DIY Skin Clearing Mask

The other night I posted a picture of my favorite go-to skin clearing remedy on Instagram (@delightedmomma).  Yes, I am 28 and still get breakouts...so annoying! Anyway, I got a ton of questions regarding the mask so I figured it was easiest to do a post here and answer all of the questions people had within this post.

This mask is seriously magical and that is not just a word that I throw around lightly.  Anytime my skin starts freaking out from stress, certain foods, hormones or whatever, this mask works like a charm to get rid of the new un-wanted friends that have decided to show up.  I even got my husband hooked and that is saying a lot considering he is a basic face wash and scrub kinda guy.  You should see us at night when we are both maskin it up.  We look like a hot pair (okay not hot) of green faced monsters.  But then the next morning we (okay mostly me) are like, "WOAAA check out my much clearer and baby soft skin!"

If you are still in the breakout boat like me or just feel like your pores need a deep cleaning then this mask is for you.

What you will need:

• 2 tsp of Indian Healing Clay (it is %100 Natural Calcium Bentonite Clay) 
• 1 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar (can be found at most health food stores) 
• Mask brush or spatula (I prefer to use a mask brush)

Directions: 

1. In a glass bowl, mix the clay with the apple cider vinegar until you have a smooth mask consistency.  If it is too runny add more clay.  If it is too dry add more ACV. 
2. Starting at the forehead and working your way down apply the mask to you clean skin.  You can use a facial brush or clean fingers. 
3. Leave the mask on for 15-30 minutes.
4. Rinse off with warm water and follow up with a moisturizer or toner.  
5. Go ahead and feel your skin because you will be blown away at how soft it looks and feels! 

A few things regarding this mask:

If you are looking for a deep pore cleansing treatment I would suggest doing this mask once a week. I you have acne or are experiencing random breakouts I recommend doing this mask 2-3 times per week, with a day in between each mask.  

If you have rosacea or have sensitive skin this may be too much for your skin.  A great alternative mask is this one. 

I do not suggest using any other apple cider vinegar other than the one I have listed above.  It is the best and no they are not paying me to say that. 

The apple cider vinegar will temporarily cause your skin to be red after the mask is removed.  This may last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.  So just be aware this is normal. 

This is a drying mask so if you are very dry already you may want to try this mask.

Please let me know your thoughts if you try this or have tried it in the past! 

Low Carb Cauliflower Cilantro and Lime Rice

Ah rice how I wish I could eat bowls and bowls of you...but every time I do my blood sugars get super pissed off and stay high for close to 24 hours.  So obviously I avoid real rice at all costs.

Now I am not reinventing the wheel but I did decide to take one of my favorite low carb rice substitutes (cauliflower) and try it with one of my all time favorite flavor combos.  The result was unbelievable and in my low carb opinion it is even better than the real carb loaded deal.

Here is my recipe, which you should make as soon as you possibly can.

What you will need:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 lime + zest from lime
• 1/2 cup of cilantro 

Directions:

1. Wash and dry the cauliflower.  Cut it up into small pieces. 
2. Using the shredder blade on your food processor place the cauliflowers chunks into the processor until it is "riced." 
3. Remove from food processor and place riced cauliflower into a microwave safe dish with a lid. Microwave (you do not need to add any water) for 6-7 minutes.
4. Add the lime, zest and cilantro in the bowl of rice.  Mix thoroughly.  
5. Serve and enjoy! 

This is beyond easy and so delicious!  One teeny tiny portion of brown rice (1/4 cup to be exact) has anywhere from 35-45 grams of carbs.  This ENTIRE cauliflower version has only 17 grams of carbohydrate...so eat up and have seconds or thirds if you wish. 

Do You Thrift?

I recently got back into thrifting and oh how I missed it!  I used to go thrifting so often that I dedicated a whole series to it, ha!  If you have been a long time reader you might remember that.  I love the thrill of finding one of a kind things that truly are little treasures.  Lately I have been on the hunt for unique coffee mugs, glassware and artwork for my home.  But sometimes you find the best things when you are not necessarily looking for them.

Here are a few of my recent finds...

A giant original oil painting for my husband's home office.  Ian is a mountain man at heart and this was perfect for him.  I got it for $10.  You can't beat that.

A happy little mug to add to my growing collection of mis matched dishes.  It was .25.

A vintage bomber jacket for Ronin.  This was just too awesome not to get.  $3 well spent in my opinion.

Do you thrift?  If so I would love to hear what you look for when you do.

