September 15, 2011: Home Spa Facial and Foot Soak Recipes

I’ve shared several recipes in the past for home beauty treatments. Here’s a couple more I found in the latest issue of Spry magazine. For a relaxing “spa day” at home, brush on the facial mask while you’re soaking your feet, then follow with a nice, hot bubble bath!

Avocado and Honey Facial Mask

2 ounces mashed ripe avocado (about 1/3 of an avocado)

1 t. honey

1 t. molasses

2 T. orange juice

Few drops of chamomile essential oil

Combine all ingredients. Apply to face (using a soft paintbrush works well). Leave on for 30 minutes, then remove with a damp washcloth.

The avocado adds moisture to your skin while the honey and molasses pull out toxins. The orange juice is a very mild astringent while the chamomile oil is soothing.

Minty Margarita Foot Soak

1 T. Epsom salts

1 T. sea salt

Juice of half a lime

Half a lime, sliced thinly

Handful of fresh (or half as much dried) mint leaves

Fill a basin with very warm water and add all ingredients. Soak your feet for 10 minutes then gently towel dry.

The Epsom salts soothe aches while the sea salt acts as a scrub. The lime is a mild astringent and the mint is soothing and smells good – aromatherapy!

August 8, 2011: BHT and Avocado Pasta Salad Recipe

Normally, I try to stick with recipes that use ingredients that are readily available to anyone, anywhere. This one, however, is too good not to share – even though it uses a packaged dip mix from Coyote Country Seasonings.

This is a local company (based in Pinetop AZ) that produces some really delish mixes, everything from dips to soups to salsas. My favorite is the BHT (bacon, horseradish, tomato) and I thought it would be perfect for this salad. You can order the Coyote Country Seasonings BHT dip mix here – and no, I didn’t get anything by recommending this product other than the satisfaction of turning you on to a great product!

BHT and Avocado Pasta Salad 

6 ounces salad or elbow macaroni
1/3 cup BHT dip (prepared with mayonnaise and sour cream or Greek yogurt)
1 avocado, diced
1 roma tomato, diced
4 slices bacon, cooked until crispy

Prepare the macaroni as directed on the package; drain and cool. Add remaining ingredients, crumbling the bacon over the top, and toss together lightly.

Serves 4.

July 23, 2011: Avocado Boats Recipe

Here’s another side dish recipe I scrapped together from various ones I found on the Food Network website, modified to use the ingredients I had on hand. They came out quite yummy and they look good, too!

Avocado Boats

2 avocadoes
½ lime
2/3 cup sliced yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
3 thick slices bacon, crisply fried
1 t. Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper

Halve the avocadoes and carefully scoop the fruit out of the peels. Remove the pits. Squeeze the juice from the lime half evenly over each. Fill the cups of the avocadoes with tomatoes. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Crumble cooked bacon over the top.

Tip: You can use other types of tomatoes in these avocado boats. Baby heirloom tomatoes, with their pretty colors, would look and taste fantastic, too.

July 21, 2011: California Cobb Wrap Recipe

Looking for a light lunchtime treat? Try this quick and easy wrap with beautiful colors and a great taste.

California Cobb Wrap

1 spinach sandwich wrap (tortilla)
1 T. ranch dressing (or use this chipotle garlic ranch recipe)
2 slices bacon, crisply cooked
½ avocado, thinly sliced
½ tomato, cut into thin slices
1 large leaf green lettuce

Spread dressing across one side of wrap. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, avocado slices and tomato slices. Top with lettuce. Roll up tightly, like a burrito.

Tip: Add shredded, leftover chicken for a heartier sandwich. Diced green chiles can also be added for a bit of a kick.

May 23, 2011: At Home Spa Treatment Recipes

With the long Memorial Day holiday weekend coming up soon, you may want to indulge yourself with an “at home spa” day. This is a great way to refresh yourself, if you don’t have any travel plans, and get ready for the busy upcoming summer season. Here’s a few recipes sure to relax and rejuvenate you!

Body Scrub

¼ cup coffee grounds (go ahead and use the ones from this morning’s coffee)
¼ cup Epsom salts or Kosher salt
1 ripe avocado, mashed
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
Almond oil

Mix all ingredients; add just enough oil to make a smooth paste. While in the shower, use this in place of soap. Just rinse off and towel dry.

