Moving to Facebook

Hi!  I just want to let it be known that I am going to move this blog over to Facebook.  I just think it will be easier on me to manage and also post information through FB and have more interaction from others.  Please join me over at http://www.facebook.com/TheUrbanNaturalista.

THANK YOU!

Today's Green Smoothie

I went to one of my favorite places for produce yesterday, TRADER JOE'S!  They always have a decent selection and the best prices.  I saw they had kale cut and ready to eat in bags.  Why had I never noticed that before?  I picked it up thinking it would make preparing my smoothies easier.  I think next time I will omit the yogurt and add carrot juice.  I really need to buy a juicer, but it came out great!  Here is what I used for today's smoothie:

1/2 cup kale
1/2 cup spinach
1 gala apple, cored & diced
1 cup banana, sliced & frozen
1/2 cup tart cherry juice
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 cube Dorot garlic
1 cube Dorot ginger

Clean Eating Magazine

Okay, so since I decided to do the 30-Day Eat Clean & Fitness Challenge I have been researching recipes and info like crazy.  I came across the most amazing thing.  First, let me say I love Pinterest and one day I will share some awesome stuff I found on there.  Next, let me say I occasionally pick up Clean Eating magazine and also love it.  Well, while on Pinterest I decide to search "clean eating" and low and behold Clean Eating magazine has a Pinterest account.  HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!


Their Pinterest is freaking great and I will be using it on my journey!  Here is the link for their Pinterest for all who want in on the goodness they have there.

30-Day Eat Clean & Fitness Challenge

My working out has been on a long pause since the beginning of May.  In turn, my weight loss has also halted.  Mostly it has been due to my bad knee.  I really don't know what is going on with it, but I get serious pain and inflammation.  It gets so bad that it is hard to walk on.  I have been babying it and not working out.

I recently came across a challenge on Naturally Divine's Facebook page where you are to workout everyday and eat clean for the next 30 days.  This is something I would like to continue past the 30 days.  I feel like this is the perfect time to get back on track.

Starting tomorrow I will begin working out again.  I haven't decided what I will do just yet.  I will keep updating my progress and I can't wait to see where I am in 30 days.  I will also post what workouts and recipes I am using.  I hope my frequent traveling this summer to visit family won't be too hard on my fitness goals.

If you need info on eating clean, check out the Eat Clean Diet website.  There are great recipes and info on that site.

Join in if you can!  Wish me luck. ;)

Homemade Brown Sugar Scrub

This is one of my favorite scrubs to make.  I mainly use it on my face, but occasionally use it all over my body.  It is so great for exfoliation without dryness afterwards.  When I first made this it looked kind of thin in consistency, but when I used it.... WOW!  It gave my skin a great "scrub".  I use it first, and then follow with a vitamin E or tea tree based soap.  Then I use my homemade toner.  I will share that recipe with you later.

Now, let's make it!
Mix together:
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
15 drops tea tree essential oil
15 drops ylang ylang essential oil
15 drops clary sage essential oil
15 drops lime essential oil
***you can substitute the grape seed and avocado oil for 3 tablespoons of any oil you like***

Now I add enough brown sugar until it is the consistency of a caramel sauce.  Today I used about 5-6 tablespoons of brown sugar.
Here is the finished product.  Like I said, it may not LOOK like a scrub, but just WAIT!  You will be surprised!!! ENJOY!!!!

My Green Smoothie Base

I love green smoothies.  I buy them pre-made ALL THE TIME.  I figured I should be able to do something similar at home.  I went to the market and was overwhelmed in the produce section.  If I don't have a list with me I get sensory overload lol.  I forgot my list at home, but remembered a couple ingredients and then got creative with others.  Everything is organic.  Here is what I used:

4 kale leaves, chopped
1 cup of parsley, chopped
1 bosc pear, chopped
1 kiwi
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups of water

I put the kale, parsley and water into the blender and set to liquefy.

