Healthy Butter?

We are on a big health kick at our house right now after Chief found out that his Cholesterol was a little high.  We have made some healthy lifestyle changes, and I wanted to share one with you.

Almonds are a an excellent source to help lower cholesterol, help prevent cancer, reduce heart attack risk, and is full of vitamins! It also has the good fat unlike the peanut which is most bad fat.  We are going to be eating more Almond Butter instead of Peanut Butter because of these reasons.

I went to the commissary looking for the Almond Butter, and it was $4.79 for a 7 oz jar!! That is $.68 per ounce! I am too cheap to buy that, so I went looking for a recipe. I bought 3 lbs. of raw almonds from Costco for $9.99, making it $.21 per ounce.  I found many different versions of the recipe, so I am posting the healthiest recipe and then my recipe that fit the needs of our family better.

FIRST VERSION (HEALTHIEST)

Ingredients

•   2 cups raw almonds

Directions

1. Preheat the over to 300 degrees.  Place the raw almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast almonds for 20 minutes in preheated oven.  After the 20 minutes, take them out and let them cool for 5 minutes.    Place the almonds in a food processor. Process on high until ground almonds begin to form a ball. Continue to process, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. The whole process takes about 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 month. It comes out to about 82.4 calories per Tablespoon/Serving.

Here is the recipe that I came up with that fit our needs better. If you notice, it is not that much different in calories than the first version.

SECOND VERSION

Ingredients

•   2 cups raw almonds
•   2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
•   2 teaspoons honey
•   1 small pinch sea salt
  

Directions

1. Preheat the over to 300 degrees.  Place the raw almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast almonds for 20 minutes in preheated oven.  After the 20 minutes, take them out and let them cool for 5 minutes.    Place the almonds in a food processor. Process on high until ground almonds begin to form a ball. Add oil, honey, and salt. Continue to process, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. The whole process takes about 10 minutes.  Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 month. If you would like to have the butter a little creamier, add another teaspoon of olive oil in to the butter. It is about 88.7 calories per Tablespoon/Serving.  The recipe should make about 20 servings.

Nutritional Information

Almond Butter

Servings Per Recipe: 16
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 57

• Total Fat: 5.1g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: < 1mg
• Total Carbs: 1.8g
•     Dietary Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 1.9g

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Crazy Home Remedies

Call me crazy, but I just did the WEIRDEST homemade chemical peel I have ever heard of......MIRACLE WHIP! Yes, I had sandwich spread smeared all over my face! Here is what I did.

First I cleansed my face and neck with Cetaphil. It's a very gentle cleanser which was important because I followed with a peel.

Second, I applied the Miracle Whip to my face and neck and let it sit for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes had passed, I VERY gently rubbed the miracle whip with a clean dry cloth, in a circular motion to remove the miracle whip and to slough off the dead skin. It feels so good to see the skin roll off. My skin felt fresh and clean and free from the things dulling the surface. My skin was left with a radiant glow and was so soft!  The combination of the mayonnaise and vinegar that is in the mayo is supposedly what makes this such a wonderful peel. It exfoliates and moisturizes at the same time. I was told to use this daily for one week and then once a week after that to keep your skin soft, the pores smaller, and free from the dead skin cells that dull the complexion.

Third, I mixed together a table spoon of homemade exfoliator that consisted of equal parts of baking soda and white sugar. I pre-mixed this up to keep in my shower at all times in a tightly sealed container. I added one pump of the Cetaphil soap to the exfoliator to create a paste. I applied the paste to my face and neck, and I massaged it in for about a minute or two. This not only feels great, it helps remove any residual skin from the peel. Not to mention, this is all very economical!

Last, I patted my face dry and applied Avalon Organic Vitamin C Toner. It smells like oranges and makes my face feel so clean!

 I then applied Avon's Anew Ultimate Age Repair Night Cream that I love as well. I started using this and a few other creams when I started losing weight because I feared I would have more wrinkles show up from the weight loss.  I had someone tell me the other day that they thought I was 26, so it must be working!

So, if you want to try something crazy or you are just bored, smear some Miracle Whip on your face and let it eat away at your wrinkles! :)