This week we are all about diving into the March theme of Delicious Beauty! And what better way to do so than to share some of our new fave recipes of the moment. Below are a small collection from some of our favourite, beauty-minded foodies out there - all delish recipes that we are planning on whipping up here at bbHQ, as well as a few beauty products to match. Get ready to feel hungry... you've been warned!
Cindy Luken's Smashed Green Pea & Potato Cakes
(image courtesy of beautykitchen.com.au)
Cindy is the creator of one of our fave lip products here at bb, sampled last year - the Luk Beautifood Lip Nourish. But more on that later. Because not only does she know a thing or two about delish and healthy beauty on the outside, she also knows a lot about beauty for yours insides - hence this yummy recipe! The two main ingredients are peas and potatoes - both ingredients are fab for helping your skin look and feel great, as they contain friendlies like vitamin C, folic acid (folate), vitamin B6 (linked to increasing collogen production in the skin), flavanoid antioxidants, vitamin C, copper, B6 and folic acid kukoamines (ace for helping to produce elastin in the skin, as well as lowering blood pressure to boot). Learn more from Cindy over here, as well as to find this recipe for a tasty and naturally face-lifting meal!
Now, onto that other tasty treat from Luk - their Lip Nourishes! Did you know that these lippies are edible? Really! All the ingredients are made from food products, flavours, oils and minerals, making them totally natural. This is super refreshing considering women are constantly applying prods to their lips, which can make their way inside too. It's good to know there is a natural and totally safe option on the market. Plus, each colour comes with its own yummy flavour. Lemon & Mint and Tangerine & Vanilla are just a few of my faves. From a beauty point of view, they add a lovely sheer touch of colour to lips, and the tactile finish on the packaging makes them pretty to tote around too. From this Ed's perspective, they also make perfect gifts!
Yaz Trollope's Kale, Quinoa and Kidney Bean Delight
(image courtesy of thehappinesscocktail.wordpress.com.au)
If you are yet to discover Yaz's amazing blog, The Happiness Cocktail, I suggest you hot-click it over there pronto! Yaz dishes up plenty of holistic health and beauty advice, as well as a few tasty recipes to try too. One of my faves? This kale dish. It's simple but it packs a punch and makes it easy to incorporate that crazy newfangled green we've all been hearing about lately; kale. Kale is super high in vitamin A, C, and K, as well as fibre, magnesium, and calcium. So what are the benefits for your skin? You see, these nutrients and vitamins help with skin regeneration - in other words, they help to fight the effects of ageing and sun damage. This is so, so, so important for us Aussie lasses, as no matter how vigilant we are with our SPF, we need to 'face up' to the fact we live in a harsh climate here in Oz, which can ultimately take its toll on our skin. The best bit? Even though there are hardly any animal products to be found in this dish, it still contains complete protein, so you'll stay full and energised! Love it Yaz!
Another product to suit Yaz's healthy and delish example? The Natralus Paw Paw Ointment. One of Yaz's many followers on instagram, I saw her post about it a couple of weeks ago and couldn't help but 'like' my heart out because I feel the same way about this very product! Stocked here at bb, this ointment is an amazing natural option for lips, cuticles, dry skin and pretty much everything in between. Because not all Paw Paw ointments are created equal! Natralus contains no petrochemicals, parabens or mineral oils, plus is made from certified organic papaya to boot. No wonder we chose to include it in last month's box! Learn more about it over here.
Sarah Wilson's Sugar Free Raspberry Ripe! (exclamation point for extra delish points!)
(image courtesy of sarahwilson.com.au)
My heart skipped a beat when I stumbled across this recipe about a month ago - so much so I scrambled to Skype the link around to the rest of the bb staffers so they could see why I nearly fell off my chair! Sarah Wilson is the incredibly talented woman behind the newly released 'I Quit Sugar' book fast becoming a best seller for its sugar-free recipes like this one, featured on her blog. Can you believe this recipe contains only a few ingredients, is easy to make and contains no sugar?!? (It should really be a no brainer, but come on. Look at it! Hard to believe with all that deliciousness staring out of the screen!) The beauty benefits of this recipe need not be further explained, except to say this dish will put a huge smile on yours and your friends' dials. And that is truly beauty-ful, wouldn't you agree?
A natural beauty product on a similar theme we also love? The Pure Fiji Exotic Coconut Oil (not to be confused with the coconut oil needed for the recipe above! Remember: one for bathroom, one for kitchen!) This oil is ace at restoring dry and dull skin. Simply slather all over your body and let the cold pressed virgin coconut, macadamia, sikeci and dilo nut oils do their work! They combine to form a unique bio-network that promotes cellular renewal for younger looking skin and protection from environmental elements. Plus, the smell is out of this world! Whats not to love?
Do you have a favourite healthy recipe that has beauty potential too? Or maybe you have a great source of delish and healthy food inspiration like the three fab blogs above? Please share them with us! And be sure to visit Cindy, Yaz and Sarah's blogs for plenty more inspiration! - Lauren