Then I added the pear and kiwi.

Next I added the bell pepper.

Then I transferred to a plastic container.  I added a couple of drops of lemon juice to the container, too.

So that is my green smoothie base!

Here is the smoothie I made with it after:

It was really yummy and had a nice kick to it!  I can't wait to get a juicer, because the only thing I didn't like was the bits of bell pepper skin.  I will be having this every morning!

For this I used:
1/2 cup smoothie base
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
1 cube frozen crushed garlic
1 cube frozen crushed ginger
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
1 serving whey protein powder
1 tablespoon chia seed
2 tablespoons local honey

My FAVORITE Homemade Deep Conditioner

As you will come to find out, I LOVE making my own products.  As a matter of fact, I am working on my own business making natural hair and body products.  I am always telling people about my favorite homemade deep conditioner (DC).  Here is the recipe and the regimen I *usually* follow on the days I DC my hair.

My ingredients are:

1. Avocado
2. Coconut Milk
3. Honey
4. Water
5. Castor Oil
6. Tea Tree oil

First I scoop the avocado into the blender.

***I forgot to continue taking pictures of my process, but it is really easy.  I blame my anxiousness to use my fave conditioner on my forgetfulness. :)***

Next I microwave 2 tablespoons of honey with 3 tablespoons of water just until they are warm.  I add that to the blender and begin blending.  I use the "Puree" function.  Make sure you don't close the lid tightly because the warm water/honey mixture can cause it to pop off.  

After that is blended I add 1/4 cup of coconut milk and 2 tablespoons of castor oil (you can use any oil you want) and blend until smooth.  Then move the mixture to a container and I add 10 drops of tea tree oil (you can use any essential oil you want or omit it all together).

Mix it very well to make sure the essential oil is evenly distributed.  

Here is the final product.  Smooth, shiny and silky!

Now I just apply evenly through my hair, put on a plastic shower cap or conditioning cap and wait at least an hour.  Here it is on my hair.

This is my hair after rinsing out the DC and shampooing using Shea Moisture's Argan Oil & Raw Shea Butter bar soap.

I bought this product today at Walgreen's and decided to use this to condition.  Also here is a picture with it on my hair.  I put on a plastic cap again and will leave it on for 45 minutes.  

Here is my hair after detangling and rinsing.  The bioinfusion didn't allow for super easy detangling that some of my other products have.  It did feel good while I had it on and after I rinsed it out.

***Usually on days I DC with this mixture I also do my ACV rinse after this second conditioning.  I planned on doing it, but forgot.  I don't know what's wrong with me today. haha***

Then I sealed with a little Carol's Daughter Hair Balm:

I had planned on twisting it, but I am tired.  I think I will try dry twists tomorrow. 

I decided to add a little of Carol's Daughter Hair Milk after it dried some.

Try this homemade DC and I bet you will fall in love with it!

Combat Allergies Naturally

When I was still living in NYC I never had one single problem with allergies. Now that I am in NC it is a constant battle. At first I thought I was just getting frequent colds or having adverse reactions to products I use on my skin. I would feel like little bugs are crawling all over me and that feeling had me going crazy. Now my allergies are somewhat under control, but only due to OTC allergy medications. I would like to fight allergies naturally and started doing research. Here are a several things I found out about and I can't wait to try them

