Refreshing Summer Delights

Hi everyone,

Today I have some more healthy summer recipes for you, similar to my Summer Quenching Drinks post! Both of these summer delights do not involve cooking, are fully raw and also suitable for vegans! My first recipe is a Watermelon Granita.  My second recipe will be a Mango, Banana and Coconut Water Smoothie! Lets begin!

Recipe 1: Watermelon Granita

This recipe is a substitute for a Snow Cone or Slurpee

2 slices of water melon
Half a lemon
A handful of frozen blueberries

Serves 4-6

Cut the required amount for each ingredient.

Cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces so it is easier to blend.

Place the fruit in a blender.

Blend until smooth

Once you have blended the fruit, pour it into a plastic container and put on the lid. Freeze for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, scrape your granita with a metal fork so it looks like the picture above. Put it back in the freezer for another 2 hours and repeat the process.

Place your granita in a serving glass or bowl and garnish with fresh mint.

Nutritional Benefits 

High in Vitamin C and A
Lemon has antibacterial properties
Low in GI
High in Minerals
High in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory
Low in calories


Recipe 2: Mango, Banana and Coconut Water Smoothie

1 cheek of a ripe mango
1 very ripe banana
3/4 of a cup of coconut water (I used the brand Coco Bella, but any 100% coconut water will do)

Serves 1

Collect your ingredients and measure out the coconut water.

Cut your mango into small pieces. 

(I like cutting the mango this way so you get most out of the fruit. I have noticed that many people don't know how to cut mangoes this way, so here is a step by step guide on how to do so. For a full description visit my Instagram page @innerhealthandstyle).

Cut the banana into small slices.

Place the three ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.

Place the smoothie in a large glass. Serve cold.

Nutritional Benefits

High in Vitamin C, B6 & A

Contains 5 key electrolytes. (More then any sports drink!)

High in potassium, magnesium and fiber

Low GI

Essence Cosmetics: Haul, Review and Swatches

As many of you know cosmetics in Australia are very expensive, usually double or triple the price compared to other countries around the world. So when I heard about the brand Essence (a year and a half or so ago) I was very pleased. The price of this makeup is ridiculously cheap and the quality of the makeup itself is pretty good!

So onto the haul and swatches...

I went into Priceline (Australian drugstore) one day with my mum as she was looking for a concealer as well as a few lip products, but she didn't want to spend a lot of money. I was a bit disappointed as the display did not have a lot of stock, and the testers were unhygienic and messy.

After looking through the Essence stand we found the Match to Cover Cream Concealer ($4.25). My mum wanted a concealer that would cover her blemishes and under eye dark circles. This concealer has two colours a warm toned light camel and a peachy under-toned neutral (great for under the eyes). The texture of this concealer is creamy, however it can look quite 'cakey' under the eyes if applied with your finger tips (to avoid this I recommend applying with a concealer brush or a dense eye shadow brush).

My mum also wanted a new lipstick for work as her other one had finished. I was happy to see a new line of lipsticks at the Essence stand with a broader range of more appealing colours, (Longlasting Lipstick $4.10) as the other Essence lipsticks are more like a heavily tinted lip balm. My Mum wanted a lipstick similar to 'her lips but better' so I picked out a dark nude called Barely There.  I also picked up one of these lipsticks for myself. I was looking for a coral light pink colour but there where no more Coral Calling left so I went for Wear Berries. As the name suggests it is a deep pink berry colour. The lipsticks are long lasting and have a nice smooth texture once applied, the colours are also very vivid.

 Barely There, Wear Berries

 Barely There, Wear Berries 

Wear Berries, Barely There

Barely There

Wear Berries

Speaking of lip products, my mum and I also picked out a lip pencil each. We tried to match our lip pencil colours with our lipsticks. I chose 07 Cute Pink, and my mum chose 05 Soft Berry. These lipliners are amazing, they are buttery, long wearing, opaque and are smooth on the lips...everything you need in a lipliner. Did I mention they are only $1.75! Bargain! I use my lipliners alone as a 'lip stain' or under lipsticks to make the colour last longer. I honestly won't be buying any other brand of lip liners.

