Make it Monday! Acne and Dry Skin Masks

I want to apologize for not having these very often over the last few weeks. First it was the huge Earth Day bash, then out of town. I am trying my hardest to get myself back on track!

So I have brought you two skin enhancing masks today.

The First is for acne prone skin, but really could be used by anyone with normal to oily skin that needs a great exfoliation.
Best part, it is so super simple and CHEAP!

Ingredients:

• Four aspirin. They must be uncoated, plain aspirin. Usually you can get a big clear bottle for about $3.99.
• A tablespoon or two of lukewarm water
• Honey or plain yogurt (optional)

If you have super oily skin, you can skip the honey, but if you are normal to oily use honey, and dry or sensitive skin, try the yogurt. (if you do have sensitive skin, I highly suggest a patch test!)

Crush the aspirin, I use plastic put it inside and roll a large glass over it. Mix the aspirin with just enough water to make a paste. Add honey or yogurt, just a small dollop of each, maybe a half tablespoon. Apply the mask in a thin layer on your face, then allow it to dry. Remove it by rubbing in gentle circular motions.

Please note: Some people are allergic to aspirin, so try a patch test on your forearm before spreading this all over your face.

Aspirin contains acetylsalicylic acid

which will truly help get all the old, dead skin off smoothly and evenly. This can even help to fade dark spots. But it is summer, so if you are trying to treat those, wait until fall!

The next is for the dry/mature skin loves out there!
But is really soothing, so if you are acne prone and dried your skin out too much, try this puppy out!

Ingredients:
1/4 of an avocado
tablespoon of honey
used green tea bag

Mix and mix and mix together, apply and let sit for about 15-20 minutes. When I use this, I kinda use the Green Tea Bits as an exfoliant.

Luscious beautiful skin ladies and gents!

Maddison Avenue Candles Review and Giveaway

Maddison Avenue has some luxurious smelling candles that you can feel safe about burning in your home.

Soy Wax
+made from 100% soybean wax
+does not emit toxins while burning
+emits an incredibly small amount of soot
+biodegradable
+water-soluble
+burns cooler and slower
+renewable resource
+supports US farmers and our own economic growth

Did you know that soy wax candles can be called soy wax if there is as little as 25% soy wax used? If soy wax candles are stand-alone, that is, in a pillar or votive style, they may contain paraffin. 100% pure soy wax candles melt like oil so they must be in a container. Maddison Avenue uses 100% pure soy wax in their soy candles.

100% vegetable, made with Pure Soybean oil, GUARANTEED!
All NATURAL and biodegradable.
Manufactured meeting FDA and Kosher standards.
Contain NO petroleum, paraffin or beeswax products.
Contain NO pesticides and NO herbicides.
Contain NO toxic materials.
Contain NO Genetically Modified Material.
No Animal Testing.

Every ingredient has met with the approval of the United States Food and Drug Administration and Kosher Certification criteria. Maddison Avenue soy wax is FREE from pesticides, herbicides and Genetically Modified Material. Every pound of our wax is analyzed in a state of the art laboratory to assure its quality. Only after receiving a Certificate of Analysis guaranteeing our high standards does any wax leave the plant. -enjoy your soy!

Maddison Avenue sent me some delicious tea lights to sample. Their Vanilla Lavender, Orange Vanilla and their Sandalwood Vanilla. The scents are just explosive and realistic. They aren’t perfumes so that real true sandalwood and vanilla really shines through. I fell head over heels for the Sandalwood and Vanilla but to be honest, they are all really super sweet and sensual! Vanilla is a hard scent to get a REAL vanilla for, I don’t like that fake french vanilla stuff, and you will NOT get that from Maddison Ave!

The Mister is even pickier about his vanilla scents and he really liked these candles.

How would you like to win a candle of your own? how about a 7.5oz Frosted Spa Tumbler in Red Currant? Sounds delicious to me!
Just head over to Maddison Avenue and tell me what scent and candle you would most like to try.

