Avocado Oil: Beauty Magic In a Bottle

Wow, long time, no see, eh? Just when you thought I was gone for good, I'm finally back (and it's already summer! Sheesh!!). Sorry for such a long absence; I just hadn't felt like blogging in awhile, but now I do again and I'm back on the ball. So, on to one of my favorite subjects: beauty oils!


Using oils for skin and hair care is all the rage these days. From argan oil for hair and skin to olive and castor oils for the oil cleaning method, to the ever ubiquitous coconut oil, which is extra popular in Paleo/Primal culture, oils are everywhere.

I'm no stranger to oils, being the skin care adventurer that I am. Over the years, I've experimented with numerous oils, including olive, almond, hazelnut, rose hip, coconut (which actually dries my face out), castor, pomegranate, sea buckthorn, camellia, grapeseed, marula, argan, tamanu, sunflower, jojoba, and more. That's a lot of oils.
But there is one that stands above the rest for me in terms of skin and hair improvement and that is extra virgin avocado oil.

I've been using avocado oil as my facial and body moisturizer for awhile now and it has the magical ability to soften rough skin, deeply hydrate, refine skin texture, calm redness, plump fine lines, balance oiliness, and keep pores cleaner.
In addition to using it to moisturize, a few months ago I also started using it to cleanse my skin at night and that's when I saw a pretty dramatic increase in benefits. I have combination skin that tends toward dehydration and clogged pores as well as irritation and mild redness.

I no longer have to exfoliate my skin every other day- the cell turnover seems to have increased, and now my skin is super silky! The texture is much better than before, and the coarse areas are now baby-smooth. The redness is definitely reduced, while at the same time my cheeks have more color. Nice! My skin just looks better and healthier.



So, let me tell you some more about my BFF oil and its myriad benefits for the skin and hair:

-Avocado oil is one of the more deeply penetrating oils. It gets down into the deeper epidermis layers and helps to fix moisture into the skin. This makes it great for plumping out fine lines and dealing with dehydrated skin (even oily skin can be dehydrated!), as well as softening rough skin. Even though it feels thick, if used properly, it fully absorbs and doesn't leave an oily residue. The fatty acids are also similar to the skin's own sebum and are non-clogging.

-It's rich in healing vitamins B, C, D, E, K and, especially, A (like a natural retinol alternative, increasing cell-turnover), as well as potassium, lecithin, and chlorophyll.

-It has a high sterolin content. Sterolins are compounds which are anti-inflammatory and immune modulating. In the case of avocado oil, they can help heal sun damage and age spots, as well as inflammatory skin conditions like blemishes and eczema.

-It has been shown in a study to increases the amount of soluble collagen in the skin and improve wound healing. This translates to better skin repair and anti-aging benefits, as well as better elasticity and thicker, more resilient skin.

-It has a low level of UV protection (about an SPF of 6-8). Coupled with the high vitamin and sterolin content, it's definitely helpful for preventing sun damage (of course, use a non-toxic sunscreen if you're going to be out in the sun all day).

-It penetrates the hair shaft better than most other oils due to its monounsaturated fat content and makes a great pre-wash conditioning treatment. I started getting compliments on my hair after I began using avocado oil to treat my hair!



How to use it:
So, now that you know all about the wonders of avocado oil, here are some tips on how to use it so that you have a good experience with it. But first off, quality matters. I've used a number of brands and, by far, my favorite in terms of texture, smell, and performance is Olivado Extra Virgin from New Zealand. I find it to be less viscous than other brands of the virgin oil. You can also get cosmetic grade refined avocado oil, but my skin responds better to the dark green nutrient rich virgin oil. Chosen Foods makes an excellent naturally refined avocado oil that's neutral smelling (and tasting!) so you can still get the awesome hydrating qualities of avocado oil without smelling like an avocado.

