Juice Cleanse

As I walked through the multiple tasting booths in William Sonoma, I approached a salted caramel station. The owner handed me samples, describing the “6 month aged balsamic vinaigrette and Himalayan sea salt” he used in the candies. Very impressive. I expressed how lucky he must be to make and eat such delicious caramels. He replied, “Yes but the worst part is that I can’t eat any of it. I’m on a juice cleanse.” A juice cleanse? Wow. Now THAT was impressive. I’ve always wanted to do one but had no idea where to start, what to juice, how to stay alive, ect. My brother recently got me a juicer for Christmas so might as well start there. The more I talked to the man at the carmel booth, the more motivated I became to try this cleanse.

Not going to lie, it was hard.

The first day I drank a glass of juice and a glass of lemon water in the morning, a light meal of quinoa and veggies in the afternoon, and a savory dinner juice in the evening. Being an academic student and active athlete, I realized the combo of not receiving enough calories and the stress of school did not mix well and I had to stop the cleanse. I tried again the following weekend, and felt much more relaxed. I definitely recommend trying it for two days. I felt so awake and light; my skin cleared up and I was a much more relaxed during the day.

•{Cantaloupe Mint Pear Juice }•
– 1/2 Cantaloupe, quartered and peel removed
– 2 medium pears, quartered
– (roughly) 1/2 cup mint, stems removed

Throw into a juicer and enjoy!

Soy Joy

I recently came upon a recipe on making homemade soy milk. As I have turned to a “eating unprocessed foods” diet, this was perfect! All you need are dry soybeans and water. And it goes a lil somethin’ like this…

Measure out one cup of dried soybeans and 5 cups of water. Find yourself a nice big jar like this one and let the beans soak overnight in the water.

Let it pour, let it pour, let it pour…

It should look like this:

After you soak those beanies, strain the water out in a colander and separate the soybeans in half. Put one half in a blender/food processor along with 2 cups of HOT water. Blend those babies until smooth and pour into a large cooking pot. Repeat with the other half. Bring the purée to a boil. You should see foam atop the milky substance–

After simmering for 8 minutes, line a large colander with a moistened pressing cloth/sack and place the colander in the mouth of a clean pot. Transfer the soybean purée into the pressing cloth/sack and twist the cloth closed. Press the cloth sack with a potato masher. Show em’ who’s boss. When you have extracted as much as you can, open the cloth and stir the remaining purée briefly. Add 1 1/2 cups of hot water into the cloth and repeat the pressing.

Enjoy your milk! Warning: this will taste EXTREMELY different from the store bought kind. I recommend sweetening it with raw honey or organic agave nectar. Your end results should look like the image above. OH and the one below.

That my friend is called “okara,” the soybean pulp from soy milk. Don’t discard it! It can be used in cooking and is delicious. It spoils quickly though, so keep it in the refrigerator and use it within 1 to 2 days of making your soymilk.

Don’t turn into a pumpkin!

The title says it all. I’m pretty sure everyone goes into hibernation mode during the holidays. Who can say no to the salted carmel mochas or 7-layer bars? I know I can’t. However, as the new year approaches us, let’s make a change before 2013. I pledge to exercise more and resist those caloric treats that taunt me in candy stores. Hike after a heavy rainstorm, take a bikram yoga class when it’s cold, work on your core strength in the mornings; there’s so much you can do to stay in shape. And eating healthy helps you maintain that fabulous bod. Of course, don’t deprive yourself! Eat that piece of pie if you need to!

The Oaks at Oaji

I have never endured such an intense health experience until I visited the Oaks at Oaji. Located in the cute little town of Oaji, this spa focusses on eating healthy and exercising 24/7 to become that physically and mentally fit person you want to be. The spa features a variety of classes that change every day, from high intensity cardio to relaxing Qi Gong. You are on a 1200 calorie diet yet they supply you with low cal snacks to help get you through the day. And if you don’t feel like exercising, there is a great relaxation area by the pool 🙂

The food was probably my FAVORITE part about the Oaks. I applaud the chefs for making a 75 calorie muffin that tastes delicious! And it’s not easy. Right when I returned home, I tried their blueberry muffin recipe…let’s just say it could have passed at rabbit food. But I’m still trying! Anyways, I bought their cookbook and was thinking, why not do the Oaks challenge? A recipe everyday and then blog about it? I am SO down. I don’t know what I am getting myself into but hopefully it works out…

Here are some lovely pictures of the food we ate!