Extra Entries! Please leave a separate Comment for each!
~subscribe to Prissy Updates (emails) must validate!
~subscribe to Rss Feed
~add my PRISSY GREEN button to your blog.
~Follow my blog
~Twitter this contest and leave the link
~Stumble this post and leave your user ID.

Contest will conclude on 6/13 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn by random.org and validated per rules. US and Canada.

Mama Mio Boot Camp for Tummies Review and Giveaway

Get Waisted Body Shaper

This is the holy grail of slimming potions; packed with NINE well proven ingredients designed to help eliminate puffiness, tighten your tum, discourage fat deposits and – most importantly – maximise lipolysis. Lipolysis is the way your body breaks down the fat stored in fat cells; giving you slim fat cells and a slimmer silhouette. Get Waisted’s ingredients are well proven in lab tests to dramatically increase the destruction of fat.
If fat is the enemy let us introduce you to your new best friend.

Plus when you add Tummy Toner – Skin Tightener
Tummy Toner will improve the actual texture and tone of your skin; lifting, tightening and toning the skin surface.

and the amazing exercises that have been put together by Julie Tupler, you have the BRAND NEW Boot Camp for Tummies By Mama Mio!

I promise you, even as a thin girl, unless I starved myself for two days, my belly always had a pooch, Not always a large one, but it was annoying nonetheless. Now I am not quite as skinny as I used to be, but still feel the same way, no matter what exercising I have been doing and dieting, my belly always has this pooch.

After using this trio of products I can say, that my pooch as been reduced! I love it! The short exercises are so easy to do, and quick! Plus adding in the both the serum and the cream, what a action packed slim down!

Here is the recipe for success!
Step 1 (once a day)

Your 3 minute exercise programme
Follow the instruction card for the two no-nonsense exercises: The Flattener Five and the Pulse 100.

Step 2 (once a day)
Tummy Toner One to two pumps will be plenty, massage into midriff area from below boobs to as low as you like, all the way round to your back. Entertain yourself for 10 seconds as it sinks in.

Step 3 (once a day)
Get Waisted Body Shaper Massage two pumps on top of Tummy Toner. Using clockwise strokes (to help sluggish digestion – another cause of bloated bellies) in exact same area as Tummy Toner.

I used one in the Toner in the mornings and the Shaper at night, but you can easily use them together, which I did at times. Like I said, the excercises are so easy to stick to! I mean 3 minutes a day? My belly skin and ahem, muffin tops, seem to be reduced in size as well as are SMOOTH as butter.

Plus Mama Mio has a No Nasties Policy, Mama Mio we maintain a strict NO NASTIES policy. Every Mama Mio product is safe to use at any time from pregnancy stage to pensionable age. It is Paraben Free, Petrolatum Free, Sodium Laureth and Sodium Laurel Sulphate Free, Xenoestrogen and Phtalates Free, Colourant and Synthetic Fragrance Free,.

Which brings us neatly on to our gorgeous GRAVIDA fragrance. It is a blend of 10 natural essential oils, carefully created to appeal to the most sensitive of noses. It gives you emotional as well as physical benefits and makes you smell as beautiful as you feel. Gravida is included in most of our products, layering you with a subtle veil of fresh citrus notes with a heart of white flowers.

It truly smells divine!

Would you like to try the Boot Camp for Tummies kit yourself? Well everyone reading has a chance to win a kit of their own! Retails for $135, and all you have to do to enter is head over to Mama Mio and tell me one other product you would like to try that isn’t mentioned here. Simple!

Extra Entries! Please leave a separate Comment for each!
~subscribe to Prissy Updates (emails) must validate!
~subscribe to Rss Feed
~add my PRISSY GREEN button to your blog.
~Follow my blog
~Twitter this contest and leave the link
~Stumble this post and leave your user ID.

Contest will conclude on 6/13 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn by random.org and validated per rules. US and Canada.

Seventh Generation Review and Giveaway

One of the biggest questions I receive when people find out I only use natural products to clean, is do they work? I can answer with a big huge YES for Seventh Generation. From the Toilet Bowl Cleaner to the Shower Cleaner and beyond, YES!

