Citrus & Coconut Body Scrub

I am excited for spring. Every year around this time I start stalking the sunrise and sunset timetables online to see exactly how much light we are gaining each day. As of this week, we are gaining about 3.5 minutes of daylight every day and I couldn't be happier. 

I won't miss the extreme cold and dark days of winter, but I will miss the comforting soups and winter citrus. Oh how I'll miss the citrus. 

Since winter's not over just yet there is still plenty of time to zest an orange and rub it all over your body with a little sugar and coconut oil. Let me tell you, this scrub is pure bliss and it's making the last days of winter go by even quicker. 

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DIY Citrus Vinegar Cleaner

What did we do before Pinterest? How did we organize all of our favorite recipes, food blogs, and discover amazing tips for natural and green cleaning solutions? Maybe it's just me, but I definitely feel like I had a lot more free time before Pinterest came along!

This DIY Citrus Vinegar Cleaner was one of those amazing Pinterest discoveries that I am now absolutely addicted to using in our home. I love that it doesn't involve any chemicals and is a wonderful way to reuse citrus peels that would have otherwise made their way into the compost. When diluted with water, this cleaner is perfect for cleaning mirrors, glass, counter tops, and moping floors. And, if you have already jumped on board with using baking soda and vinegar for hair care, this is a fabulous way to make your vinegar rinse smell fruity!
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Simply Gluten-Free Magazine and DIY Face Masks

Hey gluten-free folks,

I wanted to do a quick shout-out about an awesome new magazine, Simply Gluten Free Magazine, founded by Carol Kicinski of Simply Gluten-Free. You'll find amazing gluten-free recipes for meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegan diets (created by my friend Ricki of Diet, Dessert, and Dogs), as well as great articles on gluten-free news, travel, health and wellness, and beauty. 

You can find me in this month's beauty section (pg 76-77) whipping up some easy (and cheap) DIY beauty treatments! I wanted to give you a sneak peek of one of my favorite DIY Face Masks featured in this issue: a seasonal citrus, antioxidant skin-brightening mask. If your face is in need of a little pampering from the winter weather, look no further than this simple treatment using ingredients straight from your kitchen!

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No-Stress Blood Orange Spritzer (with Magnesium)

How are your magnesium levels? (I bet that's not a question you're typically asked!)

Several months ago I began reading about magnesium and how important it is to supplement since magnesium is responsible for over 325 enzyme reactions in the body! Magnesium is a mineral that you can find in sea vegetables, dark leafy greens and green vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and cacao.  However, due to mineral depletion in our soil and cooking/heating our food, most of the magnesium in our food supply is minimal by the time it reaches our bodies. And, if you consume coffee, sugar, or high amounts of protein, this can also deplete magnesium levels in the body.

Why is this important? Well, magnesium deficiency can cause a variety of conditions, including:

• Stress, anxiety and panic attacks
• Constipation and IBS symptoms
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Heart disease
• Insomnia
• Headaches and migraines
• Musculoskeletal conditions (e.g. fibromyalgia, muscle spasms, cramps, etc)
• PMS symptoms
• and a host of others (read more here)

I don't know about you, but most people I know (myself included) have at least one of the issues mentioned above. For many people, stress is a growing problem and magnesium plays a vital role in managing blood pressure and blood sugar. If you are under stress and magnesium deficient, this can lead to hypertension, blood clots, anxiety/panic attacks, headaches, and muscle tension. Magnesium also helps ease PMS symptoms, including bloating, fluid retention, muscle tension, moodiness, irritability, and digestive issues.

Furthermore, magnesium deficiency plays a huge role in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Magnesium helps to relax smooth muscle (including the colon) so if you include lots of fresh vegetables and fiber sources in your diet and still experience constipation, you should definitely try supplementing with magnesium. And, since magnesium helps to relax muscles, it is really important for athletes to supplement in order to prevent muscle cramps and tension.

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Winter Citrus Salad

Consider this salad your reward.  Your reward for surviving a hard week filled with a late-night trip to the animal hospital, three sleepless nights in a row, some not-so-great medical news about your cat, and lots of worrying. This salad is for you, stressed-out mama.  So put your feet up.  It's the weekend and you deserve this.

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Citrus Sea Salt (and Holiday Gift Ideas)

You know what I love most about this time of year?  Clementines.  I could do without the freezing cold mornings, the crazy holiday shopping, and the same Christmas music on every radio station... but please, don't take away my clementines.  

This year, even more so than in previous years, I vowed to give people gifts that they would not only use and enjoy, but that promoted my values of health, delicious food, and compassion towards others.  I especially love giving homemade gifts from my kitchen that don't involve the typical holiday baked goods. Here are some of my favorite gift ideas this year:

1. Citrus sea salt (recipe below)

2. Caramel corn with sea salt

3. Olive oil granola

4. DIY body scrub

These are all pretty inexpensive gifts and rather simple to make.  When dressed up in a cute jar with a ribbon, who wouldn't love to be the lucky recipient of one of these?

If you're not into the homemade gifts then you could always give a box of local produce, pay for part of a CSA share, or donate to a local nonprofit in someone's honor.  

If you are on board with the clementines, I highly recommend making this citrus sea salt - whether or not you actually give it as a gift.  The clementine zest adds a nice natural sweetness and flavor to the salt that is perfect for roasted vegetables, stir fries, baked tofu, or in salad dressings.  Happy holidays!

Citrus Sea Salt

Adapted from Whole Foods Market

Makes 1 cup

1 cup sea salt

zest from 3 clementines (about 1 Tablespoon)

zest from 2 lemons (about 1 Tablespoon)

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.  Mix salt with zest and spread evenly on baking sheet.  Place in oven and bake, for 2 hours until dry, turning once if possible.  Use spatula to break up clumps and store in air-tight jars.