Natural Skin Care Recipes

• Hard-boiled egg with mixed berries and glass of almond milk
• Coconut yogurt with half a banana and ground flaxseed
• Whip up a delicious fruit smoothie:. Put a cup of almond milk, 1/2 cup mango, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup ground flax, and 1/2 cup of crushed ice in a blender. Blend and enjoy!

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Serve chilled.

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Serve chilled.

1. Heat oil in 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and cook until soft.
3. Add eggs, salmon, dill, and pepper. Stir often and cook until eggs are done.
4. Serve warm.

1. Mix olive oil, Braggs Liquid Aminos, salt, and mixed herb blend in small bowl and set aside.
2. Divide lettuce evenly between four plates.
3. Top each plate with one potato, one egg half, 2 ounces lima beans, 2 ounces artichoke hearts, 2 asparagus spears, and ¼ can tuna.
4. Drizzle about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dressing over each salad and serve.

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of sesame oil over medium high heat.
3. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
4. Add pepper and onion and cook 2 minutes.
5. Stir in curry powder, paste, and cumin and cook 1 minute.
6. Add tamari, xylitol, and coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
7. Add cilantro and immediately remove from heat.
8. Brush fish with remaining teaspoon of sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
9. Place on broiler pan brushed with olive oil and broil for 8 minutes (or until fish flakes easily).
10. Place fish on top of quinoa and top with sauce.
11. Serve hot (each serving ½ cup quinoa, one steak, ½ cup sauce).

Walk through any department store and you're bombarded with skin care products that claim to rejuvenate, rehydrate, replenish, and more. But if you turn that jar around and look at those products' ingredients, you'll find that most of them are impossible to pronounce...so how are you supposed to feel comfortable about what you're putting on your body?

Luckily, you don't have to spend money on a jar of chemicals to achieve incredible, wrinkle free skin. All you need to do is take a short walk to your kitchen.

Fruity Facial

All women want a wrinkle free face, along with freedom from acne, age spots, fine lines, and dryness. I love this natural skin care recipe so much because it contains avocado, a fruit high in iron, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and E. And they are rich in oils that rejuvenate the skin, reduce eye puffiness, and leave skin soft, smooth, and nourished.

Combine:
1/2 cup non-instant oatmeal
1 cup mashed avocado
1-2 tablespoon honey

Blend ingredients until desired consistency. Apply mixture to skin and let dry for about 15 minutes. Rinse off.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease 13x9-inch baking dish.   
3. Combine oats, flour, almonds, sunflower seed, coconut, and flaxseed in a large bowl. Set aside.
4. Combine oil, honey, and vanilla in a small bowl. Pour over oat mixture and blend well.
5. Pour mixture into baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes or until browned. Stir mixture every 10-15 minutes.
6. Cool on baking rack. Can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

1. Preheat oven to 200°F (to warm).
2. Put tortillas on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and place in oven to warm.
3. In a small saucepan, mix cumin, beans, and chile for 5-7 minutes.
4. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, then fry the eggs.
5. Place tortillas on individual plates. Top with equal amounts of bean mixture, one egg, 1/8 cup of salsa, and 1/4 avocado slices.
6. Enjoy warm.

• Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix
• Pamela’s Chocolate Cake Mix (for very special occasions)
• Pamela’s Gluten-Free Bread Mix
• Glutino’s Flaxseed bread (in freezer section)
• Glutino’s Plain or Sesame bagels

• Namaste Foods Pizza Crust Mix
• Bionaturae pastas

• Barbara’s Cinnamon Puffins cold cereal
• Lifestream Buckwheat or Flax Plus waffles
• Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix

• Larabars (snack bar)
• BioGenesis Ultra-Lean Gluco-Support bars
• Paul Newman’s Wheat-Free/Dairy-Free Fig Newmans
• Mr. Krispers Baked Rice Krisps

1. Cut a sweet potato into “disks.”
2. Spray a cookie sheet with canola oil and place potato disks in single layer on the cookie sheet.
3. Spray the potatoes with the canola oil.
4. Sprinkle potatoes with cinnamon, then bake at 425°F for 20–25 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time.
5. Goes great with a veggie or turkey burger and side salad.

1. Peel and cut two sweet potatoes into large pieces.
2. Steam until tender.
3. Place in blender with two ounces apple juice.
4. Add ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and purée until smooth.
5. Great side dish to any free-range chicken meal.

• Add raspberries to a spinach salad for a one-two vitamin A/vitamin C beauty power punch.
• Add sliced strawberries and one tablespoon balsamic vinegar to cooked chicken breasts. Sauté for two minutes and serve over brown rice.
• Toss quinoa with blueberries and chopped pecans for a delicious side dish to your favorite fish recipe.