For cleansing
I just do the basic oil cleansing technique: I massage the oil into my skin for a minute (this feels so nice!) and then I remove it with a cotton ball. I then steam my face for about a minute with a hot wash cloth and wipe any remaining oil off (this is important because you're dealing with dirty oil!). I follow up with my toner. My skin usually feels comfortable and hydrated enough that I don't need to use more oil after cleansing.

For facial moisturizing
I always mix my facial oil with a little water or toner in my palm before massaging it into my face and neck. This makes a HUGE difference in how it absorbs, as well as helps to fix more water into your skin. Start with just a couple of drops of oil. You don't need a lot.

For hair
This is super easy: I just massage a little into the bottom 2/3 of my dry hair (I don't soak my hair in it) and leave it in for a little while- often only 10 minutes while I make and drink my morning tea- and then I wash it out in the shower at the very end. I usually don't even need any conditioner. I use it 1-2 times/week.

For body
I just slather it on my body after showering, when my skin is still a little damp. Do I smell like an avocado? Totally! But I don't mind and the scent doesn't linger very long. I find it makes my skin so silky, helps with keratosis pilaris (due to the vitamin A content), and keeps my skin hydrated longer than other oils.


Now, go have some fun with some avocado oil!

P.S.- you can also use it to make salad dressing and mayo.

-Erin

Chicken and Biscuits

Sorry for my New Year's hiatus. To make up for being AWOL thus far in 2013, I'm posting a recipe. Everyone likes those, so we're cool, right?

Lately my wonderful husband has gotten into cooking chickens in our 1970 crock pot (you know, the avocado green one?) He's even been making bone broth with the chicken carcasses. Seriously, guys, want to win big points with the wife/girlfriend? Make bone broth.

I'm really digging crock pot chicken; it's so juicy and moist. Here's the technique we've been using: chop some onions into 1/4 inch chunks and throw into the bottom of the crock pot, stuff some fresh herbs into the chicken cavity (rosemary and thyme are nice) and sprinkle the skin with salt and pepper, place on top of the onions and cook on low for about 3.5- 4 hours, depending on the size of the bird.

Hubby cooked a chicken the other night and I thought it would be fun to make chicken pot pie, but then decided I didn't want to mess with making a crust, so chicken and biscuits was my lazier alternative. I adapted the biscuit recipe from the cobbler topping in this recipe.
Husband just declared, while eating some leftovers tonight, that it was one of his favorite dishes ever.


Chicken and Biscuits (serves 4-6)

Preheat oven to 400º

Biscuits:

1/4 cup coconut flour
2 TB blanched almond flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
2 TB softened butter
3 TB cream
(optional- cracked pepper, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme)

Mix all ingredients well and let sit for a couple of minutes to allow the flour to absorb the liquid.


Chicken/veggie mixture:

1 1/2 cups mirepoix (equal amounts of diced carrots, onions and celery)
1/2 cup diced mushrooms (I prefer cremini/baby bella)
2 cups diced or shredded chicken meat
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup cream
2 tsp. tapioca starch
1/4-1/2 tsp. fresh thyme (I didn't really measure it).
salt and pepper to taste
oil/grease/butter for sauteing


Saute the mirepoix and mushrooms in the oil/grease/butter until softened.
Add the broth, cream, and seasonings and whisk the tapioca starch into the mixture while continuing to cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken. After it slightly thickens, add the chicken and transfer to the casserole dish (I used a 10.5 inch oval dish).

Divide the biscuit dough into 6 discs, place atop the chicken mixture and bake at 400º for 10-12 minutes, or until the biscuits are cooked through and slightly golden.




Enjoy!

-Erin

Christmas Cookie Roundup

It's practically Christmas Eve! I wish I had done this blog much earlier but, oh well. Better late than never, right? So, what do you do when you haven't got it together to blog something original? You re-blog other people's awesome food posts, of course.

I've had a bit of a Christmas cookie fixation lately. I love the smell of baking cookies. So cozy and cheery. I'll probably only end up making one kind this year, but if I was having a big gathering, all of these are cookies that I would want to bake.