Plus they have pretty much ever need in between covered as well, feminine hygiene to trash bags.

I found the Kitchen Cleaner in Wild Orange & Cedar Spice to be quite uplifting and works like a dream, I love it for the stove top, that nasty baked on messes. and, although we try not to use too many paper towels the 100% Recycled Paper Towels are great for cleaning up quick messes. I also used the Natural All Purpose Cleaner in Green Mandarin & Leaf clean up all the random spots in the house, the door knobs, and fridge and light switches, were all included! I walked around with a towel and quickly cleaned those as well as our computer keyboards. The Tub & Tile Cleaner in Emerald Cypress & Fir is a true wonder, I barely had to scrub, I just sprayed on and wiped or rinsed off. I love that aspect! The Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner is nearly the same way, I was able to squirt it in, let it set for few moments then gently brush all the gunk out. Simple, not messy and almost makes doing toilets a breeze~.

I tried a few other products but I want to see what you would like to try from them too so i don’t want to list it all here! Seventh Generation has been a go to for me for years, and it is nice to always be able to trust them.

Seventh Generation and Healthy Child Healthy World converged on Lower Manhattan to officially introduce the WebMD Health eHome tool. The informative event and “under-the-kitchen-sink” makeover took place at Riverhouse – a green, high-rise condominium in Battery Park City.

Our distinguished panel included Jeffrey Hollender, Dr. Alan Greene, Christopher Gavigan of Healthy Child Healthy World and Kelly Rutherford, star of popular drama Gossip Girl and a renowned eco-mom who is expecting her second baby. All four individuals discussed the importance of understanding household toxicity, even appalling the audience with the dangerous realities conveyed on the back of conventional home cleaners.

The discussion was a healthy dose of truth about toxic “hot spots” at home, followed by simple and encouraging solutions, the concept of ingredient disclosure and the highly-functional and informative Health eHome tool.

And of course they give back! They dedicate 10% of their profits to non-profit community, environmental, health, and responsible business organizations working for positive change.

Have you tried them yet? If not what are you waiting on? Maybe for a Blogger to give some to you? Ha! well I have just what you crave, a fantastic assortment of products! The winner will receive a Seventh Generation Living Home Starter Kit that includes: Glass Cleaner, All-Purpose Cleaner, Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Shower Cleaner, Tub and Tile Cleaner, Kitchen Cleaner, 2 Natural Paper Towels (120 count) and a Reusable Tote!

Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? All you have to do to enter is tell me a product that you use ona regular basis from Seventh Generation or go to Seventh Generation and tell me one you would like to try!

Extra Entries! Please leave a separate Comment for each!
~subscribe to Prissy Updates (emails) must validate!
~subscribe to Rss Feed
~add my PRISSY GREEN button to your blog.
~Follow my blog
~Twitter this contest and leave the link
~Stumble this post and leave your user ID.

Contest will conclude on 6/13 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn by random.org and validated per rules. US and Canada.

Hamadi Hair Products Review

Hamadi Beauty is made with 100% pure essential oils and plant extracts. As well as being 100% biodegradable and contains NO artificial colors or fragrances or colors. Their slogans is, “Tested on actresses, never on animals.” i love that!

Hair might seem like a small thing, but to Hamadi it is essential to our well-being. Since it is such a powerful symbol of our personalities, why not make taking care of it a magnificent and splendid experience? Founder and creator Jamal Hammadi decided to create products that are not only healthy and natural, but smell and feel luxurious and the quality is never compromised with the use of artificial ingredients.

Hamadi’s products are based on moisturizing, organic ingredients including Shea Butter, Soy, Grapefruit, Honey, Avocado, and Lavender. Instead of stripping your hair, these ingredients nourish and protect, making your hair the silkiest it can be without weighing it down. Hamadi’s products are made with 100% natural, organic essential oils, they are completely biodegradable, and they contain no artificial ingredients, perfumes, or colors.