• Tofu ( bean curd made from soy and often sold in blocks)
• Edamame (the actual soy bean, often steamed and sprinkled with sea salt)
• Tempeh (fermented soy, also often sold in blocks and in a variety of flavors)

#10: Tomatoes

The tenth and final decadently healthy food is the common tomato.

Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, a carotenoid that has been shown to help reduce your risk for prostate, ovarian, breast, and cervical cancers. Just be sure to mix the tomatoes in an oil base, such as olive or coconut oil, to enhance lycopene absorption.

If you don’t like the taste of tomatoes, don’t despair. Watermelon is also a good source of lycopene, and can be substituted for tomatoes in salsa and gazpacho recipes.

#3 Coconut

The third decadently healthy food is coconut.

I can’t say enough about coconuts. You have three amazing options in one complete package — coconut meat (think coconut flakes and macaroons), coconut water (the clear liquid inside a real coconut, coconut milk (created when you puree the meat with the water), and coconut oil. This once-maligned seed (yes, seed not nut) was often passed over by fat- and calorie-counter due to concerns over saturated fat. Research has shown that the fat in coconut is actually a medium-chain triglyercide, which is a fancy way of saying that it doesn’t clog your arteries and, in fact, is quickly metabolized, giving you a great source of energy.

The reason is that half of the fatty acids in coconut is lauric acid, which is also found in breast milk. Lauric acid has been shown to promote normal brain and bone development. Plus, it contains anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, and anti-carcinogenic.

Plus, coconut water is the perfect sports drink. I used it instead of Gatorade when training for a triathlon and half marathon. Coconut water has the same balance of electrolyte as your blood. In fact, the balance is so perfect that, during World War II, both the Americans and Japanese used coconut water (pulled directly out of the coconut) to give emergency blood plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers. 

Quick note about coconut milk: The milk should be rich and creamy, with a mild coconut taste. When you open the can, you should see the thick cream the consistency of jellied cranberries, with the thinner water at the bottom. Also, don’t buy “light” coconut milk. Not only do you lose much of the flavor, so brands have added flour or other thickener to obtain the look and feel of regular coconut milk.

Crack open a coconut and drink the water with a straw, then indulge on the creamy meat inside. Add unsweetened coconut flakes to any cookies recipe. Use coconut oil instead of vegetable oils when sautéing.

With the new year (and new decade!) right around the corner, I thought I’d do my own version of a top 10 list for 2010…specifically, the top 10 decadently healthy foods.

And we’ll start the list off with…



#1: Berries



Whether you’re talking about strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries, these tiny fruits pack a powerful health punch. In addition to being sweet and delicious, their rich store of antioxidants offer the best natural anti-aging skin care you could ask for, not to mention cancer and heart disease protection. Plus, their bounty of potassium, calcium, and magnesium are critical for energy and good bones. Not to mention that their sweetness provides great natural appetite control in a small, low-calorie package.

You can eat berries raw, toss into a salad or over yogurt, or add to your favorite sweet bread recipe.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Cookies for natural weightloss? Didn’t I see a ridiculous ad for this very thing? Yes to the ridiculous ad, but no, that’s not what this is.

During the holidays, so many of us overindulge in cookies, candies, and other sweets. Rather than give up what you love entirely, why not just tweak what you love to fit what your body loves!

In this vein, I’ve created a delicious wheat- and sugar-free biscotti recipe that will have you salivating while still maintaining your healthy New Year’s resolutions. So, in honor of the holidays, friends, family, and the beginning of a new year, here is my favorite biscotti recipe. Enjoy!

Chocolate Delight Biscotti

This is one of my favorite concoctions. The cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips give you a bit of an antioxidant boost, and then comes one-two antioxidant punch of goji berry. This Himalayan berry (also known as wolfberry) contains 19 amino acids, 21 trace minerals, and more protein than whole wheat. Great for you and great taste in one delicious cookie!

1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup erythritol
1/4 cup unsweetened Dagoba cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups Pamela’s wheat-free baking mix
1/2 cup unsweetened dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup goji berries

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.
2. In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, beat butter for 15 to 30 seconds.
3. Add erythritol, cocoa powder, and baking powder and mix until well blended.
4. Add eggs and mix well.
5. Add baking mix one-half cup at a time. If it becomes too difficult to blend with the mixer, begin to stir by hand.
6. Add in chocolate chips and goji berries and mix in by hand until they are evenly distributed.
7. Divide dough in half and place on greased cookie sheet. With each half, create a “log,” then flatten the log until it is the length of the cookie sheet and about 2 inches or so high.
8. Bake for 22-25 minutes. Watch to make sure they don’t burn.
9. Let cool completely on a baking rack for about an hour or so.
10. Using a serrated knife, cut each log diagonally into ½-inch slices.
11. Lay the slices on a separate, ungreased cookie sheet (cut side down).
12. Turn oven down to 325˚F and bake for 7-8 minutes. Turn over and bake on the other side for an additional 7-8 minutes.
13. Cool completely on a baking rack (about 20-30 minutes).
14. They can be stored in an airtight container for a week or so.
    

