Kashi Free Sample

    For those of you who want to give your kids healthy snacks, Kashi is now giving away your choice of two free samples.  They are giving away one sample per family, the offer lasts through August 28, 2011 or until supplies last.  It is available to US residents.  You can choose either the Kashi Cinnamon Harvest Cereal or the Kashi TLC Peanutty Dark Chocolate Layered Granola Bar.  To receive your free sample click the link below no later than August 28, 2011.

Free Kashi sample selection

Enjoy!

Veria Cook Book Download

   Veria TV had a cook book giveaway.  If you missed the contest, you can get a free download of the cook book by clicking below.  It is a 12 page cook book with pictures of the dishes.  Veria also has a post on their Facebook page with a link to the free download.  The book has healthy summer recipes for you to try.  If you make any of the dishes you can post a photo of it on Veria's Facebook page and/or on Healthy Living Natural Beauty.  Healthy dishes can be easier to make than you think and just as tasty as going out to eat.  And you control the ingredients you use and portion amounts. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but they looked like they would be pretty easy to make and they sound delicious!

Taste of Summer Cook Book download

Enjoy!

Today's Featured Product: Zoya Nail Polish in the Color Renee

    I just tried Zoya nail polish and I love this product.  They are a natural nail polish that does not contain toluene, camphor, formaldehyde or DBP (dibutyl phthalate) in the list of ingredients.  When I was applying the polish to my toes, there was not a strong odor that most other nail polishes have.  I've been wearing it for about 5 days now and I don't have any chipping or fading and the color is still vibrant.  I purchased my bottle of "Renee" polish at my local Ulta store and the price was actually a little cheaper than some of the other brands. The only drawback was that the color selection was limited.  When I checked out the Zoya.com website there are many colors to choose from so I asked the manager at the store why their selection was so small and she told me it was because there isn't a high enough demand for that brand yet.  So hopefully if others see that the natural polishes work just as well they can start to buy this brand so we can have the larger color selection at our local stores.

Zoya in the color Renee.

     The Zoya Company was founded by Zoya and Michael Reyzis who envisioned natural nails, natural skin care and European herbal treatments.  They immigrated to the US from Russia and developed not only the natural nail polish but other natural and healthy skin and body treatments for their clients.  Their other brands include Qtica, Smart Spa and Zoom.  You can read more about their history by clicking the following link:  About Zoya.com.

How the color Renee looks on my toes.

    If you want to order any Zoya nail polish online but aren't sure how the color will look, Zoya has color spoons you can order to see the true color. They will send them to you with free standard shipping.  And they will give you a credit for the amount of spoons you order to apply to a future order (the spoons are listed at 50 cents per spoon).  You can read about the color spoons (or watch the video) by clicking the following link:  Zoya Color Spoons.  For any fans of the show "Dancing With The Stars" US version I noticed they have nail colors for the professional dancers on the show, Edyta, Cheryl, Julieanne, Karina, Kym and one of the judges Carrie Ann.  It's also fun to look for the color with your own name.  It's a great way to have fun with natural nail polish!  As I try more colors, I'll post some more pictures to show how they look.

Looks great with my summer sandals!

Tip of the Week-How to Remove Cooking Oil From Clothes

    I thought this week's tip would be a good follow up to the olive oil pasta dish since you could have an accidental splash of cooking oil hit your clothes.  Over the years I've ruined a few nice tops because I either didn't notice the oil spots before I washed and dried my clothes or I tried pretreated remover sticks that faded the spots or didn't work well at removing cooking oil.  I have finally found an inexpensive, homemade solution that really works.  The trick is using dish soap that breaks grease on your dishes.  It really works and it doesn't fade your clothes!  Pour a little of the soap in dish or bowl and use a toothbrush (specific to clothes, I bought one that I use only on my clothes, you do not want to use it to brush your teeth later) to rub directly onto your stain.  Once you have the stain covered, use the toothbrush to rub the soap into the stain in a circular motion.  Then you can wash the clothes in cold water along with the regular clothes soap.  After, I take the clothes out I usually dry them on the line to be sure I didn't miss any other spots of cooking oil on the clothes.  Once you put the clothes into a dryer it will set the stains and then stains become virtually impossible to remove.  I have tried this method of cooking oil remover and for me it really worked.  It didn't cost me anything additional (I use the toothbrush over and over for my clothes so I did have a small investment on the brush) and it didn't stain my clothes. 

Tasty Easy to Make Pasta Dish for the Family

    Here is another easy dish to make for your family.  It has only 6 ingredients, some spices and cooks up so fast you will be happy you tried this one.  If you get this meal started before the family gets home you will be sure to hear the wonderful comments about how great the house smells as they walk through the door.

This is what my sauce looks like right before I add my pasta.