Jamal Hammadi is well known for creating glamorous styles for celebrities as well as haute couture houses. He has created runway looks for Chanel, Christian Dior, and John Galliano.

I was able to try out the LemonMint Hair Wash, which technically is for color treated blonds, it worked really well on my hair. I did feel like I had to use a LOT of product to get it through my hair, but i will say that might be because I am not color treated. (yet!) It smells divine, as you can imagine, and leaves my hair really shiny and manageable.

The true standout product from my test was the Shea Hair Mask. It is truly amazing. I would apply it as soon as I washed my hair in the bath shower, then use my Zannclip and really let it soak for a while, then rinse out, my hair was so silky and soft. Plus it felt like one of the few masks that actually did repair my hair. I have never believed in repairing hair before, I think once it has lost the loving feeling, it is lost! But not if you have the Hamadi Shea Hair Mask! The Avocado and Aloe Vera not only treat and protect the hair but add a brilliant shine too!

The Shea Spray in is pretty outstanding as well. It doesn’t weigh my hair down at all, and provides some UV protection for my tresses too. With Clary Sage, Rosewood and Ylang Ylang it smells pretty terrific too! Keeps the frizzies at bay and adds a gorgeous silky shine.

Hamadi Beauty gives back too! Their latest? The Guild of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles hosted an Accessories for Success Spring Luncheon and Fashion Show featuring the latest trends and celebrity-inspired fashions of A.B.S by Allen Schwartz as well as the latest in haute eco-chic hair trends by celebrity stylist Jamal Hammadi. Model and philanthropist Amber Valletta was emcee. Prior to the luncheon, a silent auction was conducted offering the latest Hamadi Beauty Organics to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters.

For Catwalk looks, Jamal used Hamadi Beauty styling products like Hamadi Shea Leave In, Hamadi Shea Spray, and Hamadi Shea Hair Cream. Shea products nourish while styling to leave hair renewed, not ruined, after styling! Shea Leave In is a must for celebs like Heather Graham who are constantly changing their look for a part or having their hair styled for special events. Heather swears “See, when I met him, I’d just dyed my hair red and then blonde and it was all screwed up, and this stuff fixed it right up. Plus, it doubles as a skin moisturizer!”

Buy it now at Hamadi Beauty!

Shea Butter Market Review and Giveaway

Boy my hands have been SO dry since getting lots of sun in Florida. and the only thing that has truly been helping is my Shea Butter Market Creams. I really love the lavender, it is a true and pure lavender scent.

Shea Butter Market was launched to provide people with all natural products that do amazing things for their skin and hair and at the same time to provide the women who make the Shea Butter with a fair price for their product and support to help them and their families to climb out of poverty.

The business was founded by Gifty Serbeh-Dunn who grew up in Ghana. Gifty fervently believes that business can be a force for good and that doing business right means that everyone benefits; the women who make the Shea Butter, the natural environment, the people who buy and use the product, the distributors and retailers of the product and the workers and shareholders of Shea Butter Market Ltd.

Gifty grew up in northern Ghana in West Africa in the heart of what could be called the global Shea Butter capital. When she moved to Canada in 1980 she was amazed that North America did not know about Shea Butter. Over the years she became impassioned with the need to share Shea Butter with the world in a way that would benefit everyone, especially the women who made the Shea Butter and the people who would use the product.

When you use Shea Butter Market products you are not only using some of the purest product available anywhere, you are also helping to support an entire village in northern Ghana. Shea Butter Market purchases the Shea Butter directly from the Tapko Widow’s Group, who harvest the Shea Nuts and process them into Shea Butter using traditional methods that have been handed down over centuries. They are paid a premium price and we donate 2% of net profits from Shea Butter Market to their micro-credit project ‚ helping them to help themselves. Helping women and families from northern Ghana has been a focus of Shea Butter Market right from the start. Company founder, Gifty Serbeh-Dunn, who is from Wa, a regional capital in northern Ghana, knows all too well the poverty and desperation that village women face

Shea Butter shouldn’t be white but almost off white, cream or tan. And when it is unrefined and beautiful, like it should always remain, it one of the richest creams you can afford your skin! Shea Butter Market still makes their unrefined shea butter the old fashioned way, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it folks!

