September Favorites

I consider myself a pretty low maintenance kinda gal. I eat an apple pretty much every day of my life. I don't wear a lot of makeup, typically just mascara or none at all. I prefer to be in workout clothes or a tank tops and leggings. Most of the time when I'm traveling, I don't even bring a brush.  However, I have to say that there are some essentials that may have taken me a while to acquire or find initially but now that I have them I don't think I could possibly live without them.

With that being said these are my Fabulously Favorite Five Fantastical things I couldn't live without.

1. Coconut OilI 

I use coconut oil for just about everything. I constantly cook with it. I've used it in marinades, salad dressings and it's awesome for frying. It’s actually the only oil you should fry with. Because when you fry with a vegetable or olive oil the heat destroys the antioxidants in oil1.

I also use coconut oil as pretty much my #1 beauty product. I use it as a hair mask, a face mask, all over moisturizer. I even shave my legs with it thanx to the awesome advice from my best friend and beauty blogger Andrea Lynn Rose Seriously girls, try it! You'll fall in love.

2. My Green Drink

I've always loved raw veggies especially carrots. My dad can attest to that. I used to walk around the house as a kid chewing on a huge carrot and he'd say "Whaaats up doc?" to me in his best Bugs Bunny impression. A few years ago without any real knowledge on the subject at all, I noticed how much I was snacking on... well pretty much everything, so I made it a point to start snacking on raw fruits and veggies again. Unbeknownst to me at the time I was actually doing myself a great favor.  I noticed just how awesome I started feeling after eating more raw. My skin was so much more vibrant and supple. I had more energy and my digestive system just worked so much better, if ya know what I mean... With all this being said I sometimes don't have time to cut up as many raw veggies as I'd like so this powder is a life saver. This one is made by Garden of Life. I always find coupons for it too. I mix it in my blender bottle with half apple juice, half water and chug it down while running out the door for work. 

3. Coconut Sugar

Looks, smells and tastes like brown sugar but with a much lower glycemic index. I've used it in baking. I've made barbecue sauces and marinades with it. I also caramelized it just last night for a guava glaze to top our steaks. Its delicious, I maaaay have caught my boyfriend eating it right out of the can... Oh and don't worry it doesn't taste like coconut, for those of you who don't care for that flavor. 

4. Coconut Aminos

I hate soy sauce. The way it smells, tastes, looks, the way the bottles are always all drippy down the sides. I'm not and have never have been a fan of soy sauce, however I LOVE these coconut aminos. This specific brand has 17 naturally occurring amino acids2. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and can help to keep your nervous system running on all cylinders.

It's got that saltiness of soy sauce but not so overwhelming. It doesn't taste so darn fermented, but it still has a great tang and a bit of sweetness at the end.  I actually just recently discovered it for myself. I stay away from most soy things and I really wanted to make a few things that involved soy sauce so while wondering around Tunies a few days ago I found it. So far I've made two marinades with it and I can't wait to have sushi with it.  Also the company Coconut Secret that makes this and the sugar, is pretty awesome. Check them out. 

and last but most certainly not least....

5. NutriBullet

I absolutely with out a doubt love my NutriBullet Here’s a little story, in case you didn't notice or you haven't met me in person, I love to tell stories! I wanted a NutriBullet for a pretty long time. And I kept telling Scott (my boyfriend) I'm going to buy it this week!  For some reason I just kept putting it off. We went to Bed Bath and Beyond at least two times to look at it and I went alone a bunch of times. 

Well one Sunday after a long busy day at work I went to Scott's to hang out. He opened the door to greet me and he was just standing there in the way, pretty awkwardly so. Not allowing me to get through the door way, for a moment I was like "dude, what's with this guy?!" then he  FINALLY stepped out of the way and sitting on the table was a brand new NutiBullet, for me! I found it to be pretty darn awesome, as I do him. We rushed back to my house to use it on all my organic fruits and veggies.

I use it for all the most obvious things like making shakes and smoothies. But I've found dozens of other ways to use it. I've used it to grind my flax seeds, make guacamole, marinades, to quickly chop all the ingredients for something all together. I've made ham and chicken salads, make shift "frappuccinos" like at Starbucks. We even made salsa in it last week. So everyone can thank Scott for his awesome contribution to my creativity.

I'll leave you with this super simple guava glaze recipe I made up yesterday afternoon.

Guava Glaze

What you're going to need:

Your NutriBullet (blender or food processor)

Small sauce pan

4-5 ripe guavas

1-2 Tablespoon(s) water (as needed)

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon coconut oil

pinch of sea salt.

Cut guavas in half and scoop out the seeds (from what I've read if you grind up the seeds of the guavas in even in a high powered blender, the seeds become very jagged and can cut the inside of your esophagus, so lets not take any chances here!) blend the remainder of the guava with the water, (yes the skin in edible) 

Melt coconut oil on low-medium heat. Add coconut sugar. Stir continuously till it starts to bubble. lower heat to just above simmer. Add the guava puree and salt. Continue stirring till totally smooth. 

In Florida there are tropical fruits growing all over the place. The Penny Pinching here is my sister gave me these guavas off her friends tree. You could probably follow all these same steps with dates or dried apricots.

*Note Guavas are very high in fiber. It can even be used as a natural laxative so eat in moderation.

Sources 1 2