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. 

I used a blood orange for my scrub, this this also works great with clementines, tangerines, grapefruit, or lemons. Since you will be rubbing the zest on your skin, I would definitely recommend choosing an organic fruit.

This scrub will leave your skin silky-soft and is perfect for sloughing away any dry, flaky winter skin. The citrus and coconut oil smells delicious and is a wonderful pick-me-up first thing in the morning. The hardest part is not eating it!

Citrus and Coconut Body Scrub
Makes 1/2 cup (about enough for 2 - 3 showers)

Supplies needed: 
zester
small container to store any leftover scrub

Ingredients:
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons (organic) orange zest

Instructions:
Melt coconut oil (if necessary) until it reaches a liquid state.
Mix oil, sugar, and zest together.
Scrub over body.
Store any leftovers in the fridge and use within one week.

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!

DIY Citrus Vinegar Cleaner

Ingredients and Supplies:
Citrus peels
Glass jar
White vinegar
Spray bottle

Instructions:
Cut peel off of citrus fruit and place in jar.
Cover with vinegar and allow to sit for two weeks.
Remove peels and dilute vinegar 1:1 with water.
Pour into spray bottle.
Use as a cleaner for windows, glass, counters, and mopping floors.

You can also mix the vinegar/water mixture with a little Dr. Bronner's soap or baking soda for more cleaning power.

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!

This mask combines kiwi with honey and lemon/orange juice to slough away dead skin cells, tighten pores, and reveal a brighter, smoother complexion. (And you thought kiwis were just for eating!)  This mask works for any skin type and you can even mix it with sugar to create a delightful scrub for your hands, neck, and chest. If you prefer to skip the honey, substitute 1 tablespoon of olive oil instead.

Antioxidant Skin-Brightening Mask

Makes about 4 masks

Ingredients:

1 medium ripe kiwi, peeled and pureed

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon fresh lemon or orange juice

Instructions:

Wash your face with warm water and pat dry with a towel. Mix pureed kiwis with honey and lemon or orange juice. Apply a thin layer to face using fingertips (avoiding the eyes and delicate eye area). Leave on until dry, then rinse well.  Moisturize as normal.

Store any leftover mask in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Mask will stay fresh for up to 5 days. 

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.


One other things that I think is important to mention here is that magnesium balances calcium. Maybe it's just my perspective, but I feel like in America we are obsessed with taking calcium supplements and preventing osteoporosis. However, what we don't often know is that we need to have a balance between calcium and magnesium. If we have too much calcium and not enough magnesium, this can actually cause symptoms of excess calcium, including: osteoporosis, heel spurs, kidney stones, gallstones, and fibromyalgia. (I won't go deep into my personal history here, but I actually developed gallstones at the age of fourteen and I definitely attribute this to excess calcium from dairy products and calcium-only supplements.)

About a month ago I began including Natural Vitality's Natural Calm magnesium supplement in my diet and have already noticed a huge difference. I am sleeping better, feeling less stressed overall (even while moving!), and saw a huge decrease in PMS symptoms. This is the only magnesium supplement I have tried so I can't personally recommend others, but I love how easy it is to add this powder to water. It's vegan, gluten-free and sweetened with organic stevia so when mixed with water, it makes a bubbly, sweet drink. It comes in several flavors (including one plain without stevia) and the raspberry-lemon is definitely my favorite.

If you are interested in learning more about magnesium, I definitely recommend reading The Magnesium Miracle by Dr. Carolyn Dean. And, please keep in mind that while I am a certified holistic health coach, I am not a medical doctor and this post is not intended as medical advice. This is simply my own research and my personal experience so please consult your naturopath or doctor before adding any supplements or making dietary changes.

I typically drink Natural Calm mixed with plain, filtered water, but I thought it would be fun to experiment with with some seasonal citrus fruits so I created this special Blood Orange Spritzer. The magnesium powder mixes best with warm or room-temperature liquids so be sure to mix the juice and powder together before adding any ice.

Disclosure: Natural Vitality provided me with complimentary samples of their products, but I was under no obligation to write a positive review or create a recipe. I was so shocked by my findings on magnesium deficiency and the difference that this supplement made for me that I wanted to share it with you. I would never recommend a product here that I do not personally use and believe in. 

No-Stress Blood Orange Spritzer
Makes two 16 ounce drinks

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh blood orange juice (about 6 medium oranges)
1 - 2 teaspoons Natural Calm Raspberry-Lemon Flavor magnesium supplement
16 ounces sparkling water
Ice
Fresh mint for garnish (optional)

Instructions:
Juice oranges and mix with magnesium powder. Add sparkling water, ice, and garnish with fresh mint (optional). Serve and enjoy!

Recipe shared at Wellness Weekend

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.

This salad is uber-simple to prepare, but the results are worth it!  Start off with some roasted citrus fruit (inspired by Joy) drizzled with olive oil.  Add in some freshly-ground rosemary and black pepper with just a touch of salt. Serve this over a bed of dressed baby kale or arugula. Sprinkle some pumpkin seeds and chopped almonds over the top.  And you have yourself a salad.

This recipe is loose and can be adapted in many different ways.  I happened to have some fresh pineapple, an orange, and a pomelo (Asian citrus fruit) on hand, but this would be absolutely gorgeous with blood oranges.  I tossed my greens with just a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, but if you are using a tart fruit like grapefruit, a little pure maple syrup mixed in with the olive oil would be simply divine.

Winter Citrus Salad
Serves: you

2 - 3 types of citrus fruits (or a tropical fruit like pineapple)
Olive oil
A sprinkle of dried rosemary
Freshly-ground black pepper
Sea salt
1 - 2 cups of salad greens
A handful of almonds
A handful of pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Segment the citrus by cutting off the top and bottom of the fruit then cutting away the peel and pith of the fruit.  Slice in-between the segments to remove any of the white skin in the middle of the fruit.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary, black pepper, and sea salt.  Roast for about 20 minutes.

Toss salad with a little olive oil and additional pepper, if desired.  Top greens with roasted fruit, nuts, and seeds.  Enjoy.

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.