Recipe (slightly modified by me!) courtesy of Redbook magazine.

Cornflower Eye Refresher

2 T. dried cornflowers
½ cup water

Make a tea with the cornflowers in boiling water. Cool. Dip two cotton balls into the cooled mixture and place over your closed eyelids for 15 minutes. On a really hot day, ice down the cornflower tea before using.

Tip: To find cornflowers, look at your local health food store. They’re easy to grow so you may want to include them in your garden this year.

Use either of the following rinses as a final rinse for your hair (don’t rinse it out), then sit out in the sun and let your hair dry naturally. Each of these formulas is mean to enhance your particular hair color.

Chamomile Hair Rinse (for fair hair)

3 ½ cups water
2 ounces chamomile flowers
2/3 cup cider vinegar
5 drops lemongrass oil

Make a tea by boiling the water and adding the chamomile flowers. Let it steep for half an hour, then strain and add the vinegar and oil.

Rosemary Hair Rinse (for dark hair)

Same recipe as above except substitute 2 ounces rosemary sprigs and 5 drops oil of bergamot.

The above 3 recipes are courtesy of The Country Store by Stephanie Donaldson and published by Lorenz Books.

These recipes should get your at home spa day started. You may also want to do a mani/pedi and rub some yummy scented lotion over your body after you step out of the shower. Enjoy!

February 25, 2011: Facial Mask Recipes

Right about now is probably when your facial skin is looking its worst – pasty white from being indoors and dried out from being subjected daily to a heated environment. Ick! What’s a girl to do to get a nice, healthy glow back to her cheeks?

The answer is an at-home facial made from natural products you have around the house.

I’m going to give you several alternatives so you can make a recipe appropriate for any skin type with anything you have on hand.

For Aging Skin:

Protein Scrub Mask

1 egg yolk
1 T. oil (the recipe calls for castor oil but you could also use melted coconut oil or even olive oil)
2 T. salt
1 t. lemon juice

Blend all ingredients and spread on face; leave on your skin for 20 minutes before rinsing with warm water. Use a washing motion as you scrub it off but do so very gently as the salt in this recipe is very abrasive.

Honey Almond Scrub Mask
¼ cup honey
2 T. pulverized almonds (a coffee grinder works great for pulverizing)

Mix together and use as the Protein Scrub Mask.

For Acne-Prone Skin:

Almond Oat Scrub Mask

3 T. pulverized oatmeal (not the instant variety)
1 T. shaved castile bar soap
1 T. water
1 T. almond extract

Add shaved soap to the pulverized oatmeal; mix in water a little bit at a time until a paste is formed. Add the almond extract. Apply to face and use the same as the Protein Scrub Mask above.

Herb Protein Mask

1 egg yolk
1 ½ t. dried sage
1 ½ t. dried mint
1 ½ t. dried thyme

Whip the yolk until pale yellow and thick. Add the herbs. Apply to face and leave for 20 minutes; remove with a rinse of warm water.

For Oily Skin:

Lemon Oat Scrub

3 – 4 T. oatmeal (not the instant kind)
Juice of one lemon

Pulverize the oatmeal in a blender or coffee grinder. Strain lemon juice and add to oatmeal, a little at a time, until it forms a paste. Use the same as the Protein Scrub mask above.

For Dry Skin:

Avocado Mask

½ avocado, mashed.

Mayonnaise or Sour Cream Mask

Simply spread a scoop of mayo or sour cream over your face and remove with warm, then cool splashes of water.

Butter Almond Scrub

3 – 4 T. finely pulverized almonds
2 T. margarine

Melt the margarine. Add a little bit at a time to the pulverized almonds until the mixture forms a paste. Use the same as the Protein Scrub Mask above.

Simple, single ingredient masks for any skin type:

• Whipped egg yolk
• Whipped egg white
• Honey

For the full at-home spa treatment, follow these steps:

1. Cleanse your face
2. Steam (see February 12, 2011 post for steam facial recipes)
3. Apply freshener or toner (see February 18, 2011 post for freshener recipes)
4. Apply mask
5. Remove mask and rinse thoroughly
6. Apply freshener again (for oily or acne-prone skin)
7. Apply moisturizer

That’s it! At the end of your treatment, your skin should feel smooth and have a renewed glow.