Make your own all-purpose eco household cleanser.  Combine equal parts of white vinegar and water, and add a couple drops of an essential oil (lemon and lavender are exceptional) to scent the mixture.  As effective as supermarket brand cleansers, and eco-friendly!  We love that!

 This is a super-simple dessert to throw together for your 4th of July party. 

Find some pretty clear glasses or dessert dishes and layer strawberries, fat free Cool Whip, and blueberries. 

This is a great dessert to have on hand in addition to the coconut cream and banana cream pies that are sure to be on the table and calling out your name.

 This berry medley is completely fat free.  So indulge.  Have three of them if you want!

Once you’ve had homemade salsa, you’ll never go back to vinegar-tinged jarred salsa again.  This salsa recipe mimics that of Mexican restaurants in that it’s made with fresh ingredients and, of course, made without vinegar.  It’s super impressive to whip up some salsa on the fly for when friends or family stops by.  I make mine in a food processor, but you can also use a blender.  Tweak it to your liking, add more peppers.  This recipe makes a medium-hot salsa. 

____________________________________________________________

Ingredients: 

Huge handful of fresh cilantro.

1 clove of garlic.

3 small jalapenos. 

1 small onion. 

____________________________________________________________

Ingredients: 

2 14 oz cans of whole tomatoes.

2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles.

___________________________________________________________

Dice onion

___________________________________________________________

Slice jalapenos long ways

___________________________________________________________

Then dice jalapenos, seeds and all to give it a nice kick

____________________________________________________________

Dice 1 clove of garlic

____________________________________________________________

Combine canned tomatoes, onion, jalapenos and garlic in the food processor. 

____________________________________________________________

Add a teaspoon (or so) of sugar

____________________________________________________________

Add a teaspoon of ground cumin to give it a good “Mexican” flavor.  Then pulse the food processor about 4-6 times, depending on how chunky you like it.  Keep pulsing if you like your salsa a thinner consistency. 

____________________________________________________________

Here’s where it all comes together.  Cilantro.  Use a lot of it.  It gives it a good garden taste.  I use a huge handful, and then pulse for 4 more pulses. 

____________________________________________________________

And there you have homemade salsa.  I blend mine to a medium consistency.  Serve with chips, with tacos, steaks, etc.  Great to have in the fridge all week long to accompany your dinners, and exceptionally good for a low-calorie snack. 

According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, bean eaters weigh less and have slimmer middles. Beans are super fat fighters because they contain the ideal combination of fat-busting nutrients—soluble and insoluble fiber, protein, and a type of fat-burning carb called resistant starch.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

CUBAN BLACK BEAN SOUP

Ingredients:

• 7 cups cooked black beans (a one pound bag of dried beans prepared according to package directions.)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped (reserve some for garnish)
• 1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander, paprika
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• a handful of parsley, chopped
• rind of one orange (several large peels)
• juice of the above orange
• 6 cups hot, boiled long-grain rice, white or brown

Drain the beans and reserve the liquid.

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, saute onions, garlic, and spices in oil over medium heat, stirring until onions are translucent. Add carrots and celery, saute for 3-4 minutes more. Add peppers and saute another 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, parsley, and tomatoes. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Combine the drained black beans with the vegetables. Add in as much bean liquid as you like, more for a thinner soup, less if you like it thicker. Add the orange rind and simmer on low for about 30-45 minutes. Stir often.

Remove orange rind. Stick blend the soup until it’s as thick as you like. (Or remove a cup or two of soup to blender, blend, then add back to soup.) Add fresh orange juice and cook 5-10 minutes more. Taste. Serve on hot rice. Garnish with chopped onions, chiles, and/or lime wedges.