Things That Make Me Say Yeay + A Yummy Snack Recipe

A recent family trip to Disneyland.  We had a blast minus the part where Ronin lost his freaking mind on Pirate's of The Caribbean haha!  Seriously though that is a long, sloooooow ride and having your toddler scream the entire time might just make you want to jump out of the boat.

No Bake Energy Bites.  These will change your life.  Okay maybe not but they will make snack time your favorite time.  My good friend had these made at her house last time we were there and gave me the recipe. I made a few little modifications to fit our needs and they are so good!  All you need is: 1 cup of gluten free oats, 1/2 cup of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, 1/2 cup of almond butter, 1/2 cup of roasted flax seeds, 1/3 cup of honey and 1 tsp of vanilla. Mix it all together and roll the dough into little bite size balls. Keep them in the fridge and enjoy! 

We recently went to the Rod Run, a fun family friendly car show and this sweet ride was my favorite.   I just wanted to hop in, turn the music up and take it for a ride down Pacific Coast Highway.

The biggest wall of bottled sodas that I have ever seen.  Every flavor you can imagine was here. Too bad I have type 1 diabetes and one of these bad boys would send me over the edge blood sugar wise...but nonetheless it was still a pretty sweet soda setup.

We let the boys have a root beer float for the first time and I am pretty sure they both did not want the tasty treat to have an ending. 

Have a wonderful weekend!  

How To Make Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk

I have been trying to be more aware of preservatives and unnecessary additives in my food lately.  I mean does anybody really know what Dipottasium and Gellan Gum are?  I highly doubt they are things you would ask to have sprinkled in your morning cup of coffee.  They are ingredients listed in my almond milk that I drink pretty much every day of my life.  I am sure someone reading this knows the purpose of the weird sounding ingredients but I do not feel like googling and it just sounds like something that was made in a lab to keep my Trader Joe's Almond milk extra fresh.  

I have been wanting to make my own almond milk for the longest time and I finally attempted it this weekend.  It was SO much easier than I thought and I have decided there is nothing quite like fresh almond milk.

If you have never made your own I suggest you give it a try!

What you will need:

• 4 cups of raw almonds
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract 
• 5 1/2 cups of cold filtered water 
• cheesecloth (for straining) 

Directions:

1. Soak the almonds in a bowl of clean filtered water overnight.  The longer you soak the almonds the creamier your milk will be. 
2. After your nuts have been soaked, place your almonds in a strainer and strain out the water. 
3. Place your almonds, vanilla extract  and 5 1/2 cups of filtered water in a high powered blender. 
4. Blend on high until smooth. 
5. Place the cheesecloth over a container and pour the mixture onto the cheesecloth.  The milk will soak through leaving only the almond meal in the cheesecloth.  
6. Once all the milk has been caught in the container below give your cheesecloth one last twist to wring out any extra milk. 
7. Put the milk in an airtight container and keep it in your refrigerator for up to 4 days. 
8. Enjoy! 

This is so fresh and yummy! If you do not like almond milk you can also do the same process with cashews or walnuts.  You can use the leftover almond meal in cookies, muffins or any other almond meal based recipe.

Clean Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (No Ice Cream Maker Needed)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We celebrated yesterday by having our friends over for a little St. Patty's Day feast complete with corned beef, Irish Soda Bread and Guinness.  It was a great time!  

To keep things festive around here I made this yummy treat for the boys...who actually ate it for breakfast :)

It is delicious, healthy and unbelievably easy!

What you will need:

• 2 frozen bananas
• 3 giant handfuls of fresh spinach 
• 2 tbs of coconut milk (almond milk will also work) 
• 1/4 tsp of peppermint extract (or 2 fresh mint leaves) 
• a few tbs of enjoy life chocolate chips 

Directions:

1. Add everything except the chocolate chips into a high powered blender.  Blend until you have a nice smooth ice cream like consistency. 
2. Add in the chocolate chips and pulse for a few seconds. 
3. Place in the freezer to harden up a little or serve immediately and enjoy! 

On a personal note...

Oh life, it's a ride for sure and always full of surprises.  I have some personal stuff going on right now that will be taking up quite a bit of my time and energy for a little while.  I have decided to take a couple weeks off from blogging until it gets all sorted out, which hopefully is sooner rather than later.   I will be totally fine and I know everything not so great always has a silver lining.  Plus I think I may have found the source of that weird persistent fever (that has decided to come back...such a little asshole that fever is).

In the meantime you can find me sharing mini life snippets and yummy recipes on Instagram (@delightedmomma)

Thank you all for always reading!

-Lindsay