Shea Butter Market was so generous and let me try sample sizes and some full sized too! I really love their Sun Soother. This was a little heavy to have at the beach when my legs were really burning and irritating, sand just stuck to me like crazy! BUT when we went to pool, it was more then perfect. it really helped sooth my sun and sand beaten legs. The African shea nut is rich in cinnamic acid, which protects against harmful UV rays and we have added the natural minerals zinc oxide and titanium dioxide for additional protection. Made with certified organic unrefined Shea Butter, Beeswax, Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive oil, Zinc Oxide (in the natural mineral form zincite), Titanium dioxide (in the natural mineral form), Stearyl Alcohol and an essential oil blend of eucalyptus, tea tree, peppermint, rosemary, cinnamon and lavender. Although it doesn’t say what the protection is, i would guess a 4. I was also wearing my 30SPF or 15, so I wasn’t really using it all for the sun protection factor as much as for the soothing factor which was great!

I also sampled a few of their Body Butters, this was my favorite product. The Shea Lav and the She Hand were my utmost faves. They are so moisturizing, I really suggest using them before bed, when you body absorbs even more of the goodness! The Shea Hand is pretty thick to put on before computer work, but I love using just a dab on my cuticles when they get dried out. And always before bed. It has a very relaxing smell of lemon and vanilla.

The Shea Lips Citrus is really nice, it has a pleasant flavor and smell. It really penetrates my lips and helps me to wake up to a nice smooth pucker! I like it because it gives just a hint of sheen.

They also have lotions and face care, as well as bath bombs and gift certificates for purchase! I would love to try the body lotions!

Shea Butter Market is generously giving one Prissy Green reader a fabulous Shea Butter Gift Basket full of wonderful organic Shea butter products! Valued at $55, this basket includes Savannah Body Lotion, Savannah Face Cream, 2 lipbalms, 1 mini Shea Hands and 1 mini Shea Lavender! To enter please go to Shea Butter Market and tell me something you would like to try and why (other then what I have reviewed here). Easy peasy!

Extra Entries! Please leave a separate Comment for each!
~subscribe to Prissy Updates (emails) must validate!
~subscribe to Rss Feed
~add my PRISSY GREEN button to your blog.
~Follow my blog
~Twitter this contest and leave the link
~Stumble this post and leave your user ID.

Contest will conclude on 6/13 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn by random.org and validated per rules. US and Canada.

Kahina and Giving Beauty Review

Giving Beauty will source key ingredients from women’s cooperatives around the world and donate a portion of the profits back to the women who work to provide the raw materials for the Giving Beauty products.

Kahina, which is based on 100% organic argan oil sourced from the women’s cooperatives of Morocco, is the first line of products to be released under the Giving Beauty label and has just launched online at Kahina and Giving Beauty. There are currently four products which make for an effective, simple organic skincare regimen.
If you are not familiar with argan oil, it is a beauty secret Moroccan women have used for centuries. Morocco is the only place in the world where the argan trees, from which the oil is harvested, grow.

Extremely rich in Vitamin E and antioxidants, argan oil has been shown to neutralize free radicals, minimize fine lines, restore elasticity, improve skin tone, reduce inflammation and protect the skin from harmful environmental agents. Every product in the Kahina – Giving Beauty line contains high concentrations of certified organic argan oil combined with other beneficial organic and natural ingredients for a luxurious and highly effective skin care regimen.

Kahina is actually the name of a Jewish Berber queen and prophetess Kahina, who reigned circa 700 AD and successfully resisted the first Arab invaders. Kahina is a heroine to the Berber women and represents empowerment and vision for women worldwide.