With Thanksgiving just two days away, you’d think that most people have their meals planned out. However, if the phone calls I’ve received from family and friends are any indication, this is not the case.

One of the things I am most frequently asked for are delicious yet healthy desserts that will please even the most finicky of palates. So, to make good on these requests, here are two easy yet delicious treats that will not only help you balance your estrogen levels, but will have your guests begging for more.

Both of these recipes are adapted from Eat Papayas Naked, by Dr. Lark.

Baked Pears
Serves 2

This recipe is perfect for women with estrogen dominance or for those on a natural weight loss plan.

2 large pears, peeled and halved
¼ cup apple juice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Core pears and place in a shallow baking dish.
3. Pour apple juice over the pears and sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon.
4. Cover dish with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. While pears are baking, toast walnuts in a skillet coated lightly coated with olive oil. Toast until walnuts are lightly browned (about 5 minutes).
6. Divide walnuts evenly among pears and serve warm.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 4–5 dozen

Pumpkin contains beta-carotene, which is a terrific natural skin care ingredient. Plus, the fiber from the oatmeal and the sugar-free benefits of erythritol make these treats perfect for women trying to lose weight!

1 cup canned pumpkin
¾ cup erythritol
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups rolled oats
1 ½ cups Pamela’s gluten-free baking mix
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup currants
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream pumpkin and erythritol together until fluffy and well-blended (about 3–4 minutes).
3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well blended.
4. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (Pamela’s baking mix through cloves).
5. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend well.
6. Add currants and mix well.
7. Spoon 1” balls onto cookie sheet coated with cooking spray, spacing about two inches apart.
8. Bake for 16–18 minutes, or until golden.
9. Cool on wire rack then enjoy!
 

Increasing your consumption of Brassica vegetables is a great way to reduce your risk for breast cancer while also helping to offset elevated estrogen levels. Three of my favorite Brassica veggies include Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower. Below are easy ways to prepare these vegetables and help offset your estrogen dominance, and hopefully decrease your risk for breast cancer.

Baked Brussels Sprouts

Trim Brussels sprouts and layer in a Pyrex baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a touch of sea salt and ground black pepper. Bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes. Some of the leaves with fall off and get deliciously crunchy. Enjoy!

Steamed Asian Broccoli

Cut flowerets from head of broccoli and steam until bright green and tender crisp. Place in bowl and mix with 1½  tablespoons sesame oil, 2 teaspoons tamari sauce, and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. Blend well and serve.

Pureed Cauliflower

I don’t know about you, but I dream about mashed potatoes. They are definitely on my comfort food list. But, as a woman with estrogen dominance, I just can’t justify the carbs. Thankfully, pureed cauliflower is the perfect answer.

Trim cauliflower and place flowerets in a steamer. Steam until very soft. Place in a food processor and add a spoonful of ghee (clarified butter). Add ground pepper and puree until the consistency of mashed potatoes. Goes great with fish or veggie stuffed peppers.

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Add all vegetables to roasting pan.
3. Top with basil and lemon pepper.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 45 minutes.
5. Serve warm.

Fall is my favorite time of the year. Not only does it mean snuggly sweaters and football, but it is also the time to pull out those soup and stew recipes. As you look through your favorites, keep your hormone type in mind.

If you have low estrogen levels and are experiencing menopause symptoms, you will want to lean toward recipes that are light on the spice and acid and high in vegetables, gluten-free grains, legumes, and seafood/fish.

If you have high estrogen levels and/or are estrogen dominant, then you’ll want to lean toward a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, poultry, fish, eggs, and more acidic condiments like vinegar and lemon juice. You will want to steer away from a grain-heavy diet.

In some cases, you’ll find that perfect recipe that pleases both estrogen profile. And here is just such a one for you!

Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 6

Butternut squash is rich in beta-carotene and vitamin C. Beta-carotene helps balance the estrogen excess in women with estrogen dominance, while vitamin C has many menopausal benefits, including the ability to fight heart disease by preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

Plus, the onions in the recipe provide the antioxidant power of quercetin. And with an antiseptic boost from sage, this soup is sure to keep your immune system strong during the cold winter months.

1 cup red onion, chopped
2 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground sage
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups vegetable broth
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
2 tablespoons soy or rice parmesan cheese (optional)

1. In a soup pot, sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat until soft
2. Add sage, salt, pepper, broth, and squash. Bring to a boil. 
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until squash is soft. 
4. Ladle ¾ of the soup in to a blender or food processor and purée. 
5. Pour back into pot and reheat for 5 minutes. 
6. Stir in parmesan cheese (if desired) and serve.