Find the ‘Healthy’ in Unhealthy

When you eat out, what is your go to menu item? The salad or the cheesy garlic bread? For me, I would go with the salad…but the whole time I’m chewing those leafy greens, I would be craving that cheesy, butter-soaked garlic bread. So how do you make your favorite comfort food a healthy choice? I will tell you.

Remove the “UN-necessaries”

If I were ordering an omelet, I would say, “Well, what could I remove from this to make it a healthier, more nutritious meal?” Look at the menu description and point out the “UN-necessaries.” Cheese? Don’t need it. Toast? Empty calories. Meat? Go veg for a day. Eggs? Well obviously it’s an omelet, but you could always make those eggs, egg WHITES. Add some veggies? Pile it on! Now look at your omelet and marvel at how much healthier it is. And you can apply this technique to any meal!

Dressing on the side please!

You never know what a restaurant puts in their dressings. Or if they even make them. Order the dressing on the side so you are only ingesting as much dressing as you want instead of eating unnecessary dressing. I’m pretty sure you can eat a salad with half the dressing they give you.

Read your options carefully!

All in all, you just have to go through a menu with a fine-tooth comb. There will be options that seem delicious but think how it will make you feel after you eat them? Too-full. Heavy. Kinda gross. Take those choice out. You obviously want to indulge sometimes; it is very healthy, just indulge intelligently.

Sweet & Sour Veggies

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I was in the weirdest mood the other day. I had the most spontaneous desire to make dinner. Dinner in my house is a pretty big deal; all meals are home-cooked and served at the proper dining hour. Plus, my family loves to eat so you have to make a generous amount of food. Anyways, I came upon this recipe from the vegan cook book “Piece of my Heart” written by Mielle Chenier Cowan Rose and it looked so delish that I just had to go for it. I hope you try making this one at home for your family. Simple, yummy, and flavorful. And it is quite flexible if you want to make your own side dishes or even add your own lil’ flair 🙂 Have fun!

☆ Sweet and Sour Vegetables ☆

Combine in a small bowl to make sauce

1 Tbl miso paste

2 Tbl tamari

2 Tbl rice vinegar

1 ½ Tbl honey

1 Tbl cornstarch

1 Tbl toasted sesame oil

Stir well to dissolve starch and set aside. Note: I slightly tweaked this recipe and used about a tsp. of minced garlic and ginger, and added a ½ tsp. more honey and a few pinches of salt. Gives the sauce a lil’ kick!

Combine in a large pan:

1 Tbl light sesame oil

¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes, to taste

2 lbs mixed vegetables (I used onion, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, & shiitake mushrooms)

Stir fry over medium-high heat for 3-6 minutes until veggies are cooked. Add:

Sauce (above)

Cook 1 minute more, until the veggies are glazed. 

☆ Speckled Rice ☆

In a medium pot:

2 cups water 

Bring water to a boil and then add:

1/2 cup Organic Lake Wild Rice

Cover pot and cook for about 45-50 mins, or when all water is absorbed.

In another medium pot:

2 cups water

Bring water to boil and then add:

1 cup white rice

Cover and cook for about 20 mins.

When both rices are ready, stir both types into a bowl until combined. The wild rice on top of the white should create a speckled effect.

Where Have I Been?

Hi all. I know. I have totally disappeared for the past two months, even when I specifically told you all that “during the summer I will be more consistent with my posts.” Heh…whoops. And honestly, I haven’t been traveling faraway lands this summer, thus I don’t have an excuse for my absence so I am truly sorry, loyal followers, for abandoning you. With that, there are some changes I want to make to my blog. I want to start fresh.