1. The main one I am going to try as soon as I get to the local farmers' market is LOCAL HONEY. I really love honey in the first place, so to know it could help is awesome. Eating honey made by local bees can help alleviates allergy symptoms because it is made from the same plants causing the allergic reaction. Taking in a small amount of the allergen works just like a vaccine, helping your immune system build antibodies against it.
2. The juice of half of a LIME mixed with a cup of warm water will help flush your system of toxins from allergens. I bet adding a little local honey would make it even better. Drink once daily in the morning.
3. I use APPLE CIDER VINEGAR in a rinse for my hair (you can find my ACV hair rinse recipe here), but it can also help with allergies. Drinking about two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in an 8 oz. glass of water once every day, either all year, or just during allergy season, can help to slow the production of the histamines that create allergic reactions.
4. Recognized throughout the world as a natural antihistamine, one or two daily cups of CHAMOMILE TEA, sweetened with honey, can provide immunity toward many common allergens. Once again, I'd add the local honey to that as well.
5. GARLIC is another natural antihistamine. Just add it to some of your favorite foods and fight allergies while adding flavor!
6. Take 250 milligrams of QUERCETIN three times a day. This natural supplement is a potent anti-inflammatory flavonoid, and it is widely used in natural medicine practices to fight allergies.

National Vegetarian Week!!!

Hey there!  I just thought I would let everyone know that National Vegetarian Week is from May 21-May 27, 2012.  To check out the official site and find all kinds of resources and recipes click here.


Check out one of the recipes they have featured on the site.  It looks yummy and pretty darn cool.  Since I am a smoothie addict, I will have to try this soon.

A fruity treat for people who don't like to eat in the morning

• Serves 4

• Preparation time 10 minutes

• Vegan

Ingredients

Green layer:

4 kiwi, peeled and chopped
1 pear, peeled and chopped
1/4 honeydew melon, sliced
150ml apple juice

Amber layer:

2 mangos, peeled and stoned
1/4 honeydew melon, sliced
100ml orange juice

Red layer:

200g strawberries
100g raspberries
1/4 honeydew melon, sliced
100ml cranberry juice

Method

1. Place the green layer into a blender and thoroughly whizz. Transfer to a separate jug and rinse out the blender.
   
2. Repeat with the remaining layers.
   
3. To serve, share the green layer between four glasses. Carefully spoon over the amber layer and finally the red layer. Serve straight away.

Cook’s tip: You can sweeten each layer to taste with a little sugar or concentrated fruit syrup

My First 3-Strand Twist Attempt

I don't get great results with 2-strand twists.  When I take them out it just looks like I did a wash & go.  In the natural hair group I am in on Facebook I saw that someone did a 3-strand twist out and it looked dope!  So I decided to give it a go.  I am usually kind of lazy when it comes to styling, but my hair retains moisture more when it is twisted or braided.  Here is the regimen I used before twisting:


I deep conditioned using raw shea butter.  This was my first time using shea butter as a DC and my hair seemed to like it.  I just softened it in the microwave for a few seconds, worked it through my hair and wrapped it with plastic wrap.

Then I washed with Shea Moisture's Argan Oil & Raw Shea Butter bar soap and conditioned with One 'n Only Argan Oil Moisture Repair Conditioner.  I only had a sample of the conditioner.  The fragrance was pretty strong, but it made detangling a snap.

Here is my hair after detangling:

Here is my hair after using my ACV rinse:

Then I used my Turbie Twist hair towel while I dry myself and get dressed to absorb some of the excess ACV rinse.  I don't rinse the ACV out.

Next I used kynx i am Fierce Refreshing Leave In Moisturizer and didn't care for it and found nothing moisturizing about it AT ALL.  This is what my hair looked like after using it.

Since I didn't like the kynx product I added Sof 'N Free Curl Wake Up Spray and I really REALLY like it. A LOT!

I combed Sof 'N Free Curl Sealer through small sections before twisting:

Here is the tutorial video on 3-strand twists that I used:

http://youtu.be/lS71kyJTOOQ

Here are my 3-strand twists and one that I took out the next day:

Also, after I twisted I used my shea & oil mix on the ends to seal them well.

I can't wait to take the rest out tomorrow!  I am loving the definition and I never would have gotten those results with 2-strand twists.  Also, my twists didn't unravel like the usually do with 2-strand twists.  I will upload pictures when I take the rest out.  I hope you give it a try too!




So.... my hair got damp from the shower and became a bit frizzy, but I still L-O-V-E the definition!!!  Here are some pics: