Today I thought I would share one of my Pinterest boards that is highly relevant to this blog – NATURAL BEAUTY RECIPES <– Click there to see some of the recipes I’ve collected so far from a DIY Color Booster for Blondes to a Mocha-Frappuccino Facial Mask .

{Whole Living’s DIY Color Booster for Blondes}

On Pinterest already? Follow me here: http://pinterest.com/allnaturalannie/

Lauren is the wife of one of my old co-workers who I became fast friends with (mainly virtually since they now live in St. Louis).  I’m happy to say that since she and Andrew moved away over a year ago, our blogs and common interests (including natural child birth, healthy eating/cooking, and many more) have kept us in regular contact.

If you read her blog, you will quickly see what an incredibly energetic, loving, fun, creative and thoughtful mom she is to her three ridiculously cute boys (see the little Crumb Bums below). Lauren, you truly make me look forward to being a mom one day. Thank you so much for sharing a piece of your life and bread with us this morning!

Healthy Snacks for Kids

With 3 boys under the age of 5, we go through our share of snacks around here. And though we occasionally indulge in some not-so-healthy munchies, there are so many healthy options that are just as easy that we can feel good about giving our boys. Not only are we nourishing little growing bodies, we are also responsible for culturing a taste for healthy, nourishing foods for when our kids are adults.

This past weekend, be made a super-healthy banana bread with chia powder (if you’re not familiar with the health benefits of chia, check out Annie’s past post about it!) and whole wheat flour. It’s texture is dense and sweet, perfect for an afternoon snack!
My four-year-old Milo helped me with this one!

Banana Bread with Chia Powder (Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, Flaxseed Banana Bread)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt (you can use any flavor- this time we used banana mango)
3 ripe bananas (if you like yours less dense, omit one banana)
1/2 cup rolled oats, ground into flour
1/4 cup chia seeds, ground into flour (we used chia powder, but you can also use ground flaxseeds)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (bread flour works great too)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

How to:

• Preheat oven to 350. Oil a 5×9-inch bread pan

• In a mixing bowl, mash bananas.

• Add oil and brown sugar. Add eggs and beat well.

• Mix in yogurt.

• Grind rolled oats and chia seeds (or flaxseeds, if using)

• Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then stir with a whisk until combined.

• Add dry mixture to banana mixture and stir until just combined.

• Pour batter into bread pan and bake for about 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

If you don’t have an hour or more to spare, here are some good quick snacks to whip up in no time for the youngins!

Avocado on whole wheat toast with sea salt
Sesame tahini on a honey rice cake
“Ants on a log” (celery filled with natural peanut butter, with raisins)
Apple slices to dip into almond butter mixed with honey and wheat germ
A cheese plate with grapes and crackers
Veggie sticks and hummus

Enjoy your snacking! ~Lauren

Our talk inspired me to make a yogurt smoothie with just the right amount of natural sweetness last night.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• 16 oz plain whole milk organic yogurt
• 4-5 large ripe strawberries
• 1 tbsp of honey (or less if you like)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender
2. Mix for about 30 seconds
3. Enjoy!

This smoothie turned out tasting SO similar to strawberry ice cream. It was really delicious, but it was also light and refreshing (unlike ice cream). Simple yet really satisfying. I thought it was worth mentioning. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to take a picture of the finished product – I was too busy guzzling it down :)

CARROT + GRAPEFRUIT + GINGER

It is SO delicious! Even more delicious than I expected. And of course it’s super healthy — this combo is loaded with vitamin C and vitamin A. Perfect for the cold/flu season.

Ingredients (Serves 1):

• 6 chopped carrots
• 2 chopped grapefruits (peeled of course)
• 1-2 inches fresh ginger (amount depends on how spicy you like it. I opt for 2 inches)

Photo Credit: Dylan T Price

• Bran Muffin Mix — I like Hodgson Mills – good quality ingredients and very cheap (around $1.35/box)
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup organic whole milk
• 1 egg
• 1 small apple chopped
• 15-20 walnuts chopped
• 1 tsp cinnamon

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Line or grease 6 muffin cups
3. Combine muffin mix and oil
4. Add milk and egg
5. Add apple, walnuts and cinnamon
6. Mix well until moist
7. Let sit for 10 minutes
8. Spoon batter into muffin cups
9. Sprinkle more cinnamon on top each muffin
10. Bake for 14 minutes
11. Enjoy!

• 2 tsp canned pureed pumpkin
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp organic heavy whipping cream

How to:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl
2. Cover entire face minus the area directly around your eyes
3. Leave on for 10 – 15 minutes
4. Rinse face with warm water

Photo Credit: Dylan Price

This mask is perfect for fall with a therapeutic mix of vitamin A to heal skin and reduce fine lines, cream to moisturize and reduce redness, and honey for an extra dose of moisture and antiseptic properties (great for breakouts). If you’re going to have these ingredients on hand, you might as well make my favorite dessert aka a delicious pumpkin pie too. If you haven’t tried using honey instead of sugar before, I would highly recommend it, but just make sure to decrease the amount of honey (use ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon honey in place of 1 cup sugar, and reduce the other liquid ingredients by 2 tablespoons).

Natural beauty is always about what we put into our bodies as well as what we put on them so don’t forget to eat lots of delicious fall produce and try out some new beauty treatments with them as well!

• a Body Scrub – add a spoonful of crushed Epsom salts to a palm full of body wash and exfoliate damp skin.

• to create Wavy Hair – mix a teaspoon of salts + a few drops of olive (or jojoba) oil + 1/4 cup H20 in a spritzer bottle and mist on damp hair.{via}

• Winter Decor – put a candle and “snow” (Epsom salt) in a pretty glass jar like this one below. {Photo Credit: The Inspired Room}

Combine in a spray bottle:

• 40-45 drops total of your favorite essential oil(s)
• 1 cup H2o

And that’s it! You now have your very own homemade, all natural air freshener to mist around your rooms, on your sheets, etc.

Some essential oil combinations I highly recommend (all essential oils mentioned are under $10 per 0.5 fl oz bottle and a little goes a really long way):

• sweet orange + cinnamon
• lavender + sage
• peppermint + tangerine

Your home will smell lovely and your mood will be positively impacted by the aromatherapy benefits of the essential oils — definitely a win-win!

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*You could use fresh pineapple too, but I like using frozen for the texture and temperature effects

 Ingredients (for 2):

• 1 small can cannelini beans
• 10-12 artichoke hearts (whole or cut in half)
• 2-3 garlic cloves chopped
• 1/2 small onion chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or red vinegar

I combined the above ingredients the night before and refrigerated it until last night when I simply added it to the following:

• cooked pasta  (enough for 2)
• 2 tbsp capers
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• a splash (about 4 tbsp) of tomato sauce
• sprinkle of cayenne pepper/red pepper flakes
• salt & fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and sauté on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes (or until salad ingredients are hot and everything has combined nicely)
2. Enjoy!

So you can prep the “salad” portion beforehand or combine everything in one shot — either way, it’s a really quick and healthy meal.

 Happy Friday! :)