Supernatural Botanicals

   Having an herb garden means having easy side dishes for dinner.  Take a bag of baby carrots or new potatoes and place on a baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, and generously sprinkle with fresh herbs (I used Rosemary, Sweet Lemon Thyme, and Parsley here.)  Throw them into a hot oven, 475, for 15-20 minutes until completely roasted.   How easy can that be?  Healthy, fast and delicious and it looks great in a serving bowl on the table. 

   Get your skin bikini-ready.  Taking 1000 mg of Omega 3 Fatty Acids a day can help heel dry skin from the inside out.  Besides being an integral part of the membranes that surround our skin cells, these essential fats are a key component of the lubricating layer that keeps skin supple. 

Fresh fruit season is upon us.  With warmer weather approaching, you’ll notice the strawberries look healthier and vibrant red, the bananas are sunny yellow and ripe, and oranges are juicy and bright orange.   Not only is it peak season for eating fresh fruits, but also for making skincare recipes with them.  Fruits have been extensively used in skincare applications since the beginning of time. 

The next time your fruit basket is full, do double-beauty-duty by eating fruits to nourish the inside, and using fruits in skincare recipes to nourish the outside. 

By making your own facial masks with fresh fruit, you’ll assure no preservatives or chemicals are are going onto and into your skin. 

Try this Banana Honey Facial Mask.  Bananas are high in vitamins C, A, B6, and B12 in addition to magnesium and potassium.  The fruit acids in bananas help to slough off dead skin cells, leaving your skin looking healthy and refreshed. 

RECIPE:

1 Banana,  2 tablespoons of honey

Mash banana with honey into a paste, and apply to to clean skin.  Leave on skin 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water.  The banana/honey mixture leaves a firming, yet moisturized feeling to the skin…..that’s totally delicious!

In an economic time when most magazines are packing their bags and calling it a day, Organic Beauty magazine comes along.  Organic Beauty magazine is a new, eco-conscious magazine not exclusively focused on beauty products.  Organic Beauty is, in many ways, a complete lifestyle magazine, well-rounded with articles on style, health, fitness, parenting and business—but always with its lens on beauty.  I love the idea of an eco-chic magazine!  It’s truly the wave of the future, so get in touch, get in tune, and find out what eco-friendly is all about.  Organic Beauty is on newsstands now.

    Feeling like you’re not getting enough fruits to meet the daily pyramid guide?  No problem, just incorporate them into a morning smoothie before you head out the door.  Blueberries are a Super-food, and ridiculously good for your body to fight free radicals.  You can even go one step further and throw in a scoop of protein powder to feed your muscles….and stronger muscles burns fat right off your body.

Blueberry Smoothie
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup washed, stemmed blueberries
honey to taste
2 cups of ice
Mix all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve while it’s cold.
4 Weight Watchers Points, 214 Calories, 43.8g Carbs

I mean, just look at the pyramid.  How are you supposed to eat that much (and that healthy) every day?  You do it by getting smart about it.  If you are fairly certain you’ll never eat 2-4 servings of fruit each day, go ahead and put 2-4 servings in a blender with some ice, a little orange juice (again, a fruit), and knock fruits out of the way for the day.  It’s sort of multitasking for your belly, and it works.  Try this delicious Blueberry smoothie and feel good about yourself!  Be a brick house, sister!

We are creating a new Ingredients Page at Supernatural Botanicals with a detailed glossary and terms section where you can find pictures and descriptions of the ingredients we use in our Eco-Chic, Green, All-Natural products.  This is a work in progress; we will continue to add to this list and provide you information about the ingredients in our products.  Visit us now.

   Having overnight guests?  This is a perfect smoothie to wake up to.  It’s packed with peaches and orange juice, giving it the classic flavor of a fuzzy navel.   Prepare to make several blenders’ full of this because it seems to go fast, and everyone always asks for seconds.  I’ve broken down the recipe to accommodate two servings.  Double or triple as necessary.   I always like to have something fabulous and out of the ordinary for my overnight guests.   This so kicks the pants off regular orange juice in a plastic pitcher.  ..for the record, life is too short to be using anything other than beautiful pitchers on your table.   And, being packed with vitamins,  it’s totally good for you, too.   What’s not to love?   

The skinny: 

• 1 1/2  cups  frozen sliced peaches
• 1/2  cup  frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/2  cup  1% low-fat milk
• 1/3  cup  sliced ripe banana
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• Dash of salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender; let stand for 15 minutes, and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

   Taking a multivitamin remains to be one of the easiest ways to stay healthy for very little effort.   In real time, it’s almost impossible to take in the required nutrients your body needs via your diet.   The human body needs nutrients to function properly.  When there is a deficiency, we are in danger of becoming seriously ill or even dying.  Vitamin supplementation can reverse illness caused by vitamin deficiency, sometimes miraculously.

We need vitamin D, especially in the winter months, when our skin lacks sun exposure.  According to experts, Dr. Oz being one of which, we should consume 1000 International Units, or IUs, daily for proper vitamin D dosing.   Vitamin E has been considered liquid gold in keeping skin looking young and full of elasticity (my mother being a shinning example of this, and being a vitamin E lover for as long as I can remember…she looks at least 10 years younger than she is.)   Vitamin C is better than ever this time of year to ward off cold-causing germs by strengthening your immunity. 

If you take prescription medications, check with your pharmacist to assure there are no cross reactions to multivitamins with prescriptions meds.  Otherwise, there’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t be taking a multivitamin on a daily basis.  We love big results with little effort, and that’s exactly what a multi will do for you.  Read labels, stay informed, and choose what works for you.  Take a multi daily.  It will help your body to function more efficiently, and it makes your skin glow.  It’s a win-win anyway you slice it.