I will start taking my own photos of the foods I cook, the treats I bake, the different skin care products I recommend, ect. I believe that because I grabbed all my pictures from Google images, the reading experience was not as personal. I also want to post a baking segment monthly; I am a very healthy person but you just need to indulge sometimes, right? Lastly, I will create different face food and fitness accounts (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) so there are other ways you can follow me than just this blog. More changes to come 🙂

Thank you all for being such fabulous supporters!

Questions? Comments? You can email me at: facefoodandfitness@gmail.com

The Healthiest Cookies

Hey Everyone! Sorry I haven’t posted anything in a week; finals and studying took up all my time. But now it is summer and I am excited to share with you the recipe for the healthiest cookies you’ll ever eat. Only 66 calories each, these spongy, nutritional treats are perfect if you need a little sweet pick-me-up.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Canola Oil Spray

3/4 cup wheat flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinanmon

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 large egg white

4-5 tbsp. sweetened applesauce

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 small bananas, one cut into 1-inch pieces, the other puréed

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Set baking racks in top and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2 baking pans or cookie sheets with oil spray.

2. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and allspice in a mixing bowl. Mix in oats, raisins and nuts.

3. With a blender on medium speed, mix egg white, applesauce and sugar until smooth. Blend in pureéd and cut banana and vanilla until mixture is smooth. Pour banana mixture into bowl with dry ingredients, mixing with spatula until well combined. Batter will be fairly stiff.

4. Drop batter by walnut-size spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies at least 2 inches apart. Flatten them slightly with the back of a wet spoon, wetting spoon frequently between cookies, to make 2-inch cookies.

5. Bake 10 minutes, until cookies are golden brown and almost firm in the center when pressed with a finger. Transfer cookies to a baking rack and cool. Stored in airtight container, these cookies keep up to 1 week.

Enjoy!

Smoothies

I have fallen head-over-heels for smoothies. The majority of my breakfast and snacks consist of fruit and veggie filled smoothies with added vitamin or protein boosts. It is such an easy way to incorporate your necessary servings of produce  and any other juices or health powders that are just inedible by themselves. I have decided to start sharing my recipes with you and hope you will try them out.

“Tropical Madness”

– 2 large bananas

– 1 1/2 cups kale, stems removed

– 1 cup coconut juice

– 1 cup frozen pineapple

– 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

– 6 ice cubes

Blend until all of the kale leaves are completely smooth, add additional water if needed to blend. And yes, it may look a little…well…green, but that’s natural! You can’t even taste the kale.

ENJOY 🙂

My Daily and Nightly Skin Routine

I have a very specific routine for my face in the morning and at night. Like I said in previous posts, I use all natural or organic products. I hope these lists will help you to make healthy choices while walking down the cosmetics aisle.

MORNING:

-I start off by washing my face with A-D-E Natural Fruit Oil Cleanser for Dry/Sensitive Skin. This cleanser is fabulous for keeping your face hydrated and fresh. It also acts as a great face makeup remover, eliminating all greasy build up on your skin.

– I then moisturize my face with Yes! To Tomatoes: Repairing Acne Lotion. This is also 97% natural and not tested on animals. It is great for controlling the oil on your face, while creating a smooth base for any cover up, foundation, ect.

NIGHT:

– I use the A-D-E Natural Fruit Oil Cleanser again to wash off all make up, dirt, and oil on my skin.

– I then wash my face with Skin Organics Spearmint Exfoliating Cleanser. I believe I have talked about this product before but let me reenforce its significance. It clears acne slowly yet efficiently and does not over-dry the skin. I am almost out of this cleanser though, so I plan to buy another product by Skin Organics called Peppermint Milk. I am in LOVE with this cleanser as well; It is more hydrating and makes your face smell like Christmas 🙂

-I then moisturize my face with Rose Hip moisturizing cream by Rosa Mosqueta. Rose hip has a high potency of Vitamin C, which helps slow down the aging process by preventing free radical damage. It is also fabulous for keeping the skin hydrated.

– Last I use my prescribed acne medicine for any problem spots. This is a drying agent so I try to use a very small amount.

I hope this inspired you to hit up Whole Foods or Pharmaca for any facial products! If you have any suggestions, do tell me; I would love to hear them. :