Monday, June 11, 2012

Easy Tikka Masala

I love Indian food. Well, I love all food. But I've always been a bit intimidated about trying to replicate some of my favorite Indian dishes at home. Enter Trader Joe's Masala Simmer Sauce. This served as the main ingredient for a super fast and easy weeknight meal. Throw the sauce in a pan, add diced raw chicken, potatoes, carrots, chickpeas, zucchini, and whatever else you like in your Tikka Masala, and let it simmer to perfection! I threw in a lot of fresh garlic, paprika, and cayenne since I like spicy, but the sauce was pretty good without any help too. Serve over basmati rice and enjoy!





Friday, June 8, 2012

Juice Cleanse

Have you tried a juice cleanse? I just completed my second 3 day juice cleanse of 2012 and it went really well! It wasn't about trying to lose weight or anything, but moreso to give my digestive system a break and detach from my (constant) thoughts of food/eating/cooking/grocery shopping. My first time I tried the Kaeng Raeng cleanse, and this last time I tried the Pressed Juicery cleanse. While I appreciated that the Kaeng Raeng cleanse was cost effective, vegan, and they outline that you can enjoy unlimited raw fruits and veggies while detoxing, I had a better experience with the Pressed Juicery cleanse. The Pressed 3 day detox is more expensive than Kaeng Raeng's, but I happen to LOVE their juices, and since they are made with a hydraulic press, the vitamins and minerals from the produce are transferred right from the pulp to the bottle.

Pre-cleanse I was feeling regularly bloated, a little low on energy, and I was dealing with breakouts here and there. While cleansing, I naturally experienced some cravings, but I reminded myself that this one only 3 days of my life and I would survive. Day 1 was hard (more mentally than physically), but during days 2 and 3 I wasn't experiencing hunger pains, my yoga classes felt amazing as my senses were heightened and I became more aware of the movement in my body, I was getting amazing sleep, and feeling like a had a lot of increased creative energy. To be quite honest- I wanted to keep going for 5 days, but at about $50/day I decided it was best to stop at 3. Post cleanse I felt light, my stomach was flat, I wasn't in any rush to eat my favorite comfort foods, and  my skin was glowing. I will definitely be doing another cleanse before the end of the year. Have you tried a cleanse? Would you? Share your thoughts! :)


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Avocado Hair Mask

It's safe to say that here in California we are spoiled with the abundance of delicious avocados we have available Spring through Fall. I have a bag full of this wonderful little fruit ripening on my counter as we speak, so I decided to get creative with an easy moisturizing hair mask. My hair gets especially dry during the summer months when you add the sun, chlorine, and salt water to my poor color treated and regularly heat treated hair. The 3 simple ingredients are essentially just a mix of good fats. Mash them all together and apply to your hair to soak in for 30-60 minutes. After rinsing the result is soft, shiny, and moisturized hair. Give it a shot with these common kitchen staples:
  • 1/2-1 avocado ( I used a whole one since my hair is pretty long)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I'm going to try coconut oil next time)