Winter Skin Saver

Disclosure: This post has absolutely nothing to do with baking, but it does contain info about food, so it’s not too far off topic. 

As you may or may not know, I am all about learning and adapting when it comes to healthy food and lifestyle.  I recently noticed a few brown spots on my nose, and stopped into an Organic Skin care shop on the highstreet when I was in London last month to get their advice.  The clerk so kindly recommended a papaya mask, which she explained would naturally lighten the spots and moisturize my skin. 

Unfortunately I did not budget £50 for a few ounces of this miracle potion.  So I went home and researched ways to create my own papaya mask. 

Papayas are one of the few fruits that are available all year round, and they are very inexpensive as well.  Boasting benefits such as carotene, potassium,vitamin A, vitamin C, essential minerals, Papaya also helps prevents premature aging, has anti-inflammatory properties, and anti-cancerous properties.  All this for just a few measly dollars? SIGN ME UP!

It takes literally 5 minutes to whip up a papaya face mask, and at the same time you can make yourself a smoothie or a hair mask!

The winter has been brutal here in NY, my skin is very dry and itchy so here is the mask I made this week:

Papaya Face Mask

1 half papaya (seeded and skinned)

¼ cup of Organic Oatmeal (for exfoliation, and moisture, and for its anti inflammatory benefits)

1 teaspoon of honey

1 egg white (you can use the leftover yolk for the hair mask below)

Whizz everything up in a blender, apply to face for 15-20 minutes, then rinse off. My face has never been softer, and my skin looked instantly brighter and dare I say, more youthful. I know the brown spots will take some time to fade, but I have no doubt that they will.

Papaya also works wonders for split ends and dry hair.  I tried this mask on my hair and the results were incredible! So shiny and ridiculously soft!

Papaya Hair Mask

1 half papaya

1 cup of yogurt

1 egg yolk

¼ cup coconut oil

Whizz in blender, comb through hair and leave on for 30 minutes, rinse and enjoy your shiny locks for pennies compared to salon masks!

You can find other masks here, and here, or experiment with your own recipe by adding vitamin E, aloe, or cucumber. Let me know how you get on!

Super Smoothie

  It's basically a full time job keeping our toddler fed and happy. Lucky for us FJ is a great eater, she will try anything, but we do have our challenges getting in our 5 a day. Our solution is daily juices or smoothies. This kid will drink anything through a straw! We usually have mostly veggie juices with an apple or two for sweetness, but as an occassional treat, I'll whip up some fruity smoothies. There are so many great smoothie recipes out there, and the best ones are the random ones you can craft up with whatever is in your fridge.

Today we have 1/2 cup of cherries (grown by our neighbour 2 doors down), an organic banana, avocado and a cup of organic yogurt. Chock full of antioxidants, of vitamin C and healthy fat, this smoothie is a perfect sugar free treat to fuel the little one through the afternoon. 

  

Mix all ingredients in a blender for about a minute. And VOILA! A Sugar free super healthy super smoothie! If you fancy a thicker smoothie use frozen bananas for creamy, luxurious texture. 

For when we are out & about, I found these amazing reusable pouches from Koko. I fill them up and toss the mini smoothies in the freezer. They defrost slowly, so they are the perfect picnic treat, or in my case last week a keep-her-quiet-while-running-errands-treat. 

(You could use ice lolly molds as well)