Considering your skin absorbs almost everything (about 98%) of what’s put on it, it’s beneficial to be mindful of what you are using to cleanse and moisturize your skin with.  Homemade blends are often times more effective than department store, Paraben-laced, products.   Use fruit to create sensational all-natural skincare recipes.   Try this kiwi facial cleanser.  It’s pH balance is middle of the road …meaning it’s formulated for normal to dry skin types.  The finely ground almonds make it perfect for gentle exfoliation. 

1 kiwi fruit
2 tablespoons of plain yogurt
1 tablespoon orange water
1 tablespoon apricot or almond oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon finely ground almonds
2 drops orange (or your favorite citrus) essential oil

Puree the kiwi fruit in a food processor until liquid. During processing, add yogurt, orange water, almond or apricot oil, and ground almonds. Process until thick and cream like.  Add essential and stir to mix. To apply, massage gently over neck, face and décolleté to cleanse. Rinse well.  Makes one application.

Not only is fruit good for you, it’s good on you.  Fruit is an incredible multi-tasker in that its purely nutritious and it’s beneficial to your skin when topically applied.  Try a fresh fruit peel for your face and body.  A simple kitchen basting brush (either silicone or with very soft bristles) can be used to “paint” your body in the shower to exfoliate and moisturize every inch of your skin.  Pineapple and papaya contain natural enzymes and alpha-hydroxy acids that remove dead skin cells while the honey moisturizes the skin.  At home spa treatments are closer than you think. 

• Gentle Fruit Peel

• 1 cup fresh pineapple
• 1/2 cup fresh papaya
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Puree fruit together then add the honey and mix into a smooth paste
• Apply to skin and let dry for approximately 5-10 minutes, rinse clean

Vegetarian Ronaldo has to be one of the best Italian pasta dishes you can make.  The bonus is…it’s so easy to throw together.  It literally takes about 10 minutes start to finish.  Angel Hair pasta only takes about 4-5 minutes to cook.  It makes the house smell exactly what you’d think an Italian villa would smell like, tastes delicious, and makes you look like a rockstar in the kitchen.  What’s not to love about that? 

___________________________________________________________

Add Angel Hair pasta to boiling water for approximately 4-5 minutes, or until al-dente. 

___________________________________________________________

In a pan over medium-high heat, add a generous amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Black Olives, and minced garlic. 

___________________________________________________________

This is the kind of Olive Oil and Sun Dried Tomatoes I use. 

___________________________________________________________

Pour Olive Oil mixture over fresh rinsed pasta, and finish the dish with fresh Feta cheese.  It’s so delicious!  If there are left-overs, throw it in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.  This dish works really well hot or cold. 

___________________________________________________________

Serve with Mini Pitas with Hummus sprinkled with Feta Cheese.

 Cathy Erway’s new book, The Art Of Eating, depicts her two year journey of swearing off restaurant fare. 

  Cathy’s blog, Not Eating Out In New York, was the inspiration for her book.  Not only did Cathy lose 10 pounds within a few months of eating in, but she cherished the act of making delicious dishes.  She says it slowed her down and lowered her stress. 

Turns out, eating in is ultra-frugal as well.  Cathy says she ended up saving about $75 a week by eating in.  Not only did she learn confidence in the kitchen, but she learned she had a great deal of discipline to say no to the restaurant scene for two years. 

This book is such a fun, informative read.  Highly recommended!  Think you could swear off restaurants for two years?

Coffee Smoothie Caffeinated deliciousness!

This coffee smoothie is available at many coffee shops, now you can make it at home in just few minutes as instant coffee is used to make this delicious smoothie. You may adjust flavors according to your taste.

Ingredients:

1 tsp instant coffee
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar
Ice cubes

1. Add all the ingredients to the blender including instant coffee, milk, vanilla extract, sugar, ice, and chocolate syrup in a blender. Try to use a good quality blender to make smooth drinks and in this recipe of smoothie particularly because coffee needs to blend properly.
2. Blend them all until become smooth and creamy.
3. Serve in beautiful serving glasses and add some whipped cream on top.
2 tsp chocolate syrup.