    To make this dish you will first start by boiling some water for your pasta.  You can use whole grain pasta (either linguini or spaghetti) which is a healthier option and tastes great in this recipe.  Once your water is boiling you can start heating up some olive oil in a pan.  You want to use enough to make a sauce to mix with your pasta.  I usually make sure the oil is about 1/4 inch deep in the pan.  As the oil is heating, I add my pasta to the boiling water and begin chopping into fine pieces 4 garlic cloves.  It sounds like too much garlic, but once you brown it in your olive oil it won't be overwhelming and it tastes great in this dish.  You also don't want to use a garlic press as it makes the cloves more like a paste, you want small chopped pieces.  Add them to the oil and let them brown but you don't want them to burn so keep a close eye on them.  As the garlic cloves are browning I chop about a teaspoon amount of red onion, also finely chopped, and add to the pan.  Since it is summer here in the US, it's a great time to use some fresh basil from your garden which I also chop up and add about 1/2 teaspoon to my pan and reserve the rest to add after the pasta is done cooking.  After I add my basil to the pan I add some black pepper, red pepper flakes and some sea salt (to taste).  Then I add a few quartered cherry tomatoes (fresh from the garden) to the pan (watch out for some splashing) and stir all my ingredients together.  By now my pasta should be fully cooked (about 10 minutes have passed) then I will thoroughly drain and add to my olive oil pan (splashing should be a minimum if you fully drained your pasta).  At this point I completely mix my olive oil sauce with my pasta. Then it's time to serve up the pasta.  I also like to add a slice of whole grain bread on the side so as we eat we can dip the bread into the olive oil (it is very tasty).  And now it is ready to eat!

    This meal is a healthier alternative than going out to eat because you control the portion served and the ingredients you use.  Once you taste this dish, you will want to make it again.  It's so easy to make and so delicious to eat.

Smells great, looks great and best of all tastes great!

I Just Voted for FoodWorks, Inc. - Project Glean Nonprofit Organization at www.50statesforgood.com!

I just voted for FoodWorks, Inc. - Project Glean nonprofit organization at www.50statesforgood.com!: "I just voted for FoodWorks, Inc. - Project Glean nonprofit organization at www.50statesforgood.com! Tom's of Maine's 50 States for Good initiative supports the goodness behind community projects and we need your help! Vote Today."

Beauty Au Natural: Enter to Win Heather's Favorite Brands Giveaway!

One of the blogs I follow is celebrating having over 600 Facebook fans. There is a contest giveaway of natural products from some of the companies I have written about on this blog. There are 3 separate giveaways. Click on the link below to find out how to enter and contest details. If you happen to win one of the prizes, post a note on my blog to let me know how you like the samples. It's a great way to find out if you like these natural products. GOOD LUCK, I hope one of my readers is a lucky winner!

Beauty Au Natural: Enter to win Heather's Favorite Brands Giveaway!: "Time to celebrate hitting over 600 facebook fan page 'likes' with a giveaway. There will be 3 separate giveaways. Each will have its own...

Tarte Lights,Camera, Lashes! Natural Mascara

Lights, Camera, Lashes!

     I recently purchased a tube of Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! natural mascara. I've used this one and I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't like using mascara because of itching and burning or clumping and smudging.  I wear contact lenses and usually don't wear much mascara because some of them tend to make my eyes water and some make my lenses cloudy.  I didn't have that issue with this mascara.  It lasted all day and didn't smudge under my eyes like some others have in the past.  This mascara also does not have a strong odor like some I have used in the past.  I like that this is natural and that it actually works.  It makes your lashes look longer and stays put until you take it off. This mascara is listed as "The Best of 2010" on the Tarte website.  Tarte claims this mascara is clinically proven to increase lash volume by 424%.  My lashes do appear longer when I wear this mascara. I will wear and purchase this mascara again in the future. 

 

    This can be purchased at your local Ulta stores and Ulta online, on QVC.com and of course on the Tarte website directly.  If you visit the Tarte website, they have customer ratings on their products.  You can also read what other customers have experienced while using this product. And if you have used this product you can add a review of your own to their site. Or you can drop a note here on my post as well.

Tip of the Week is Back! - "Get Active" Digital Magazine

I'm attaching an online digital magazine called "Get Active!".  This is their Spring/Summer 2011 edition.  The magazine has some good information about exercise and fitness.  It also features an article about Madonna's new health club chain called Hard Candy Fitness. 

To view the Spring/Summer 2011 issue click the link below:
Click here: Get Active!


With digital magazines such as this, you can learn about the latest trends in fitness and exercise with a few clicks online. If you want to receive future issues of Get Active! click below to sign up via email.
Sign up for Get Active!

Stair Step Exercises from Self.com

Here's a video showing some stair exercises which are a pretty good work out.  The video was taped at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado but you can use your stairs at home for the same effect.  I'm told you can transfer these videos to your IPods although I'm not sure how it's done.  If someone who is more tech savvy has the answer maybe you can leave a comment on my post for those who would like to use this video on their IPods.

(Note you can mute my blog music on the right hand side on my music player before listening to this video)

This is a good work out so if you haven't been doing much cardio you might want to take it slow and work your way into the full work out.  Also, of course you should talk to your doctor if you are starting a new routine to make sure you will not have any issues or unexpected side effects.  Enjoy!