Vegan Recipes: Curry

 What you’ll need

• 1 can of light coconut milk 
• 2 cans of regular coconut milk
• Quinoa 
• Vegetable stock
• Curry powder
• Cayenne pepper
• Sea salt
• 4 cloves of garlic 
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper 
• 1 can of bamboo shoots
• 1 half of sweet onion
• 2 small tomatoes 

Step 1: Cooking the quinoa 

Take the can of light coconut milk and a half cup or vegetable stock into a small sauce pot. Add one cup of quinoa into the liquid and boil. Once it comes to a boil then the heat down to medium/low heat. Let it cook for 15 minutes or until the quinoa soaks up the liquid. 

Step 2: Curry 

Cut the vegetables and add them to a big pot. Turn the heat onto medium/ high and add a small amount of vegetable stock to the vegetables and pot. Let them cook for about 5 minutes. Next add the two cans of regular coconut milk and a cup of vegetable stock. Add curry powder and cayenne pepper. Let it come to a boil then. Ring it down to medium heat. Let it cook for 10 minutes. 

Serve curry on top of quinoa and add salt to taste. 

Going Green: Mighty Fix Subscription

With so many subscriptions out there it’s hard to choose which one is for you. I’ve had Ipsy and Birchbox but after a while they became stale. I didn’t like the items I was receiving and it seemed like products just built up in my drawers.  My friend sent me a message asking if I knew what Mighty Fix was. I didn’t and she had a free first month for a friend to giveaway. So she gave it to me. Mighty Fix is a subscription that sends you reusable items. They’re for making the earth better and helping you go green. Plus it’s only $10 a month!

For April my first month of this subscription I received reuseale produce bags. I’ve been wanting these for a while now and was ecstatic to receive these. I already use reusable shopping bags so using plastic produce bags made no sense to me. 

There are many uses for the bags. Of course you can use them for produce. When buying bulk beans and grains you can put them in it. I’ve also stored my delicates in them to wash. It protects them in the wash. 

Plastic is the number one product that I wanted to quit using because of the effects is has on Mother Earth. 

They also have an online store to where you can by all organic, recyclable, and reusable products. If you decide to buy they will ship it with your box for free shipping. And everything you buy 15% of the profit will go to a school of your choice. 

Here’s a promo code to receive $7 off your first month which only makes it $3! 

I’m so happy that my friend offered this to me. I’m excited to see what I have for my second month of this. What all switches have you guys made in your household to become more green? 

My Simple Skincare Routine

Here’s a side by side comparison of how my skin has changed. The first picture is from 2014 while the second is from today. I believe with a simple skincare routine that contains natural ingredients and a diet that consists of mostly veggie and fruit will help your complexion. 

Exfoliant 

I DIY my exfoliator with equal parts brown rice flour and coconut flour. I put some in my hands and mix it with water. Next I place the mixture all over my face as a mask. Then I gently rub my face in circular motions. Finally I wash it off. Your skin has never felt this soft. I swear by this. I’ll never go back to using a regular exfoliator. 

The benefits of this is 

• Stalls premature aging
• Maintains skins elasticity
• Treats acne

Cleansing 

For cleansing I use my clarisonic and Castile soap. I love the soap because it has all natural oils as the ingredients in it. It’s a gentle cleanser and added to the clarisonic your face will be clean! 

Some of the ingredients are 

• Water
• Organic coconut oil
• Organic olive oil
• Organic hemp oil
• Organic jojoba oil
• Lavender extract
• Organic palm oil 

Rose Water 

I LOVE my rose water. I buy this kind but I’m going to be making my own as soon as I’m out. 

Benefits of rose water

• Maintains skins pH balance
• Fights acne 
• Hydrates and moisturizes skin
• Has antibacterial properties 
• Helps anti aging 

Toner 

I use witch hazel as my toner. 

• Removes excess oils and helps reduce the look of pores 
• Helps with acne 
• Tightens and brightens under eyes 

Makeup remover 

Of course I use coconut oil as my makeup remover. It’s the best remover I’ve ever used. 

• Great moisturizer 
• Anti bacterial 
• Anti aging
• Natural spf

Moisturizer 

I’ve already told you guys about my oils that I mix. I use an old boacia container to house them. Read my last post to get the ingredients and health benefits from this!

My skin has never looked this good. I get compliments all the time on the glow my skin has. I truly believe in all natural products. 

Journey Into Minimalism/Low Waste: The First Two Items I Changed

After doing a lot of studying about how many chemicals they put into our beauty products I was scared to continue the use of them. Living where I live it’s easy to find homemade organic items. I went downtown to a local store called Farmers Daughters. They sell homemade soaps and lotions. I bought some lavender and eucalyptus soap as well as some lavender goats milk body butter. I instantly fell in love and was happy to know that they were chemical free. We also have Herbane Naturals which carry homemade soap and a lot of zero waste items which we will cover another time. 

After switching my soap I decided to change my skincare routine. I did a lot of research to know which oils would be the best for my skin type. Here’s the list of oils I got. 

Rose and Hibiscus Oil

• One of the most powerful anti-ageing plant actives. 
• Evens skintone 
• Very hydrating 
• Rich in antioxidants 

Rose Hip Oil

• Has a lot of vitamin A
• Rich in antioxidants 
• Has fatty acids 

Avocado Oil 

• Natural sunscreen 
• Hydrating 
• Anti Aging 
• Helps with acne

Grapeseed Oil

• Restores collagen
• Lightens dark circles 
• Fights aging

I used an old Bosica oil jar to mix my oils in.  

After using this mix, washing my skin with honey and removing makeup with coconut oil my skin feels and looks amazing. I’m very happy with this transition. I couldn’t go back to my old skincare routine of ten products each morning and night. I’ll post my skincare routine next!  Since changing these it spiraled into changing almost every aspect of my life. 

My Journey to Becoming Minimalist and Zero Waste

A couple of months ago I decided to use all natural makeup products because my skin freaks out whenever I use other products. While searching YouTube for suggestions I came across the minimalist and zero waste community. I instantly fell in love. Even though I know I won’t be able to be completely waste free I know that I’m able to lower the amount of trash that I use. On the minimalist side I’ve gotten rid of Amit of items that I never used or rarely did. I’ve made a lot of changes in my home and there’s a lot more that I need to change. I’ll be posting every change that I’m making.  So join me on my journey.