So, here is my Christmas Cookie Roundup:


I love nutty cookies like pecan sandies and Mexican wedding cookies. Check out these low carb, grain-free pecan crescents from All Day I Dream About Food.

I haven't had sugar cookies in a really long time. They hold a special place in my heart, as my mom used to bake them at Christmas and Valentine's Day. She had all sorts of fun cookie cutters. I don't even own any (that has to change!) These almond flour sugar cookies from The Urban Poser look yummy!

Maybe you've never had pizzelles. If you like anise, then you'll probably love these delicate and pretty anise flavored cookies from Kate's Healthy Cupboard.

When I was little, my paternal grandmother always made raspberry coconut bars at Christmas. The closest grain-free recipe I've been able to find are these raspberry streusel bars from Elana's Pantry. I'd probably omit the walnuts in the topping to make them more like grandma's. And I'd use butter.

And last, but not least, are butter tarts. Butter tarts aren't well known in the U.S. but all my Canadian readers will know what I'm talking about! They're buttery, flaky little tarts filled with a gooey mix of raisins and/or currants, brown sugar, butter and often ground nuts. A little like pecan pie but more buttery and definitely less icky sweet. The same grandma who made the raspberry bars made butter tarts (that side of the family is from Ontario).

I like that this recipe from Special Diet Creations uses coconut palm sugar in place of brown sugar. Plus, she's Canadian, so she knows what a butter tart is and what it should taste like.

I hope you all have a yummy and merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

xo
-Erin

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is possibly my favorite holiday because it revolves around food, and also because I have great people to spend it with. As most of my family live in other states, we always go over to some friends' house (my mom, who lives here in Nashville, goes there too) and we have a small crowd and amazing food. It's always relaxing and fun, for which I'm truly thankful.


I thought I'd give a quick rundown of my Thanksgiving feast plans. Some of the food is Primal/Paleo and some is just gluten free, as it's a cooperative effort with a number of us doing cooking duties.

-The Bird:
My hubby is always in charge of the turkey and he always does a great job (seriously, the man can roast a bird!)

For the perfect turkey, we brine it and roast it upside-down so the juices flow into the breast. This really helps the white meat to be moist. We'll probably use Martha Stewart's turkey roasting recipe this year. We've used it before and it's simple and amazing.

-The stuffing:
While my mom is going to make traditional gluten-free stuffing, I'm also going to make this parsnip and mushroom grain-free roasted veggie stuffing (mine won't be low fat, though). I may add some wild rice cooked in chicken broth to jazz it up even more.

-The other sides:
I'm a cranberry sauce nut, so I get to make it every year. I follow the basic recipe of cranberries, water and sugar (using organic sugar) that's found on every bag of fresh cranberries, but I like to add chopped dried Turkish apricots, just a little squeeze of orange and a bit of cinnamon. The apricots nicely balance the acidity and add an unexpected touch. I've made low sugar cranberry sauce, but something about the lack of sugar seems to amplify the acidity and it ends up hurting my teeth, so sugar it is...


We're also having:
-roasted brussels sprouts that my mom will make
-blanched haricot verts with lemon zest and parmesan (so good- I need to get my friend's recipe!)
-mashed potatoes (I like the real deal on Thanksgiving. No mashed cauliflower!)
-sweet potato pecan casserole (my friend's recipe- no marshmallows or orange juice involved.)

-The desserts:
My friend is making gluten-free pumpkin pie (if I was making it, I'd do a coconut flour crust).

I'm making my apple spice cake, which I'll serve with fresh whipped local grass-fed cream. So much better than regular heavy whipping cream!
I always make whipped cream with NuNaturals Stevia NoCarbs Blend and no one knows it's sugar-free. Seriously, that stuff is good and not icky. I also use it in the apple cake, so at least one of the desserts won't be high in sugar/carbs.

I hope you all have a wonderful and delicious Thanksgiving feast! Happy Thanksgiving!!

-Erin