Dandy Juice & Pulp Face Mask

THE JUICE

Just Fine and Dandy Juice:

One Cucumber

One Carrot

 Big chunk of Ginger

One fistful of Dandelion Greens

 THE MASK

Juicing isn't cheap. It has saved me a lot of money to make my green juice at home, but the thrifty girl inside me cringes every time I throw the leftover pulp in the garbage. I've found good recipes for cooking with the pulp and I'll try a couple of those soon. 

Today I wanted to get a little more creative. I was inspired by a line of skin care products I've been lucky enough to use once or twice. Eminence Organic Skincare is delightful if you can afford and find it. What I loved about it was how it felt pure, fresh and whole. A couple of the masks smelled good enough to eat.  I'm starting to learn that if I wouldn't consume it, I should probably think twice about putting it on my skin. I hope my recipe inspires you to create your own skin pampering treats.

Ingredients:

Cucumber Pulp

Carrot Pulp

Green Juice

Coconut Oil

Natural Bentonite Clay 

(I used Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay)

Instructions:

In a small bowl, blend about a tablespoon each of the carrot and cucumber pulp with a tablespoon of the oil and of the clay. Add the juice as necessary to get a thick consistency. You want the mixture to be moist enough to stay on your skin but not so wet that it falls right off. Play around with it until you're happy with how it feels. I left it on my face for about fifteen minutes.

Results:

My pores felt tighter as they always do when I use a clay mask but without feeling completely dried out. The oil and the cucumber especially helped with retaining the moisture. This mask felt great although it was a mess when I washed it off. I recommend wiping it off with a paper towel first to keep the food particles out of your drain and then rinsing with warm water.

White Sage Smudging Ritual

I've never burned Sage in any sort of cleansing ritual before. Today I found two small bundles of White Sage had found their way into my shopping basket at the local natural market. I blame the "Face Melter" shot I had just downed at the juice counter. Cayenne makes one do brave things.  

My apartment is a place of peace for me no matter what is happening in my life or in the world at large. Since returning from my two week trip it's felt "off" though. It doesn't help that I'm sick with something that makes my nose run faster than the leaky faucet in my kitchen. I've wanted to try cleansing with Sage before but didn't know the proper way to go about it.

And I still dont...

After a quick search online for smudging advice I decided to just do what felt right for me. In the end, I think that's probably the most important thing in any meaningful ceremony or ritual.  What works for me may not feel right for you, but it might give you inspiration on how to get started.

Whether or not you believe in the power of such rituals, you can't deny the power of our thoughts and the outward actions that cement those thoughts in our daily lives.  You don't have to burn sage or say anything out loud. You could light a single candle and write down some of the positive things you want to bring into focus.

I'm still stuffed up and foggy headed but the peace has returned and the light smoky scent of White Sage reminds me of the power of my own positive thoughts. 

Do you have any special smudging ritual tips? Any favorite types of Sage? I'm open to advice for next time as I plan on making this a regular practice.

MY SAGE SMUDGING RITUAL

As the sun set, I brought out a candle and a beautiful shell I found on the beach. After setting these simple items on a small stool in front of my window, I lit the candle and touched the sage to the flame. It began to smoke lightly. I carried it through the rooms of my home saying out loud "This is a place of peace and love. No negativity or sickness are allowed here". I made sure to outline each doorway and window before setting the sage back on the shell to smolder out. I was quiet for a few minutes as I watched darkness fall outside. My windows were left slightly open so that all the negative energy would have a way to escape as I'm sure it did in the overwhelming presence of such focused positivity.  

Vice Advice

Vices. We all have them (don't look me straight in the face and tell me you don't)(it's called lying and will land you in Sunday School).  My own personal addictions are Coffee and Wine.  The French Press is the most used item in my kitchen and most of my days aren't complete without a delightful glass of wine to round them out.  It only makes matters worse that I can't drink bad coffee or bad wine because it would be cheaper but I just can't do it! I would rather save money in another area of my life to be able to afford a better bottle of Vino.  The problem for most of us penny-pinchers is that these two vices are not cheap and yet nearly impossible to give up.  How do we continue to call ourselves "scrimpers" while still living in sin?  We find ways to save at least a little bit here and there without giving them up completely.  Maybe you stop drinking wine a few nights a week (gasp!what did she just say?oh the horror) so that you can afford to drink better wine on the nights you DO partake.  Maybe you try to use a teensy bit fewer coffee beans in the morning.  Let me highlight a few little things that could save you at least a few pennies every day.  Those pennies add up.

Coffee:

• Bulk: I buy my coffee beans a little at a time every week from the bulk area.  Usually this is cheaper than the fancy packaged stuff and it tastes fresher if I grind the beans myself every day. 
• If you already make your coffee at home, try using a little bit less and see if you can really taste the difference.  Some of us dump those grounds in based on what someone else says, that someone else wants you to run out of coffee sooner so that you go buy another bag.
• If you don't finish the pot of coffee in the morning, put the remainder in a container in the refrigerator for a home-made iced coffee later in the day or week.
• Don't buy your coffee drinks at Starbucks ect. I know its fun and way easier but if you go every day to the tune of at least $3... well do I need to do the math for you?  Let's just say you probably spend a good $80-$100 bucks monthy.  That could add up to over A THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR!! 

Wine:

• Develop a good relationship with your local wine retailer.  I'm not talking about BevMo here I'm talking about fabulous stores such as The Wine Loft or Dandelion Wine, where the owners themselves or trusted staff are always on hand to give you honest advice on wine.  They will tell you which of the value wines are really delicious.  If you don't have a store like this and must rely on a grocery store, at least do a little online research of wines they sell to see what sort of reviews they have.  There's nothing worse than dumping a bottle down the drain after you've spent hard earned money on it.
• If you don't finish the bottle of wine, use some sort of wine preserver and stick it in the fridge for drinking in the next day or two.  Just let red wine come to room temp and it should still taste fine. If it's not up to par for drinking, cook with it at least!
• Consider buying a 6-12 bottles of wine at a time at your local wine shop.  Most places offer a discount of at least 10% on a case.  

These are just a few things I've found to help me save money.  What do you do?