Soft Berry

Cute Pink

I also wanted a neutral eye palette, that would be good to keep in my travel makeup bag so I can create eye looks on the go whenever I need to. I thought that this Quattro Eyeshadow Quad Pallette in To Die For ($5.35) would be perfect for this. These eyeshadows are good for the price, they are quite chalky and the pigmentation is a 2.5 out of 5, nothing special. However this is a versatile compact palette and the colours are great! There is a pearly cream colour, great for the inner corner of the eyes and to highlight the brow bone. I also use this shade as a highlighter for my cheek bones. I use the second shade, the pearly champagne one as an 'all over the lid' colour. The next shade is a warm-toned dark brown I use this on the crease. The fourth and final shade of this quad palette is a matte dark brown, the only matte shade. This can be used to darken up the outer 3rd of the eye to create a more intense/smoky look. I like to use this to fill in my eyebrows as it is the perfect colour for my hair. This matte shade is also a great transition colour for darker skin girls. I use my Real Techniques Starter Set brushes to apply these shadows, however I like to use my ring finger to apply the champagne shade in order to give an intense finish to the lid.

Matte Brown, Shimmer Brown, Champagne Pearl, Cream Pearl 

My last and final product from Essence is the I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara ($4.95). I saw a lot of great reviews of this mascara online through YouTube videos, so I thought I would also give it a try myself to see what all the hype was about. I already have quite long, dark and thick lashes to begin with but this mascara has taken my eyelashes to the next level. As the name suggests this mascara DOES give you 'crazy volume' as well as length, dark black spidery lashes and it also holds the curl nicely. I find it best to brush out my lashes with a lash comb as it is quite 'mousy' however it does a pretty good job at separating the lashes if applied well to begin with. My only problem with this mascara is that after a few hours of wear it flakes and leaves fall-out just under my eyes, however I try to avoid this by applying less coats of the product. The wand of this mascara looks exactly the same as the Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara. 

Now to the ultimate verdict, is Essence worth it? I think so! You honestly cannot complain as the prices are so cheap. I think that you get so much more than what you pay for. I am definitely going to try out some more of this great affordable brand.

I have had my eyes on;
Longlasting Lipstick in Coral Calling and Natural Beauty
More of the lipliners
Silky Touch Blush 
Lash and Brow Gel 

See you soon!

How to Eat Healthy Part 3 - Refinement

NOTE: This was written before I was vegan and before I was educated on veganism.

Hi everyone, I'm back with my final post of my three part series on How to Eat Healthy!

Here are the first two parts to the series:
How to Eat Healthy - Part 1 Preparation
How to Eat Healthy - Part 2 Construction

The final stage to eating healthy and creating healthy meals is to 'refine' your meals. I guess you would do this while constructing. This stage is about; cutting out junk food and unhealthy things as well as making small changes.

Dressings, sugar and salt should be used to a minimum. They should be simply used to enhance the flavour of your meal. I recommend using extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt to season food. Fresh and simple! Stay away from sugar and butter as much as possible.
Remember to also look out for any flavour enhances and unnatural colours. Try to stay well away from these as much as possible. (I will write about this and further explain in the near future).

In terms of making small changes, I recommend trying to cut out certain junk food 'food groups'. For example, cutting out chips, soft drinks or cutting out lollies. If this is difficult then try to replace one item from that 'unhealthy food group' for a healthier alternative, such as replacing lemonade for Lemon water with mint and cucumber. Check out my last blog post for a recipe and step by step photographs!

Eating healthy can be easy, just remember to prepare, construct and refine your healthy meals. Start off slow and simple, then challenge yourself to eliminate as much unhealthy food as possible.

I will leave you with some inspirational pictures, websites and quotes, good luck!

My Instagram: @innerhealthandstyle
Some of my favorite health inspiration Instagrams:
@healthyygirls
@alittlemotivation
@lolacooks
@mb_motivation
@healthyalways

"ITS NOT A DIET, 
ITS NOT A PHASE, 
ITS A PERSONAL LIFESTYLE CHANGE!"

