mac Burgundy Berry 

Flourless Guiltless Dark Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

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When you want chocolate, you want chocolate. Succumb to your desire with these Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins!

When my boyfriend jokingly asked me the last day that I hadn’t consumed chocolate, I had to think a moment… I’m a choclahoclic. I truthfully answered, I have absolutely no idea!

I was unashamed to say I can’t remember! I have been having chocolate every day for… let’s just say a long time. Dark chocolate is good for you… within reason of course! Sometimes I may just have a couple squares for dessert, or other days I’ll make myself treats, like the glorious recipe below. But looking forward to a square of dark chocolate every night isn’t a crime 🙂

And why not sneak in some undetected healthiness?! Zucchini is perfect and blends in sneakily. It’s taste is easy to override with cocoa. Seriously, I had my unenlightened reliable taste testers try the muffins. They had no idea until I told them there was zucchini in it. You can definitely detect something different than all the usual chocolate muffins, but trust me, it doesn’t disappoint.

You can even get by with a little less honey, but I wanted to be satisfied so added a bit more than was probably necessary. Oops.

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Ingredients:

1 Cup Zucchini

1 Cup Nut Butter

1/2 Cup Raw Honey
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Egg

1/4 Cup Shredded Coconut

1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips

The consistency should be similar to normal batters. However, if it is a little more liquidy, don’t worry. This was finger licking worthy too!

I made some with coconut and some without because some people don’t like coconut. But I love it! The coconut texture really added some fun and unexpectedness!

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Directions:

Chop the zucchinis and blend in the blender until a liquid consistency. Stir all the ingredients together and pour in the zucchinis. Simple as that.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle on some coconut on top for presentation.

A delicious chocolate baked good with a lot of protein, no sugar, no gluten, and serving of veggies?! That’s a win-win! Chocolate for all!

How do you sneak in healthy ingredients?

8 Surprising Uses of Lavender Oil

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Ever since I can remember I have loved using any product with the scent of lavender, whether it is lavender lotion, lavender powder, or lavender oil.

When I was little I would always be quite difficult to put to bed… Sorry mom and dad. My mom would always sprinkle lavender powder on my chest and would tell me it would help me go to sleep in no time. It was a smart move that always worked and tricked my worried little brain into relaxing. What was I possibly so worried about at the age of 7?

To this day, I still think of this as “magical sleep powder.”

Not only is lavender used as a calming agent and stress reliever, but also provides many additional benefits.

Lavender oil has multiple benefits for you. Whether it is for health or beauty reasons, this essential oil packs many useful tricks.


How to use Lavender Oil:

Beauty Benefits

If you have chapped lips, rub on some lavender oil for quick relief. Your lips will be plump and moisturized in no time!

If you are suffering with dandruff, run a couple of drops of lavender oil along your scalp. It will quickly be hydrated.

Lavender oil can help relieve eczema and the swelling of skin. Basically, you can put lavender oil anywhere on your body and your skin will reap the benefits!

Cold sore? Put a drop of lavender on it and watch it diminish in size quickly.

Health Benefits

Calm your stress levels by inhaling a drop of lavender oil placed in your palms. Then, inhale deeply and feel your mind begin to calm and your body relax.

If you have a cut, rub some oil on it to stop the bleeding, clean the cut, and the oil will kill bacteria.

Place a drop on your tongue to decrease motion sickness or nausea. This trick is great for me whenever I’m on a long car ride. I love road trips but motion sickness follows me, so lavender fixes the symptoms in no time!

Reduce swelling of insect bites with this oil. Got ya mosquito bites!

What other essential oils do you live by?