Katharine LâHeureux, the woman behind the line has tons of incredible images of the women of the co-op that she actually shot herself. I love the one of the women practicing signing her name that is attached. this is something most of these women could not do before the co-op they work in started to offer literacy programs.The women’s signatures are incorporated into the Kahina packaging design. How cool is that? the packages are gorgeous aren’t they?

I love argan oil simply for the fact that it doesn’t break me out. Everything else does and how surprising that an oil doesn’t! The deal is that it is so beneficial and has these great anti-bacterial properties that it truly heals the skin down to the dermis allowing the oils to really penetrate and fully heal every level of skin.
Your skin is constantly being deprived of the nutrients needed to maintain its necessary levels of collagen due to age and environmental stress. Argan oil is a natural solution to defend against premature aging and UV exposure. Argan oil is particularly effective against aging and cell degeneration, as well as dryness, skin inflammation, acne and scars. Argan oil contains exceptionally high levels of fatty acids including linoleic acid (omega-6) which ensure skin’s repair and protective functions. They stimulate intracellular oxygenation, thus favoring restoration of the hydrolipid film by increasing nutrient levels in cutaneous cells, and by providing essential moisture to the skin. The essential fatty acids fight against drying, smoothing out the skin, improving its elasticity, and discouraging wrinkles to appear. Making it a grand beauty treatment.

You only need a tiny bit to smooth over your whole skin, and please don’t forget your eyes! This is great for the soft and thin eye tissue!

I was so very happy to try out their 100% Pure Argan Oil. If you apply too much it can be a teeny bit oily, but come on, it is oil! Just use sparingly and you will be fine. I could literally feel my skin thanking me, and drinking the benefits in. It has a slightly nutty smell, but doesn’t smell bad at all. It has really helped when i use it after my oil cleansing method. I also use a little jojoba oil that I have mixed up with some tea tree, lavender and cedarwood oils. My skin is so acne prone I have to take every precaution!

I also sampled the Serum from Kahina, I use it on my face when I get dry, and it transforms my skin over night. It also helps my nails grow and keep my cuticles nice and moisturized. Again you only need a tiny bit so a 1oz bottle should last for months! My cuticles have never been healthier. And what a difference it has made on my over-tanned skin from vacation! It truly penetrates that level of skin that most moisturizers don’t and gets to the nitty gritty of healthy skin!

Try it for yourself! just head on over to Kahina-Giving Beauty

Karissa Gindling™ for Prissy Green™ ©

The Fantabulous Linky Post!

*** edit, I think most of you know about all the issues with the linkys so I am changing this and will be putting a post up every monday. I can’t delete what is on these anymore, not sure why but I hope you will continue to add!****

Yoga Emergency with Kristen Eykel Review and Giveaway

I won’t bore you with tons of details about this DVD, but WOW! It is so relaxing yet totally kicks your butt. If you aren’t trained or haven’t done yoga for long I suggest watching the DVD first then try it out.

I will say that Kristen Eykel does a fantastic job of showing you how to work your body. And she is in such wonderful shape she makes it look so easy! I felt the hip muscles the next day for sure! I have done it a few times since then and it gets easier to move from step to step. She also has these little stress busters that are about 90 seconds to just give you that edge!

This 12 Minute Hip work out is not the only one in this series it is actually just one in the FIVE part series, all designed to targeted to specific parts of the body. You’ll find workouts designed to ease sore hips, release tight shoulders, strengthen your legs and stretch out your back. As well, there is also a special set designed as an all-over workout during pregnancy. This is a gentle and effective series of workouts created with you in mind- for anyone at any age! No matter what level of mobility or experience you have, these workouts are designed to give you the strength and release you need at anytime. Each of them is complete on it’s own, or you can combine them for a full body workout. They are: 12 Minute Work Out for Arms and Shoulders, Full Leg Stretch, Pregnancy and Low and Mid Back.