Remember in order to have optimum health and well being its important to exercise as well as eat healthy :)

Quenching Summer Drinks

Hi everyone,

I'm back with some delicious, healthy summer recipes! I have created two recipes where there is no cooking involved. These are refreshments that would be great to have by the pool or in the comfort of your own home and have loads of nutritional benefits. Lets begin!


Recipe 1: Refreshing Infused Water 

This recipe is a great substitute for lemonade.

1 third of a large cucumber (skin on)
1/2 a lemon (use less if you want it to be less sour)
Filtered water (enough to fill a jug)
Small bunch of mint

Change your quantities according to the capacity of the jug. I used a 1 litre jug.

Wash the ingredients.Cut the amounts of cucumber, lemon and mint needed. 

Slice the lemon and cucumber into thin slices. Then bruise the mint by scoring the bunch twice with a sharp knife. 

Place the ingredients in the jug and fill with filtered water. Stir, then leave overnight for a more intense flavour.

Nutritional Benefits 

Supports immune system

Aides digestion 

Repairs skin 

Reduces appetite 

Balances pH levels 

Cleanses the urinary tract

Promotes healing

Detoxifies the liver

Recipe 2: Antioxidant Ice-cubes

These ice cubes are a great way to enhance the flavour of your water and make it naturally sweeter.

Filtered water 

A handful of blueberries (frozen or fresh)

                                         Place one blueberry in each ice mold (I used frozen blueberries). 

Cover the blueberries in water then freeze over night.

Place frozen ice cubes in serving glass.

Fill with water and serve. You can also serve these antioxidant ice cubes in juices or other beverages. Experiment with different fruit fillings!

Nutritional Benefits

Blueberries are...
Low in GI
High in minerals
High in antioxidants, vitamin k and c and magnesium
Low in calories

How to Eat Healthy - Part 2 Construction

NOTE: This was written before I was vegan and before I was educated on veganism.

To view Part 1 on How to Eat Healthy click here.

The second step to healthy eating is Construction:

The word 'construction' refers to creating a balanced meal. Below I will give you my guidelines and opinions on creating a nutritionally balanced meal.

Before following the steps below I strongly recommend that you thoroughly read the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (click here).

NOTE: Try to drink 2 glasses of water with each meal (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack) in order to consume your daily average of 8 glasses.

BREAKFAST

Breakfast is your first and most important meal of the day. Having a substantial breakfast will fuel you for the day. Energy is needed to avoid becoming very irritable, restless and tired. Breakfast should also be your largest meal of the day. The key food groups that you should be putting into a breakfast meal are:

• Protein: egg, salmon, nuts and seeds
• Grains: muesli, wholegrain toast, rolled oats or a high fiber cereal like Weet Bix
• Dairy: low fat cheese (eg. ricotta), yogurt, milk
• Fruit: banana, berries, apple, oranges, avocado, tomato
• Vegetables: mushrooms, spinach

Put together a small quantity of a few of these groups in order to construct a highly nutrient dense meal.

Example: 2 Weet Bix with 1 cup of almond milk, topped with a small handful of mixed berries and pumpkin seeds.
This meal idea incorporates grains, fruit, protein and dairy, 4 out of the 5 groups.

LUNCH

Your lunch should not be big, rather it should satisfy your stomach until snack time. This meal should be substantial but light. In order to do this I like to have a salad as the base then add proteins, grains and dairy. This way you will gain your 5 out of 5 of the food groups in one meal. The key food groups that you should be putting into breakfast are:

• Protein: egg, salmon, lean meats, quinoa, legumes 
• Grains: rice (wild or brown), brown pasta, wholegrain bread
• Dairy: cheese 
• Fruit: avocado, tomato
• Vegetables: corn, lettuce, spinach, mushroom, capsicum, cucumber, carrot, beans etc...

Just like breakfast, serve a small amount of each in order to create a nutritious meal. 

Example: 1-2 cups of mixed vegetables and fruits, half cup of diced cheese, half cup of cooked wild rice and 1 boiled egg sliced. This meal incorporates 5 out of 5 of the food groups in one meal. 

