Health Alert

-I don't know if it's just that time of year where everyone gets very aware of summer time quickly approaching but I feel like the health bug has bitten me! -I always try to cook as healthy as possible but ever since I moved out to school I have not worked out more then walking up and down the stairs to my apartment...needless to say, I'm not rocking the Victoria Secret model body.
 -So for the next few months my goals are not to starve myself by any means (I'm not trying to lose any weight) but to shape up and get toned as well as getting my body as healthy as it can be!
-Also some things that have been brought to my attention is that most people worry about their diet and body but forget about skin skin skin!! I was washing my face the other day and after my skin was dry and just looked like it was sad that I had just put chemicals on it! Yikes, we do every thing we can to be "all" natural but then don't do the same for our skin, which is something that can deceive your age more than anything.
-So I have made it my personal mission to try to find natural face washes as well as making some of my own personal remedies!

Oatmeal Honey Mask 1/3 cup of regular or fast cook oatmeal (1-3 minutes)
¼ cup of honey
½ cup of water

Mix the water and the oatmeal together, and cook. Then, set the oatmeal aside to cool and thicken. As it is cooling, mix in the ¼ cup of honey. Once the mask is well mixed and cool, apply a thin even layer to the skin.

Be careful when applying this mask around the eyes. Though completely safe, the oatmeal can cause slight eye irritation. Better yet, place a used tea bag over the eyelids to reduce any redness or eye irritation.

The way this mask works is simple. The oatmeal in the mask is the primary “active” ingredient. It works to absorb excess oil on the skin and in the pores. Oatmeal will also help remove excess skin cells, and exfoliate the skin!

Dry Skin quick pick-me up!
Honey is a humectant, which means that it is very good at attracting moisture and retaining it. Putting honey on your skin will not be very effective at clearing up your skin, but it will help it to stay moisturized and keep your skin from flaking. Honey will also provide a temporary glow when applied to your skin and left on for 5 or 10 minutes
Acne-be-gone!If you're looking for a natural way to clear up your acne, I recommend that you spread a raw egg white over your face and allow it to dry. It's high in vitamin A, and is excellent for tightening your pores. But remember to moisturize afterward, this treatment can leave your face feeling tight.

All of these ingredients are probably things most people already have in their kitchen or pantry, so not only are we being healthy and body conscious girls, we are being thrifty!!

Happy Valentines Weekend!!

 Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Cupcakes from Food Network

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

 

 

Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak with Toasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Salsa

• 4 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ear of corn (I used 1 can of corn kernels)
• 3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine (I had a yellow pepper so I just used that instead)
• 1/2 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced (I used a whole one :) )
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (I bought all natural lime juice in a bottle, just seemed easier!)
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
• 1 scallion, sliced thin
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• salt and pepper to preferred taste

1. Heat 11/2 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until simmering. Add corn, stir occasionally and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. (Mine took around 7-10 because I used it from a can, you will need to drain the corn first if you decide to use canned corn as well)

2. Meanwhile, I chopped/minced the bell pepper, jalapeno, scallion, garlic, cilantro together. Rinsed the beans and added the lime juice.

 3. After the corn was a golden brown, I transferred the kernels into the bowl with the rest of the salsa, wrapped it and put it in the the fridge.

Steak

• 1 (11/2 lbs) flank steak, trimmed of fat
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons canola oil

4. In a small bowl mix together: cumin, chili powder, coriander, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and pepper. Then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the meat.

5. Heat the canola oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Then brown the steak well on the first side, around 5 minutes. Flip the steak over, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the meat registers 125 degrees (For medium-rare..yuck).  5-10 minutes longer. I cooked mine until it was medium-well. Over all it took around 15-18 minutes, but I eventually cut the flank steak into slices because I wanted to make sure it was cooked how I wanted, since I don't own a thermometer I couldn't get a read on the temperature!

6. If you decide to leave the flank whole, then after you're done cooking the steak, let it rest for about 5 minutes on your carving board. Finally, slice the steak thin against the grain and serve with corn salsa!

                                                                 Yum Yum, enjoy

Snow!!

Last night around 11pm Lubbock recieved some of its first few flurries of the year! Needless to say the flurries continued to fall, making me a very happy girl due to the fact school would be cancelled!

I thought maybe the joke was on the school district for cancelling school because there wasn't an excessive amount of snow, but being -3 degrees with wind chill the snow really stuck to the roads and it was pretty slippery!

 No worries for this Princess, for my amazing father sent me home with some wood to burn in my own little fireplace! This is my first time using it and don't worry Mom i'll open the flue!! I'd say perfect weather for a nice warm meal and homemade hot chocolate for dessert!! :)

Chim chiminey, Chim chiminey, Chim chim cher-ee. Though I spends me time in the ashes and soot, In this 'ole wide world there's no happier bloke then me!

Found this Sir a little ashamed of getting caught for being in the fireplace...He didn't have a friend to tell him he had some soot on his nose!