Kristen began her yoga practice in 1990 as a young model in Paris. From there, she went on to learn from a variety of disciplines- all of which continue to teach her today. As a student of Shamanism, a Certified Reiki practitioner, Hypnotherapist and Kundalini yoga instructor, Kristen brings many disciplines together via her practice. Specializing in Khalsa Way Pregnancy Yoga since the homebirth of her 1st child in 2001, Kristen has gone on to create numerous Health and Wellness projects. Most notably, YOGA FOR YOUR PREGNANCY with Yoga Journal and Lamaze. Chosen by Pregnancy Magazine for an Editor’s Choice Award for “BEST YOGA VIDEO”, Kristen demonstrates gentle yoga methods that show moms-to-be how to maintain strength, flexibility, and stamina throughout their pregnancies, and breathing and meditation exercises to help keep focused during the birthing process. Yoga for Your Pregnancy includes exercises for both beginner and advanced yoga students, with special poses for the birthing room. The DVD also features a special post-natal practice to help women get back into shape after they give birth.

Krysten has given me the opportunity to give away THREE copies of your choice Yoga Emergency DVD! (3 winners) All you have to do to enter is go to Kristen Eykel’s site and tell me which DVD you would most prefer to have and why! Simple.

Extra Entries! Please leave a separate Comment for each!
~subscribe to Prissy Updates (emails) must validate!
~subscribe to Rss Feed
~add my PRISSY GREEN button to your blog.
~Follow my blog
~Twitter this contest and leave the link
~Stumble this post and leave your user ID.

Contest will conclude on 6/12 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn by random.org and validated per rules. US and Canada.

Quinoa, Great for Your Diet and Tasty Too!

Are you a vegetarian or Vegan that finds it near impossible to get all of your daily Magnesium, protein and Iron? Most likely if you are, you have heard of Quinoa. A nutty little seed. Beans may not do it all for you, and so most might try all the veggies they can but still not reach the peak they need. My old roommate was a vegetarian, but she was PICKY!!! It drove me nuts. She would order a cheese quesdilla and ask for only tomatoes and cheese. WTH is that? Quinoa is a great way to get more protein in your diet. And it has a very high mineral content. It is wonderful on salads and great as a side dish or a main dish. We had it for dinner tonight, with lightly steamed asparagus, fresh tomatoes and avocados.

The benefits of Quinoa actually go far beyond that of a protein substitute for vegans and vegetarians. People who suffer from migraines wouldn’t go far wrong in making Quinoa a regular part of their diet. This is because Quinoa also contains high amounts of magnesium. People who suffer from persistent migraines often have problems sleeping at night, which may be due to a lack of Magnesium in their diets. A Magnesium deficiency can change electrical patterns in the brain causing restless sleep as well as frequent awaking. Magnesium is also an important mineral for relaxing the blood vessels, which can in turn lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It can also help in the battle against diabetes and is important for maintaining strong, healthy bones.

Iron plays an essential role in our body by helping to carry oxygen to our heart, lungs and brain. In doing so it keeps our minds alert and our bodies energized. Without enough iron, oxygen distribution in our body slows down and we may begin to get regular headaches, feel sluggish and become easily annoyed. A severe iron deficiency can lead to Anemia, which in certain situations can be life threatening. Around 65 % of Americans actually suffer from iron deficiency and are totally unaware of the fact. This could be cured by using Quinoa instead of rice in a risotto, as just a quarter of a cup contains around 20% of your recommended daily iron intake. This means that if everyone were to eat 3 or 4 cups of the grain a week many Americans would become more vibrant and energetic, which could in turn ease the obesity epidemic. No wonder Quinoa is now listed as one of the top ten super food.

I purchased mine the other night from the local health food store, not always the cheapest but the easiest by far. It was $3.99 a pound and that is a lot of Quinoa. I fixed a half a cup of dry seeds and it was almost 2 full cups.

Prep, all you have to do is soak for 15 minutes, rinse a few times then add your water, bring to a boil, put a lid on it, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Then take off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. then drain. I added some fresh garlic while mine was cooking and it had just a slight taste of it, which was pretty perfect!

But check out http://www.quinoa.net for tons of great recipes. I will be trying some of those, for sure! and the mister loved it too!

Next Page »