Food & Beauty Thrills – How To Kill Two Birds With One Stone

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Don’t you love food that addresses both your health and beauty needs?  Are you ready to find out which foods will help you look and feel beautiful without costing you a fortune?  Then let’s find out!

Cool cucumber  

It’s gorgeous in a salad and is an amazing hunger buster if you need something to munch on but haven’t really got the calories to spare.  Have no plans this evening?   Perfect – set up a date with cucumber for your lids, alongside fragrant scented candles and soothing music for that much needed pick me up.  Ah – heaven..

Cleopatra honey and yoghurt

What an amazing combo contributing antioxidants and minerals such as calcium for your bones.  Either pour them on your breakfast cereal or layer it on your face for a Cleopatra themed face mask.  You could also use agave nectar but I would suggest reading ‘The Sickly Truth About Agave Nectar’ first.  What’s more, throw in some oats and you’ll be wondering whether to eat it, or use it as a face mask or both!

Aloe vera shots

Have a shot a day if you are pursuing inexpensive remedies for fighting off wrinkles and signs of ageing.  What have you got to lose?  If you are intrigued then read Aloe Vera - A Fun Step Towards Anti-Aging?

Appetizing avocado & olive oil

Unbelievably creamy and satisfying in salads, you can’t go wrong with avocado or olive oil.  Did you know that it is just as perfect as a face mask for dry skin?  The richness of avocado is ideal mixed with olive oil for a much deserved pampering session.  Olive oil that has been gently warmed and applied to hair is also wonderful as a pre-wash conditioner.  You’ll be amazed at how glossy and shiny your hair is afterwards.  A perfect Sunday morning ritual, wouldn’t you agree?

Beautiful Banana

Finally, my favourite – the basic banana.  Or is it really?  It’s an excellent pre-exercise snack but what you may forget is that bananas like other fruit are packed with polyphenols and carotenoids important for their role in anti-aging.  Did you know that in India, banana leaf based dressings have been developed as an excellent, cheap, non-adhesive and pain free form of dressing material?

Let’s not forget Superfood Cinnamon, Mighty Mango, , Berries, Garlic - To Kiss Away Wrinkles, or Onions & Turmeric..  The list truly is endless but since it’s nearly the weekend, let’s celebrate with Ravishing Raspberry Cocktail for anti-aging goodness from berries.

Happy Thursday lovely readers, and do let me know if you think of other magical beauty foods to share.

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Dreamy Low Fat Hummus With Garlic & Olive OIl

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Hummus is a wonderful source of protein and fibre from it's star ingredient - chickpeas.  Have you noticed that hummus is not a low fat food?  Often even the reduced fat versions can be over 20% fat.  Having said that, these are not saturated fats so I never think twice when I choose hummus for lunch.  So delicious too, it really is more than what words can say with flat bread and salad.

Yet, I've decided that since I know my fats, I would like to experiment a little bit and make my own.  Let's face it, as soon as you reduce the fat content from something as luxuriously smooth and creamy as hummus, it definitely is a challenge to retain that gorgeous flavour that is so characteristic for hummus.

Yet, I feel like doing something good for me and I love trying new recipes, so here's my version of a low fat hummus.  It's dreamy because it genuinely is low in fat at providing only 5% energy from fat.


Ingredients
3 cups of boiled chickpeas, drained
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons tahini paste
1 tablespoon good quality olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 - 11/2 cups water

Methods
Add all ingredients into a blender and 1 cup of the water initially.  Blend until you get a smooth paste, but if you struggle, add the remainder of the water.  I did not add any salt to mine, but you can add a pinch of salt if you desire.

I divided mine into 5 mini containers.  That's one serving of hummus for each day of the week.  This will go fabulous with flat bread and salads or on rice cakes with sliced tomatoes for a gluten and wheat free option.

Enjoy and let me know what you think - I may try this recipe again with greek yoghurt and stuffed garlics thrown in.

Per serving: 267kcal, 12.8g fat, 11.8g protein


RECIPE UPDATE
I actually think this recipe could do with a second tablespoon of olive oil and another of the tahini paste.  I did also add a pinch of salt with black pepper before eating today.  This will still keep the total fat of the recipe under 10%, so still much lower than your supermarket brand versions.  I think a filler like sundried tomatoes will go with this beautifully too.

DIY – Are You Up For The 'Health' Pizza Challenge?

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Healthy and pizza?  Is it really possible to have the two words in the same sentence? 

Apparently Scotland says so.  Their new ‘health’ pizza appears to have gripped our Northern neighbours by storm.  The ‘nutritional’ pizza is designed to provide 30% of an adult’s daily requirements for vitamins and minerals, as well as a third of the allowance for calories, protein and carbohydrates.

Did you know that seaweed contains a miniscule portion of salt in comparison to regular salt?  It is therefore a useful addition to pizzas to reduce the amount of total added salt.

Whilst ‘healthy’ pizzas plan to take over UK supermarkets by storm, why don’t you just do it yourself?  Make it with the kids in your very own kitchen and you’ll soon realise how easy and fun it is to prepare.  It’s a great meal to prepare with the kids and you’ll enjoy the experience as a family. 

Pizzas with the right ingredients can also be a useful way of sneaking in colourful fruit and vegetables.  Aubergines, bell peppers, mushrooms, pineapple, tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs such as basil are readily available in your local markets.

Whether this summer is hot or flooding with rain, home-made pizzas can be a great meal solution to a night in, any day of the week.  It’s easy to assemble and relatively cheap to make.

                                      

Recipe ideas

Use wholemeal pita bread as your base.  Cover the pita with tomato paste and no more than a tablespoon of grated cheese for each pita.  Top with your favourite cut up vegetable pieces.  You may wish to try a combination of tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic and basil.  Instead of regular tomato paste, use sundried tomato paste or a green pesto for a phenomenal boost in flavour.  Scatter a light sprinkling of herbs de provence for good measure and then you are ready to throw this in to the oven.

If you plan to impress, then you could go majestic like this French restaurant in Nice (see picture featured above).  

It’s truly spectacular and regal, topped with salad, juicy tomatoes, olive oil or a salad dressing, grilled cheese, spring onions and prosciutto.  Your guests will certainly enjoy this mouth watering slice of summer and complement you through-out the night.  If you prefer, roll out your own pizza dough.  The key is to prepare individual circles of pastry for each guest.

Now all you need to do is select the red wine and diluted juice for the kids.  That was easy!

How do you prepare your pizza?