DYI: Coco Shampoo

I have some exciting news! I just invested on a good camera. I confess I'm still in the exploring phase and trying to figure out how to get the most out of my pictures. I even watched yesterday a 1 hour tutorial on the camera basics until eventually I got overwhelmed and decided to continue the video another day, haha. Has this happened to you?  I'd love to hear some of your camera stories :)

Since the weekend is when I have more time to get things done, I decided to test out a new shampoo recipe and see how the pictures would turn out.

Just like with the coco-lavender cleanser, which by the way I've been using for 3 weeks now and my face has never been this great, I chose to go the DIY route because I have very sensitive skin and always had to overpay for more "natural" products. 

My criteria for going with this recipe was that it was simple, had good reviews from other people that tested it out and I had all the ingredients at home. So here it is!

Coco Shampoo Recipe:

- 1/4 cup Coconut Milk (I used from the can)

- 1/3 cup Castile Soap

- 1 Teaspoon Olive oil (I recommend using 1/2 a teaspoon instead since coconut is moisturizing enough)

- 20 drops of essential oil (I used 10 drops of lavender and 10 of tea tree)

Directions:

Mix in all the ingredients in a container of choice. 

Since I didn't have a bottle with pump, I just used an empty shower gel container.

TIP: Make sure to always shake, shake, shake before each use ;)

I've used this shampoo twice already and have liked it so far. I think if I told you that it feels the same as when one uses regular shampoo, it would not be the most honest comment. I think that any change goes through an adaptation period.

But as to how my hair looks and feels: very clean, soft and not frizzy...which is a huuuge must for curly hair gals, like me ;) Aaand a little bonus: you don't even need to use conditioner after.

Give this one a go and let me know how it worked out for you!

ONE WEEK UPDATE:

After using this recipe for a week I decided that I did not adapt very well and felt like it was just building up in my roots, so I'm still in the look for the shampoo for me...But good new is that this recipe makes an excellent shower gel ;)

I'm thinking that the next shampoo recipe will have aloe and coconut milk! Let's see how it will turn out :)

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

Berry Jelly

I woke up on 4th of July with full determination and wanted to do something special but still quick for breakfast, so I decided to go with a berry jelly to add to yogurt and show my red, white and blue ;)

After checking out some neat jelly recipes during the week, I decided to adapt my original strawberry recipe and see how it would turn out. Also, I didn't only want to stick to strawberries so blueberries seemed like a great idea to give extra flavor...

I confess that the original idea was to add only a little bit of blueberries but as I was scooping them out of the bag, they rolled all over the counter and so I decided to add everything in the jelly...kind of like "the more the merrier" crossed my mind that moment :)

If you are new to the kitchen, this is actually a very good place to start! I would not say that jelly is the healthiest thing to make since it can go very wrong if too much sugar is added, but in comparison to what you buy, it is a lot better for you since it has no preservatives and you control how much sugar to add...and did I mention it is tastier too!

So here is how you can show your top chef skills and impress your friends and loved ones!


Berry Jelly:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of mixed berries (I used strawberries and blueberries)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 4-5 Tablespoons of sugar (Ideally I would have liked less sugar but this was the first time I experimented with lemon)
• 1 cinnamon stick (I like this better than powder)

Directions:
Add all ingredients in pan and cook on medium-high heat (frequently stirring) until it reaches the "jelly" consistency.

So there it is! Quick, easy, and delicious!

Bon Appetit!

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

Weight Loss Myths...

Nutrition news last week was kind of tough to read.

It always comes down to obesity and what everyone is doing wrong. Last week, an article attempted to “debunk” obesity myths. It included things like saying that assessing the readiness to change is not helpful and even questioned whether setting realistic goals is helpful or not. Another article said that apparently eating more fruits and veggies per day has not been beneficial in weight loss. Well, if the total amount of calories did not change, no kidding!

I get so frustrated with these studies. When are we going to learn that there is so much more to weight loss and being happy than that? We are not robots and there is no "one recipe for everyone" or weight loss truth or myth. What worked for you might not even work for your sister, much less someone you don’t know. We are so unique that even twins could have completely different relationships with food. So why is it news that a specific diet or approach has not been effective in a study? And why are we wasting time with these?

Moreover, when did eating become such an unpleasant experience? Do you remember when was the last time you fully enjoyed a meal without having to either classify it as a “not so tasty but healthy” or “delicious but beware of the calories”? It seems like all I read about has to do with miracle diets or miracle pills to cure obesity and still eat whatever you want or (my personal favorite) how following some "simple" steps will make all the pounds go away. Of course, every now and then you get the approach “everything you've been doing to lose weight is completely wrong”.

The way I see it, you should start from within. Don’t listen to magazine articles because they don’t know you. They don’t know your struggles, have no clue whatsoever how that piece of chocolate represents to you so much more than “lack of determination and willpower”. I’m not going to be here hypocritically giving you weight loss advice either because I would be doing just like all those other articles. But if there’s a place I like to start is with a food journal. Not with the objective to freak out over the calories but so you can find out how you feel about foods. Every meal you eat, write it down and make sure to include how you were feeling before and after. Understand your feelings. What foods give you comfort and why.

Another very important step, my very favorite topic…be kind to yourself. Destructive language only leads to self-destructive behavior.Think of what kind of conversations you are having with yourself and replace negative, destructive language with positive and loving words. "You are gorgeous, delicious and lovable".

And the last advice I can give, reach out to your loved ones for help and support. Chances are that they have similar struggles too ;)

I guess what I want the take home message to be is don't go crazy trying to follow everything that you read because that was not written for YOU. Whether it is not weighing yourself, setting realistic goals and losing weight slowly, don't take my word for it or any other person who does not know you...find what works, what's healthy for you and most importantly what makes you happy.

Because you are so worth taking amazing care of...

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-