lola zabeth | Beauty Foodie – serving up pretty

Eat your beauty: Curry Fried (yeah, I said it) Chickpeas

May 16, 2012 in food for beauty with 3 Comments

I could have mashed them down into some good ol’ hippie-licious humus, but instead I fried those chickpeas. Perhaps I could have also roasted them*, but this is certainly a better option than salt ‘n vinegar potato chips o_O. Besides, chickpeas:

are a good source of zinc and folate, vitamin B6, B12 which promote healthy hair growth
contain phytoestrogens which are antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory;
help to regulate estrogen which may control acne.

And this recipe was a breeze to make, and with a spicy kick like you wouldn’t believe:

6-1/2 things for swimmers to keep in their hair care arsenal this summer

May 15, 2012 in hair care with 3 Comments

I’ll be at the beach in T minus 19 days, 10 hours and 48 seconds, but who’s counting? I’m also ~~looking forward to~~ geeked about a summer full of lazy pools days. Between the salt water and chlorine, I’m stocking up on these items to make sure the tresses don’t take a beat-down:

Beauty Toolbox: Double Boiler Maker

May 14, 2012 in Beauty Toolbox with 4 Comments

My Grandma Rebecca baked her family scratch-made biscuits every morning for breakfast when she was a young woman. That itself is a feat, but when Mama Beck, as we all called her, was about to go way over the top and cook the mother of all meals, she’d announce “I’m about to put the big pot in the little pot!” When I’m about to mix up a rich and buttery hair treat, I often announce, “I’m about to put the little pot in the big pot!” My declaration isn’t quite as profound as Mama Beck’s, as I merely mean that I’m about to make an improvised double boiler so that my precious butters are protected.

Beauty pantry: Tamanu Oil (worth it’s weight in green-gold)

May 13, 2012 in beauty pantry, ingredients - oils with 3 Comments

I’ve re-dipped my big toe, figuratively speaking, into the Oil-Cleansing Method (OCM) about a week ago. OCM is based on the “like dissolves like” chemical principle. Simply put, oil is able to effectively dissolve makeup and other stuff you’d rather not have sitting on your face. To boot, the nutritive properties of the oil help to protect and nourish the skin.

I made a very small batch of 3 parts castor oil and 1 part jojoba oil. I’m nearly finished with that and want to make a mixture with tamanu oil. I’ve had my eye on tamanu for a minute, but honestly the price was a bit off-putting. But my lust for exotic oil got the best for me and I picked up a bottle of at Whole Foods over the weekend. It’s too soon to say whether or not it is worth the pricetag, but the reported benefits have me sold:

Continue Reading…

What is aromatherapy?

May 13, 2012 in body, life with 0 Comments

Natural aromatic plant materials, such as essential oils, have been used for thousands of years to support the wellbeing of the mind and body. Over time the distillation and extraction of these oils has been perfected, and the therapeutic qualities have been researched and studied. Today the use of essential oils and other aromatic plant materials is known as aromatherapy or aromatology.

Did you know that the term aromatherapy was coined by accident? Read more at The Mountain Rose Blog!

Life + Libations: Motivation, or lack thereof + Agave Margarita

May 10, 2012 in libation, living with 0 Comments

I haven’t had a green smoothie in 5 days. Typically I prepare a to-go mug full of green goodness for myself and The Mister to sip during the drive to work each morning. The Mister says he struts into the office feeling all self-important because his wife makes him a smoothie each morning. Well, The Mister has been away on business travel this week, and I couldn’t quite muster the energy to make smoothies for myself. Just wasn’t motivated.

I could beat myself up, but instead I’m going to file that under “Whatevs” as well as “Tomorrow is another day”.

The Art of Mayonnaise: For your heart and your hair

May 9, 2012 in deep conditioners, food for beauty, hair care, hair care recipes with 2 Comments

Dukes is to mayonnaise as Kleenex is to tissue—it sets the standard to which other brands of mayonnaise aspire. For years I’ve kept a jar in the fridge, but I never ever dared to even think about making my own (gasp!) mayonnaise. As luck would have it, we ran out of mayo just as I was beginning the chapter of Tamar Adler’s An Everlasting Meal (a life changing book if ever there was one) that includes Adler’s own philosophy on mayonnaise.

The degrading of mayonnaise from a wonderful condiment for cooked vegetables or sandwiches to an indistinguishable layer of fat has been radical and violent. Mayonnaise is a food best made at home and almost never made at home. This has robbed us of something that is both healthy and an absolute joy to eat with gusto. ~Tamar Adler

Whatever Lola wants: Vintage Phone iPhone Case

May 8, 2012 in life, style + design with 2 Comments

Party Line by Simplyhue

“It will change your life,” said my good friend, Jax.

“Yeah, right,” I replied.

Okay, so I guess the iPhone has added a little sprig of joy in my life. More importantly, how adorbs is this Vintage Phone iPhone case?

Check out these other cool iPhone cases from Society6:

Drink your beauty: Easy Homemade Coconut Milk

May 8, 2012 in food for beauty with 0 Comments

After posting my Chia Seed Milkshake and Chia Seed Face Scrub recipes I came across this Mountain Rose Herbs recipe for homemade coconut milk. If you’re having a hard time finding coconut milk at the market without sugar and other stuff added, this is a great recipe to try. I had no idea coconut milk is so easy to make! And of course it’s one of those multi-tasking beauty pantry ingredients that is great to drink, and works wonders when applied externally to the tresses and skin. I may even add a little to my scrambled eggs!

Homemade Coconut Milk (via Mountain Rose Herbs)

Ingredients

2 cups organic unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
2 cups hot (not boiling) water
2 cups water
1 teaspoon organic pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons local honey

Directions

In a large bowl, soak the coconut in hot (not boiling) water for about 20 minutes.
Pour soaked coconut with its water, the remaining water, vanilla, and honey into the blender. Blend on high until mixed well.
In a large bowl, strain the liquid through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag. Compost the pulp.
Store milk in mason jars (my favorite!) and place them in the refrigerator. It should keep for about 3 days.
Serve and enjoy!

This coconut milk is delicious with a swirl of cinnamon and cayenne, matcha powder, cacao powder, poured in smoothies, or used to make spicy chai! Leave out the honey and vanilla if you want to try it in savory dishes, curries, soups, etc.

How often do use use/drink coconut milk? How do you use or prepare it?

Drink your beauty: Chia Seed Coconut Milkshake + Chia Seed Face Scrub

May 7, 2012 in food for beauty, scrubs, skin + body care with 4 Comments

Every Sunday at about 3:00 pm That Feeling creeps in. By 4pm it turns into full-blown anxiety—the Oh-$hit-The-Weekend-Is-Nearly-Over feeling attacks. And man is it scary, like Real Housewives reunion show kind of scary. Last Sunday I made this to get me through the witching hour.