SNACK

Snack time is fun and versatile! You can have a range of things as a snack. Have your snack between lunch and dinner. Snacks can be sweet or savory so play around with different variations. Your snack should be the smallest meal of the day as it satisfies your cravings in between lunch and dinner. You don't have to limit yourself to one snack during the day. However only have a snack when you are hungry or know that your next meal will not be for a while. 

You don't need to try and have many of the food groups for this meal. Try something simple. Here are two examples: 

Example 1 (Sweet): 1 banana sliced with 2 teaspoons of honey and a pinch of cinnamon.

Example 2 (Savory): A quarter of a cup of mixed nuts and seeds (almonds, cashews, sunflower and pumpkin seeds).

DINNER

Your final meal! Dinner time should be the same size as lunch and the same concept. Try to use as many of the food groups as possible. For dinner I like to base the meal around a protein such as chicken or a lean red meat. Then add 3-4 cooked vegetables and a serve of carbohydrates.

Example: Lean beef (palm size), cooked vegetables such as potato, broccoli, asparagus and pumpkin. Half a cup of a cooked carbohydrate such as quinoa. This meal therefore would have 5 out of 5 of the food groups.

Sorry for the long post! But healthy eating is important.
In Part 3, the final part of the series I will be talking to you about dressing and seasoning your food and the types of unhealthy foods to stay away from.

Stay Healthy!!!

My Travels to Italy: Sansepolcro - Aboca Museum

On my recent travels to Italy I visited the Aboca Museum, Sansepolcro in the north of Italy. Link here. This is a museum on the history of health and herbs over the centuries.

I learnt how the use of herbs and plants have transformed the organic and natural health and medicine world. There were various rooms dedicated to different herbs and natural medicines.

Here are some photos from my trip to Sansepolcro!

At the end of our inspiring museum tour, the staff gave us a bag with sample sized products to try!

I thought I would list a few herbs that aid digestion and help to alleviate colds and coughs:

Herbs to Aid Digestion        

• Chamomile                     
• Fennel
• Dill
• Peppermint
• Coriander

 Alleviate Colds and Coughs 

• Rosemary
• Sage
• Thyme
• Garlic
• Fennel

Herbs for Baths 

• Rosemary 
• Mint
• Lemon Verbena
• Chamomile 
• Peppermint

Keep posted for my DIY natural bath, body and beauty products! 

How to Eat Healthy - Part 1 Preparation

NOTE: This was written before I was vegan and before I was educated on veganism.

There are no set rules when it comes to 'how to eat healthy', however eating healthy is important and should be taken seriously. It can definitely be tricky in knowing where to start and what to do. Here, in this mini series I will teach you what I believe are the basic starting points for eating a nutritionally balanced diet.

The first step to eating healthy is Preparation:

Plan Meals in Advance
It is important to plan your daily and weekly meals in advance in order to get as much nutrients as possible into your diet. It is best to vary your meals, for example try not to eat two meals in a row which are similar or contain similar food groups. Know what you already have in your fridge, freezer and pantry, and know what you need to buy. Making a shopping list is the best way to keep track.

Create a Structured Shopping List
In order to keep your shopping list 'healthy' try to divide your list into the Five Food Groups or nutrient categories. This will make sure that you are consuming enough of each nutrient in your diet. Here is an example below.

If you are unsure of the Five Food Groups click here.

Fruit and Vegetables

• Mixed frozen berries
• Mangoes
• Spinach 
• Sweet potatoes

Grains and Fiber

• Legumes
• Wild/ brown rice

Protein and Dairy

• Red meats 
• Almond milk
• Fresh ricotta
• Eggs

Prepare Meals in Advance

If you don't have enough time on your hands, a great idea is to make bulk meals in advance, for example you could steam some wild rice which could serve you for three days. This does not mean that you eat this on its own, it allows you to add different vegetables and proteins for a variety of dishes. The freezer is your friend! You can make big batches of soups or pasta sauces which you can freeze for months. They will stay fresh and lock in all of the nutrients. You can do this with vegetables as well, pre-cut them for salads to last you for the week. Here is a link on how long you can safely store food for in the freezer. 

Preparation is one of the most important steps when it comes to eating healthy, so take your time and plan, plan, plan!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this mini series!